Tim Murray’s tenure as Buffalo Sabres general manager hasn’t lasted a month yet, but he’s ready to make a few trades to accelerate his franchise’s rebuild.
All he needs is another team(s) to make a deal or two happen.
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The Sabres have a few veterans who are eligible for unrestricted free agency on July 1, and none of them appear to be part of the team’s future. One of the most notable players in that group is star goaltender Ryan Miller, who could start for Team USA at the Winter Olympics in Sochi next week.
Murray confirmed Wednesday that he’s had trade talks involving Miller over the last couple of days, but he hasn’t found the right deal yet.
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Miller has a solid .925 save percentage for a Sabres team that’s a train wreck defensively and sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. He’s faced 40-plus shots in 10 games this season.
He could be the missing piece to a contending team’s Stanley Cup puzzle, including the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild.
Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that at least two teams are interested in acquiring Miller.
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Another upcoming unrestricted free agent is winger Matt Moulson, whom the Sabres acquired (along with a first-round draft pick) from the New York Islanders earlier in the year for winger Thomas Vanek. Chris Botta of the Sports Business Journal reported Friday that “more than a dozen teams have contacted the Sabres about Moulson.”
Buffalo is certainly the team to watch this week before the NHL trade freeze goes into effect at 3 p.m. ET Friday.
