Buffalo Sabres Could Trade Chad Johnson, But Who’s Buying?
With the NHL trade deadline fast approaching, there are not too many teams who could use Buffalo’s netminder.
The Buffalo Sabres took their first step toward making some room on their roster Tuesday when they shipped defenseman Mike Weber to the Washington Capitals.
In exchange for Weber’s services, the Sabres got a third-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft – not a bad return, but nothing game-changing, either.
The Sabres still have some selling to do before February 29 comes and goes, with players such as Tyler Ennis, Jamie McGinn, and Chad Johnson being mentioned in the rumor mill. With Ennis being injured and the Sabres in talks with McGinn’s agent, it appears as if only Johnson might be moved – but the question is, who would be interested in buying the 29 year-old pending UFA?
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Johnson has been having a solid year, enjoying a .916 save percentage, a .950 GAA and one shutout, which is actually pretty impressive given just how godawful the Sabres’ defense has been at times this season. Johnson would be a nice little rental for a playoff team that didn’t have much faith in one, or both, of its goaltenders . . . except that scenario doesn’t exactly exist right now.
The teams that are most in need of a reliable netminder are all on the outside looking in, not surprisingly because their goaltending was a major weakness this year. Take the Montreal Canadiens, for example: once Carey Price went down with an injury, it didn’t take a hockey genius to predict that the Canadiens would fold like a cheap lawn chair. If Montreal was still in a position to make a healthy playoff run, Johnson could be someone they consider – but the Habs are 13th in the East today, seven points behind the 8th place Pittsburgh Penguins. Making a play for Johnson wouldn’t be enough to help the Canadiens make the playoffs, and Montreal can’t afford to give up a second-round pick just to fall short of the postseason.
The Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers could also use an upgrade in the net, but again, each of these teams are currently out of the playoff hunt, and are not going to give the Buffalo Sabres anything of significant value based on the fact that their odds of making the playoffs grow slimmer every week.
Out West, the Dallas Stars have allowed 172 goals, the second-worst total out of the eight teams that currently qualify for the playoffs and the sixth-worst total in the entire Western Conference. Of course, the Stars have the best offense in all of the NHL, so if there is any team that can withstand so-so goaltending it is Dallas.
Which brings me to the Colorado Avalanche, who hold the eighth and final playoff spot right now. The Avalanche have allowed 173 goals this season, fifth-worst in the West and the most among Western Conference playoff teams. You can’t place all of the blame on starting goaltender Semyon Varlamov, but the Avalanche have been guilty of relying on Varlamov too often, and are in danger of burning him when they need him the most. Colorado has little to no faith in backup goalie Reto Berra, and while Calvin Pickard has looked good while filling in for the injured Berra, he has a whopping 29 NHL games under his belt – none in the postseason.
It’s feasible that the Avalanche could have an interest in renting Johnson, since neither the option of riding Varlamov for the next 20 games nor pinning their playoff hopes on an untested 23 year-old are solid plans. It’s highly unlikely, however, as it can be argued that improving their blueline is a far more pressing need for the Avalanche. Even if the Avalanche are interested in Johnson’s services, what would he be worth to them?
Maybe Colorado will give back Nikita Zadorov – or better yet, Mikhail Grigorenko!
Ha ha ha ha!
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There is one more team out West who might be interested in Johnson: the St. Louis Blues, who just learned on Monday that goaltender Brian Elliott will need to spend time on long-term injured reserve following an injury he suffered against the San Jose Sharks. The Blues have a healthy Jake Allen, who just returned from his own stint on IR, but might view Johnson as an upgrade over Pheonix Copley, who is currently backing up Allen. Even if the Blues want him, the word on the street that I am hearing is that Johnson is only worth a fourth-round pick, which is great . . . if you’re looking for a new player for the Rochester Americans.
The bottom line is that both the market for a backup goalie like Chad Johnson and the return that can be expected are extremely limited. The Buffalo Sabres don’t stand to get much for the journeyman’s services, due to the fact that he is a clear-cut backup, and because there are no sure-fire playoff teams that really need him. GM Time Murray may decide to move Johnson simply because he wants to get something for him, rather than lose him completely to free agency, but if you’re looking for a trade that brings a player into the 716 who will play for the Buffalo Sabres any time soon, don’t count on a trade involving Johnson being the solution.