Quoting: wondershrimp
What if it was this year's first instead of next years?
BUF would be stupid to do any of that (either this year or next year). BUF has plenty of talent on the F side, but some of it is stuck in the AHL/Europe, being pushed out by the likes of Wayne Simmonds, Kyle Okposo, Curtis Lazar, etc. They need to stop adding on AHL level players to play the bottom half of their lineup, and get some of the kids in there. Adding Mantha won't fix that part of the lineup.
Also, their Cs can't win a faceoff to save their life. Eichel is one of the worst FO men in the league (factoring in regular Cs), he's at 47% (for comparison, Larkin is at 53%, Barkov is at 54%, Horvat is at 57%). Not winning a faceoff puts you behind immediately (in either end of play), which is a major structural issue that is being exploited.
If you want to improve BUF, they need a true #2 C that can win faceoffs, chip in 45 points, and center the 2nd PP unit. They need a top defensive C (that can also win a draw). They need an infusion of youth at the bottom end. They also need a true defensive dman that can play 20+ minutes a night. Mantha doesn't fix any of these.