The Sabres have acquired a defenseman to fill one of their holes on the blueline, as they sent Minnesota’s second round pick in 2016 to Montreal for Josh Gorges. This week Gorges has been in trade conversation, and halted a deal that would have sent him to Toronto. The Sabres had originally acquired the pick in the Matt Moulson deal.
Gorges, 29, has been with the Canadiens since 2006. Last season he scored one goal and 13 assists in 66 games with Montreal. His best production came in 2008-2009, when he totaled 4 goals and 19 assists in 81 games. Gorges is entering the third year of a six-year deal and is under contract until 2018 at a cap hit of $3.9 million.
His contract comes with a limited no-trade clause, which is what allowed him to decline moving to Toronto. He is allowed to submit a list of 15 teams he would not accept a trade to, and since this trade went down the Sabres were clearly not on that list. In an interview with Sportsnet after the trade Gorges said he couldn’t envision himself with Toronto due to the rivalry that he has built up with the team over the years with Montreal.
Here’s what Andrew Berkshire had to say over on Eyes On The Prize:
It was very obvious that a trade had to happen, but I think I speak for most fans and media surrounding the Montreal Canadiens when I say that Josh Gorges the person is going to be missed a lot in this city. He bled for this team, showed no fear, and consistently overachieved considering his natural abilities.