What steps will the Sabers take after the Jeff Skinner buyout?

I rarely got the impression that Adams spoke on the spur of the moment. Most of his words are calculated, and that’s why it behooves you to listen carefully.

So Adams wasn’t talking in circles at the Sphere when he gave his main message Saturday after the NHL draft, which ended in fast-forward after an ungodly 8:30 a.m. PT start.

“The offseason is still incomplete. There’s still time to do some different things,” Adams said emphatically. “And that’s what we’re going to be working on here in the next few days.”

Here’s my bottom line: This week was a disappointment and Adams has a lot of work to do.

The Sabres can’t just go back the way they did last year. Beck Malenstyn, acquired Saturday from Washington for a second-round pick, is a good fit for the fourth line. He blew the Rochester Amerks away in the 2023 East final against Hershey and then led the Caps in hits last season.

“When he hits, he hits hard,” Adams said.

Malenstyn could well take Zemgus Girgensons’ place, but it’s not a top-class transfer. Adams insisted he was aggressive and involved, but did nothing else.

So, with no big deal in sight, and especially no plans for Carolina winger Martin Necas, I asked Adams at the end of his 8-minute press briefing if the lack of a major trade precludes a Jeff Skinner buyout because the buyout window closes Sunday.

Bad assumption. I’m glad I asked.

Adams revealed that the Skinner buyout process began Saturday morning and will be completed Sunday, sending a $9 million player to the land of Ville Leino and Cody Hodgson.

There’s definitely a risk here, but buying Skinner isn’t a problem in my eyes. He’s not a Lindy Ruff player at all. While you could argue that Ruff found a way to get a more balanced game from Maxim Affinogenov back in the day, it’s unlikely Skinner could buy in that way.

Skinner is a popular figure in the dressing room and you can probably book him for 25 goals, but the reality is he is not a winning player. He is the only NHL player to have played 1,000 career games and not appear in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s on him. Carolina thrived as soon as Rod Brind’Amour took him off the team and the Sabers continued to suffer.

Another point: Adams is clearly angry at Skinner for refusing to waive his no-movement clause, as the GM made it clear here that he had a deal in place for Skinner that the player rejected.

In Skinner’s defense, why should he waive that clause? Terry Pegula and former general manager Jason Botterill offered him that clause in an insane way, and he’s not about to give it up so the Sabres can send him to a rebuilding team like San Jose or Chicago. He also doesn’t want to leave his Toronto suburbs for a city like Seattle, which is looking to improve its offence and has Botterill running the team as an assistant GM.

The Sabres now have just over $31.7 million in salary cap space for next season. They saved about $7.5 million for 2024-25 through the buyout, but there will be some bumps in the middle of the six-year buyout program, including the $6.4 million hit in 2026-27.

But what does it matter to Adams? He has to win now, otherwise it will be someone else’s problem.

With free agency looming Monday, we know the Sabres talked to Patrick Kane last season and are expected to reach back for the South Buffalo native again. I imagine the Sabres are also thinking about Steven Stamkos, though there’s been plenty of talk here about Tampa Bay’s captain heading to Detroit following Saturday’s announcement that all of the Lightning’s trades here were meant to create cap space for a run at Carolina’s Jake Guentzel and not their longtime franchise icon.

It’s worth remembering that in 2016, the Sabres were on the same team as Stamkos, a team on the rise that was located near his suburban Toronto home. But eight years is a long time in hockey and in life. At 34, Stamkos is now a two-time Stanley Cup champion and the Sabres have been a playoff underdog for 13 years.

It’s hard to imagine free agents signing here, given recent history. But maybe someone will want to come play for Ruff. Maybe the Sabers will give some of their massive cap space to someone. Maybe Adams will find the right package to entice Carolina to bite Necas. It appears that Konsta Helenius’ selection Friday in the first round could make a top prospect like Noah Ostlund redundant.

Fans are buzzing right now, and for good reason. Ruff is considered an all-conquering hero and a major upgrade over Don Granato, who didn’t suddenly forget how to coach after a 91-point season. But the campaign to fire the coach is now over and all eyes are on the general manager.

The offseason may be incomplete and there’s nothing stopping you from making a trade in August or even early September before training camp begins. But Adams needs to do something big and connect in the coming days. The start of free agency on Monday would be a good time to start, whether he makes a deal or makes a surprise signing.

Doing nothing is no longer an option.