Free agent for Buffalo to sign from Carolina

In the previous article, the Calgary Flames were the next team on the list. However, after scanning their UFAs, no one asked the Buffalo Sabers to sign. That being said, the next team will be the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes are currently trying to claw their way back from a 3-0 deficit against the New York Rangers in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. When looking at the list of players expected to become unrestricted free agents, some attractive names catch the eye.

A few of these names include Jake Guentzel, Brett Pesce and Teuvo Teräväinen. Another player is defender Brady Skjei. In the playoffs, Skjei scored one goal and recorded nine assists in 10 games played. He has just achieved his best statistics of the season. During the 2023/2024 campaign, the defender scored 13 goals and recorded 34 assists in 80 matches played.

Two years ago, Skjei scored 18 goals. The 30-year-old has been in the NHL for a while now, having been in the league for nine years, so he is not an unproven player. As for the Buffalo Sabres, the blue line is a glaring problem.

Buffalo doesn’t have a single defender in his 30s, the closest is 29-year-old Connor Clifton. With the exception of Clifton, all of the blue line defensemen are in their early 20s. Brady would be the perfect addition to the defensive core. Not only for what he can do on the ice, but he could be a good leader for the Sabres’ young talent.

Skjei earned a $5,250,000 cap hit after signing a contract extension with the Rangers before being dealt to the Hurricanes during the 2019/2020 season.

The next team we will talk about is the Chicago Blackhawks.