The Buffalo Sabres need to make moves this offseason, particularly on the backend. They have options when it comes to addressing this situation.
It is a pretty well-known fact that the Buffalo Sabres have been held back this season by a weak defense. Other things have gone wrong such as the lack of 5 on 5 scoring, a poor penalty kill and an abundance of injuries. With that being said, the defense remains the biggest problem surrounding the Sabres. Fixing the defense is a lot easier said than done and will certainly be a costly thing to do.
Prior to the trade deadline, there were rumors surrounding Evander Kane as being a possible trade candidate. It was believed that if Kane were to be traded, it would have been for a defenseman. Amidst these rumors, Kane put up his best stretch of hockey for the Sabres and took over the team lead in goals.
Some argued that Kane was too valuable offensively to be traded. Others argued that trading him would be the only way to get a top-4 defenseman. Although Kane didn’t get traded at the deadline, there is still a possibility that he gets dealt in the offseason.
I am not in favor of trading Evander Kane. He is such a rare type of player who would surely be missed if he were to leave Buffalo. Trading Kane would create a large hole in an offense that has had a tough time scoring goals. It doesn’t make sense to trade your best goal scorer when your team is at the bottom of the league in 5 on 5 scoring. Trading Kane is not the only way to pick up a top-4 defenseman, there are other options.
One option is to trade this year’s first round pick.
Chances are that the Sabres will have a top-10 pick once again at the 2017 draft. This is a nice thing to have, but not a necessity. With many young offensive prospects already in the system, the Sabres don’t necessarily need another. They could opt to draft a defenseman, but it is not a given that their pick would be NHL ready by next season.
Tim Murray needs to fix the blue line for next season if he wants his job to be safe. Drafting a defenseman is probably not going to cut it. Instead, he should direct his attention towards the trade market.
No one wants to see their team’s first round pick traded, but it may be necessary in order for the Sabres to improve their blue line. Trading a top-10 pick could bring back a big return for the Sabres. If they need to, they could even package the pick with a prospect or a later round pick.
Some might see this as overpaying, but the reality is that the Buffalo Sabres are going to have to overpay for a top defenseman. I would much rather overpay with draft picks and prospects than trade an established scorer like Evander Kane.
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