Eichel, Reinhart Nominated For NHL Awards
Former Buffalo Sabres Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel each had good weeks. Reinhart and the Florida Panthers advanced to the second round after eliminating the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games, while Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights had a difficult time with the Minnesota Wild before eliminating them in six games. The pair of former second-overall picks also were nominated for awards by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
Reinhart was nominated along with teammate Aleksander Barkov and Tampa's Anthony Cirelli for the Selke Trophy for the league's best defensive forward. Reinhart has been one of the league's most consistent scorers and is also excellent defensively and as a penalty-killer. The Sabres top pick in 2014 had 81 points (39 goals, 42 assists), which includes five short-handed goals.
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Eichel was nominated along with Tampa's Brayden Point and Anze Kopitar of the LA Kings for the Lady Byng Trophy, awarded 'to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.'
The Sabres 2015 top pick scored a career-high 94 points (28 goals, 66 assists) in 77 games (8th in NHL scoring), leading the Golden Knights to the Pacific Division title. Eichel had just eight penalty minutes during the regular season. Both forwards and their clubs face difficult second-round matchups, with Reinhar facing the Atlantic Division-winning Toronto Maple Leafs, while Eichel and the Golden Knights take on the reigning Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers.
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BUFFALO, N.Y. — The NHL offseason began in earnest this week in Buffalo with general managers, agents and other league personnel descending upon Western New York for the annual NHL Scouting Combine. And it feels like the Sabres will be at the center of a lot of the NHL's offseason chatter. This is a high-stakes summer for general manager Kevyn Adams as he enters his sixth season on the job. The weight of their league-record playoff drought is getting heavier with every season. But this offseason is about more than just the pressure from the fan base. The Sabres have six restricted free agents, and Alex Tuch is eligible for a contract extension on July 1. That's a lot of moving pieces for a team that hasn't lived up to expectations the last two seasons. Advertisement Of those restricted free agents, JJ Peterka is the one whose situation is most intriguing. The 23-year-old is fresh off a career-best 68-point season one year after he had 50 points. He's a fast, sharp-shooting winger capable of creating offense off the rush. He's everything the Sabres hoped for when they picked him in the second round of the 2020 NHL Draft. And yet he's No. 7 on The Athletic's first offseason trade board. Peterka's name first entered the rumor mill around the trade deadline when the Sabres received interest. Adams said then there was 'zero truth' to any suggestion the Sabres were trying to trade Peterka. He also said he viewed him as a 'core young piece' and would prioritize meeting with his agent after the season to talk about the next step. Adams also acknowledged he would need to explain to Peterka how he plans to make the team better this offseason and going forward. That process continued when the sides met at the NHL Combine this week. The stance from Adams and the Sabres is consistent: They don't have an interest in trading Peterka. But that hasn't stopped teams from calling. If anything, the interest in Peterka has intensified since his name has started to pop up in more trade rumors from league insiders. The Sabres' preferred outcome is getting Peterka locked up to another contract. The key, as The Athletic's Chris Johnston wrote last week, is whether Peterka is willing to make that same commitment to the organization. If he's not, the Sabres' decision-making gets a bit more complicated. Speaking on Sportsnet 590 The Fan this week, Elliotte Friedman said, 'Peterka is clearly trying to make noise to force them to make a move.' If that's the case, Adams has a trickier situation on his hands, and he needs to keep his options open. So, what are the Sabres' options? Peterka is a dynamic player. He would have significant value in a trade, especially because outside of Mitch Marner and Nikolaj Ehlers, the free-agent pool isn't deep with goal-scoring wingers. But the Sabres won't be interested in making their team worse this summer. Trading Peterka for a futures-based package doesn't help Buffalo win now. It needs to be a priority for the Sabres next season. Advertisement But if Adams wants to make a significant change to this roster, Peterka is among the most valuable trade chips he has. The Sabres would love to find a right-handed defenseman capable of playing in the top four. They could also use a top-six forward capable of playing a hard-nosed, two-way game. If the Sabres could address one or two of their needs by moving Peterka, it might be worth considering. But the only way it makes sense is if the haul is a significant one that makes Buffalo a more complete team in 2025-26. It also makes sense if the contract negotiations get messy When Peterka's name has been bandied about in online trade chatter, there is talk about the looming threat of an offer sheet. But how much of a threat is that, really? If Peterka doesn't want to be in Buffalo, signing an offer sheet would be a risk, especially if it's long-term. The Sabres have the cap space to match even an aggressive offer sheet. They would like to have him here long-term. He's a known favorite of owner Terry Pegula. If another team wants to do the negotiating for the Sabres, it would make Adams' life easier. The one caveat to that is if a team gets creative and signs him to a short-term offer sheet with a big cap number. That could make Buffalo's decision a bit more complicated and be a risk worth taking for Peterka. If the Sabres match a short-term offer sheet, Peterka is not locked in long-term and has a bit more control over his future. According to AFP Analytics' latest projections, Peterka could command just about $7.8 million per year on a seven-year deal or $4.6 million per year on a two-year deal. Peterka could have the leverage to negotiate bigger numbers, but that's the ballpark the Sabres will be dealing with. Adams already acknowledged the Sabres need to sell Peterka on the team's vision. Maybe that opens the door for a short-term deal that allows Adams to prove to Peterka that the Sabres can become a winner. It's not an ideal outcome for the Sabres because Peterka would be due for another contract when the cap continues to climb. But it might be a necessary compromise depending on how much Peterka is willing to dig in. The Sabres have four more years of team control with Peterka before he becomes a free agent, so they don't have to move him. Advertisement Central to all of Buffalo's decision-making when it comes to Peterka is properly evaluating the type of player he is and the type of player he can become. His goal-scoring and playmaking ability have been evident during his first three NHL seasons. He had 27 goals and 41 assists last season after 28 goals and 22 assists the season before. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Sabres had 46 percent of the expected goals when Peterka was on the ice at five-on-five, so his two-way game still needs improvement. Peterka also noted toward the end of the year that he's striving to be more consistent and wants to make sure his body language is better during frustrating moments. Peterka has already proven he's a capable top-six winger. He has spent plenty of time on Buffalo's top line and power play, and there's still plenty of upside in his game. After investing so much time and energy into his development, the Sabres wouldn't be eager to see him leave just as he's beginning to enter his prime. But like the rest of Buffalo's offseason, it's complicated.
