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Post by montreal on Dec 22, 2020 17:46:59 GMT -5
To MTL: Gabriel Landeskog MTL 6 2021
To BUF: Brandon Saad Nikita Zaitsev Ville Heinola BUF 2 2022
Future Considerations: If Buffalo initiates in-season UFA negotiations on Saad and/or Zaitsev and one of them does not re-sign, MTL sends DET 2nd 2022. If neither one signs, MTL sends DET 2nd 2022 and prospect Linus Karlsson.
Trading Jamie Benn created the need to acquire a better winger for 5 on 5 as well as PK and PP. Landeskog fills that place well for. Losing Zaitsev and Heinola hurts, but Zaitsev was necessary to move for salary cap reasons and Heinola was necessary to make the deal happen. A high price, but in the light of the risk of losing primarily Saad its a price I can live with securing a quality winger for four years to come. I’m happy. Thanks for good talks Thomas!
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Post by BEARD Thomas (Commish) on Dec 22, 2020 18:03:58 GMT -5
Sabres....agree.
Not the easiest move to make, since Gabe was the captain and set to lead this team into a brighter future.
But this was too good to pass up.
Heinola is almost good enough to play pro defense at 19, and next year surely will be. And rated better than he is now. He's a puck moving speedster that can play well enough in his own end, and a future pairing with Slavin, along with the other D prospects on the come up, was just too hard to ignore.
Yeah, Saad and Zaitsev could walk next offseason, but I feel I should be able to sign one of them if not both. Saad ratings wise isn't all that far off from Gabe, while Zaitsev definitely plugs a deep defensive hole in the top 4. Plus the FC's protect me a bit, which I was adamant about and Lennart was good enough to agree to.
Great talks Lennart. Sucks to have to see Gabe stay in the division, but this fits the overall long term setup for me.
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