Nathan Beaulieu Could Be Trade Bait For Buffalo Sabres

Nathan Beaulieu has been playing some solid hockey for the Buffalo Sabres this season, and that could lead to a solid potential return for him in a trade.

The idea of the Buffalo Sabres trading Nathan Beaulieu has definitely crossed fans minds in the past season or so, but the issue is that nobody thought there would be much of a return for the struggling defender. His current change of pace, and his solid play in general could make for a good return these days, especially with the apparent injury plague running its way around the league.

Buffalo acquired Beaulieu from the Montreal Canadiens on June 17, 2017 in exchange for a third round pick that year, and it was hoped that he would step into a potential top four role with the Sabres at that time. Sadly his role fell flat as he was only able to manage 1 goal and 9 points in 59 games played, accompanied by a dismal -19.

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Beaulieu has found himself on a different side of the depth chart for this season as a 7th rotating defender in and out of the lineup. While it seems like a downgrade, this new role for him has actually helped his play dramatically. Where last year he was found being irresponsible many times and not finding his pace with the puck, this season he seems much more driven and composed as a defender.

These factors could lead to a potential return for the blue liner. Nathan Beaulieu is a former first round pick (17th overall in 2011) and that pedigree still can carry some weight as he is still only 25 years old. His contract is expiring at the end of this season, so worry about paying him is minimal.

What GM Jason Botterill has done well so far is getting players that will play the game Coach Phil Housley wants, and liquidating other extra players for some sort of return. With Beaulieu picking up his play, and having other defensemen ready to step into his current role, the time to flip him for something is coming soon.

What kind of return could Beaulieu go for at this point in the season. There are a few teams that have had some key defenders fall to injuries recently (notably Cam Fowler for the Ducks, and P.K Subban for the Predators), and they may be looking for a short term fill in defenseman. This would keep Beaulieu’s value low, but not as low as it was last season. The possible return for a player like this would be somewhere between a 3rd to 5th round pick. While that may not seem like much, these picks can be worth more than some players. These are the picks that can be sold alongside other picks at the draft to move up a few slots, or to pick a player that can play at a similar level (eventually) that Beaulieu can now.

It’s not  risky move to try and deal Beaulieu any time soon, and it’s better to do it while his value is still there, rather than wait for his play to possibly decline.