Some of us have been mesmerized by USA hockey and some us have taken a break along with the Buffalo Sabres. This week the players that are still around starting practicing and that means we can start looking ahead to next week and the makeup of the team as they head down the stretch.
I think most of us like the makeup of the team but feel they need a few tweaks to be contenders for the Stanley Cup. A couple of weeks ago I did a post on players the Sabres should target at the deadline. {Note:cross Matt Cullen off that list because he was traded to Ottawa}.
Today I want to take a look at players that are currently on the team but could be dealt for a number of reasons. I don’t see Darcy Regier trading away any assets on the roster but the potential is there for a handful of players, including a couple of Olympians. Darcy could be tempted to trade some players because of the risk of losing them in the off-season.
A list of players that could be moved by the Sabres brass is after the jump.
Henrik Tallinder is an unrestricted free agent after this season and that automatically makes him part of this list. After a couple of rough seasons he has bounced back with a solid season playing alongside of rookie phenom Tyler Myers. Trading him away wold be a huge mistake and I don’t see him leaving the team. It will tough to see him leave in the off-season but the risk is too great to let him leave now.
Like Tallinder, Lydman will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He is another asset that will bring back on a nice return for the Sabres, but that return would be the future. For the Sabres, the future is now and that makes Lydman safe in the short term. He is likely to leave in the off-season but he is important to the current squad.
Lydman is often criticized by Sabres fans but he brings more to the table than the stats show. He is a shot blocking machine for the Sabres and he is sound positionally in his own zone. He is prone to bad giveaways in the defensive zone but his positives outweigh the negatives.
It would be a surprise if he is dealt at the deadline.
Once again MacArthur will be a restricted free agent this off-season. He has not been good enough to stay in the top six and he doesn’t fit the role of a third or fourth line player. His defensive weaknesses have been apparent this season and he has become a liability for this Sabres squad.
I could see MacArthur being dealt for an asset that could be used to acquire help in the stretch run. He has an offensive upside that a contending team might take a chance on. If the Sabres unload a roster player, he is the most likely candidate to be dealt.
Stafford has seen his name pop up in many trade rumors involving the Sabres. He is under contract to the Sabres for another season beyond this one and is playing as a top six forward. He has underachieved in the minds of many fans but his talent is undeniable. He will continue to be a member of the Buffalo Sabres unless they acquire a player they feel would fit on a line with Vanek and Roy.
We still have a Bronze Medal game and a Gold Medal game to enjoy this weekend and Monday the NHL gets started again. The Sabres will be in action on Tuesday (Pittsburgh) and Wednesday (Washington) which could affect some of the potential trades that will be made. IT should be a fun week of hockey both on and off the ice.
What trades would you like to see?