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Trading with Buffalo

June 27, 2021, 3:14 PM ET [91 Comments]
Guest Writer
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I was listening to the Fan960 a few months ago and they were interviewing Darryl Sutter. I wish I could pull up the exact words, but since the move to Sportsnet they’ve made accessing old stuff impossible. Here is what I took from the interview:

In Darryl Sutter’s opinion, the North Division is separated into two categories: those teams with an elite center and those without.

At the time, the Flames were about six points out of a playoff spot and Darryl had been Coaching for about a week and a half. Clearly, he had been watching a good amount of hockey leading up to getting hired by the organization. He was quite adamant that the presence of Scheifele, Matthews, Draisaitl, and McDavid was what separated the men from the boys in terms of being at the top of the division.

You have to love how honest Darryl is. Now imagine him, Brad Treliving, Brad Pascal, Craig Conroy and the rest of the Calgary Flames brain trust sitting down at the end of the year to do a post-mortem on a season that absolutely cannot play out the same way next year. What resolutions do you think they had moving forward? Get more snarl on defence, address the deficiency of the right wing position and oh-

Find an Elite Center

I think we know where this is going. Kevyn Adams is in a very rough spot, the Buffalo Sabres are in a very rough spot and most of all their fans are in a very rough spot. As a guy that’s always held out hope that the Sabres will return to contention; I just feel bad for the fans. I thought Tim Murray was the guy. Remember when kept piling on draft picks? It’s hard to follow that team go through the rebuild they went through and see the product they put out this year. One day things will get better. You just have to tell yourself that.

It’s not going to get better this year.

I am naturally an optimistic person. It’s important to stay positive. Especially when things aren’t going your way. But let’s pretend we’re five years ahead in the year 2026 and we’re examining what went wrong with trading Jack Eichel.

Adams is negotiating from a position of weakness.

He has an asset that has done everything but make a formal trade request. His words on garbage bag day were a clear indication that him and the organization are not seeing eye to eye. On top of this, his medical situation is so public (he wants back surgery, the team disagrees and there is no guarantee that he will be the same player when he recovers) that teams aren’t sure they will get a serviceable player after paying a king’s ransom for him. To add to this, he is signed for five more years at a 10 million dollar cap hit amidst a flat cap for what Elliotte Friedman expects to be the next five years. None of this is helping Kevyn Adams get an optimal return.

Adams is a rookie GM

I mentioned an analogy last blog that rings true once again. When a GM is struggling to keep his head above water other GMs don’t throw you life preservers, they throw you anchors. There is clearly blood in the water and Kevyn Adams has a limited amount of time to conduct due diligence on the players and prospects he would be acquiring. Adams has ten years of experience as an Agent, but much less experience in trade negotiations. It is possible he gets taken advantage of. Especially in a situation where there is pressure to resolve the issue before next season.

There is also the fact that Treliving himself took advantage of the Buffalo organization in January 2020 sending the ghost of Frolik there for a 4th round pick (Daniil Chechelev). Although that was Botteril who made that trade. Chechelev is the Russian goalie that started the year 10-0-0 in the MHL, Russia’s junior league.

I think you get my point. Adams is in tough. I don’t think anyone wants to see the Sabres get taken for a ride, but the ticket is stamped and the train is already moving. I’m going to suggest a few offers and you can tell me how unreasonable they are in the comments.

To Buffalo:

Matthew Tkachuk
Connor Zary
12th overall pick


To Calgary:

Jack Eichel

This one has been talked about enough. As much as Sabres fans would hate to see Eichel shopped, they’d grow to love watching Tkachuk driving divisional opponents crazy. If it happens Flames fans will be pouring one out for an absolute beauty of a player. Zary is a sneaky good center who has a great knack for being in the right spot at the right time.


To Buffalo:

Elias Lindholm
Dillon Dube
12th overall pick

To Calgary:

Jack Eichel

Lindholm is quietly the Flames’ best player. Johnny is more skilled, but Elias is better overall. He can play center or wing. He led the team in scoring until the last few games where Vancouver decided not to pressure the puck and Gaudreau put on a clinic with Tkachuk. He plays the PK and PP. He would be a leader by example for younger players and the 1st line center. Dube has done some impressive work for his age. He’s one of the fastest players on the team and can surprise you with a big hit or a nice goal. He could break out next year. He was getting doghoused last year once Sutter came aboard.

This next one emphasizes futures. Next draft is going to be loaded at the top. I’m honestly not sure why Adams would want a trade like above if one of those players wins them enough games to move out of the top 3 pick range. If Buffalo is selling their core they should be actively trying to get Lambert, Savoie or Shane Wright next year.

To Buffalo:

Mikael Backlund
Juuso Valimaki
Connor Zary
Jacob Pelletier
12th overall in 2012


To Calgary:

Jack Eichel


This one is a pipe dream, but damn. Four 1st round picks. Four of them. Backlund is a great center on a bit of a decline, but he still has his moments. He’s in there to balance the cap a bit, but has a wealth of knowledge about responsible hockey. He’s also a half decent center to partially fill the void Eichel will leave. This is a player that could have a huge impact on Dylan Cozens’ development. He pulls his own weight and wouldn’t be a cap dump in most trades. When his contract is in its final year Buffalo can deal him at the deadline for another asset. Valimaki is another case of a player that was doghoused by Sutter, but you can see the potential. He needs a bounce back and has lots of time to develop. Pelletier is the Flames best prospect. He has great hands and a good nose for the net but more importantly he’s so good defensively. He’s always on the right side of the puck. This trade would be “all in” for Treliving. No looking back on that one.

Chances are if there is a trade it won’t look like this, but who knows? Brad, if you’re reading this I like option 3. Let me know what your ideal trade for Eichel would be in the comments.

Trevor Neufeld
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