The NHL Trade Deadline officially passed on Friday afternoon, and the Buffalo Sabres now know what the roster is going to look like as they chase their first playoff berth in 14 seasons. They have been a huge surprise around the league over the past few months, and playing some of the best hockey in the league.
For general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, this was his first big test as general manager of the Buffalo Sabres. He was not afraid to go out and try to find big-time moves that he felt could help this team, but also was comfortable walking away from trades if the value got to be too much, which seems to be the case in the Robert Thomas trade discussions.
When looking back at the last week for the Buffalo Sabres, there isn't much to not like about what Jarmo Kekalainen was able to do as general manager, with these being the Top 4 reasons.
Buffalo Sabres didn't mess with team chemistry and trade Alex Tuch
At this point, it is accepted practice that if a player is in the final year of their deal and doesn't sign an extension, the team will trade him in hopes of getting something in return. The fear is that the player will leave in free agency, particularly a player of Alex Tuch's caliber, which results in a big hole in the team's roster.
However, the Buffalo Sabres are in a unique position that they are playing incredible hockey and the last thing they want to do, especially considering the playoff drought, is jeopardize an opportunity to make a deep playoff run.
There is no question that if Kekalainen tried to move Alex Tuch, he could have probably gotten the equivalent of multiple first-round picks. He is probably the best player that might have been available and every contending team would be jumping at the chance to add him to their roster.
The thing is that the Sabres are one of those contending teams and trying to win now. It never made sense to trade Alex Tuch for future assets and Jarmo Kekalainen did a great job with this particular decision.
Buffalo Sabres didn't trade any goalies
One of the first things that Jarmo Kekalainen talked about after being named general manager of the Sabres was trying to figure out what to do with their three-goalie rotation. However, the answer was to do nothing and keep a position group intact that has been one of the best in the league.
Since the middle of December, the three-goalie rotation has been a blessing as each goalie has missed extended time due to injuries. It hasn't really mattered at this point whether it was Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, or Colten Ellis in net, as each goalie, when it has been their turn, has stepped up.
One of the reasons for going down to two goalies was to give the Sabres an extra skater but with the roster limits no longer being a factor, the team can bring up any skaters without having to lose one of their goalies. This is another instance where patience really paid off, and the Sabres have benefited from the three-goalie rotation.
Jarmo Kekalainen addressed the most pressing need the Buffalo Sabres had without giving up much
While it would have been awesome to see the Sabres go and get a big-name player like Robert Thomas or Colton Parayko, that is not what this team needed. The biggest concern was depth on the blue line and the Sabres did that with one trade with the Winnipeg Jets that brought back Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn.
They were able to do that without giving up any first round picks or top prospects. Isak Rosen is the best player they moved but he didn't have a clear path to a spot on the NHL roster so trading him now makes sense.
In fact, if the Sabres completed one of those trades for Thomas or Parayko, it would have raised more questions than answers, resulting in significant roster changes. If the Sabres had brought over Thomas, it probably would have resulted in Tage Thompson going back to the wing, but he has been a better center.
Meanwhile, Parayko would have probably been slotted in on the top line, but Mattias Samuelsson has thrived on that line with Rasmus Dahlin. The additions of Stanley and Schenn now give the Sabres four capable defensemen, alongside Michael Kesselring and Conor Timmins, for that third pair, while having a backup plan if there is an injury to the Top 4.
Buffalo Sabres set themselves up to be aggressive this summer
The biggest reason to love what the Buffalo Sabres were able to do at the trade deadline under Jarmo Kekalainen is that it now sets them up for a big summer to really make some roster moves if they want. They still have all their first-round picks, along with top prospects like Konsta Helenius, Radim Mrtka, and Devon Levi, who are needed to acquire a top talent.
On top of that, they didn't add any salary to their cap, and with roughly $13 million in cap space, bringing back a player like Alex Tuch is still on the table. They could look to create even more cap space by trading someone like Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, which is an option since Colten Ellis is under contract next season.
Certainly, not getting a trade of that caliber done now doesn't help them in their playoff chase this season. However, Jarmo Kekalainen found a balance of addressing needs without jeopardizing what they can do after this season to keep the momentum from this season going.
The Buffalo Sabres in the end didn't make the biggest headlines but the moves Jarmo Kekalainen made, and more importantly the moves he didn't, made this first trade deadline with the Sabres a huge success for the new general manager.