Buffalo Sabres made a huge mistake not trading these players
The Buffalo Sabres netted a sixth-round pick for Robert Hagg before the trade deadline
And while most of the Buffalo Sabres faithful believe Hagg should have generated more, it’s easy to counter that argument. Hagg underperformed since arriving in Buffalo, and his greatest contribution to the team ended up being the first and second-round picks that came with him in the Rasmus Ristolainen trade.
Okay, harsh. Hagg had his moments. But in the end, he was not the physical specimen the team expected him to be. Hagg was also relegated to the third pairing, used as a stopgap defenseman more than anything else. At the end of the day, the Sabres were lucky to get something instead of letting him go at the end of the season.
Despite the move to get rid of Hagg, the Sabres should have sold more at the deadline. This is a team looking to get younger and now they’re stuck with numerous veterans whose contracts are set to expire this offseason. Translation: They’re now getting nothing for the players listed in this slideshow.
Kevyn Adams had a golden opportunity to pile up draft picks and prospects. No, not all of them would have stuck. But he would have allowed the Sabres to get younger throughout the system and build upon the nucleus that finally appears to have meshed.
Instead, Adams wanted the team to remain “competitive” for the last 19 games of the season. Not sure what he means by “competitive.” This team is not going to the playoffs. This was a rebuilding season, and Adams needed to sell more.
While he may see his moves as brilliant, the truth is, Adams made a huge mistake failing to dump his veterans. Even something as little as that sixth-round pick he acquired for Hagg could be worth something. Now, the Sabres will probably let the following players go for zero compensation.
Craig Anderson
Even at 40, Anderson has had a solid season. No, his .904 save percentage is nothing to glance twice at. But his 11-9 record is giving him, at least to date, his first winning season (minimum 20 games started) since 2016-17.
Anderson is not a starting goaltender for a championship contender. However, he remains a solid backup option for those contending teams. Anderson has shown the ability to make spot starts and highlight reel saves multiple times this season, further proving his worth.
He still provides value and leadership in the NHL. And odds are, a contender would have paid more than just a sixth-round pick to acquire his services. The compensation could have granted the Sabres another draft pick or two, or perhaps another prospect to throw onto their AHL lines.
Trading Anderson also would have given the Sabres an opportunity to see what they had in Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The 23-year-old who excelled in a few starts with the Sabres earlier this season has since toiled away in Rochester. And calling him up for the remainder of the year would have allowed the Sabres to better evaluate the goaltender.
Colin Miller
Miller missed time with an injury this season, and it could have scared a few teams off. Regardless, rumors surfaced that teams still actively pursued the defenseman whose $3.875 million contract expires after this season.
With such a cap hit, it’s hard to see the Sabres bringing Miller back. After missing two months, he returned to the Sabres and further proved his value with a point against the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks.
Yet even before his return, Miller enjoyed his most productive season since 2018-19 with 12 points over 32 games, matching his point total from last season and eclipsing his total in 2019-20. For teams looking for a solid two-way player on the lower lines, Miller would have given them that value.
As with Anderson, the Sabres walk away empty-handed. For a team looking to get younger, there is no way they will pay Miller, who turns 30 in October, millions for a spot on the third pairing while they continue to prioritize younger talent. Instead, Miller will walk away and continue his career elsewhere unless he’s willing to take a massive pay cut.
Will Butcher
Like Miller, the former fifth-round pick struggled with injuries, but otherwise looked good on the ice. In 32 games, Butcher logged just five points while amassing nine hits and 29 blocks. The latter of which aren’t eye-popping for defensemen, but Butcher plays a different game.
He’s a tremendous puck handler, committing just eight giveaways this season and his discipline has kept him out of the penalty box. Also like Miller, Butcher hasn’t lived to the massive $4.1 million base salary the Sabres owed him.
And since his contract expires this season, he’s yet another talent that can walk away without the Sabres attempting to re-sign him. Again like Miller, Butcher would need to agree to a large pay cut to stay with the team beyond 2022, and it’s not likely to happen.
However, if another positive exists, it’s that Butcher just turned 27. So he’s young enough for general manager Kevyn Adams to at least consider keeping around. But if the Sabres let him walk, they were better off trading him at the deadline. At the very least, he was worth swapping for a late-round pick.
Cody Eakin
Eakin turns 31 shortly after the season and like Butcher and Miller, he has not lived up to his $2.5 million base salary. And he’s another player the Sabres will probably let walk following a season where he has mainly found himself stuck on the fourth line.
Not that Eakin didn’t have value. No, he’s not suited to log over 15 minutes of ice time per game. And no, he won’t log points, having amassed just 11 in 58 games in 2021-22. But Eakin is an expert puck handler who can win face-offs, recording a face-off win percentage of 50% or better over the past three seasons.
This shows that Eakin can set things up for incoming scoring lines. Something a contending team will find ultra-valuable on the fourth line and it’s likely they would have overpaid the Sabres compensation for Eakin’s services.
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Overall, the Sabres should have done all they could to get rid of the above four veterans. Even if teams were looking to give up minimal compensation, the Sabres would at least have received something in return. Which is better than either overpaying them to stay, or letting them walk following the season for nothing.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)