Last year's No. 1, the Sabres still have a good pool, with five legit prospects and quantity that runs deep into the teens.

Since 2021, the Buffalo Sabres have been steadily building their prospect pool, resulting in a surplus of talented players within their system. Given their current situation, the Sabres are in a position to trade some of these assets as there isn’t enough space for all of them on the NHL roster.

One Elias Pettersson is at the center of the Vancouver Canucks' trade drama. The other is a feel-good story and an addition to the NHL's history of players with the same names.

The Sabres have the assets to entice Vancouver into a trade. The bigger question is what, exactly, Buffalo might have to give up.

With the Buffalo Sabres’ season all but lost at the halfway point, as their play continues to look steadily worse and worse as each game passes, the time eventually comes that they need to assess the talent pool that they have sitting in the minor leagues.