It's funny.
The biggest deal we made at the deadline was hands down the Gaborik pick up. However, the other deal we made has seemingly raised the most questions and drawn out the strongest opinions. To me it was also one of the more interesting trades in terms of developmental philosophy, organization structure, and long-term projection.
I am of course talking about the Brayden McNabb for Deslauriers and Fasching swap.
In many regards all the reactions to it are understandable. A lot of people are confused, some are mad, and a lot can't draw a conclusion simply because they don't hound the prospect system like some others do. Deslauriers and Fasching we've heard a lot about, McNabb not so much. Granted, he plays in Rochester of the AHL. Hard to really catch too many of those games if you are from the West Coast.
Here is my definitive opinion on it: It was a great deal, for both teams.
But why? I know there are a lot of questions out there and I'll try to get to most of the ones I've seen.
"Who the heck is Brayden McNabb?"
McNabb is a 23-year old defenseman currently playing in the minor league system of the Buffalo Sabres. He is around 6-foot-5 and weighs a solid 205. He was drafted back in the early third round of the 2009 NHL entry draft (Which in hindsight has been one of the deeper drafts in recent memory). He spent four years in the rough and tumble WHL with the Kootenay Ice. He had a career 176 points in 258 games there. He was also captain for the Ice in his final year. This is his third season with the Rochester Americans of the AHL and he has done quite well for himself with 95 points in a career 145 games. Throughout his junior and pro career so far he has maintained around a .65 point per game pace.
McNabb also has a cannon of a shot that can touch triple digits and he loves to throw the body.
"Did we really just trade Fasching and Deslauriers for a guy who couldn't crack the Sabres lineup?"
Probably the No. 1 reaction I have seen to this deal is what is stated above. The answer is not that simple. When looked at on the surface you say to yourself, well the Sabres are terrible this year and this kid can't make their lineup? Must not be that good if he can't crack the blueline on the last place team.
Buffalo should be praised for this strategy though. It's not as if McNabb CAN'T make the NHL lineup. After all, he played almost half the lockout season last year for them and played a little bit early on this year. When the Sabres decided to go full tank and preserve their kids, McNabb was sent down to the minors where he could get more minutes, better minutes, and develop on a competitive team. Rochester was seventh in the Western Conference of the AHL and McNabb was playing north of 20 minutes a night with them. On the Sabres he was on a last place team playing around 15-16. This is also why you see the Sabres picking up players like D'Agostini, Konopka, and Linus Omark off waivers, and also playing guys like John Scott, Alex Sulzer, and Matt Ellis. It's a stop gap. Playing their wealth of young prospects isn't going to do them any good this year. It could hurt their confidence, their game, and ultimately the investment that is made on these talented youngsters.
Last season the Sabres management inserted an 18-year old Mikhail Grigorenko into their lineup for 25 games on a struggling team. His confidence has not looked the same since. I think that was a wake up call to the new management that you have to preserve your youth. A philosophy like this will result in better long-term results.
"So why did the Sabres trade him?"
McNabb has been shuffled down the depth chart with the Sabres because of the stupid amount of blueline talent they have. Ahead of him was Tyler Myers, Christian Ehrhoff, and then a wealth of kids like Mark Pysyk, Rasmus Ristolainen, Nikita Zadorov, and Jake McCabe. At best McNabb would be fighting for a spot on the bottom pairing. Trade from a position of strength to gain in a position of weakness, and the Sabres needed some big wingers who can score. The Sabres wing core is not as strong. Joel Armia, Nick Baptiste, and Daniel Catenacci were probably the team's biggest wing prospects in the system before trading for Desluariers, Fasching, and William Carrier.
"But why Fasching? WHY! WHY GOD WHY!?"
Maybe the reaction hasn't been that severe but people certainly have been, dare I say "overvaluing" Fasching and his potential in its current state. I've followed both Fasching and Deslauriers for Hockey's Future, and I will say that both players have been pretty solid. Fasching has a lot of tools and leadership that you like, and he has been having a solid freshman season with Unversity of Minnesota and was a standout at the World Juniors for the USA. He has his ups and downs but overall it has been a good year.
Deslauriers, after struggling as a defenseman in his career, has made a decently successful switch to left wing OFFENSIVELY. He was the Monarchs leading goal scorer at the time of the trade, however he still is a project in his own end and likely will be for the majority of his career. That being said, he is a physical forward who could realistically make a push at a bottom line spot in the NHL.
The rule of thumb here is to not marry yourself to prospects and/or their performances in the development leagues. They are development leagues for a reason, and a lot of average players have great seasons in the CHL and NCAA. Former King Scott Parse is someone who had a monstrous NCAA career but grew into very little in the NHL. Current Sabre Kevin Porter is another prime example of this. In fact, you can find hundreds if not thousands of players who have had good collegiate and junior careers but have done nothing past that. So it's best to take these successes with a grain of salt.
With that in mind, Fasching has been a good player in his development league and shows a ton of positive tools of one day becoming an NHL player. I'm not trying to downplay his skill level or talent. He is a good player with a ton of promise. However, he makes more sense for the Sabres now than he does for the Kings. The Golden Gopher forward is probably around 3-4 years away from making an NHL impact. Deslauriers, likewise is about another year or so away. Heck, the latter may not even crack the Kings strict defense first system. Those are two players that Buffalo is willing to sit on while the Kings are ready now.
If anything, look at the extreme amount of value that Dean Lombardi got in return for the two. An AHL forward turned defenseman and a 4th round college player for Robyn Regehr (considering we got our two 2nd-round picks back.) and likely a 4-6 Dman with the Kings next year. That's incredible value. Considering what the return could grow into for Buffalo though, it's good hockey trade from both standpoints.
"How does it make sense for the Kings, WE NEED FORWARDS!"
Meh, we do and we don't need forwards. Linden Vey, Tanner Pearson, and Toffoli are likely going to be full-time NHLers next season. If Gaborik gets resigned (which by the way Lombardi talks it could happen) that's another forward you can add in. We have plenty of draft picks in the coming years to restock forward depth for a long term outlook.
Next year WE NEED DEFENSEMAN! In case anyone is forgetting both Willie Mitchell and Matt Greene are up for contract next season and we really don't have too many in-house defenseman ready. Greene has had a tumultuous season of injuries and press box visits, while Mitchell has looked like an aging vet in a fast league. This is meant as no slight on Mitchell or Greene, who have both been stalwarts for the Kings, but it's time to start looking past them and what happens next. With Girardi going off the market for next offseason the free agent market is slim pickings for Dmen, particularly left shooting (McNabb). The under-30 category is even worse.
Some of the under-30 available D: Meszaros, Quincey, Nikitin, Niskanen, Christ Butler, Stralman
Granted we might try to pick one up, it's a pretty bad market if you are looking for young defensemen or defensemen entering their prime. With the move for McNabb, Lombardi is trying to get ahead of the game a bit and fill that hole before it becomes a glaring one. For now, we have our answer on who steps in on defense next season. Then in a year to two years when Gravel and Forbort are ready you have another strong restocked blue line. Doughty, Voynov, McNabb, Muzzin, Forbort, Gravel, Martinez. Don't forget about Bodnarchuk or Zach Leslie either.
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Hopefully that covers the majority of reaction and questions. As you can see it was honestly a pretty interesting trade, despite it being somewhat minor. That is my opinion of course. I thought it showed a little insight into the tug-o-war that happens as a general manager in these deadline moves. It's the long term versus the short term. It's organizational strength versus weakness. Fortunately the Kings have a general manager who is very stingy with his assets and is very calculated with his moves both in a short-term and long-term regard. Next time you don't think so, just take a look at the track record of GM's like Garth Snow and Mike Gillis and compare them to that of Lombardi, Holland, Chiarelli, or Shero. Somehow thinking about everything all at once.
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