I don't remember where exactly I saw it, but someone was comparing the Reinhart deal with the Buch deal and suggesting they are pretty even. And complaining that people saying the Reinhart deal was great for Buffalo, but the Buch deal was terrible for the Rangers, are somehow being hypocritical.
Well, I don't see these trades as equal in any way. Buffalo clearly got the better end just by receiving a 1st Round pick. Blais is an afterthought. And I would take a 1st round pick alone, over Blais and a 2nd any day of the week. Players like Blais can be gotten through FA or through rounds 2-7 of the draft pretty much any year. He was never worth Buch even with a 2nd. Blais and a 1st, sure. That I would be fine with. But if they were just offering a 2nd rounder and a player, I am looking for a pretty substantial increase on Blais.
And where does Blais even fit into this team when all is said and done? Our top 6 forwards I think are pretty set. And our 3rd line just really needs a center, as I think Chytil is becoming 2C and Strome, if he is still here, moves to 2RW to take faceoffs for that line. Leaving Kreider and Kravtsov on the 3rd line wings. And I think we will bring in the center to play with them. Someone with faceoff ability, experience and a bit of toughness. I am thinking Tyler Johnson but who knows. Danault probably too expensive cap wise. Dvorak would probably cost too much in a trade. A guy like Jordan Staal or Kadri would be great but also probably too pricey in salary and trade cost. Maybe even someone like Mikael Backlud, Faksa, Lowry, Sam Bennett etc.. Or at least someone in that range. At least, that's more what I expect us to acquire before training starts up.
But the wild card in this might be Barron. If he really looks to have improved going into preseason, I would not rule out trying him at 3C or 4C. He's certainly physical enough and can win faceoffs.
And that leaves our 4th line. So we will have all of Rooney, Goodrow, Gauthier and now Blais and hopefully Barron. So basically, we aren't even sure if Blais ends up being a regular starter or just depth. Well, I am sure they will rotate that group at least until something emerges that seems better than the rest. And these guys are pretty interchangeable from center to wing so I don't really think we need any more 4th liners. Especially when Barron probably gets some looks this upcoming season.
So unless we move Strome, I really just expect us to add a 3C and call it a day. There's a chance we could add another vet defender, but I am not even sure if that is going to happen because, at least as of now, we all ready have too many D who deserve to, or need to be playing in the NHL. So unless we move some of Jones, Miller, Robertson, Hajek or Tuomanen, don't really see the room for another defender. And I think we would be fools to move Jones who I continue to believe will end up being our best offensive LD. Miller needs to toughen up and improve on D dramatically to prove his size and strength are assets. Robertson still maybe a year or so away. As is Scheider. But in Robertson's case, I don't think he's better than Jones, just bigger and less offensively gifted.
Anyway, Buch was our best trade chip and we could have either traded him, in some package for that middle six center, or at least held out to get a future 1st round pick. And then we could have just added a grit forward from FA or theoretically the draft.
