“Wow” is the only word to describe it. In an age where blockbuster trades are becoming more rare, the Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres delivered when the Jets sent Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian along with RPI goalie Jason Kasdorf to Buffalo in exchange for Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, two prospects in Joel Armia and Brendan Lemieux and a first round pick.
It is a trade that should benefit the roster players. For Kane, Bogosian, Myers and Stafford, they had only played for one NHL franchise their entire careers and in both locales, they either haven’t developed as expected or their time in that respective city had grown stale.
Kane’s relationship with the Jets was clearly damaged and the trade was long overdue for him. He won’t see time in a Sabres uniform until next season after electing for shoulder surgery but the chances of him playing alongside Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel next year looks promising.
Bogosian has slowly developed into the defenseman he is today but not quite the franchise player they were expecting. Injuries have been an issue for Bogosian in his time with the Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise, so he could use a fresh start. He will likely be expected to take on the big minutes Myers played.
Myers never quite lived up to the promise of his Calder Trophy-winning season but going to Winnipeg where Jacob Trouba and Tobias Enstrom already star could help lessen the pressure on Myers to live up to his potential. It isn’t too late for him to evolve into the defenseman many thought he would become.
Stafford is a rental player, as he is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, but he gives the Jets another depth piece in their push to make the playoffs. He will be expected to pick up some of the offensive slack in Kane’s old spot in the lineup.
The Jets did very well in getting two good prospects in Armia and Lemieux in addition to a first rounder. Winnipeg has arguably the best prospect pool in the league with players like Nikolaj Ehlers, Josh Morrissey, Eric Comrie, Nicolas Petan and others leading the way.
For Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Chevaldayoff, he has always preached the future and the importance of building through the draft which probably explains his lack of player for player trades until today. In his case, he got back a lot of promise in Myers and the prospects which helps offset losing two proven NHLers.
For Buffalo, this more or less proves they are tanking it for this year. Bogosian is a downgrade on Myers while Stafford is another veteran player gone. And taking on the injured Kane was clearly a move made with next season in mind.
It has been awhile since the league has seen a trade quite like this. Recent years have seen players like Ryan Kesler, Ryan Miller and Jason Spezza be moved for decent packages but nothing too over the top. The closest would have to be the Mike Richards and Jeff Carter deals in 2011, when a lot of young players and prospects were included.
A trade this substantial is good for the NHL. It creates a buzz in not just the cities involved in the moves but across the league as well. Trade deadline is still a few weeks away but this is bigger than anyone possibly imagined. Teams are already working the phones as they determine whether they are buyers or sellers for this season and the deal yesterday is just the first domino to fall.
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