With the trade deadline on a couple days away, and after watching the dismal performance by the Sabres at the Islanders on Saturday night, it’s clear the Sabres biggest woes are not due to this team minus Ryan Miller.

In losing their last three games, its clear they need help on defense and possibly someone who can put the puck in the net. With that said, here are some players that I could see on the trading block in the days before the March 4 deadline.

The Sabres are in a tough spot with Tim Connolly. The question now is whether to keep him or not. He will be a unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. The last three years of his contract have basically been a no-show for Connolly, as he was hurt for the majority of those three years. But in the last three months, he has become one of the more productive forwards on the team, but with his injury history what team would possibly take a chance on him. 

Max Afinegenov is now healthy, but has yet to play, making me wonder if the Sabres have finally had it with having patience in his development as a two way forward. His constant turning the puck over in the offensive zone has made fans and coaches alike frustrated with this player once held as the next Pavel Bure.

Other players that may catch an eye by other teams could be Ales Kotalik who shows signs of domination when he wants to play, but he has his spurts of not showing up many nights. Jochen Hecht, Tony Lydman, and Hennrick Tallinder could all be on the trading block if the Sabres want to get help for the final push for the playoffs.

Sadly for Sabre fans though, in order to actually get something, you need to give something up. And unless the Sabres are willing to part ways with players like Derek Roy, Paul Gaustad, Jason Pominville, or Thomas Vanek, which wont happen, they’re not going to get much in return.

I believe it may be quite difficult for the Sabres to be buyers at the deadline, with the chance for one of the final three playoff spots up for grabs, the Sabres will probably on the outside looking in again this year.