Buffalo Sabres Trade For Grant Fuhr, Picks
It is for some people, the greatest time of the year, when the Buffalo Sabres wheel and deal at the NHL Trade Deadline. On this date in Buffalo Sabres history, the organization traded goaltenders and draft picks with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Buffalo Sabres Trade February 3, 1993
The Buffalo Sabres traded goalie Darren Puppa, along with Dave Andreychuk and the teams first round draft pick in the 1993 draft to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In return, the Buffalo Sabres got goalie Grant Fuhr, and a fifth round draft pick.
Fuhr would go on to only play 65 games for the Buffalo Sabres before moving on to stops in St. Louis, Los Angeles and Calgary before calling it a career.
Andreychuk traveled much after leaving the Sabres, with stops in Toronto, New Jersey, Colorado, Boston, and the Tampa Bay Lightning; with a one year stopover with the Sabres again.
Daren Puppa only played in eight games for his new team, before being claimed by the Lightning via the Panthers in the 1993 Draft. he would finish out his career with the Lightning, helping them to their first ever playoff berth.
So that leaves us with the draft picks. How did those draft picks fair in the National Hockey League?
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The Buffalo Sabres first round draft pick would have been the 12th overall draft pick, which the Toronto Maple Leafs used to select Kenny Jonsson. Jonsson would only appear in part of two seasons before being traded to the New York Islanders, where he would play out the remainder of his NHL Career.
With the fifth round draft pick they recieved from the Maple Leafs, the Buffalo Sabres selected Kevin Popp, who never made it to the American Hockey League, let alone the National Hockey League.
Not the best trade in Buffalo Sabres history, giving up a lot for an aging All-Star goalie; and getting very little in return on the trade.
Eight years previously, another relative no-name that fans might have difficulty remembering is Gilles Hamel, who was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres and spent six seasons with the blue and gold. On February 3rd, 1985 he scored two goals, to include a short handed marker as the Buffalo Sabres would go on to defeat the Flames 7-1 in front of the crowd at Memorial Auditorium.
Players on the current edition of the Buffalo Sabres haven’t contributed much to the overall franchise, but could be the pieces in an upcoming trade that makes it all come together as the team exits the rebuild.