Buffalo Sabres Players: The Benefits Of Having David Legwand

By Jacob D. Strozyk |

Sent over in a package deal with Robin Lehner in exchange for the 21st overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft, David Legwand was the undervalued piece of the trade. With a pedigree of being a reliable two way center that can play in a second or third line role, Legwand was a great addition to the Buffalo Sabres for next year.

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David Legwand is a 34 year old center that has played nearly his entire career with the Nashville Predators, up until last season where he spent time with the Ottawa Senators. He is not the kid of player that will spark the offense every night, but he is the guy that will do all that is asked of him.

He is a hard working player with the ability to play in any situation and succeed. He can play on the penalty kill, where he is most useful, the power play (where he can help win some key face-offs), and at even strength while playing a grinding shutdown role. Thought he is not the best possession player in the lineup, he is the guy that will push the pace every shift and do all he can to win every night.

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Now, I could sit here and say these things about a good number of players on the Buffalo Sabres, so why do I single out Legwand? Here’s why.

At the old age of 34 he is meant to be a mentor player for guys like Zemgus Girgensons who will end up playing a similar role in the long run. He is the kind of reliable center that we all want Girgensons to be, despite Zemgus having much more offensive upside to him.

David Legwand is also a rental type player. Tim Murray got him with one year left on his contract, so that will lead to one sure fire thing, a trade.

With Legwand being the kind of depth center that playoff teams look for around the deadline, you can expect Tim Murray to be shipping him out when the best offer comes around. There is no logical reason for Legwand to stay here or be here after the trade deadline next year. He has a good set of skills that can help a playoff team go deeper.

All that said, where David Legwand holds value the most is in his trade stock. The more points he produces, and the more consistent he plays, the more Murray can get for him at the deadline. Should he play similarly to last year, Murray should be able to at least pull a third round pick or another bottom six forward in exchange for Legwand.

So I for one like the fact that Buffalo will have a consistent player in their bottom six to round out the core, but when the deadline rolls around, I would be absolutely shocked if David Legwand wasn’t shipped out to a contending team.

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