The Vanek/Moulson trade almost seemed too good to be true. Not only did we trade a 30 goal scorer for a 30 goal scorer but we picked up a first round pick in the upcoming draft and a second round pick in 2015. Not to mention that Moulson is going to score 2 goals in every game (wait, he’s not?).
Yesterday, details emerged that makes the trade look a bit more, well, fair. First off TSN reported that the Sabres were eating 20% of Vanek’s contract this year which comes out to about $1.4 million out of the $6.4 he was due this year. No big deal as the Sabres sill have a few million in cap space and Pegula has too much money anyways.
Later in the day, more bad news. This years draft pick was conditional, if the Islanders get a top 10 spot in the draft lottery then they can defer the pick until 2015. Creative for sure, giving the Islanders a bit of insurance. It’s still a first round pick but still a bit less awesome than initially thought. It could even be spun as a positive considering 2015 is the year Connor McDavid, the next hockey god, is draft eligible, and the entire draft is said to be deeper than this year.
Nether of those details sway my thoughts on the move even though it’s a bit less sweet than initially thought. Say what you will about Darcy but I consider this a win for him. Matt Moulson probably won’t be wearing the blue and gold for long but if he does he’s a comparable player to Vanek and will probably demand a bit less in his contract. If he can also keep the spark going on the first line with Hodgson and Ennis it might make this season a bit more bearable.
Still happy with the move after the new details emerge? Let us know in the comments.