The Sabres are one of the top two prime movesr on this NHL Trade Deadline Day.
They move out a veteran centre who will be a Spring rental for Smashville. Any time you can get a first rounder for a third line center, you have to take it.
Darcy Regier also moves a blue chip prospect In zack Kassian in order to secure gifted young centreman, Cody Hodgson.
marc Andre Gargnani, buried in the press box, is now a Canuck. Veteran D Alex Sulzer moves East to Buffalo in a swap for rear guards.
On a scale fo 1 top 10, I give the Sabres organization a 9 for their productive work on trade deadline day.
The great thing with Gaustad is that when his Spring rental period is over when the Predators are eliminated from the Playoffs, he will be free to re-sign in Buffalo on July 1.
The Sabres will have two #1s and two 32s in this season's NHL draft.
Trade bait for Zach Parise?
In trading Kassian, the Sabres now elevate winger Marcus Foligno up the depth chart.
Kassian npw gives Alain Vigneault the additional size, toughness, snarl and jam thathis team is going to need in order to repeat its trek back to the Stanley Cup Finals. Kassian will fit perfectly with and will protect Ryan Kesler and David Booth.
Gragnani wasn't learning or progressing by sitting in the press box. I think the change will do him a lot of good.
TSN's Bob McKenzie reporting that Vancouver have acquired Zack Kassian for #1 centre Cody Hodgson!
Though I personally hate to see Kassian move on, I absolutely LOVE Cody Hodgson. He's a gifted two way centreman who will never be able to develop as a centre in Couver in the shadows of Sedin, Kesler, Malhotra and Pahlsson.
Gragnani is in this deal, too. He gets flipped for D Alex Sulzer
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Updated 3:19pm
In the end, Darcy Regier stuck to his guns and waited until he got the proper compensation for Paul Gaustad.
ESPN's Pierre LeBrun reports that Buffalo will get Nashville's first round draft choice in this year's draft in exchange for Paul Gaustad. The Sabres will send a fourth rounder to the Predators in the deal.
I told you people on Twitter last night that some desperate GM would pay heavily to secure Gaustad's rental services.
Gaustad becomes a free agent on July 1 and is then free to re-sign with Buffalo, or any other team for that matter.
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I'm in the media room at First Niagara Center right now.
The Paul Gaustad trade has not yet been confirmed by the Sabres. Expecting official word shortly.
No word on who the Sabres are getting in return for the highly sought after Gaustad.
The Fargo, North Dakota native has played his entire pro career with the Buffalo Sabres. He, along with Ryan Miller, Thomas Vanek, Derek Roy, and Jason Pominville are core guys who were drafted together and who all grew up together in AHL Rochester.
The team charter to Anaheim departs Buffalo at 4pm EDT.
No word on whether Gaustad will address the media this afternoon before he departs for Nashville.
The only center Buffalo have on the roster right now are Derek Roy, Tyler Ennis, and Matt Ellis.
Cody McCormick skated today, however, has not passed his neuro-psych test
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Roy has not been moved, according to people that I have spoken with here at the arena.
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