All eyes aren’t on Tim Murray this year like they have been in the past. He doesn’t have big names to sell for parts, just complementary players for a team looking for insurance. That being said, you can never count out the Sabres GM, who certainly loves to wheel and deal when he gets a chance.
With the Sabres far closer to last place than even being considered for a playoff spot, Murray is in a familiar spot. The team is once again focused on selling expiring contracts according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, but as the insider pointed out, there could be a Sabres prospect or two that another team covets.
Are the Sabres tanking again? No, not in the way that they have in the past, but Murray likely doesn’t want to see players walk for nothing. With the market that’s been set, expect him to snag a few more picks, possibly to swap for NHL ready players in the off-season.
Whatever happens, the Sabres will likely have a different look after 3 p.m. today.
What has Murray done so far?
Tim Murray made his first trade of the season last Tuesday, shipping veteran defenseman Mike Weber to the Washington Capitals for a 2017 third-round pick. The Sabres also retain half of Weber’s salary for the remainder of the season.
Saturday Murray made a blockbuster (kinda) AHL trade, sending Phil Varone, Jerome Leduc and Jason Akeson to the Senators in exchange for forward Cole Schneider, Eric O’Dell, Alex Guptill and Michael Sdao.
WGR’s Matthew Coller called it a great trade for the Sabres, since Schneider could have an NHL impact and the Sabres gave up no one who projected as a member of their lineup going forward. The 25-year-old winger scored 17 goals and 25 assists in 54 games with Binghamton this season. He has not played in an NHL game yet.
Trade Bait
Jamie McGinn, LW (TRADED TO ANAHEIM)
McGinn is likely the soon-to-be free agent with the highest value. He has 14 goals this season, five away from his career high, in addition to 13 assists. He’s been an important member of the Sabres’ top six, but would likely fill a third-line role on a playoff positioned team.
The Fourth Period reported that the Sabres will move McGinn before the deadline, and are looking for a second round pick. That did not look very likely after other moves set a buyers market. ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun said yesterday that the interest in McGinn heated up again, with the second rounder price tag once again popping up.
Chad Johnson, G
Johnson certainly showed the league that he is capable of being a strong backup for a team when he filled in for Robin Lehner for a majority of the year. Unfortunately, there aren’t many suitors for a goalie at this point, especially with the Sharks trading for James Reimer.
So where could he possibly go? St. Louis was an option, but they got Anders Nilsson from the Oilers. TSN’s Frank Seravalli said the Predators and Rangers could be the only two teams left in the market, with plenty of goalie options available.
He has already set a new career high with 33 games played this season, recording a .917 save percentage and 2.45 goals against average.
David Legwand, C
Legwand is a veteran forward with experience for your bottom two lines. He’ll likely garner a late-round pick if the Sabres decide to move him. He hasn’t been in any trade rumors, but no expiring contract is safe. If Tim Murray likes recently-acquired Cole Schneider as much as some people say, he may decide to move Legwand to give him an NHL shot for the rest of the season. Legwand has five goals and seven assists in 60 games.
Carlo Colaiacovo, D
Colaiacovo signed a one-year deal last summer, and would likely fill the same role that Weber will with Washington: just insurance for a playoff team in case they face injuries. However, the Sabres may not want to trade away too many defensemen since they don’t have much depth in Rochester. Past Chad Ruhwedel, the Sabres would be calling up players like Bobby Sanguinetti and Matt Donovan. He has four assists in 24 games.
Josh Gorges, D
Gorges’ name hasn’t been in too many rumors recently, but he was a hot name for a majority of the season. He’s been a top pair defenseman this season, showing that he can play top minutes if you need him to (but likely won’t want him to). He has two goals and eight assists in 58 games.
Cody Franson, D
Franson is currently hurt, but he’s a name that’s been floating around a bit in trade talks. He hasn’t been excellent with the Sabres, but at about $3 million per year for one more year, he isn’t a very expensive option for a team looking for an offensive defenseman. He has four goals and 13 assists in 59 games.
Trade Tracker
Canadiens trade Devante Smith-Pelly to New Jersey for Stefan Matteau.
Hurricanes trade John-Michael Liles to Boston for Anthony Camara, a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick.
Senators trade Shane Prince and a seventh-round pick to the Islanders for a third-round pick.
Panthers trade Brandon Pirri to Anaheim for a sixth-round pick.
Devils trade Eric Gelinas to Colorado for a third-round pick.
Flames trade Kris Russell to Dallas for Jyrki Jokiopakka, Brett Pollock and a conditional second-round pick.
Coyotes trade Mikkel Boedker to Colorado for Alex Tanguay, Connor Bleakley and Kyle Wood.
Penguins trade Sergei Plotnikov to Arizona for Matthias Plachta and a conditional seventh-round pick.
Capitals trade Brooks Laich, Connor Carrick and a second-round pick to Toronto for Daniel Winnik and a fifth-round pick.
Capitals trade Chris Brown to the Rangers for Ryan Bourque.
Hurricanes trade Kris Versteeg to Los Angeles for forward Valentin Zykov and a conditional fifth-round pick
Hurricanes trade Eric Staal to the Rangers for forward Aleksi Saarela and two second-round picks.
Sabres trade Jason Akeson, Phil Varone, Jerome Leduc and a conditional draft pick to Ottawa for Cole Schneider, Eric O’Dell, Alex Guptill and Michael Sdao.
Oilers trade Justin Schultz to Pittsburgh for a third-round pick.
Red Wings trade Jakub Kindl to Florida for a sixth-round pick.
Oilers trade Teddy Purcell to Florida for a third-round pick.
Flames trade Jiri Hudler to Florida for a second-round pick and a fourth-round pick.
Maple Leafs trade James Reimer and Jeremy Morin to San Jose for Alex Stalock, Ben Smith and a conditional fourth-round pick.
Oilers trade Anders Nilsson to the Blues for Niklas Lundstrom and a fifth-round pick.
Canadiens trade Tomas Fleischmann and Dale Weise to Chicago for a second-round pick and Phillip Danault.
Will Murray trade a player who isn’t on an expiring contract?
| Yes | 230 |
| No | 211 |