BUFFALO, N.Y. — Jarmo Kekäläinen has been a busy man. Here’s what the Buffalo Sabres’ general manager has done in the last week:• Traded defenseman Michael Kesselring and the No. 27 pick in the draft to the San Jose Sharks for pick No. 20
• Traded defenseman Bowen Byram and winger Jordan Greenway to the Chicago Blackhawks for the No. 4 pick, the No. 45 pick and defenseman Louis Crevier
• Pulled off a sign-and-trade, sending Alex Tuch to the Washington Capitals for a third-round pick and David Kampf’s signing rights
• Signed 21-year-old winger Zach Benson to a seven-year contract extension worth $7.5 million per yearThe last three items on that list came in a span of 24 hours. Let’s unpack what the Sabres have done.1. Kekäläinen said Wednesday that Byram wasn’t even willing to negotiate a new contract despite repeated efforts during the season and after the season.“He didn’t want to negotiate; he wasn’t gonna sign with us,” Kekäläinen said. “So, that didn’t leave us an option to do anything else with this.”When Byram hired Darren Ferris as his agent last summer, this became a predictable outcome. Kekäläinen confirmed that Byram wants to be a No. 1 defenseman, and he’s going to get that chance in Chicago. He is also going to make a ton of money. I wouldn’t be shocked if his next contract pushed $12 million in average annual value. Kekäläinen did well to get the value he did for a player who was completely unwilling to sign.2. Tuch was also clearly searching for the biggest possible payday, and he got it, signing an eight-year, $84 million deal, which includes more than $50 million in signing bonus, before being dealt to the Capitals. The Sabres got decent value back by getting a third-round pick in 2027 and Kampf’s signing rights. Tuch was underpaid for years in Buffalo, but the Sabres weren’t going to get to a $10 million average annual value for him.The Sabres didn’t appear ready to meet Alex Tuch’s asking price and turned him into a third-round draft pick and David Kampf. (Joe Hrycych / Getty Images)3. When speaking with reporters Wednesday, Kekäläinen sounded more than willing to trade the No. 4 pick. He said he’s gathering information from teams that call and will weigh if he can get the right value to move the pick. There are big names on Chris Johnston’s latest trade board. Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson would be worth putting No. 4 in play if he would agree to an extension. St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas would be, too. I’m not sure Matthew Knies or Connor Hellebuyck is worth a package centered on the No. 4 pick unless there’s some value coming back the other way. The Sabres also have plenty of capital to make a compelling offer for Dylan Larkin if he’s willing to play in Buffalo. Kekäläinen’s phone is going to be lighting up over the next few days.4. The New York Rangers still look like an interesting prospective trade partner for the Sabres. Veteran center Vincent Trocheck would help the Sabres offset the loss of Tuch’s leadership and penalty killing at roughly half the cost. But New York also has restricted free-agent defenseman Braden Schneider. It was interesting that Kekäläinen pointed to the internal options to replace Tuch but said the team is actively trying to replace Byram. Schneider could be a No. 4 defenseman for the Sabres.5. Kekäläinen said he continues to have conversations with Beck Malenstyn’s camp about a new contract and is hopeful he can keep the fourth-line winger around. I still think his value will come in just under $3 million per year, but the free-agent market could get weird with teams having so much money to spend. Buffalo adding Kampf is an interesting insurance option depending on how things shake out with Malenstyn and Peyton Krebs, who is a restricted free agent.6. The Sabres getting Benson signed to a seven-year deal with an average annual value under $8 million is a win. That contract should age well as Benson’s production catches up to the rest of his game and the NHL salary cap rises. And Benson gets to be an unrestricted free agent at age 28.7. The No. 4 pick is the biggest asset coming the Sabres’ way in the trade with the Blackhawks. But Crevier, 25, is more than just a throw-in with this deal. The Sabres traded away Kesselring last week and will likely lose Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn to free agency. So they needed some depth, and Crevier is a legitimate NHL defenseman.“I think he has a lot of upside,” Kekäläinen said. “He’s 6 foot 8, right-handed defenseman. He had 25 points last year, played 17 minutes the last two years in the league. He can cover a lot of space with his length and reach. He’s come a long way. Actually, I love his story. He’s a seventh-round pick, and he’s made himself into an NHL player, which talks about his character and drive.”At 6-8 and 230 pounds, Crevier is physically imposing. We know Kekäläinen values size in his defensemen as we saw with the Stanley acquisition at the deadline. And Crevier uses that size as well. He led Blackhawks defensemen with 124 hits last season and was second with 98 blocked shots. He also fought once, so there’s a willingness to defend teammates.Crevier ended up in an elevated role with the Blackhawks in 2025-26. He was third among Blackhawks defensemen in ice time and had a breakout season with seven goals and 18 assists. He has a stay-at-home-defenseman quality to his game, but he also has a lot of physical tools that give him a high ceiling. He has one of the five hardest shots in the NHL. And according to NHL edge tracking data, Crevier is in the 97th percentile in average skating speed and the 94th percentile in top skating speed.It’s almost hard to believe the Sabres were able to get a defenseman with this type of potential on top of the draft capital they got in this deal. At best, Crevier could become a No. 4 defenseman for the Sabres. But it seems he at least should be a solid third-pairing player for Buffalo. He also has one year left on a contract that pays him $900,000. That’s a nice cap savings for the Sabres, who need every dollar this summer.The Sabres already have some dynamic, puck-moving defensemen. Adding a player such as Crevier balances the skillsets a bit. He got the tough matchups for the Blackhawks last season and seems to embrace playing a stay-at-home defensive role. That will blend well with what the Sabres have on the back end.8. Maybe it was a smoke screen, but Kekäläinen voiced support for Buffalo’s goalies Wednesday, saying the position is often overscrutinized. Given how honest Kekäläinen was Wednesday on other topics, I tend to believe him when he says he’s comfortable with the three goalies on the roster. That doesn’t mean he won’t upgrade if possible, but he’s not desperate to do so.9. Kekäläinen said he’s been told by a few agents that the Sabres have come off some no-trade lists.“I think we can be a destination,” he said. “Everybody saw the passion in this hockey market last spring and in the playoffs and it was incredible. People have taken notice of that, and they also see that we have a really good team. So, winning helps, I always say that.”10. The Sabres now have $13.8 million in cap space with 13 forwards, six defensemen and three goalies under contract, according to PuckPedia. That’s more than enough room to add to the roster in a meaningful way. But the Sabres will need to move out some players to make room, especially at forward.
