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Buyers or Sellers?
Over the past few seasons, the Buffalo Sabres have found themselves in the very bottom of the NHL standings, and this year is really no different. Once again, the Sabres can expect a high-end draft pick to add to their already promising young crop of talent.
The core of Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Ryan O'Reilly and Evander Kane looks promising, but they still need time to settle. Rasmus Ristolainen and Jake McCabe look equally as promising for their defensive unit. But Buffalo needs to continue to stack that talent pool more and more, and they will certainly be sellers at this year's trade deadline.
Last year, Buffalo made quite a lot of noise when they sent Drew Stafford and Tyler Myers to Winnipeg. They can still make some moves this year, but they won't quite have the same magnitude.
Team needs
Again, this is a team that is looking towards their future. That means whatever prospect or draft pick Sabres' general manager Tim Murray can get out of the playoff-bound teams is a win. Murray is an aggressive general manager, and he has the ability to transform a couple of picks into a great prospect, so whoever joins his team at the deadline could very well be another asset for him to move.
Key players
Jamie McGinn
Jamie McGinn, the other guy acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in Buffalo's big O'Reilly trade, is having himself a respectable season, and he is quite easily Buffalo's most valuable asset they should be willing to move. McGinn is on pace for 17 goals and 19 assists, and the 27-year-old upcoming UFA carries a cap-friendly $2.95 million cap hit.
McGinn has proven that he can play as a second-line player for any number of teams, but he also has the skillset to fill in as a top-nine forward. That makes him valuable to any number of teams.
Interestingly enough, his current linemate, Eichel, has developed a lot of chemistry with McGinn, and he doesn't want him to be traded away. But Murray may not have a choice. For starters, McGinn will certainly be looking for a pay raise in his next contract, and the Sabres may not be willing to pay him a lengthy and costly deal with several young players in the pipeline that will look for a similar pay day in the near future. And with a non-contending team, McGinn is quite obviously the Sabres' most valuable poker chip. Could McGinn fetch the Sabres a second-round pick or a prospect? It's certainly a possibility.
Carlo Colaiacovo
The Sabres already squeezed a 2017 third-round draft pick out of the Washington Capitals for defenseman Mike Weber. But the Sabres may not be done swapping out depth defensemen. Carlo Colaiacovo has only participated in 21 games this year, primarily due to a number of healthy scratches and a dented trachea injury, but if a team is desperate for a depth addition for their defensemen, Colaiacovo could be a cheap option. Whatever draft pick a team offers the Sabres for Colaiacovo, Buffalo should take.
David Legwand
David Legwand, the other guy acquired from the Ottawa Senators in Buffalo's big Robin Lehner trade, has the ability to boost a team's bottom six, or, at the very least, help out with a playoff team's forward depth. Much like Colaiacovo, Legwand won't command a large return. He also carries a $3 million cap hit and a modified no-movement clause in his contract. That means that Buffalo would likely have to retain a percentage of Legwand's salary, which they can certainly afford to do considering this is the last year of his contract. And Legwand's modified no-movement clause limits the number of teams Buffalo can send Legwand to. Again, whatever the Sabres can get for Legwand, they should certainly go for.
Tommy Chalk writes about the NHL for FOX Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @Tommy_Chalk
