Tim Murray said in a radio interview last week that "trades that may not work today may be able to work out down the line".
Murray said that trades may not materialize until weeks or months down the road. The Buffalo GM said that trades begin with conversations or as emails from other GMs who are like minded in wanting to improve the roster depth and skill of their teams.
Quiet is kept with Tim Murray. It's easier to break into Fort Knox or the Federal Reserve than it is to get Murray to spill the means on deals that he is working on.
Less is more with the Buffalo GM.
Loose lips sink ships.
Like Murray, other GMs like to smile and dial their counterparts to get the time and temperature in the marketplace. Trades begin with conversations that act as seeds. Each ensuing conversation serves to nourish and feed the seed until such time that fruit begins to sprout and grow.
Murray revealed that he was called by several teams last spring regarding trading the #2 overall pick in the draft. Murray immediately informed his peers not to mention the names of specific players that were being offered to Buffalo as part of a proposed trade for Jack Eichel.
Murray's implored his GM counterparts to redact the names of specific players in any trade proposals for the Eichel pick. Murray is a stickler for preserving the secrecy and protecting the confidentiality and trust that are necessary elements to complete NHL player trades down the road.
Did you ever hear Tim Murray's name linked to Ryan O'Reilly and Evander Kane trades before they were consummated? Did you ever hear chatter about a Bobby Ryan trade to Ottawa from Anaheim?
No. You didn't because that how Tim Murray rolls. His word is his bond and when he tells his fellow GMs that their secrets are safe with him, they believe and trust him. Ask NHL personnel and front office types what they think of Tim Murray and they will tell you to a man that they respect him for the path that led him to the GM's office in Buffalo. Murray paid his dues. He scouted with the Florida Panthers. He was the GM of AHL Cincinnati when he was a member of the Anaheim Ducks front office. That's where he met Dan Bylsma, Mike Babcock and Bob Murray. His role increased when he went to work for his Uncle Bryan in Ottawa. He was GM for the Binghampton Senators and was very active in the shaping of the roster in Ottawa.
Did you know that Murray began speaking with the Winnipeg Jets about Evander Kane while he was still employed by the Ottawa Senators?
No, you didn't. The only people that know the back story on both blockbuster trade is the player agent, Uncle Bryan and Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff. Murray's lips were always sealed. Murray pulled the trigger and shocked the hockey world when he announced the Kane-Bogosian trade last February.
Murray followed the same modus operandi when he discussed with the Colorado management team the Ryan O'Reilly trade while he was a member of the Ottawa front office. Murray's conversations continued when he was hired to be the GM of the Buffalo Sabres in Januray 2013. The deal was finalized on the draft floor just moments before the opening puck drop on the EichDavid Draft in Sunrise, Florida last June.
Nobody saw the Kane and O'Reilly trades. The Bobby Ryan trade was another stealth move that Murray completed with Bob Murray.
That's the way that Murray likes it.
The Ducks traded their superstar young 30-goal scorer to Ottawa for futures. At first blush, the Ryan trade looked like a terrible trade. To his credit, Bob Murray had to pull the trigger on the Ryan deal in order to gain necessary space under the NHL salary cap.
Bob Murray, Bryan Murray and Tim Murray completed the trade that sent Ryan to the Ottawa Senators for Jakob Silfverberg, Stefan Noesen and a first-round pick in the 2014 NHL draft.
By dealing Ryan, Anaheim, which re-signed Saku Koivu to a one-year, $2.5 million extension.
"It was the best hockey deal that I was offered for him," Murray said after the trade.
"When you're trading a guy the caliber of Bobby, you've got to get a deal that helps you now and in the future. That's what we were looking for.
"We were far too close to the cap before and I was not comfortable there. We did not enjoy those years where every morning you would have to figure out whether you were under or over [the cap]. This gives us room if another good hockey deal comes along."
Bottom line:
Bryan and Tim Murray correctly identified the pain center of Bob Murray and then tailor-made a solution to alleviate Anaheim's suffering.
That's what makes Tim Murray unique. He is a gifted creative problem solver. He has access and credibility with other NHL GMs and he doesn't throw them under the Zamboni when involved in negotiations and trade talks with his peers.
Seemingly, Murray is working on a trade(s) right now. He isn't satisfied with the 2-6 record and up and down performances of his team. They are young and have been making fatal mistakes in the past three games against Toronto, Montreal and New Jersey. The Sabres are a work in progress right now and are stuck with their 2-6 record. A little puck luck here and a couple of buried chances there and this team could easily be 5-3 right now.
Murray's itchy trigger finger is pointing directly at his starting goaltending.
Something has to give.
Robin Lehner's high ankle sprain will keep him off the ice until Christmas time.
Chad Johnson started the season with an impressive string of games against Ottawa, Columbus, Tampa, and Toronto. However, he was drubbed by the Montreal Canadiens on Friday night exposing a few warts on his game. The Buffalo D and forwards also share the blame with Johnson. There were mistakes and fatal flaws being perpetrated all over the ice.
On Saturday night, 22 year old rookie Linus Ullmark was thrown from the frying pan into the fire. His first NHL game was a 4-2 loss to New Jersey. Ullmark looked good in the early going, however, he struggled in the third period. Again, the forwards and D were also to blame on a few of the goals that eluded Ullmark.
Tim Murray js a patient man but he needs a goalie right now who can make the big, ten-bell save with great dexterity when his team needs it the most on tips, redirects, breakaways and odd man rushes. Johnson and Ullmark don't exactly strike fear in the hearts and minds of NHL opponents. I feel like what you see is what you get with Johnson. He's been a career backup tender his whole career. I'm not sure he can give you 20 winning starts between now and the time that Lehner is scheduled to return to the lineup right around Christmas time.
It's time for the Murrays to put the band back together and make another trade.
Bob's pain is that his team, thought by many to be the odds-on Western Conference champion, is currently in the crapper. The Ducks are 1-5-1. There is no primary nor secondary scoring in the Anaheim lineup having only scored 6 goals in their first seven games. Amazingly, their big guns are shooting blanks right now with Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Ryan Kesler, Andrew Cogliano, Jakub Silfverberg, Patrick Maroon, Carl Hagelin, and Chris Stewart are all stuck on ZERO goals scored this season.
Bob Murray could fire Bruce Boudreau right now but would that ignite the goal scoring? Or, would it just perpetuate the power outage?
Bob Murray has a huge bargaining chip to work with in pending restricted free agent goalie Freddie Andersen. He also has left handed D-men in Cam Fowler and Hampus Lindholm who can be added to a trade.
The Ducks and Andersen's camp have not finalized a new contract extension. In fact, there have been no new talks on the subject. Perhaps Andersen's camp and Bob Murray have attempted to hammer out an extension but they just can't arrive at mutually beneficial term/dollars. One concludes that Andersen will be traded in the near future.
John Gibson is stuck in AHL San Diego right now. He has been exiled there and his release date is still unknown. As long as Andersen is the starting goalie in Anaheim, Gibson will have to play second fiddle in San Diego. Gibson will earn earn $721K this season, then $2.3 million for the next three seasons. I'm thinking that the Andersen camp is aiming for an AAV higher than Gibson's $2.3 million. That may be a deal breaker to the Ducks who may want to keep Andersen, 26, on a two or three year bridge deal until he can prove himself. Andersen will earn $1,150,000 this season. Is he looking to double his annual salary? If so, the Ducks may be inclined to trade him and then elevate Gibson to the big boy club.
So, there are those Sabre fans who want Tim Murray to "stay the course" and ride Chad Johnson to which I say good luck with that. Johnson is who he appears to be. He's a reliable, quality NHL backup goalie. He cannot performing consistent Herculean tasks while filling in for Robin Lehner for the next two months. The Montreal Canadiens exposed Johnson's warts on Friday night. Johnson didn't appear to be fatigued nor exhausted. The Had crowded his crease and screened him on most of their shifts.
I realize that Tim Murray invested a first round draft choice in Robin Lehner. That is a lot to invest in a still unproven and injury prone 24 year old goalie. Lehner's recent concussion and his high ankle sprain are a big concern for the Sabres because both injuries can occur again if he doesn't take the proper amount of time to full recovery from. Lehner would then have to compete for his starting job when he returns from his injury.
I hear people tell me that the Sabres are not in a position to win the Stanley Cup this season. So, why would Murray trade away assets just to acquire a pending RFA goalie in Andersen?
The answer is simple:
Because he needs to fortify the position now before his team slides further down the standings. That, and Andersen is a proven, quality starting goalie.
In my opinion, there is no good reasom why the Buffalo Sabres cannot earn one of eight Eastern Conference playoff berths. Aside from the undefeated Montreal Canadiens, the Eastern Conference is wide open right now in terms of its balance of power. A solid, stable starting goalie can help the Sabres to regroup and to correct its course from its current tail spin.
Tim Murray could trade for Andersen now, ride him until the NHL Trade Deadline then spin him off to a contending team who can choose to re-sign him when he becomes RFA in July. Murray loves him some currency (ie: prospects and high draft picks). Trading for Andersen then trading him at the deadline would fetch Murray some more interesting building blocks that he can incorporate into the organizational depth chart.
You can't know what thoughts are swimming in Tim Murray's mind right now. He won't let you into his head space. Just know that he wants to fix his short term goaltending dilemma. Linus Ullmark isn't the answer. Nor is Johnson.
Andersen may be the bridge that leads Murray to a healthy Lehner.
What will an Andersen-Fowler tandem cost Tim Murray?
It won't be cheap in terms of trading away assets, however, Murray can make it happen.
Were it my deal to do, I would include roster players Johan Larsson, Mike Weber, prospect Hudson Fasching or Nick Baptiste and a second round draft choice.
Before you dismiss the idea of a Buffalo-Anaheim trade, just know that the Ducks have sent their pro player personnel man and their assistant general manager to recent Buffalo home games. Advanced scouting? The Sabres don't play the Ducks until December 17.
Perhaps Bob Murray was one of the suitors who phoned Tim Murray last June to inquire about the second overall pick in the 2105 NHL Draft. Per Tim Murray's request, Bob Murray could not reveal the names of Freddie Andersen and Cam Fowler. Maybe he just did last week when his two honchos were in Buffalo to get a birds eye view of the Buffalo Sabres.
Don'the look now, but Bruce Boudreau and his ducks have to travel to play the Chicago Blackhawks tonight. Another loss could push the button that activates several serious personnel changes with the Anaheim Ducks.