The luck of the Irish is smiling on Buffalo today with 65-degree sunny skies and some big free agency news relating to the other big-4 professional team in town. Even with all the good stuff going on in Orchard Park, we’ll go ahead and assume fans in Western New York have the bandwidth to think ahead to Monday’s NHL trade deadline and what it could possibly mean for the Sabres.
The last article in this series touched on potential forward trade bait for the Sabres, and today we’ll discuss what the team has to offer on the blueline and in goal. Before getting into it, though, and while speaking about goalies, congratulations to Northeastern goaltender and Sabres prospect Devon Levi on his selection as a Hobey Baker Award finalist. He’s one of 10 NCAA men’s hockey players who are vying for the trophy awarded to college hockey’s top player. His path to the NHL may very well intersect with the first player on this list.
As was the case with the last article, The potential trade candidates will receive a ranking (out of five) based on the categories of: contract value, performance, special skill and likelihood of trade.
Craig Anderson, 41 (G)
Contract Value: (4/5) Performance: (3/5) Special Skill: Age Resistance (4/5) Likelihood of Trade: (3/5)
Let’s start with the stats. Plenty of people will say that a win-loss record is not a goaltending statistic, but rather a team statistic, of which the goalie is the beneficiary or the victim of the overall team performance. That’s a rational point of view. Still, submitted for your review are three year-to-date win/loss records: Craig Anderson,the combined record of the other five goalies who have played for the team this year, and the Sabres as a whole.
Craig Anderson: 10-8-0
Other Goalies: 10-24-8
Team: 20-32-8
Anderson has been between the pipes for half of the team’s wins despite playing in fewer than a third of the games. That’s impressive. Age definitely caught up to Anderson this year with a mysterious upper body ailment that sidelined the veteran for a large chunk of the season, and that’s to be expected for 41-year-old-goaltender. While his .907 save percentage and 2.96 goals against-average are nothing to write home about, his steady presence in net undoubtedly has a calming influence on this young Sabres team. He's a steal at $750k.
There are two major factors to consider with a Craig Anderson trade. First and foremost is an obligation to respect what Anderson wants to do at the trade deadline. If he wants to go to a contender for a playoff run, and if a contender wants him, there’s an unwritten contractual obligation to do that for a goalie who is clearly in his twilight years.
Secondly, if Anderson would prefer to stay, or if he’s ambivalent about a trade, the Sabres need to weigh a potential trade return against his positive impact on the team over the closing months of the season. It simply doesn’t seem worth it to ship out Anderson for a 4th or 5th round pick when he holds a valuable position in the locker room as the eldest statesman and the team’s most consistent goaltender. It would be akin to ripping the rug out from under the rest of the team, and a late-round draft pick isn’t worth the demoralizing impact of making that move.
If a team makes a crazy offer of a 2nd round pick, that would alter the situation. That’s an incredibly unlikely scenario. Simply put, this should be Anderson’s decision.
Colin Miller, 29 (RD)
Contract Value: (4/5) Performance: (3/5) Special Skill: All-Situations Play (3/5) Likelihood of Trade: (5/5)
Colin Miller will be traded. Teams covet right-handed defensemen at the deadline, and someone will come calling for Miller. He adds a little bit of everything that a team might need for a deep playoff run: he can slot into the second or third pairing, he can run the second unit powerplay (or the first if needed), and he adds more physicality and presence than his 6’1… 199 pound frame suggests on the surface.
He’s a smart trade deadline target for any GM who has aspirations of a Stanley Cup because Miller can essentially play any role asked of him.
The problem for the Sabres is that Miller has been hurt since January 15 and there aren’t many games left for Miller to showcase what he’s got. The good news for General Manager Kevyn Adams is that Miller should be ready to go for this weekend’s contests. Adams would do well to land a 2nd or 3rd round draft pick along with a B-level prospect in return for Miller should he prove ready to play this weekend. He will only cost $1.9m against the cap if the Sabres retain half of his salary in a trade, which they will almost certainly do just to remain cap compliant above the salary floor.
Robert Hagg, 27 (LD)
Contract Value: (3/5) Performance: (3/5) Special Skill: Shot Blocking (4/5) Likelihood of Trade: (3/5)
Robert Hagg is the forgotten branch of the Rasmus Ristolainen trade tree. He’s quietly gone about the business of being a bottom-pairing defensive defenseman and he’s largely held his own in that role. His specialty is shot-blocking, a category in which he leads the team with 89. He’s also second on the team in hits with 91.
This would be a no-frills depth defenseman for a cup-contending team, similar to the move Washington made for Mike Weber way back when. A team would need to already be short on defensemen at this point to make the move. The Sabres probably say yes to a 5th, 6th or 7th round pick and thank Hagg for his service over the past year.
Mark Pysyk, 30 (RD, LW, RW. G?)
Contract Value: (3/5) Performance: (3/5) Special Skill: Jack of All Trades (3/5) Likelihood of Trade: (3/5)
Are you in the market for a 7th defenseman and a 13th forward? There’s no need to trade for two players, just trade for Mark Pysyk! The former first-round pick and sometime-analytic darling can definitely be a positive contributor to a defensive third pair, and he can play 2nd pairing minutes without hurting the team. He can also play some wing, as evidenced by his time in Florida when he scored a hat-trick.
He makes $900k this year. Maybe the Sabres bring him back in a depth role this summer if he is traded. He’s seemingly a high-character veteran who can chip in with positive play.