With the goaltending situation being the biggest question mark for the Buffalo Sabres next season, General Manager Tim Murray’s former team, the Ottawa Senators, is looking like a premier trading partner.
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The Ottawa Senators have three goaltenders under contract, which puts them in a position to cash in. The question is, which one should the Sabres target in a trade come draft day? Robin Lehner (age 24), Andrew Hammond (age 27), or Craig Anderson (age 34)?
Per a report on Sportsnet, the Senators are asking for a high round draft pick and a young player for one of their younger goalies. The Sabres are in the perfect position to meet that asking price and beat out any other teams making calls to the Sens.
Let’s start with the first thing we need to figure out. Which young player would the Buffalo Sabres be giving up to the Senators in exchange for one of these goaltenders? We all know that they have a second first round pick that Tim Murray is willing to trade, and they have numerous second round picks to add in to the mix, so the draft picks are not the question.
Puck Prose
The Senators had a little trouble at both ends of the ice last year before they had their fantastic run into the playoffs. The Sabres have good prospects at both end of the pool. The first option that the Senators could be asking for would be the likes of Johan Larsson. Larsson had a great end of the year with the Sabres and he proved last in the year that he could run with top talents in the league. With The Sabres having excessive center depth, he is an expendable player for Buffalo.
The second option that the Senators could be asking for is one of the Sabres top college prospects, JT Compher. After having a great year with Michigan, Compher has had some attention drawn to him by the Sabres scouting staff. He is expected to return to college next year, but within the next few years, he is expected to make a solid run towards a permanent NHL job.
For the defensive end, the Senators could be targeting Jake McCabe. McCabe spent last season with the Rochester Americans and he proved his defensive abilities very well. With a great two way game, and the Sabres having nearly 8 NHL ready defensemen, McCabe could very well be the odd man out nd going to Ottawa.
Another defenseman that could be on his way out is Mike Weber. The Senators could use some solidification on the back end, and a stay-at-home defender with some grit and passion to him would be a great fit for them.
Those are just a couple of options for young players that may be the odd men out for Buffalo should they try to trade with the Senators.
The next question is without a doubt the most important one. Which of the three goaltenders should Buffalo make their move for?
The young goaltenders would be a great option for the Buffalo Sabres, so I’m going to cut out Craig Anderson as a choice right off the bat. At 34 years of age, he is not a goaltender to build a team around at this stage for the Sabres.
The Senators made the move to sign Andrew Hammond to a three year deal for a cheap price. This is very obviously a bridge contract and is the Senators showing their desire to keep him around. With that in mind, I’m going to rule him out as and option as well.
That leaves us with the likes of Robin Lehner, a 24 year old goaltender with a splash of NHL experience. In his NHL playing time, Lehner has posted a record of 30-36-13, with stats of 2.88 GGA, ,918 SV% and two shutouts. He stands 6’4 and is 224lbs. With those dimensions to him, he is right up Tim Murray’s alley. To add to how much Murray may like him, he is a talented Swedish goaltender.
At a ripe young age, and with the least amount of term left in his contract, Lehner is the perfect target for the Buffalo Sabres.
They have the assets, the desire to trade, and the need for a goaltender. There isn’t much more of a perfect situation to be had for either side.
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