I think that would be an unwise move for Adams.

After signing clifton and Johnson I would say buffalo is out on Pesce

I think that’s a “no” from the Sabres
Seems we don’t wanna pay that much for Pesce
We obviously talked to u guys about him,
heard what u wanted,
and then went & signed a couple RD on free agency day 1

So it doesn’t seem like we are gonna be an option for u guys looking to get top value from your “rental” players
(Yes, i know u *assumed* he’d come with an extension)

Sharks need a 4C so add Drury and for Knyzhov and its a deal

Don’t think Adams wants to move Krebs.

I don't expect the ask on pesce to come down too much, but there's not much to debate about the Sabres being out of the running. Seems like we're seeing adams shopping style play out like this- Sabres have a glaring need, a big name comes up, adams is linked to the big name, the asking price is thought to be too high, adams walks away, adams signs a more cost efficient player to fill the glaring need. In a cap strapped league, a team like Buffalo should be on every sellers speed dial- cap space and a boat load of high end prospects, it's hard to say the sellers are wrong to ask for the moon, but when adams signs somebody else and essentially walks away, the sellers have one less team with cap space and assets to deal with. So the top teams that could use a guy like pesce don't have the space or the high end prospects, and the bottom teams don't have use for a high priced rental, especially if they are looking at a several year rebuild.

Although the asking price was likely high and included a 1st round pick and/or one of Savoie or Kulich, I have a feeling that just as important a factor in Adams going in another direction was the expected term and cap hit of Pesce's extension if the Sabres were to add him and keep him long-term. We've all heard Adams explain more than once how he's opposed to giving up assets for a 1-year rental; in his draft press conference last week, when he was asked about the 4D search, he noted the challenges with adding players entering their final year and what their future extension will look like. The early reports from Carolina indicated that Pesce wanted something like what Severson signed for (8 yrs x $6M), which, for a player turning 30 this upcoming season, no doubt turned Adams off because he didn't want to give that kind of term to an older player nor invest that kind of cap hit when he'll already have close to $22M tied up in his other top 3 defensemen.

The term Pesce is likely asking for apparently is also giving Carolina some heartburn. I love Pesce as a player but his age and contract demands don't make him the best fit long-term IMO; at least with Hanifin, giving him long-term wouldn't be as big a risk but he'd also not be the best ROI in stabilizing the defense for the same expected $6-7M range.