Thank you Darcy! In the Sabres biggest moves since the Mogilny days, Darcy Regier pulled of two blockbuster deals.
The Buffalo Sabres traded left wing Michal Grosek to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for center Doug Gilmour, 3 million dollars and right wing J.P. Dumont. Traded Brian Holzinger, Wayne Primeau, Cory Sarich and a 3rd round pick for Chris Gratton and a second rounder. Not only does this help out for the playoffs but it also sets us up well in the future.
On Gratton, "He's a guy that can go places and get stuff done against other teams' big defensemen," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. Gratton, who was the Tampa Bay captain, is under-contract for the next two season at $1.5 million a season. He will add some leadership and playmaking ability along with size, faceoff wins, shooting and toughness. This is exactly the type of player the Sabres needed to add. He is going to become part of the core of the team, a guy that will grow with the team. This takes more pressure off Peca and allows him to play a gritty 3rd line roll without concentrating on scoring to much. He should be able to make the players around him better, and increase there scoring with his passing ability. The Sabres now boast one of the better center corps in the NHL with Gratton, Brown, Peca and Barnes. Although Gratton was a captain on Tampa, make no mistake about it; this is still Peca's team.
We rid ourselfs of "deadwood" here. Holzinger has struggled all year and his speed frustrates even the novice fan. Primeau looked good at times but it was apparent he wouldnt succeed in Buffalo. This trade should help his career. Sarich was the only thing we really gave up worth anything. Everyone knows he will be a great top 4 dman, but with the development of Kalinin and Campbell, he became expendable.
We also recieved a upgrade of draft picks, which the scouting staff will turn into a bona fide prospect.
What a deal to get Dougy Gilmour. He adds the veteran leadership and great passing which hopefully will put Satan's scoring through the roof. Will probably play the left wing but can play center and is extremely effective on the draws. An underrated aspect of this trade is the effect he will have on players like Brown, Peca and Rasmussen. This guy can teach the younger veterans how to play the game and show them the ropes of the NHL. This will make the youngsters better in the future. Adding Gilmour is probably for the short term as his age would atest. His contract is over after next season.
The Sabres also added a great young prospect in JP Dumont. (Watch for a profile in the prospects secton shortly) Chicago coaches had this to say about the winger: from assistant coach Denis Savard. "You can see when a player is good because he wants the puck. J.P. wants the puck. He's a shooter and he wants to score the big goals."
"It's a God-given ability he's got," says Hawks coach Lorne Molleken. "He's a pure goal scorer, no question. He can get open, he's capable of beating guys one-on-one in the tough areas and he can shoot the puck. He reads plays well and reacts to situations, and that's the difference between being a good player and a great player."
Giving up Grosek was not a big deal. He was another player who had potential yet wasnt going too do anything in Buffalo. He will probably become a solid power forward in Chi-Town.
The financial terms of both deals also benefits the cash-strapped Sabres. Figure Holzinger makes close to 1 million a year, while both Sarich and Primeau make around 800,000. Gratton makes 1.5 mill. Then the Hawks ate 3 million of Gilmour's salary. Dumont probably makes around 750,000 and so does Grosek. This means the Sabres probably added about 2 million dollars for 2 high quality guys.
Kudos to Darcy Regier for being patient and making the correct deals. I dont think anyone can bash this guy, and if someone has any reason to disagree with these trades please email me. This rid the roster of players who either didnt want to play, hit a wall or just guys who didnt add anything. This makes the forward "lean and mean" meaning guys who actualy add things to the team. The question remains if this was all to late. Either way, the Sabres are in great position next year to make a run at the playoffs and for the years after Haseks retirement.
My Lines
Rasmussen-Gratton-Afinogenov
Gilmour-Brown-Satan
Tsyplakov-Peca-Varada
Sanderson-Barnes-Ward
