The Toronto Maple Leafs are about to finish their 2025-26 training camp, and as it happens, the Maple Leafs are very deep at every position — but certainly, the most depth they’ve got is on the wings. And as we’ll exploain, we’re telling you this because the Buffalo Sabres should be looking into acquiring into one of a few veteran Leafs wingers in particular: right winger/center Calle Jarnkrok, and left-wingers David Kampf and Nick Robertson.
Let’s be clear — we’re in no way aruging Robertson, Jarnkrok and Kampf are going to be big-time difference-makers for the Sabres if Buffalo acquires one of them. These are fringe, not foundational players. But there could be something to the Sabres improving their bottom-six group of forwards, and that should get Sabres GM Kevyn Adams reaching out to Leafs counterpart Brad Treliving and inquiring about the asking price for each of the three. Indeed, the price can’t be much at all, other than the cap space Toronto is looking to build up.
Now, the Sabres don’t have any obvious holes, so a player like Jarnkrok or Robertson would have to work their way into being a Sabres regular. But they’d be closer to a bona fide opportunity in Buffalo than any of the trio woulde if they remain in Toronto. And only Kampf is signed beyond this season, so it would be a low-risk, decent-reward acquisition if the Sabres were bold enough to make it.
If the move pans out, voila — you’ve acquired a veteran for next season at a bargain price. Those are the type of moves no GM can afford to turn down. At a time in league history when it’s all but impossible to acquire high-end talent, every team should be aiming to improve its bottom-six group of forwards, and that’s what Buffalo would be doing by picking up Jarnkrok, Kampf or Robertson.
Again, you have to consider the price here if you’re a Sabres fan hearing this idea for the first time. You’re only taking the money off Toronto’s hands. And for giving the Leafs that luxury, you wind up with a player who can contribute positive things for you as you push to end a 14-year Stanley Cup playoff berth. To quote TV’s Breaking Bad: “Everybody wins.”
Sabres’ Second Line Must Lead The Way For Buffalo’s Forwards This Year
The Buffalo Sabres need a lot of things to go right for them to be a Stanley Cup playoff team this coming season. They need their goalies to pan out with strong performances. They need star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin to put on a defensive clinic and carrry Buffalo to a strong defensive game. And one thing could also be the difference between the Sabres missing or making the 2026 playoffs — namely, the play of Buffalo’s second line of forwards: center Ryan McLeod, and wingers Alex Tuch and Jason Zucker.
The Sabres have $5.3-million in salary cap space, so they can absorb the full contract of either Robertson, Jarnkrok or Kampf and still have sufficient cap space to make other acquisitions during the coming season. But they’d be setting a new bar for their forwards by trading for one of Toronto’s surplus wingers
Adams can’t bank on acquiring true needle-movers during the year. But what he can do is recognize a solid gamble when he sees one, and move quickly to improve the Sabres’ overall depth and add the experience that Jarnkrok, Kampf and Robertson would bring to the organization.
Sabres’ Defense Corps Could Be The Difference Between Buffalo Making And Missing Out On Playoffs
Yesterday, we put forth our opinion that the Buffalo Sabres need a big year out of star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin if they were going to contend for a Stanley Cup playoff berth (and end their 14-season playoff drought. And 24 hours later, we’re sticking with that notion. But this column is an addendum to yesterday’s column. Because while the Sabres need Dahlin to spearhead a defensive renaissance for this franchise, Buffalo isn’t going to be a playoff team unless something else happens in addition to Dahlin being very difficult to play against particularly in their own zone.
It might not work, but at least you could say you more or less spent every penny available to you under the cap by spending these last few millions on a veteran or two to be an improved team. Remember, you don’t accrue cap space year after year. So there’s really no excuse for not emptying the coffers and investing all the salary you can.
It could wind up being the difference between making and missing the post-season. And if you’re a Sabres fan, you should be happy with an improved team to cheer on, regardless of how that improvement takes place. And there are options in Leafs Land that can help Buffalo with its playoff push.
