In the month of August, as the news in the hockey world slows to a crawl, we will be taking a look at the most consequential deals in Buffalo Sabres history (using the Hockey News Archives as source material) and ranking the 15 best and the 15 worst deals in the club’s 54-year history.
This required the input of a trio of veteran media members (Dave Reichert, Randy Schultz, and Pete Weber), as well as three lifetime Sabre fans (Chuck Bender, Todd Riniolo, and Joe Schwartz).
10. July 8, 1995 – Sabres acquire Michael Peca, Mike Wilson, and a 1995 first-round pick (Jay McKee) from the Vancouver Canucks for Alexander Mogilny and 1995 fifth-round pick.
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The Sabres going into the 1995 season were under significant financial restrictions, as they were in the midst of financing their new Crossroads Arena (now known as Key Bank Center). According to Jim Kelley of the Hockey News, the Sabres were looking for a new head coach and were likely out of the market for high-end bench bosses, and were also under pressure from lenders to cut the club’s budget by $5 to $6 million.
Kelley indicated that for those reasons, GM John Muckler might trade winger Alexander Mogilny (who was making $3.7 million after scoring a club-record 76 goals in 1993 and had led the club with 47 points in 1994-95) and that there were conflicting reports regarding whether the 26-year-old wanted to stay in Buffalo.
In early July, the Sabres dealt Mogilny to the Vancouver Canucks for center Michael Peca, defenseman Mike Wilson, and the Canucks 1995 first-round pick.
The talented Russian scored 55 goals in his first season with Vancouver, but his production decreased the next four seasons and he was traded to New Jersey in 2000, where he won a Stanley Cup. After scoring 43 goals in 2001, he signed as a free agent and played three seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs before returning to the Devils and retiring in 2006.
In the end, the Sabres benefited greatly from the trade, as the hard-hitting and defensively adept Peca became a leader and effective two-way center for Buffalo the next five seasons, leading them to a Stanley Cup Final in 1999.
Wilson played four seasons with the Sabres before being traded to Florida at the trade deadline in 1999 for Rhett Warrener and a fifth-round pick that would turn into Ryan Miller.
The Vancouver first-rounder resulted in Buffalo selecting defenseman Jay McKee. McKee played 10 seasons with the Sabres and became one of the best shot-blocking shutdown defensemen in the NHL.
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