Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - With one week remaining until the NHL Trade Deadline, the Buffalo Sabres find themselves in a familiar spot: In last in the Eastern Conference standings and 13 points out of a playoff spot.
Despite facing a significant hole in the home stretch of the season, the Sabres felt they could've made a run upon the team's return from the 4 Nations Face-Off break. However, losses to teams like the Carolina Hurricanes and others in the Eastern Conference will not help their case with less than 30 games to go in the regular season.
With the Sabres being as far out of the playoff picture as they are, in years past, the team would be likely seen as sellers heading into the trade deadline, trying to accrue as many future assets as possible. This time around, though, Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams is not looking to acquire future pieces to improve the team.
"When I take a step back, what we’ve done in the standings hasn’t really changed our philosophy on how we approach the trade deadline. ... I’m wide open," said Adams during an appearance with "Schopp and the Bulldog" on Friday. "I’ve told every GM in the league that I'm open to looking at everything, and talking about anything, but what I wanna do if help out team get better."
Two of the notable players on the Sabres roster who could be in play at the trade deadline are forwards Jason Zucker and Jordan Greenway, who are both slated to become unrestricted free agents this summer.
While Buffalo could potentially acquire some assets for both wingers, Adams is, instead, looking more so to lock them up for the future.
"We have them until July 1. We can keep working at it, but if I felt that with one or both of them that we weren’t able to get them signed and there wasn’t a future, then certainly we have to look at a trade. But the priority is to have them stay with us," Adams said with Mike Schopp and Chris "Bulldog" Parker on WGR.
The NHL Trade Deadline is set for next week Friday, March 7 at 3 p.m.