BUFFALO – After free agency opened Wednesday, the Sabres stayed pretty quiet, signing four depth players likely ticketed for the minors and trading goalie Devon Levi.
While more notable moves could materialize – “We’re still open for business,” general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in LECOM Harborcenter – the roster might be pretty much set.
“By no means we’re desperate to add anything right now,” Kekalainen said. “It needs to be a perfect fit both from role, playing, ability. We’ve talked at nauseam about this with Lindy (Ruff) and what we may or may not need.”
So while acknowledging the Sabres will miss winger Alex Tuch, the 30-goal scorer they dished to the Washington Capitals last week in a sign-and-trade deal, Kekalainen spoke confidently about how their young forwards can fill the void created by his departure.
Kekalainen believes Konsta Helenius, Jiri Kulich and Noah Ostlund will keep developing.
“We’ll be fine,” he said. “We have so many young forwards that are only going to get better. … I believe in the growth of those young players that they’re going to get to the next level just by getting a year more experienced, stronger, quicker, all those things.”
Meanwhile, Olen Zellweger, a defenseman the Sabres acquired Friday, will replace Bowen Byram, who was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks last week.
“I think that we patched the holes on defense with Olen Zellweger, believe that he’s a guy that can grow into the role that Bo Byram was at,” Kekalainen said. “Probably not there yet. Bo Byram was a really good defenseman for us.
“We still have three really good defensemen in place. I’d say that’s a luxury to have three defensemen at the level of Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, Owen Power.”
Kekalainen, who’s known for taking big swings, refused to confirm reports the Sabres recently pursued Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, the 2024-25 Hart Trophy winner.
Of course, trying to pry perhaps the game’s best netminder away from Winnipeg would’ve come at a huge cost.
“Whenever we felt there may have been an opportunity to make the team stronger, the ask is always our really good young players that we don’t have any reason to part with,” he said. “So that was usually a short conversation.”
The Sabres parted with Levi, send him and a seventh-round pick in 2028 to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a third-round pick in 2028.
The Oilers have struggled to find a No. 1 goalie, so Levi, who must clear waivers next season before going to the minors, should have a strong opportunity to stick in the NHL.
“We have three goalies,” Kekalainen said. “There’s a chance that he would be with the Buffalo Sabres, and we’d have to send him back to Rochester, in which case he would’ve needed waivers, and there’s a good chance we would’ve lost him for nothing.”
Levi, once a highly touted prospect, fell out of the Sabres’ plans last season when he spent the entire campaign with the Rochester Americans.
Former GM Kevyn Adams, who was fired Dec. 15, acquired Levi in 2021.
After Levi left Northeastern late in 2021-22, he jumped right into the net, playing his first seven NHL games and nearly backstopping the Sabres to a playoff berth.
However, Levi, 24, never recaptured that magic. He ranked a distant fourth on the organization’s goaltending depth chart last season behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis.
The Sabres brought back two old friends Wednesday as depth additions, signing winger Conor Sheary, who has spent most of the last 11 seasons in the NHL, including a 133-game stint with the Sabres in 2018-19 and 2019-20, and defenseman Dennis Gilbert, to a one-year, one-way contracts.
Sheary, 34, played for the New York Rangers last season. He won the Stanley Cup twice with Pittsburgh Penguins before his first stint in Buffalo.
“He’s got a lot of experience in the league, so I think he’s going to be a good depth piece for us,” Kekalainen said.
Gilbert, 29, played 25 games for the Sabres in 2024-25. They traded him to the Ottawa Senators that season in the Dylan Cozens-Josh Norris swap.
After signing with the Philadelphia Flyers last year, Gilbert began the season in the AHL before Ottawa reacquired him Nov. 17.
He spent most of the season in the minors, playing 31 games for the Belleville Senators and nine contests with Ottawa, including one in the playoffs.
The Sabres also inked forwards Trevor Kuntar to a two-year contract and Jason Polin to a one-year deal. Both are two-way contracts.
Kuntar, 25, enjoyed a breakout year last season, scoring 21 goals for the Rochester Americans and playing his first NHL game.
The Williamsville native signed an AHL contract last summer before earning an NHL deal during the season.
“He’s hard to play against and he goes to the hard areas,” Kekalainen said. “He’s still a young guy, so I think there’s potential there to become an NHL player.”
Polin, 27, has spent most of the last four seasons in the AHL with the Colorado Eagles. He played 13 games with the Avalanche.