How did the NHL trade deadline help the Sabres?
The Sabres played the 2024 NHL trade deadline better than perhaps any team not looking to contend this season, selling the past for the present.
There were so many debates surrounding Casey Mittelstadt regarding what the Sabres should do with him, but they ended that debate when they sent the 25-year-old to the Colorado Avalanche for Bowen Byram. Mittelstadt has come a long way following what was once upon a time a pedestrian career, and now he gets a chance to win a Stanley Cup in Denver while the Sabres acquired a building block for the present.
While injury-prone, Byram already showed fans how effective he is when healthy, scoring two points in his first game with the Blue and Gold. And remember, one of Mittelstadt’s biggest drawbacks during his earlier days involved staying healthy, and he’s since shed the injury-prone label, meaning this could be a great trade in the long run if Byram manages to do the same.
Sabres helped at NHL trade deadline by shedding age, acquiring more young talent
That came in the form of a conditional seventh-round pick and Calle Sjalin, a former fifth-round pick who will join the Rochester Americans as they try to return to the Calder Cup Playoffs. Sjalin will face an uphill climb to play in Buffalo, but he will provide some solid organizational depth.
Erik Johnson was another player who wouldn’t be around when the Sabres would at long last contend - whenever that day may ultimately be. So they flipped him to the Philadelphia Flyers for a fourth-rounder and at least cut their loss on what was a rather ill-fated free agent signing.
Adding Bowen Byram could be an excellent move for the Sabres, and while they didn’t get anything huge for Okposo and Johnson, they did the right thing and moved a pair of veterans who weren’t sticking around much longer.
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(Trade information provided by Cap-Friendly)