Sabres
Buffalo’s struggles continue week after week. The Sabres are 2-8 in their last 10 contests and now sit at the bottom of the league with yet another league-worst stat – a negative 88 goal differential.
The team made eyes pop in one of the NHL’s biggest trades of the season on Wednesday as they sent 2010 Calder Trophy winner and highly-touted defenseman Tyler Myers, along with forward Drew Stafford, prospects Joel Armia and Brendan Lemieux and a first round pick to the Winnipeg Jets for top-six forward Evander Kane, defenseman Zach Bogosian and prospect goalie Jason Kasdorf.
Love him, or hate him, Kane has recently drawn attention when he failed to show up for a recent game against the Vancouver Canucks, due to a shoulder injury, after he showed up late to a team meeting wearing a track suit and not official Winnipeg gear. The Jets responded with defenseman Dustin Byfuglien tossing the bad boy’s apparel into the team shower. Kane said he laughed it off, but we all know how irritated we would be if someone soaked our clothes.
Kane, who said he’s looking forward to a fresh start, could potentially be a 30-plus perennial goal scorer for the Sabres if he leaves his problems in Winnipeg. Bogosian, who hasn’t been the high-profile defensemen he was expected to be early in his career, could go either way, making a memorable impact in Buffalo or join the likes of Adam Pardy and Shaone Morrisson as irrelevant defensemen that have dressed for the Sabres. Kasdorf, who is possibly the lowest valued player in the trade offers the Sabres even more depth at the goalie position.
The Sabres weren’t done setting social media ablaze as they traded starting goalie Jhonas Enroth out of what seemed like nowhere. Enroth, who has been a solid netminder for Buffalo, was traded to Dallas for fellow Swede (and less-impressive) goalie Anders Lindback and a conditional third-round pick. The condition being that if Dallas wins a playoff series, which it probably won’t, the pick becomes a second rounder.
Say what you will, but this is almost certainly a move by general manager Tim Murray to ensure the tank for one of this year’s generational prospects Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel. As far as long term success goes, there’s no way Lindback, an unrestricted free agent this summer, stays. Even more, many believe that this is a hey-see-ya-this-summer thing with Enroth, who is also an unrestricted free agent this year, making it possible to resign him and walk away with a free pick from Dallas.
Whether you want to give Tim Murray a hug or punch him in the face following Wednesday’s deals, one thing seems certain – finishing last is going to happen, and the race for “McEichel” is all the way on.
