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

With less than 40 days to go until the NHL trade deadline, the expectation is that talks will begin heating up in the coming weeks and the Vancouver Canucks will likely be in the thick of things.

The Buffalo Sabres have emerged as contenders to land Vancouver Canucks star Elias Pettersson in a trade partnership nobody saw coming. According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, reporting the news during Sportsnet's "Saturday Headlines" segment, the Sabres are a serious contender to get Pettersson.