Buffalo Sabres History: Top 5 trade acquisitions in franchise history

5. Dale Hawerchuk

This ranking was probably the hardest for me, with the two finalists for the 5th spot making up the Buffalo Sabres top line in EA’s NHL 94. Hall-of-famers Dale Hawerchuk and Pat Lafontaine both had stronger careers in Buffalo but I give the edge to Hawerchuk.

Dale Hawerchuk came east to Buffalo in one of the biggest trades in Buffalo Sabres history.  To get Hawerchuk, the Sabres sent a package of players to the Winnipeg Jets at the 1990 NHL draft that included Phil Housley and a first-round draft pick that was eventually used to draft Keith Tkachuk.

The Sabres were getting a future hall-of-farmer in Hawerchuk who had some amazing seasons in Winnipeg. In Winnipeg, he had five 100 point seasons, won the Calder trophy, and was a four time all-star.

Dale Hawerchuk was never able to produce quite like he did in Winnipeg though. Although he had solid years in Buffalo: two 30 goals seasons and he never scored less than 86 points (with the exception of the lockout shortened 1994-95 season), he was never an all-star and the team was not very successful during his Sabres tenure.  Although they made the playoffs every year, the Sabres never got past the second round.

That being said, Hawerchuk is still one of the top offensive threats in franchise history. He ranks third all time with 1.44 points per game and he is top 10 in career assists. Hawerchuk also has the 2nd and 3rd highest assists in one season. And finally, Dale Hawerchuk was the 5th Buffalo Sabre enshrined in the hockey hall of fame when he was inducted in 2001.

Next: Number Four

4. Daniel Briere

Before we get into Daniel Briere, this is a good time to remind everyone that the rankings are for the best Buffalo Sabres trade acquisitions and how their impact on the organization. Daniel Briere is arguably the best trade the Sabres have ever made.

Briere came to the Sabres in a 2003 trade deadline deal with the Phoenix Coyotes for Chris Gratton and swapped draft picks. Gratton had 30 points over 2 years with the Coyotes while Briere had a superb 4 seasons in Buffalo.

His lack of time with the Sabres is what kept me from moving him higher on the list. His 242 games as a Sabre is the least compared to the other 4 players ranked here. His lack of games isn’t completely his fault though.

Briere unfortunately lost a year due to the lockout and played during an era in which the Sabres had a policy of not negotiating contracts during the season (this policy ended after Briere and Chris Drury didn’t resign and Thomas Vanek almost left after the 2007 season).

Daniele Briere was a part of one of the most successful teams in Buffalo Sabres history. He co-captained the first team in team history to win 50 games in a season, went to the conference finals twice, and was a part of the first teams to have back-to-back 100 point seasons since the powerhouse squads of the mid 1970s.

Although his lack of longetivity with the club keeps him off of most Sabres top 10 leaders lists, his 2006-07 season is one of the best seasons in Sabres history. He racked up 63 assists and 95 points (both were top 10 in the league), started the All-Star game, and was the All-Star game MVP (only the second Sabre to win the award). It is still tough to think about what could have been if the Sabres were able to re-sign Briere and Drury.

Next: Number Three

3. Miroslav Satan

Miroslav Satan does not have the accolades of the other members on this list, but his impact on the Sabres when he was on the team is indellible.

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Satan came over from the Edmonton Oilers in a trade deadline deal in 1997 in which the Sabres sent Craig Millar and Barrie Moore to Western Canada. Satan made in instant impact scoring 8 goals in the 12 games he played with the Sabres after the trade, helping the Sabres win the division title.

Miroslav Satan played 8 seasons with the Sabres, not returning to the team after the 2004-05 lockout. HIs career statistics aren’t as big as some of the players on this list and some who didn’t make this list, but we need to remember that Satan’s years in Buffalo were played during the neutral ice trap, left-wing lock era of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

For example, his 40 goals in 1998-99 were the 7th most in the league but wouldn’t even crack the top 10 in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Satan led the team in scoring every year he was the team with the exception of his last year, in which he finished second in scoring to Daniel Briere. The Sabres were very successful in his first years with the team, making a conference final and leading the team to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in over 2 decades.

Next: Number Two

2. Rene Robert

The French Connection will go down as one of the top lines to never win a Stanley Cup. All 3 players: Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin, and Rene Robert, have their numbers retired by the Buffalo Sabres, are in the Sabres Hall of Fame, and have statues in their honor outside of the KeyBank Center.

Rene Robert was the last of the three to join the organization. The Sabres sent aging veteran winger Eddie Shack to the Pittsburgh Penguins in March 1972 in exchange for the 23 year old Robert. Robert was brought in to join former first-round picks Perreault and Martin who were already clicking on the ice together. Robert also excelled in killing penalties and playing the point on the power play.

Robert’s time in Buffalo was the most successful era in franchise history. The Sabres had 4 straight 100 plus point season and made it to their first Stanley Cup Final. The Sabres only missed the playoffs once during Robert’s tenure, the year Perreault missed most of the season due to a broken leg. The French Connection also led the Sabres to their first playoff appearance ever in 1973.

The Buffalo Sabres career leaderboards are still peppered with Rene Robert’s numbers. Robert is top 10 in goals, assists, points, hat tricks, and game winning goals. What makes these numbers more impressive is that he is not among the franchise leaders in games played.

Rene Robert is the perfect example of bringing in one more piece to move the organization to the next level.

Next: Number One

1. Dominik Hasek

It is not every day that you go out and trade for not only a hall of famer, but arguably the best goaltender of all time, but that is exactly what the Buffalo Sabres did on August 7th 1992 when they sent Stephane Beauregard and a 4th round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for Hasek.

At the time the Blackhawks put their faith in Ed Belfour, who had won a Calder and a Vezina already in addition to leading the team to the 1992 Stany Cup Final, and Jimmy Waite. Waite was the Blackhawks first-round pick in 1987 and was the top goaltender at the 1988 Junior World Championships. He ended up playing in 58 games over 8 seasons for Chicago.

Belfour went on to have a fantastic career, winning the Stanley Cup with Dallas in 1999 and being enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2011. Belfour’s success however pales in comparison to the success of the Dominator, Domink Hasek. Hasek started out as the backup to Grant Fuhr upon his arrival in Buffalo but quickly supplanted him as the starter in his first season.

Hasek earned his nickname by winning 6 Vezina trophies in the 8 seasons he was Buffalo’s starting goaltender. To put that in perspective, since the criteria for the Vezina Trophy changed in 1981, only Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy have won more than 2 Vezinas, 3 and 4 trophies respectively.

In addition to his Vezina Trophies, Hasek became the 5th goaltender ever, and the first in the expansion era, to win a Hart Trophy in 1996-97. He then became the first and only goaltender to win the award in back to back seasons the following year. Hasek was also a 5 time All-Star as a Sabre and led the league in save percentage for 6 straight seasons.

Hasek ranks second in most Sabres franchise history goaltending categories behind Ryan Miller who played in 49 more games than Hasek. However, Hasek leads the Sabres with 55 career shutouts, almost double of the next closest goalie, Ryan Miller.

Dominik Hasek definitely didn’t have a perfect career in Buffalo: issues with Ted Nolan, issues with the media (Jim Kelly), but Dominik Hasek is the best trade acquisition in Sabres history.