All throughout the Draft Week, new Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray stated his intentions to get back into the first round. And since Murray’s been very honest about his desires since taking the job a Sabres GM, it was a bit of a disappointment when the night ended and Buffalo was unable to move back into Round One.
However, as Murray said after Day One was over, it wasn’t necessarily his fault. While meeting with the media afterward, he disclosed a bit of inside info on what he offered in trade talks.
“I don’t know if I was close…I went from the late teens to the twenties thinking two seconds would do it, and I offered three seconds to seven teams for one first.”
Three seconds – especially as high as Buffalo’s are – seems like it would be enough to pry a mid-twenties pick away from a playoff team, but it seems Murray found no takers. At least we can’t fault him for not trying.
As for Murray himself, our love for his bluntness grew even more when he was asked what he thought about all the pre-draft trade bluster. Said the GM,
“It was stupid. It was just like, you hear so many rumors, you know?…At some point you sit down and whatever happens, happens.”
Oh, Tim. We love your lack of politically correct social graces. The full post-draft interview can be found below, courtesy of Sabres.com.