With Alex Tuch enjoying an 79-point season and Peyton Krebs finding his niche, the Buffalo Sabres didn’t make a bad trade in November 2021.
The Buffalo Sabres weren’t one of the better teams in the NHL this season, but with 91 points and a winning record, they weren’t one of the worst. And the Jack Eichel trade, as I’ve stated in recent articles, helped the Blue and Gold get there perhaps more than anything else…unless Devon Levi becomes the next Ryan Miller or Dominik Hasek, then the Reinhart trade wins out.
Anyway, I’ve spoken enough about the Jack Eichel trade since the Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup. Instead, I’m turning my focus onto Sean McIndoe of The Athletic and their ‘Conned Smythe’ Trophy, which they listed the Sabres as a candidate for. And if you’ve never heard of McIndoe’s “award,” let me sum it up for you in their words:
"“The Conned Smythe, earned by whichever team made the dumbest trade with the biggest impact on a Stanley Cup winner.” – via The Athletic.com"
Source: Which NHL team should win the 2023 Conned Smythe for the worst Golden Knights trade?
While McIndoe listed the Sabres as the first of seven candidates, the compensation Buffalo got in return was just too valuable to the team in 2022-23. Tuch was a borderline all-star and a leader without wearing a ‘C’ or an ‘A’ patch.
And Krebs brings energy, an edge, and he’s going to be a force on the penalty kill in 2023-24 and onward. And let’s not forget: The Blue and Gold used the second round pick in that trade to acquire Jordan Greenway, who has potential to become an important part of the Sabres.
Buffalo Sabres shouldn’t win the “Conned Smythe Trophy,” the Sens should
But the second candidate on the list jumped out at me. That candidate involved the Ottawa Senators and the Mark Stone trade, you may have heard of it. But in case you haven’t, on February 25th, 2019, the Sens traded Stone and Tobias Lindberg to Vegas and got Oscar Lindberg, a second-round pick in 2020, and Erik Brannstrom in return.
Oscar Lindberg, who was 27 at the time, played just 20 games with Ottawa, and he hasn’t played in the NHL since. Brannstrom has been a serviceable but unspectacular player for the Senators. And their second pick in 2020, Egor Sokolov, has played in just 13 NHL contests, scoring two measly career points and logging just 118 minutes of ice time.
The trade also never helped Ottawa go anywhere, and since they sent Stone to Vegas, the Sens have yet to accumulate over 82 points in a single season, or finish higher than sixth in the Atlantic. Meanwhile, in the few seasons after he first came to Vegas, Stone remained a strong candidate for the Hart and Selke Trophies, finishing ninth and third, respectively, following the 2020-21 season.
And while Stone has played in just 80 regular season games since 2020-21, he was a force in the playoffs, playing in 22 games, scoring 24 points, and snagging a 22.4% scoring percentage. Sure, Eichel was fantastic during the playoffs, too, but Stone served as a primary building block and a leader on this hockey team, while Eichel was merely a puzzle piece.
Overall, Jack Eichel had a playoff to remember. And while it was painful for Buffalo Sabres fans to watch, that pain would have intensified had Tuch and Krebs been flops, or even mediocre players like Brannstrom. But that hasn’t been the case, and they could both remain part of the Blue and Gold’s core for a long time.
As for the Senators, it’s a different story. Brannstrom hasn’t been great, Lindberg lasted just 20 games, and Sokolov has done nothing in the NHL at this point. The Sabres, at this point, have blown past the Senators, and that could be the case for a while now, especially if Buffalo can figure out how to play defense in the near future.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)