Buffalo Sabres Trade News: How Well The Sabres Did

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The trade deadline has now passed for the NHL and the Buffalo Sabres made moves that shipped four players out of Buffalo, and had primary returns of draft picks.

The players shipped out were Chris Stewart, Torrey Mitchell, Michal Neuvirth, and Brian Flynn.

Needless to say, General Manager Tim Murray seemed relatively pleased with the results of his trades today, and despite his blatant disregard for a desire to finish in last place, he has helped the Sabres much more to do that.

Overall, the Sabres did ok with their acquisitions today, but let’s go through them one at a time and examine the losses and gains of each. Having every single one of these players being free agents at the conclusion of the season makes these returns quite interesting.

Jan 9, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Buffalo Sabres right wing Chris Stewart (80) against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the second period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Stewart To the Minnesota Wild for a Second Round Pick in 2017

Overall Grade = B+

There was no secret that Chris Stewart was on his way out of Buffalo. His name was swirling around in trade rumors for nearly the entire season, and his last couple of games were a solid showcase of his talents. He had been playing on the top line and proved that he still had plenty of ability in him despite an otherwise lackluster season.

Stewart was a provider of some solid grit and scoring skill down the right wing and possesses the ability to win games. The catch on his game for a while now has been his consistency. The Buffalo Sabres and Tim Murray both know that he is the kind of player that contending teams want, so they moved him for the Minnesota Wild’s second round pick in the 2017 NHL draft.

The question may be why the draft pick is for two years away, but it makes good sense when you take a solid look at it.

Tim Murray looks at his team and knows that they will start to be competitive within the next 3 years or so. Grabbing a second round pick that can potentially turn into a solid player for the years that you will need some depth in order to compete is the perfect move. The Sabres already have plenty of draft picks for this year’s draft and next year’s as well so the addition of a further high round pick was a great alternative to possibly getting another third round pick for this year’s draft.

Nov 29, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Buffalo Sabres right wing Brian Flynn (65) scores the winning goal against Montreal Canadiens goalie Dustin Tokarski (35) during a shootout at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

Brian Flynn to the Montreal Canadiens for a Fifth Round Pick in 2016

Overall Grade = C

Manning the top line while Tyler Ennis and Zemgus Girgensons are out with injuries was none other than Brian Flynn. He had been signed by the Buffalo Sabres as an undrafted free agent and had spent the last three years here in Buffalo. Known more for his solid two way style of play and his deceptive speed, the Buffalo Sabres did a lateral, if not backwards move by trading him.

They acquired a fifth round pick in next year’s draft from Montreal in return for Flynn. Brian had proven that he was more than capable of keeping the Buffalo Sabres third line (and sometimes fourth line) in sync. He had a solid mix of defensive and offensive skills and had made himself a presence on a team that needed some push.

When he joined the team three years ago when he got signed, I found myself saying, “Who is Brian Flynn?”. There weren’t many people who knew about this guy (as far as the fan base goes) and it was unclear what he could bring to the table. He showed in his time with the Buffalo Sabres that he had determination and enough skill to be a consistent third line player on an NHL team, and that he was exactly what they needed to hold the line with defensively.

That being said, the Montreal Canadiens won this trade with the Buffalo Sabres because there is no guarantee that the fifth round pick next year will be what they need depth wise.

Feb 8, 2015; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres goalie Michal Neuvirth (34) makes a save on a breakaway by New York Islanders left wing Harry Zolnierczyk (16) during the third period at First Niagara Center. Islanders beat the Sabres 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Michal Neuvirth to the New York Islanders for Chad Johnson and a Third Round Pick in 2016

Overall Grade = B

Michal Neuvirth was given the starter position by Ted Nolan when Jhonas Enroth was shipped out to Dallas last month, and his play was stellar in that time since. He gets traded to a New York Islanders team where they have a solid number one goaltender in Jaroslav Halak and Neuvirth provides a much more stable backup to him. Neuvirth has the positioning and the skill to play as a number one goaltender, and that promise will be interesting come playoff time for the Islanders and Free Agency time for the Buffalo Sabres.

Chad Johnson and a third round pick in the 2016 NHL draft come the Buffalo Sabres’ way and this was done for similar reasons in the Enroth trade. Johnson is a proven capable backup goaltender in the NHL and his presence will most likely be just that. The third round pick gives the Buffalo Sabres another asset to either use or trade away in the future and it provides them with some solid leeway as far as potential prospects go.

Since Neuvirth was traded to the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline last season, Tim Murray must have liked something in him to potentially have him replace Ryan Miller. That being said, there is no reason to rule out a possible resigning of him in the offseason. That reason is why the Buffalo Sabres got a good deal for this trade.

Nov 5, 2014; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres center Torrey Mitchell (17) during the game against the Montreal Canadiens at First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Torrey Mitchell to the Montreal Canadiens for Jack Nevins and a Seventh Round Pick in 2016

Overall Grade = A-

Torrey Mitchell is a real character guy overall and provides speed down the center position and some added depth and grit. The Buffalo Sabres already have a great number of centers that are close to being ready to play at the NHL level and they needed to ship someone out to make some room.

The return of Jack Nevins (a prospect that Tim Murray said he tried to sign while in Ottawa) and a seventh round pick are not terrible for a guy like Mitchell. He has the ability to provide offense, but his primary role has usually been to grind out on the third and fourth lines to provide depth on a team. He was this in San Jose as well as Minnesota, and he will be this for Montreal as well.

Jack Nevins is a young 21 year old prospect that had played in the QMJHL and is not NHL ready just yet. His presence will now allow Tim Murray to call up a couple of players from Rochester without worrying about having players there that are not up to standards.

This trade will keep the Sabres on track for 30th place while also dropping their center depth to make room for Mikhail Grigorenko to be called up, and eventually Sam Reinhart to play next season.

Overall Grade = B

This trade deadline was about two things: clearing the roster of players that wouldn’t possibly resign, and dropping in the standings even further. Zeugmas Girgensons is determined to be out of the Buffalo Sabres lineup for the remainder of the season, so that currently leaves Cody Hodgson as the top line center.

They cleared out who needed to be and they moved themselves into a position to do worse in the standings. Anders Lindback and Chad Johnson will compete for the starting position for the remainder of the season, and that will most likely spell disaster due to the inconsistencies possessed by both players.

The Sabres had a good trade deadline this year and now it’s a race to the Draft.

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