Reports on whether or not Thomas Vanek is or is not available at the trade deadline have varied. However, our first “official” story of the Sabres shopping their star winger has surfaced thanks to hockey magazine The Fourth Period, and the team on the other end of the line? The Philadelphia Flyers.
The Flyers interest stemmed from another report saying that Philly would be willing to deal promising young center Sean Couturier in a package to bring in a proven star forward. Vanek certainly would fit that bill, having averaged 35 goals per 82 games throughout his career, and Couturier would be a great asset for the Sabres and their stable of young, high-upside centers.
More revealing than Philly’s interest, though, was our first solid indication of what the Sabres would want in exchange for Vanek. From the report,
It’s believed the Sabres would want a young NHL-proven forward, a top prospect and a first-round draft pick in exchange for Vanek, a price the Flyers might be willing to pay.
A haul like that would certainly help Buffalo’s rebuilding effort, and if a deal with Philly were to go down, Couturier would likely fit the young NHL forward part of the deal.
With Jason Pominville rumors circulating yesterday, and Vanek rumors coming out today, that leaves Ryan Miller as the lone member of the Sabres “Big Three” who hasn’t found his name pop up yet on the Twitterverse. Still, with just under 28 long hours until the trade deadline, I’m sure we’ll hear more on all of them, and possibly others.