Not long ago, I shared my belief that NHL teams are more likely to improve through savvy trades, rather than free agent spending (especially for defense). Quite a few NHL GMs seem to agree.
The Buffalo Sabres made a shrewd decision on Friday, taking advantage of the Vegas Golden Knights’ salary cap bind by landing quality defenseman Colin Miller. (It probably didn’t hurt that Miller sometimes lands in Gerard Gallant’s doghouse, making it that much more imperative to move Miller.)
Here are the terms of the trade via TSN’s Bob McKenzie, who also reports that the call has been made official.
Sabres receive: Colin Miller.
Golden Knights get: 2021 second-round pick (St. Louis Blues’) and 2022 fifth-round pick.
Again, this is a situation where the Golden Knights needed to save money. While I’d argue that Miller is well worth $3.875 million per season (quality right-handed defensemen are hard to find), Miller was lost in the shuffle a bit in Vegas. Much like with the Brandon Montour trade, the Sabres need all the defensive help they can get, so Miller is quite the boon.
TRADE
— dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) June 28, 2019
Sabres: Colin Miller
Golden Knights: I don't know yet, but I'm about to go out for dinner so just gonna tweet this now
Miller is an excellent puck-mover that *crushes* cushy minutes. A good bet for Buffalo to see what he can handle in a top four role. pic.twitter.com/luvaZ5l5FS
Miller is in his prime at 26, and his $3.875M cap hit runs through 2021-22, so if Miller can indeed rise to a top-four level, than the Sabres might have received a nice bargain here. With Jack Eichel and Jeff Skinner combining for a $19M cap hit, Buffalo needs all the value it can get.
That brings us to an interesting side note: could this also open the opportunity for the Sabres to move divisive defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen?
[ProHockeyTalk’s 2019 NHL free agency tracker]
The 24-year-old struggles mightily in his own end, but there are likely those around the league that believe in his talent (and maybe their ability to improve his defensive play), so maybe someone would take on Ristolainen and his $5.4M cap hit, which expires after 2021-22? It’s conceivable that the Sabres could move Ristolainen for some help on offense, as the drop-off from the dynamic Eichel - Skinner duo to everyone else is jarringly steep.
(Naturally, if Buffalo can find a taker for Zach Bogosian’s bloated $5.142M cap hit, that would be sweet, too.)
If not, the Sabres still stand to be better on defense, an area of glaring need. Different people can have different qualms with all of Ristolainen, Montour, and Miller, but it sure beats what they’ve slogged around the ice with before. Of course, the biggest factor remains Rasmus Dahlin, who was brilliant in 2018-19 and may only get better from there.
The Golden Knights basically had to do this, considering their cap clogging situation, what with Mark Stone’s $9.5M and Max Pacioretty’s $7M extension about to kick in. As fantastic as William Karlsson’s freshly signed $5.9M really is considering this climate of escalating prices, the bottom line is that all that extra money is inevitably going to push good players like Miller out.
After trading Colin Miller and his $3.875M AAV to Buffalo for picks, #Vegas are now $899,999 above the $81.5M ceiling, with a roster of 18 (12F/5D/1G)
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) June 28, 2019
However, with David Clarkson as an LTI candidate, VGK can submit an opening day roster of up to $86.75Mhttps://t.co/Sxtahahh6c pic.twitter.com/7ZZxqn7bgn
Miller is a luxury the Golden Knights could no longer afford, much like Erik Haula. It’s possible they have some prospects who can stem the tide.
That stings, but honestly, who would have expected the Golden Knights to be selling off talent because they have too much of this, so early in their existence?
Either way, brilliant work by Buffalo. The Sabres still have work to do, but this is another important step forward.
—
James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.