The trade deadline has come and gone and the Sabres further strengthened the notion that they are in full on rebuild mode. We all knew that, but this trade deadline reinforced that. It's refreshing though in my opinion. Some teams try to build a new house on an old foundation and that doesn't always work. The Sabres are blowing everything up, laying down a new foundation and hoping their house is going to be as strong as ever. Time will tell. Let's take a look at some of the bricks that were shipped out and which new ones were brought in to support the future.
Trade One - Buffalo Sabres & St. Louis Blues:
Buffalo Receives: Jaroslav Halak (F), Chris Stewart (F), William Carrier (F), 2015 1st Round Pick - STL, 2016 3rd Round Pick - STL
St. Louis Receives: Ryan Miller (G), Steve Ott (F)
Grade: A-
Comments: People don't understand how tough it is to trade a goaltender in the NHL at the deadline. Teams that are in the playoff hunt usually have good goaltending and don't need any more. Teams that are cellar dwellers are there usually because of bad goaltending but can hardly justify being buyers if they aren't in the running. The best case scenario is if a playoff team lost their starting goalie right before the deadline and needs to replace him to keep their cup hopes alive. That didn't happen but what the Sabres did find in a trade partner, was a team that felt they were a Stanley Cup caliber team but their weakness was between the pipes. Halak is good, he's solid, he's an Olympic goaltender but is he Ryan Miller? The St. Louis Blues didn't think so.
I already broke this trade down in my previous post so I won't spend much time on it but I felt what they got for a goaltender that was going to walk at the end of the season was impressive.
The 2016 3rd Round Pick can become a 2014 1st Round Pick if the Blues make the Western Conference Championship or if they fail to accomplish that but sign Ryan Miller prior to the 2014 NHL Draft. If either of the above happen and the 2016 3rd Round Pick becomes a 2014 1st Round Pick for Buffalo, the Sabres send the Blues a 2nd and 3rd Round Pick in the 2014 draft in return.
Trade Two - Buffalo Sabres & Los Angeles Kings:
Buffalo Receives: Hudson Fasching (F), Nicolas Deslauriers (F)
Los Angeles Receives: Brayden McNabb (D), 2014 2nd Round Pick - LA, 2015 2nd Round Pick - LA
Grade: B-
Comments: I'm torn here. I really like Brayden McNabb and I thought two 2nd round picks were a bit much to give up in addition to McNabb but at the same time, I really like Hudson Fasching. I think he is gong to be a future top six forward for the Sabres. The Kings have some great forward prospects in Toffoli, Vey and Zykov but all that does is make guys like Hudson Fasching available and the Sabres took advantage. Fasching is mature, thick and can score. He has excelled on every level and is even doing so as a freshman with the NCAA powerhouse Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Nicolas Deslauriers is no slouch either. After switching from defense to forward, he lead the Kings AHL affiliate in both shots and goals. I expect Deslauriers to be a guy that bounces between the AHL and NHL quite a bit over the next few years.
So the Sabres gave up McNabb, who I think I liked more than the Sabres did and the two picks they acquired when they shipped Robyn Regehr to Los Angeles last year. So the Sabres traded Robyn Regehr and Brayden McNabb for Hudson Fasching and Nicolas Deslauriers. Not bad for what they're trying to do.
Trade Three - Buffalo Sabres & Minnesota Wild
Buffalo Receives: Torrey Mitchell (F), 2014 2nd Round Pick - WPG, 2016 2nd Round Pick - MIN
Minnesota Receives: Matt Moulson (F), Cody McCormick (F)
Grade: B
Comments: Let's just get it out of the way. Mitchell and McCormick both suck so let's just consider these two players a wash in this deal. With that being said, let's analyze the centerpiece of this trade which is Matt Moulson. Matt Moulson brought back a 2014 2nd Round Pick from Winnipeg which should be in the top 1/3 of the round and also a 2016 2nd Round Pick from Minnesota.
Two 2nd Round Picks for a player acquired earlier in the season that was destined to walk at the end of the season. It's crazy to think that the Sabres once acquired a 1st Round Pick for Paul Gaustad but failed to acquire a similar return for a player much better than him, in Matt Moulson, but that was the market this deadline and the Sabres did what they had to do. I'll miss Moulson. He was a great player, could put the puck in the net and actually seemed happy to be in Buffalo despite being a rental player. It's not an impossible thought that he may return one day if the Sabres are contending and they need a veteran.
Trade Four - Buffalo Sabres & Washington Capitals
Buffalo Receives: Michal Neuvirth (G), Rostislav Klesla (D)
Washington Receives: Jaroslav Halak (G), 2015 3rd Round Pick - BUF
Grade: C+
Comments: Jaroslav Halak was miserable here. He was 100% walking at the end of the season, had a $4+ million cap hit and probably would have been nothing but a cancer if he remained here. The Sabres did the smart thing by flipping him to a team that he knocked out of the playoffs a few years back. The Sabres in return got a younger goalie, hungry for a fresh start who is under control for a season beyond 2014. Michael Neuvirth costs less and can be a 1-2 punch with Jhonas Enroth not only this season but next season as well and for a reasonable price with a cap hit just a shade above $2 million.
I wish we could have just swapped goaltenders but I suppose the Capitals said we were getting a younger, more cost controlled, longer contracted goalie and asked that we threw in something so we exchanged a 3rd for veteran defenseman Rostislav Klesla who will go to AHL, offer some veteran leadership and be available to the Sabres in case of injuries to the big club. I look forward to watching Neuvirth play this season and beyond.
Bonus Trade - Buffalo Sabres & New York Islanders
Buffalo Receives: Matt Moulson (F), 2014 or 2015 1st Round Pick - NYI, 2015 2nd Round Pick - NYI
New York Receives: Thomas Vanek (F)
Grade: A+
Comments: The Sabres traded Vanek to the Islanders, got two great picks and a player that I don't think is too far behind Vanek in terms of talent, in Matt Moulson. The best part of this is that the Sabres got a half of a season out of Moulson and flipped him at the deadline.
If you include everything that the Sabres got for Moulson, when all is said and done, the Sabres traded Thomas Vanek for the following; 2014 or 2015 1st Round Pick - NYI, 2015 2nd Round Pick - NYI, 2014 2nd Round Pick - WPG and 2016 2nd Round Pick - MIN.
That's crazy! One 1st Round Pick & three 2nd Round Picks for Thomas Vanek. What a haul.
The rebuild is upon us in Buffalo, NY. What are your thoughts on what Buffalo did at the deadline and the direction the team is heading? They are flushed with young talent and stacked with draft picks. Keep your eyes peeled for my next article which will breakdown every scenario and every pick that Buffalo has in the first 3 rounds over the next 3 years! The scenarios include what the New York Islanders will do with this years 1st Round Pick and what St. Louis has to do for the Sabres to get an additional 1st Round Pick out of them.
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