My plan:
First move: Eichel to LA. Makes sense for LA as long as they don't give up Byfield. Add Ristolainen to the deal. He's a LA type of heavy player they'd need to a playoff run. And he's pending UFA, so if it doesn't work, no issues flipping him at the deadline. The Kings have about $20M to play with, so the cap won't play into this move much. LA can begin their playoff push next season, with Eichel, without gutting the team. Buffalo can add key players to the current core, which played well down the stretch. The players that LA has are the type Buffalo wants. This also helps Buffalo for the expansion draft. LA has room to protect Eichel, and Seattle isn't taking Ristolainen.
Eichel and Ristolainen to LA for Turcotte, Vilardi, Bjornfot, 2021 1st, 2022 1st
Second Move: 2021 3rd rounder (Florida) to Washington for Vanecek. Caps can't protect him, Buffalo can. Seems like a pretty simple pre-ED move.
Expansion Draft:
Forwards: Reinhart, Mittelstadt, Olofsson, Thompson, Asplund, Bjork, Skinner
Defense: Dahlin, Jokiharju, Borgen
Goaltender: Vanecek
Exposed (with term left): Okposo, Eakin, Girgensons, Miller, Toharski. No real loses among that group. I expect a choice between Miller and Girgensons. Miller is probably the choice, with Botterill in Seattle.
Third Move: Reinhart established himself as a top 6 center who can produce in the worst of situations. That's going to command more attention than I think fans think. Imagine you were a GM of another team, looking at Reinhart. On wing? Produces. Center? Produces. Good teammates? Produces and makes them better. Average to bad teammates? Still produces. He's got a Brayden Schenn trajectory, and he's at the point Philly traded him to St. Louis. The Blues switched him to center full time, and he's anchored their second line for a Cup team.
Calgary is a good landing spot for Reinhart. They've got Monahan and Backlund, but that's not getting them anywhere. The easy answer is to trade Gaudreau and Monahan, but they need someone to backfill Monahan before they make a move. Calgary might move Monahan for Reinhart, but that's more of a lateral move. They'd be better off landing Reinhart, then moving Gaudreau (Philly) to fill in the gaps. For Calgary to make this work, it's probably a futures deal for Buffalo.
Reinhart to Calgary for Connor Zary, Jacob Pelletier, and 2022 1st.
Draft:
1a: Matthew Beniers, C, Michigan. The no-brainer move. With the way Adams is building the roster, you couldn't draw up a better two way center who fits the line-up.
1b: Fyodor Svechkov, C, Ladia Togliatti (MHL and VHL). Superb two way ability who does all the little things right. No flashy but the kind of player who anchors a 3rd line for a Cup winner.
2a: Tyler Boucher, LW/RW, USA U18 (USHL). Tom Wilson-lite without the d-baggery.
Draft Day trade: 2021 2nd round pick (Boston) to NJ for Miles Wood. The Sabres need someone in the line-up to play at the net and bring some toughness.
Free Agency: Sabres lineup looks like they've got two big needs: Goaltender, Defense.
Goaltender: Ullmark is the add as a goaltender. He loves it in Buffalo, loves the support he's been given, and seems organizationally loyal. I'd also re-sign Houser as Rochester's goaltender as the back-up plan, since Ullmark is injury prone.
Defense: I'm really not interested in making a splash at RHD and pulling in a Dougie Hamilton. I'd much rather let the kids develop. He probably doesn't want to come to Buffalo either. I'd rather make a small, short term move here, adding a safe, defensive minded player (or two). So I'm good with adding Brendan Smith. Short term deal, dependable, easy to add into the roster and easy to move if a kid takes a spot.
Opening Night Line-up
Asplund - Mittelstadt - Thompson
Skinner - Cozens - Ruotsalainen
Bjork - Vilardi - Olofsson
Wood - Girgensons - Okposo
x Eakin, Murray
Dahlin - Jokiharju
Samuelsson - Smith
Bryson - Borgen
x Bjornfot
Ullmark, Vanecek
The key to this isn't who is one the roster... it's who's not on the roster and coming.
Center: Turcotte, Beniers, Zary, Svechkov
Winger: Pelletier, Quinn, Boucher, Pekar, Huglen, Weissbach, Rousek, Biro
Defense: Johnson, Laaksonen, Fitzgerald
Goaltender: Luukanen, Portillo
The opening night line-up is a pain-in-the-a$$ team to play because of their speed, forechecking, and puck movement skills. Then start adding in players like Turcotte and UPL as the season progresses. Quinn, Johnson, Zary, and Beniers could also play their way onto this team.
This is the re-start I'd want. Solid, young NHL line-up with a ton of kids coming.