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).
9. April 10, 2021 – Sabres acquire a 2021 third-round pick (Stiven Sardarian) from the Florida Panthers for defenseman Brandon Montour.
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READ ABOUT OTHER SABRES TRADES
Best Trades In Sabres History – #9
Best Trades In Sabres History – #10
Worst Trades In Sabres History – #10
The Sabres began to unravel the club that was part of their first rebuild as early as 2018 when they dealt Evander Kane at the deadline to San Jose for a conditional first-round pick. The condition was Kane re-signing with the Sharks (which he did after scoring 13 goals in 26 regular season and playoff games). GM Jason Botterill used that first-round pick a year later in a trade with Anaheim to acquire defenseman Brandon Montour.
Montour was a talented young blueliner with excellent skating ability and offensive tools, but with the Ducks had struggled at the defensive end of the ice. Ralph Krueger took over as head coach in 2019 and proceeded to misuse Montour, playing the right-handed defenseman often on his off-side. Krueger after other brilliant moves like demoting Jeff Skinner to the fourth line and having Rasmus Dahlin playing in a shutdown role was fired in March 2021.
Montour was at the end of a three-year contract and in April, GM Kevyn Adams dealt him to Florida for a 2021 third-round pick (Stiven Sardarian).
The book is still open on Sardarian, a 21-year-old Russian-born winger entering his junior year at the University of New Hampshire, but Montour’s metamorphosis into a top offensive defenseman since the trade has been nothing short of amazing.
After a 37-point season in 2022, Montour scored a career-high 73 points with the Panthers and eight playoff goals in their run to the Stanley Cup Final. After recovering from off-season surgery, the 30-year-old posted 33 points in 66 games and 11 points in Florida’s run to their first championship, and in July signed a seven-year, $50 million deal with Seattle.
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