Proposal: Buffalo/Washington Blockbuster

[Doug Prishpreed]

This is under the assumption that Washington is entering a retool/rebuild as the sun sets on Ovie's career. A lot of Washington fans think they're going to keep trying to make the playoffs and they're probably correct. But I think this would be the perfect time to start a Dallas-style rebuild, where they're back in like 2-3 years.

To Washington:​

2024 1st (11th overall)​

2025 2nd ​

Peyton Krebs ​

Henri Jokiharju ​

Jiří Kulich​

​

To Buffalo:​

Nick Jensen​

Dylan Strome​

Nic Dowd​

With Kulich and 11th OA in the deal, buffalo is giving up the best two assets in what many feel is a top prospect pool, so it's painful from their side. I'm sure they'd prefer a 2025 1st or Ostlund/Savoie, but I wanted to try to make it realistic...still too light on the Buffalo side? Would adding one more asset from Buffalo help?

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[Ledge And Dairy]

Seems like a fleece for Washington

 

[norrisnick]

Seems like a fleece for Washington

Yeah, I'm unsure of what the motivation is for Buffalo to make this deal. Is it just... we have too many picks and prospects so lets give some away?

 

[SEALBound]

Not quite sure I understand why Buffalo does this?

 

[Random schmoe]

Caps fan agreeing this is probably too much from Buffalo for that package of players.

Also, I do think your assumption is wrong about how they're focusing team building over the next few seasons. The time very well may come in a couple of years where they decide a complete tear down is in order, but that time is not now.

All that said, I still think they'd be open to trading Jensen and Dowd this summer. Strome is their first line center, so little chance there as long as they still hope to compete, but the other two guys are depth. And if their trade value is high enough, I don't think they'd hesitate to deal either or both.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Caps fan agreeing this is probably too much from Buffalo for that package of players.

Also, I do think your assumption is wrong about how they're focusing team building over the next few seasons. The time very well may come in a couple of years where they decide a complete tear down is in order, but that time is not now.

All that said, I still think they'd be open to trading Jensen and Dowd this summer. Strome is their first line center, so little chance there as long as they still hope to compete, but the other two guys are depth. And if their trade value is high enough, I don't think they'd hesitate to deal either or both.

Well Strome is not someone they’d want to move, so I figured Buffalo would need to pay through the nose to convince them to start the fuller tear-down a bit early. I wouldn’t offer nearly as much for just Jensen/Dowd.

Not quite sure I understand why Buffalo does this?

It literally addresses every need of Buffalo’s offseason. They’d just need to add a 4th line winger and then they'd have an actual NHL team for the first time in forever. That’s worth a lot to me

 

[Misery74]

Washington agrees.

 

[Juxtaposer]

Well Strome is not someone they’d want to move, so I figured Buffalo would need to pay through the nose to convince them to start the fuller tear-down a bit early. I wouldn’t offer nearly as much for just Jensen/Dowd.


It literally addresses every need of Buffalo’s offseason. They’d just need to add a 4th line winger and then they'd have an actual NHL team for the first time in forever. That’s worth a lot to me

Why is Buffalo “paying through the nose” for Strome exactly? I don’t see how he represents a need for Buffalo at all.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Why is Buffalo “paying through the nose” for Strome exactly? I don’t see how he represents a need for Buffalo at all.

How many decent centers are available for trade? Literally almost none. I don’t see a single team with a surplus of centers.

 

[Juxtaposer]

How many decent centers are available for trade? Literally almost none.

And why do Buffalo need a center?

 

[SoupNazi]

This is bad for Buffalo. Like really bad.

 

[BonMorrison]

Buffalo gets hosed here, feel like they need to drop two of those assets to make it more even.

 

[hockeykicker]

I don't want to trade strome but definitely would here

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

And why do Buffalo need a center?

Because we don’t have enough? We have like two centers.

 

[Juxtaposer]

Because we don’t have enough? We have like two centers.

If you’re a Sabres fan then of course I’ll defer to you, but don’t you need a depth center if anything? Isn’t Strome more of what you already have in Thompson and Cozens? And don’t you have Savoie, Ostlund, etc. who could potentially end up at C?

 

[thewookie1]

No shot

Buffalo isn't trading multiple high tier assets for an old Dman, an old guy, and Dylan Strome.

 

[Fatass]

Oh this proposal is nasty.

 

[hurdemz]

I get the impatience from Buffalo fans (I'm a leaf fan) but this doesnt feel like the right players to put them into a playoff spot.

 

[norrisnick]

Because we don’t have enough? We have like two centers.

So why trade Mittelstadt for a LD that you guys have coming out the ass?

 

[Sabreality]

This is terrible asset mgmt.

 

[Uberpecker]

This is under the assumption that Washington is entering a retool/rebuild as the sun sets on Ovie's career. A lot of Washington fans think they're going to keep trying to make the playoffs and they're probably correct. But I think this would be the perfect time to start a Dallas-style rebuild, where they're back in like 2-3 years.

To Washington:​

2024 1st (11th overall)​

2025 2nd ​

Peyton Krebs ​

Henri Jokiharju ​

Jiří Kulich​

​

To Buffalo:​

Nick Jensen​

Dylan Strome​

Nic Dowd​

With Kulich and 11th OA in the deal, buffalo is giving up the best two assets in what many feel is a top prospect pool, so it's painful from their side. I'm sure they'd prefer a 2025 1st or Ostlund/Savoie, but I wanted to try to make it realistic...still too light on the Buffalo side? Would adding one more asset from Buffalo help?

Why though?

So why trade Mittelstadt for a LD that you guys have coming out the ass?

Good question and one that many a Sabres fan including this one has asked himself.

 

[CanadienShark]

I don't understand the trade from Buffalo's side.

 

[Uberpecker]

So why trade Mittelstadt for a LD that you guys have coming out the ass?

Actually, I know: other teams like e.g. the Blues, Avalanche, Golden Knights, Panthers want to win cups and for that they need great centers. Where else would they get the O'Reilly's, Eichels, Reinharts, Rodrigues', Mittelstadts if Buffalo didn't trade them away?

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

So why trade Mittelstadt for a LD that you guys have coming out the ass?

Because he is going to make much more than Strome is. You’re paying for the contract as much as anything else.

 

[PettersonHughes]

Strome is a weird add in the trade. As a 3rd party fan I could see the other pieces make sense? Sabres can probably take their 1st and 2nd out, and then the remaining assets could be a trade (not sure about how good Kulich is).

I can see Krebs + Jokiharju for Dowd and Jensen (plus adds on either side to balance out) to shore up the bottom-6 defensively and RD for Buffalo while the Caps can get younger and build for the future. However, Strome seems like an odd fit, both in why the Caps add him instead of keeping him for their future and why the Sabres need another offense-only C costing north of $5 million.