Why the Buffalo Sabres Won the Thomas Vanek Trade
When news of the Thomas Vanek for Matt Moulson swap first broke a lot of fans were shocked and confused, but after time to think the deal over fans of the Buffalo Sabres should be quite pleased with the deal. Of course time will only tell who the draft picks will become but right now the Buffalo Sabres have won the Thomas Vanek trade and are welcoming Matt Moulson in with open arms.
While Matt Moulson in himself is a slight step back from the talent of a Thomas Vanek, he’s still a very respectable forward and an underrated player. Moulson will or should help improve the powerplay and has a knack for scoring goals, the trickiest thing will be finding the right centre for him to play with. Do you put him with Cody Hodgson, Mikhail Grigorenko or Johan Larsson? All of whom are far cries from John Tavares
In terms of roster players both teams got a fairly even deal. Vanek is a better player but Moulson is slightly cheaper and both players will become free agents after this season. Which leaves two options for both teams; resign their new player or deal him at the deadline and this is where the Buffalo Sabres pull ahead in the trade. If the New York Islanders lose Thomas Vanek to free agency, they have nothing
Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
to fall back on. Where as if the Sabres are unsuccessful at convincing Matt Moulson to stick around, they have two draft picks who can only help the rebuild to fall back on.
Regier has stated many a time that he believes the draft is the best way to rebuild the Buffalo Sabres and with this latest trade the Sabres now have 5 picks in the first two rounds of the 2014 draft and now will or have had 17 draft picks between 2012 and 2015. At this point in time 2015 can’t come fast enough for the Sabres.
Perhaps the best part of this deal, aside from adding draft picks, is the fact that Moulson will be a very valuable chip to trade come deadline time if they choose not to resign him. Just for a second imagine they land another first round pick, that’s two first round picks and a second in exchange for Vanek. Not too shabby Mr. Regier.
Moulson is not the type of star player who can carry the Sabres, but he is a player who has the potential to carry them through the rebuild paired with Hodgson and players like Marcus Foligno. He’s scored 30 goals in each of his last three season’s so he isn’t exactly a chump.
In all likelihood, Regier will flip Moulson at or before the deadline for at the very least another first round draft pick. By the time the dust has settled the Buffalo Sabres will have gathered themselves a nice little package in exchange for Thomas Vanek. Who knows who the draft picks will turn out to be, but building for the future right now is the best thing the Sabres can do.
Do you think the Sabres won the Thomas Vanek trade or did they not get enough in the deal?