Mar. 16, 2013; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller (30) leads the team to the ice before a game against the Ottawa Senators at First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

With the Buffalo Sabres wallowing in the basement of the Eastern Conference this season, the question looms: Should the team start a fire-sale of trades and overhaul the team, or are they just a piece or two away from becoming a consistent Stanley Cup contender?

 
With rumors running rampant, speculation is that outside of Thomas Vanek, Cody Hodgson, and Marcus Foligno, all other members of the Sabres are up for grabs. As construction of the new HarborCenter in Buffalo gets underway, will a new construction of the Sabres lineup coincide with the 18-month project? If so, is GM Darcy Regier the man for the job? If not, why is he still around?

Who on the team holds trade value? Here is a look:

 
Jason Pominville – The current captain of the Sabres likely holds the most value in a trade. He is a heart-and-soul player, can play on both sides of the puck when it comes to the power play and penalty kill, and would complement the lineup of any bonafide contender. Best case scenario? Buffalo is able to deal the RW for fellow Anaheim Ducks RW Corey Perry. Although the Ducks are playing well and have little to gain from breaking their chemistry, it is quite possible that Perry has no interest in re-signing with the team after this season. Anaheim would get a workable replacement in Pominville, and the pockets of Terry Pegula could accommodate the rumored $8 million per season contract that Perry will be seeking. Pominville is making $5.3 million, and will be an unrestricted free agent after 2013-14. He also has a no trade/ no movement clause.

 
Tyler Ennis – Currently the 2nd line center for the Sabres, Ennis holds good trade value due to his speed, scoring skill, and youth. Part of the Sabres fan base feels that Ennis does not have the size to be the Sabres 2nd line center of the future, despite his potential and the positive development trajectory that he has traveled on. If Mikhail Grigorenko is going to be a top center of the future, this opens up the possibility of Ennis being moved out. Ennis is making $2.8 million, and will be a restricted free agent after 2013-14.

 
Drew Stafford – Inconsistency has plagued Stafford throughout his Sabres tenure. We know that he has the capability to put the puck in the net, sometimes. Based on his poor play this season, his trade value is at an all-time low. It would take some smooth talking to convince another team that he only needs a change of scenery to regain his scoring touch, if the Sabres hope for a decent return. With RW Joel Armia potentially being a member of the Sabres next season, moving Stafford makes room for Armia. Stafford makes $4 million, and has 2 years left on his contract after this season.

 
Steve Ott – One of the most consistent Sabres this season, I would hate to see Ott go so soon. Teams contending for a Cup could always use someone like Ott in their lineups, so his trade value is likely very fair. The Sabres appear to lack a level of leadership, so moving Ott could be a drawback in a rebuilding scenario. Ott makes $2.95 million, and will be an unrestricted free agent after 2013-14. He has a no trade/ no movement clause.

 
Ville Leino – The albatross of a contract that Leino has, combined with his recent return from injury, leaves him all but untradeable. Best case scenario, Leino breaks out for the club and starts to perform well, and forges a formidable Finnish connection on LW with Armia on the opposite wing next season. Leino makes $4.5 million, and has 4 years remaining on his contract.

 
Patrick Kaleta, John Scott, Nathan Gerbe, Jochen Hecht – Little to no trade value here.

 
Christian Ehrhoff – Teams could always be looking for a veteran, puck-moving defensemen like Ehrhoff who can quarterback a power-play, but the Sabres would look silly moving him so quickly after bending over backwards to obtain him. The long-term contract Ehrhoff has would also be unappealing to most clubs, so despite his skills, he probably wouldn’t bring much return in a trade. Ehrhoff makes $4 million a season for the next 8 years.

 
Robyn Regehr – Stanley Cup contenders would love the grit, reliability, and experience that a veteran like Regehr could bring to a club. Yet, Buffalo would look foolish moving Regehr after convincing him to waive his no-trade clause and uproot his entire family to come here, only to just ship him off. Regehr is an unrestricted free agent after this season.

 
Tyler Myers – Some days, the Tyler Myers project looks like a great work in progress. Other days, the Tyler Myers project looks to be regressing. It seems like with the right coaching and environment, Myers could blossom into the top defenseman that everyone hopes for, and I bet that would happen if the Sabres traded him. Alas, Myers just entered into a very lengthy and expensive contract (7 years, $38 million) that should deter any potential trade partners.

 
Andrej Sekera – Sekera has been one of the most consistent Sabres on the blueline this season. I am not sure what he would be worth in trade value to another club, but after watching Darcy Regier give away TJ Brennan for a mere 5th round draft pick, I am not too keen on what his return would be for Sekera, let alone any other current Sabres.

 
Jordan Leopold – Like Stafford, Leopold has had his struggles this season. A contender might like him for his infrequent scoring touch and experience, but the return at this point would likely be low. Leopold will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.

 
And, last but not least, Ryan Miller - The most-talked about member of the Buffalo Sabres when it comes to trade rumors, is Miller available? Is the team ready to give up their franchise goaltender, with no immediate proven goaltenders in the pipeline? More importantly, is Miller himself pushing for a move? It didn’t take long for a media frenzy to get underway after Miller questioned “Are we the core anymore? Who knows?”

 
Current backup Jhonas Enroth is still unproven at the NHL level, and has been inconsistent. The jury is still out on Connor Knapp, Nathan Lieuwen, and Andrey Makarov. If Miller is traded, the Sabres must get a serviceable goaltender in return (which doesn’t solve for the woes in the other areas), or another player must be traded for a decent netminder.

 
How about shuffling Miller back to his home state of Michigan, in a trade to the Detroit Red Wings for Jimmy Howard? Have the Wings toss in former 2nd round pick Tomas Tatar and another pick, and maybe everyone is happy. Then, we get to see Miller haunt us in our own division when the Wings transition to the East next season, and maybe he follows in the footsteps of Dominik Hasek and wins a Cup for Detroit. Miller will be an unrestricted free agent after next season, and his trade value will diminish after this season finishes, if he is not moved.

 
With 2 ½ weeks remaining until the April 3rd trade deadline, it remains to be seen what moves the Sabres will make, if any. If we have learned anything from 16 years of Darcy Regier, it is that no one knows what Regier is doing when it comes to trades, until a move is completed. Any rumors or speculation of trades from the media, until then, will likely prove to be inaccurate.

Mar. 16, 2013; Buffalo, NY, USA; Ottawa Senators right wing Chris Neil (25) and Buffalo Sabres defenseman Robyn Regehr (24) fight during the second period at First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

After a couple mysterious moves by the 14^th place Buffalo Sabres, the team skated out with a different complexion against the 5^th place Ottawa Senators.

Gone was rookie Mikhail Grigorenko, whom was sent back to the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL. Rather than keep him with the team to at least practice and workout with the NHL club, the team decided it was better to send a big fish back to a little pond.

Gone was former 2^nd round draft pick TJ Brennan, who was dealt to the Florida Panthers in exchange for a 5^th round draft pick. The Sabres spent 3 years developing Brennan and let him go, despite knowing that veteran d-men such as Robyn Regehr, Jordan Leopold, and Alex Sulzer may not be with the team much longer.

In was Ville Leino, whom had not competed in an NHL game in nearly a year. With only 21 games left in the season, this becomes an important time for Leino, who could be bought out by the Sabres if he heavily underperforms just as he did last season.

As the first period got underway, the new look of the Buffalo Sabres lines performed well:

1. Thomas Vanek-Cody Hodgson-Jason Pominville
2. Leino-Tyler Ennis-Steve Ott
3. Marcus Foligno-Kevin Porter-Brian Flynn
4. Drew Stafford-Jochen Hecht-Nathan Gerbe

This makeup allowed the Sabres, for the first time this season, to roll the lines, and it created a good pace and scoring chances for Buffalo, as Leino and Ennis almost connected for a goal just minutes into the game. Shortly thereafter, the Sabres jumped out to a 1-0 lead as Mike Weber collected his first goal of the season on a nice set-up by Leino. Ott also got an assist on the goal.

With 5 minutes to go in the period, Stafford notched his 3^rd goal of the season, as he posted up in front of the net and knocked in a loose puck. Gerbe and Leopold gathered assists as Buffalo jumped out to a commanding 2-0 lead. Near the end of the period, Gerbe stood up to Senators pest Chris Neil in a minor scrum.

In the next stanza, the ‘second period Sabres’ returned after an absence of a few games. The team lacked hustle, was outworked by Ottawa throughout the period, and could not get pucks deep into the zone. The results showed on the board, as the Sabres skated off down 3-2. A very flukey goal by Chris Phillips tied the game at 2 halfway through the period, and poor coverage by Christian Ehrhoff and Hecht led to a Kyle Turris wrap-around goal for a Senators lead. The period was highlighted by one of the best fights of the season, a lengthy blow-for-blow duel between Regehr and Neil.

In the 3^rd period, the Senators relented a bit, and played on their heels for most of the period, in an attempt to cling to their one goal lead. Eventually, this turned out to be a poor decision, as Stafford notched his 2^nd goal of the game with 8 minutes remaining. The game-tying goal was a lucky one for the Sabres, but they failed to take control and gain momentum from it.

In overtime, an errant penalty by Ehrhoff gave Ottawa a chance at a 4-on-3 power play, and a shooting gallery ensued. Finally, a perfectly placed precise shot by Turris gave him his second goal of the afternoon, and the Senators the victory. Although the Sabres gained a point and moved into 12^th place, the other squandered point was a critical one. With only 20 games remaining, and all games being division games, the Sabres are in desperate need of every point they can grab if they want to hold hopes of clawing into the playoffs.

The Sabres have gained points in 7 of their last 9, but those efforts still have them wallowing near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. The Senators are now 3-0 against Buffalo this season. If that record was the other way around, the Sabres would be sitting in the final playoff slot right now.

Ultimately, the Sabres were again a victim of their inability to put together a full 60-minute effort. Buffalo, for the most part, played a solid game. Yet, the atrocious 2^nd period led to their undoing. As was noted in the postgame interviews by both Ryan Miller and coach Ron Rolston, the Sabres became ‘comfortable’ after their stellar first-period performance.

Credit is due to the Senators, as they played in their 11^th one-goal game in a row, just one shy of the NHL record. Ottawa also found themselves playing in their 8^th overtime in their last 13 games. The experience and resiliency that the Senators have been gaining in all of those close games, was just not something that the Sabres could overcome.

Buffalo outshot the Senators 36-34, was outhit 17-14, and lost the edge in faceoffs by a 35-30 margin. The Sabres power-play remained atrociously inept, going 0-3, and squandering a chance to win with 3:35 left in the 3^rd period.

Next, Buffalo hits the road for a 7pm match against fellow cellar-dwellers tomorrow night, televised by NBC Sports Network.