Sabres Daily: Is Comrie A Buyout Candidate?; NHL Trade Chatter

With the NHL Draft Combine in the rearview mirror, the focus over the next two weeks leading up to the Draft in Nashville will be teams trying to maneuver to clear cap space.

"I want to play for this group of guys as long as I can."

Watch Eric Comrie's full end-of-season media availability ⬇️

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) April 15, 2023

Teams will be trying to get a maximum return in the trade market for players with short-term on their contracts that they may be unable to re-sign, while other clubs may resort to using the buyout window, which begins shortly after the end of the Stanley Cup Final and lasts until June 30.

The Buffalo Sabres are particularly well off in terms of not having any bad contracts. The closest one could be goaltender Eric Comrie. The 27-year-old signed a two-year, $3.6 million deal last summer and was supposed to be part of the NHL tandem with Craig Anderson, allowing Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to gain experience in the American Hockey League.

Comrie Injury Made Sabres Scramble

That plan fell apart when Comrie was injured in November and did not return for two months, forcing the Sabres to recall Luukkonen from the minors. In 19 games, Comrie went 9-9-1, with a 3.67 GAA and a .886 save percentage. If Buffalo bought out the remaining year of his contract, they would open up $1.2 million in cap space for 2023-24 with a $600,000 cap hit for the next two seasons.

If the Sabres keep Comrie and place him on waivers after training camp, they would clear nearly the same amount ($1.125 million) if he went unclaimed and was sent to AHL Rochester. With Malcolm Subban an unrestricted free agent, the plan for GM Kevyn Adams may be to keep Comrie as a veteran depth goalie, but there is still a belief that Buffalo needs to have a viable tandem partner with Devon Levi to improve their chances of making the playoffs.

Sabres In Case You Missed It

• Sabres Building Future On The Returns Of Past Failures
• Mock Drafts Have Sabres Taking American Prospects at #13
• Could Hellebuyck Be Solution To Sabres Goalie Issues?
• Sabres Looking To Peterka To Step Up After Worlds Performance
• Okposo On Eichel’s Exit From Buffalo; “He Stuck To His Guns”
• Is The Goalie Market Glut Too Good For Sabres To Pass Up?
• Sabres Need To Be Deft In Next Deal With Dahlin, Power
• Draft Prospect Wood Drawing Comparisons To Tage Thompson
• Barkley Not Recognized By Eichel

Hockey Now Network

Boston: Bruins Don’t Have What It Takes To Get Dubois (Boston Bruins)

Calgary: Hanifin Drawing Trade Interest (Calgary Flames)

Chicago: Hawks Re-Sign Athanasiou To Two-Year Deal (Chicago Blackhawks)

Colorado: Dubois And Other Trade Targets (Colorado Avalanche)

Detroit: Red Wings Have Trade Options At Forward To Consider (Detroit Red Wings)

Florida: Tkachuk Gives Panthers His All Through Injury (Florida Panthers)

Los Angeles: Kings Re-Sign Gavrikov For Two Years (Los Angeles Kings)

Montreal: Canadiens Request Mailloux Meet With NHL, Discuss Future (Montreal Canadiens)

Nashville: Why A Predators-Kings Trade For Juuse Saros Didn’t Happen (Nashville Predators)

New Jersey: Nemec Named To AHL’s Top Prospect Team (New Jersey Devils)

NY Islanders: Lee Finalist For King Clancy Trophy  (New York Islanders)

Philadelphia: Briere Says Landing Another First-Round Pick Was Key To Provorov Trade (Philadelphia Flyers)

Pittsburgh: Dubas Likes To Trade Down At Draft (Pittsburgh Penguins)

San Jose: Source: Sharks Leaning Toward Smith at #4 (San Jose Sharks)

Vegas: Hill Save Biggest of His Life (Vegas Golden Knights)

Washington: Capitals’ Goalie Depth Takes Hit With Fucale Departure (Washington Capitals)