Charting a course for eventful offseason

Buffalo Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams has time to decide how to upgrade his NHL roster for new coach Lindy Ruff. Trade talks and contract negotiations typically gain momentum during the week of the scouting combine, which will be held in Buffalo from June 3-8.

The Sabres are projected to have $23.218 million in salary-cap space, according to CapFriendly.com. Zemgus Girgensons and Victor Olofsson are among their unrestricted free agents. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Henri Jokiharju and Peyton Krebs are restricted free agents.

Lance Lysowski and Mike Harrington prepare you for a busy offseason by answering several prominent questions about what to expect in the coming weeks:

Which area of the roster or position needs to improve for the Sabres to take another step next season?

Lysowski: Third-line center. The Sabres are set in their top six with Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens, but they need to find a replacement for Casey Mittelstadt. Peyton Krebs has 20 goals and 66 points in 215 NHL games. The 23-year-old had one goal in his last 40 games of the season. It’s too soon to give up on Krebs. He has the skill, competitiveness and intensity that the club needs in the lineup. Krebs did not produce after the Mittelstadt trade, though, and Buffalo can’t afford to gamble at such an important spot in the lineup. Keep Krebs on the fourth line for now and find someone who can help shoulder some of the responsibilities that seemed to weigh down Cozens this season.