The 2022 NHL Trade Deadline has come and passed, and it was rather uneventful for the Sabres. With nine pending unrestricted free agents being on their roster, it was assumed that Monday would be the last day as a Sabre for many. Instead, Kevyn Adams decided to stick to his guns and not move any of these players.
Well... that is for one player. The one deal that Adams did make was two days before the deadline when he sent Robert Hagg to the Florida Panthers for a 2022 6th Round Pick. Not much to analyze here. Hagg is a solid depth defenseman that likely won't even be able to crack the Panthers lineup once Aaron Ekblad returns from injury during the playoffs.
It might seem weird that he was the only guy moved, but it does sort of make sense when you stop to think about it. Dahlin, Bryson, Jokiharju, and Samuelsson obviously aren't going anywhere, and Pysyk seems to be very well-liked by the organization, so it was likely he wasn't going to be moved unless the offer was a surprise.
A 6th round pick might seem kind of low for this deadline, as the market was all over the place this year, but given the role he's likely to have, Florida wasn't going to give up the farm here. In the end, it's not a bad trade for Adams, and with Ryan Johnson possibly joining the team by the end of the season, you have to realize that at the very least one person had to be moved from the blue line.
Florida already made their big left-handed defenseman trade when they acquired Ben Chiarot from the Canadiens, so Hagg was only acquired in response to Ekblad being injured. Once Ekblad returns in the playoffs, Hagg with probably find himself in the press box.
I actually really liked Hagg while he was here, he's the perfect type of bottom-pairing/7th defenseman: big, physical, kills penalties, and won't be a liability out there. I think he'll fit in nicely with Florida.
Thoughts on the Deadline
Now that that's over, let's move onto the main point of contention, Adams' lack of real moves this season.
I will have to admit when the 3 p.m. deadline passed on Monday, I couldn't help but feel a bit confused. Not disappointed, just confused as to why Adams didn't feel the need to move any of our pending free agents. Sure, the team has been on a nice roll here these past ten games being able to put together some really nice victories against some really good teams, but sacrificing assets for the sake of keeping the locker room happy seemed questionable.
When Adams spoke to the media Monday, it did paint a bit of a clearer picture of the vision he and his team had. Like we just said, the team seems to be really coming together recently and he didn't want to mess with that chemistry. Additionally, he's also thinking about Rochester's well-being at the same time. They're currently fighting for a playoff spot, so if Buffalo was to trade out some of their UFA's, then someone from the Amerks would have to be called up and take their spot, which could include any one of their top scorers: Jack Quinn, JJ Peterka, Brett Murray, Artuu Ruotsalainen, etc. That would make their playoff aspirations a lot more difficult than it is already.
It makes sense in theory, the big club is doing well with their current guys, and the farm team needs the help of their own guys to get to the playoffs. I completely understand what Adams and his team are trying to do, however, that doesn't mean I have to agree with it.
To best describe the issues I have, let's first take a look at what the lines are likely going to look like for the rest of the season. This is pretty much what they've rolled with since the game against Vegas two weeks ago and is likely what we'll see for the remainder of the season. The 1st and 4th lines are likely staying together, with the 2nd and 3rd possibly seeing some swaps with the wingers.
What we have to realize here is that both Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka have 100% deserved to be receiving games this season. They are both having unbelievable seasons in the AHL, and there's nothing left for them to learn down there, other than experience some playoff games later this spring. They should be getting a taste of some NHL hockey before the season ends so that they're ready for full-time next fall.
If Adams doesn't want to burn a year of their ELCs that's completely understandable, they don't have to be here the whole time. The year gets burned if they played more than nine games and Quinn & Peterka have both played two games this year, so Adams still has seven games to work with here. However, given his actions at the deadline, this seems less and less likely to happen.
Let's say they did get called up, who do you take out here? Take a look at that lineup and tell me what two guys get taken out.
Forget trying to find a spot for both of them, just try one. Let's say Quinn gets called up alone, who sits? It's not Okposo, as it stands right now he's essentially the captain of this team, there's no reason he should be taken out. It wouldn't be Olofsson, not only is he playing better recently, but I'm sure the team has realized they may need to start considering the possibility of trading him this summer, and healthy scratching him doesn't exactly help his value. Asplund has been a regular in the lineup all season and has arguably been our best defensive forward, so it wouldn't be logical to sit him either. Hinostroza wouldn't make any sense either. If the team is really interested in re-signing him, then why would they be scratching him down the final stretch of the season? How is that going to entice him to stay?
See what I mean? There's no easy solution here and it's because they did not move one forward. If you think it gets complicated with the offense, it's twice that with the defense.
All signs point to Owen Power being in Buffalo by the end of the season, which we've all been guessing would happen. The latest that he could be playing with Michigan is April 9th, when the NCAA championships are held. So, if Michigan makes it all the way then he could be playing for the Sabres as soon as April 10th, or two nights later against Toronto. Not to mention, there's always the possibility they get eliminated even earlier. So that could mean for the last ten or so games of the season, the Sabres could be carrying nine NHL-caliber defensemen!
Once again, the question has to be asked, who do you take out? Dahlin and Jokiharju aren't sitting, Samuelsson shouldn't be, Bryson has no reason to be, scratching Pysyk would be odd if you're planning on keeping him and sitting Miller would make zero sense if you just refused to trade him. Not to mention you've got two more defensemen sitting in the press box in Butcher and Fitzgerald.
If you think that makes things tricky, let me give you this scenario. What happens if Ryan Johnson has the same mindset as Owen Power? Minnesota will likely be eliminated before Michigan is, so what if Ryan Johnson decides he wants to play in Buffalo immediately and burns a year off his ELC, telling the team that if they don't sign him, he'll go back to school next year? Next year, I should remind you, is Johnson's senior year, which means that after the season is done he can refuse to sign with Buffalo and become a free agent. Now you're really screwed, you could be stuck carrying up to ten defensemen.
If you're Kevyn Adams, what do you do? Fitzgerald is probably the first guy sent down, but do you send down Samuelsson as well because he's unaffected by waivers? Considering he's going back down for the AHL playoffs it's not entirely impossible, but that would be a ridiculous decision. Samuelsson has been the second best defenseman since he was brought up.
I just want to say, that I completely understand Adams' thinking, I just think that it creates more problems than it solves. You can push off bringing up Quinn and Peterka until next year, but you're not going to be able to ignore Power, and possibly Johnson, signing here in a few weeks.
Plus, a quick point I'll bring up is what a few others have been citing. I'm sure there were a few guys that were maybe expecting to be dealt to a contending team. We know how tight-knit this group has become, but that still doesn't mean that some were okay with not being moved to a team that's going to be playing into May and June.
Colin Miller is likely the most obvious example. I'm sure he'd been hearing the rumors about being a vital piece for a contender all season, just for him to stay here for another 19 games. I wouldn't be surprised if Cody Eakin fell into his category also. They can enjoy being on the team, while at the same time wondering why they aren't chasing after the cup this spring.
Final Thoughts
The word "culture" is quickly becoming a buzzword associated with this team, akin to how it surrounded the up and coming Buffalo Bills a few years ago. I believe establishing a good and positive environment that values winning is extremely important in building a winner. However, sacrificing some free assets and chances for younger guys to be given a chance all for the sake of good vibes in the locker room doesn't sit entirely right with me.
I don't think players like Miller, Eakin, or Hinostroza leaving for the last 19 games of the season would have destroyed the culture that's been built up this season. I mean if it had, how strong was the culture in the first place?
Like I said before, how much is this exactly going to help? In the next couple weeks, things might get very cluttered and complicated for Kevyn Adams. Lineup decisions that he and Granato may have to make would have been avoided if Adams had simply shipped out a few veterans. Worst of all, if the team goes into a losing skid similar to what they'd been going through prior to these last nine games, then this plan really makes Adams look bad.
I don't want this to be an attack on Adams, he's done a remarkable job over the last calendar year, and should be praised. I just want to put it out there that I think he approached the deadline incorrectly. I can understand the logic of keeping the guys together and not wanting to be ripped off by other general managers in the league, but when the majority of these players will be lost to Free Agency for nothing, I feel you have to take what's given to you.
Nonetheless, I don't want this to distract from the really positive signs that have been shown recently from this team. Dahlin is playing like a superstar, Cozens has elevated his game to another level, Thompson continues to be a stud, Tuch & Krebs are making the Eichel trade look better and better, Skinner continues to make Ralph Krueger look silly, Samuelsson has been unreal in the back end, and Craig Anderson has been turning back the clock. That doesn't even include our numerous prospects having great seasons across the board.
All in all, in no way is this deadline going to wreck the rebuild. The pieces are still in place for this team to compete for the years to come, I'm just hoping that this idea of having a good culture in the locker room doesn't prevent this team from winning more games in the future. Good vibes can only take you so far.
Let's hope the upward trajectory continues with this group for the rest of the season and we can carry some momentum into next year.
Until then, as always, Go Sabres.
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