Buffalo Sabres Cannot Afford To Be Sentimental When It Comes To Brian Gionta

With the Rochester native making it known that he does not wish to be traded, the Buffalo Sabres have a tough decision on their hands as the trade deadline approaches.

Buffalo Sabres captain Brian Gionta understands that the NHL is a business.

He has been around the block a few times over the course of his career to know that a player such as himself might be of interest to a playoff-bound team that is looking to solidify its roster in time for the postseason.

But as it turns out, Gionta has been around the block enough to know that he no longer wishes to take trips around the block, as he had this to say Tuesday when speaking with the media about the possibility of being traded (courtesy of The Buffalo News):

"It’s not really been a formal conversation but the team understands our intentions.  Absolutely, I want to stay. I’ve been here three years. I’d love to see this through and keep pushing in the right direction."

Let’s go on the record here: I love to hear players such as Brian Gionta and Matt Moulson speak positively about the Buffalo Sabres.  For all the complaining we fans do about how the team plays, where they are in the standings, trades/free agent pick-ups that don’t pan out, and whatnot, we all enjoy watching the Sabres.  Knowing that players past and present think highly of the fans, the area, the front office, and the guys in the locker room make it easy to cheer for the team and support it, both morally and financially!

And I would love nothing more than to see Brian Gionta retire as a member of the Buffalo Sabres – he grew up the Rochester area, and he has been a soldier during this rebuild when he could have demanded the Sabres ship him to a playoff team long ago.

Having said that, the Buffalo Sabres cannot afford to be sentimental when it comes time to decide Gionta’s fate with the team.  If coach Dan Bylsma and General Manager Tim Murray feel that Gionta, who is having his best year (offensively) since signing with the Sabres, can help this team battle for a playoff spot, then they should keep him on the roster.  If he happens to retire after this season, it will be the perfect ending to Gionta’s NHL career and everyone will feel good.

However, the decision to keep Gionta on the roster for the remainder of the 2016-17 season cannot be influenced by Gionta’s desire to retire a Sabre.  First of all, there is the question of what can Gionta get on the market.  If the Sabres feel like making the playoffs is not in the cards this season, or if they feel like they can get a player who is better suited to help this team in the playoffs, they are obligated to see what sort of value Gionta has.  As much as you and I may want to see Gionta retire in the 716, would you turn down a trade that included Gio if it could bring a top-4 defenseman into the area?   Of course not.  Clearly, I know of no such possibilities at this moment, but the point is, GMTM cannot take Gionta off the table simply because of where he wishes to retire.

Besides, even if Gionta finishes the season in Buffalo, what guarantee is there that he will retire with the Sabres?  He has made it clear that he wishes to continue playing, which means the Sabres will need to resign him this summer in order to allow him to retire with the Sabres.  Does this team really want to commit $4million + to a 38 year-old player, even if it just for one year (assuming he will sign a one-year deal)?  With a roster as incomplete as this one, I sure as hell hope not.

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The Buffalo Sabres are lucky to be getting solid minutes from Brian Gionta this season, and his leadership in the locker room has never been questioned.   It would be a nice, feel-good story to see him retire wearing a Sabres sweater, but his desire to do so cannot factor into whatever the front office decides to do with him at this point of the season, since there is no guarantee he will actually retire while playing in the 716.  Some people are going to call me a cold-hearted bastard, but with Gionta clearly feeling like he has at least another year of hockey in him, Buffalo’s decision on whether or not to trade him has to be based solely on what he can bring to the team, either on the ice or on the trade table.