The rebuilding Buffalo Sabres have made another trade before the deadline, moving goaltender Jaroslav Halak to Washington along with a third round pick in 2015. The Sabres get goaltender Michael Neuvirth and defenceman Rotislav Klesla.
Trade: BUF’s Jaroslav Halak to Washington, per @maydayhockey
— Hockey Central (@SNHockeyCentral) March 5, 2014
The Sabres acquired Halak in Friday’s blockbuster deal that saw franchise goaltender Ryan Miller join the St. Louis Blues. Halak has not yet appeared in a game for the Sabres. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. The 28-year-old is 24-9-4 this season with a .917 save percentage and 2.33 GAA. He is a smaller goalie who relies on great athleticism to make saves.
Since being acquired by the Blues from the Montreal Canadiens in a high-profile 2010 trade, Halak has had stellar regular season numbers in St. Louis, but injuries and inconsistency prevented him from playing many playoff games in his three seasons with the club. Many remember his 2010 playoff run with the Habs, and Halak will look to repeat that type of performance with his new club, ironically the team Halak and the Canadiens beat in the first round that year.
Neuvirth, 25, has a 4-6-2 record in 13 appearances for the Capitals this season. He has a 2.82 GAA , and .914 save percentage. Neuvirth has a career .910 save percentage in 134 career appearances.
The 31-year-old Klesla was acquired yesterday from Phoenix. He has one goal and three assists in 25 games with the Coyotes this season. The Coyotes waived him earlier in the season but he was not claimed. He is in the final year of a contract with a $2.975 million cap hit.
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