Frankly, ESPN+ is a great value. I get the Sabres (minus blackouts) plus Bandits and UB sports in a bundle with Disney and Hulu for $13/mo. But it doesn't work in the Buffalo area.
Putting the Sabres on an over the air TV channel would not only be great for locasl but would get Sabres games into Canada too, and the Leafs would have nothing to say about it