We have been 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).
4. March 18, 1997 – Sabres acquire winger Miroslav Satan from the Edmonton Oilers for defenseman Craig Millar and forward Barrie Moore
View the original article to see embedded media.
READ ABOUT OTHER SABRES TRADES
Best Trades In Sabres History – #6
Worst Trades In Sabres History – #6
Best Trades In Sabres History – #5
Worst Trades In Sabres History – #5
The Buffalo Sabres were on their way to winning their first division title since 1981 under Ted Nolan, but the club was middle-of-the-pack offensively and was looking for an offensive boost before the trade deadline. GM John Muckler called up former boss Glen Sather and acquired 22-year-old winger Miroslav Satan from the Edmonton Oilers for prospect defenseman Craig Millar and winger Barrie Moore.
Satan was a 1993 fifth-round pick of the Oilers who scored 24 goals in 25 AHL games with Cape Breton in 1995, and nearly scored 20 goals in his first two NHL seasons with Edmonton, but was considered somewhat of a one-dimensional player and was also coming up for a new contract.
Moore was 22 at the time of the trade and had scored 47 goals in 60 OHL games for Sudbury and 26 goals for AHL Rochester in their 1996 Calder Cup Championship campaign. Millar was a late-round pick in 1994 and had scored 31 goals as a defenseman with Swift Current of the WHL.
The trade was a one-sided steal from the outset. Satan scored eight goals in 12 games to finish out the ’97 season and started a string of seven seasons in which he scored 20 or more goals. The Slovak sniper led Buffalo with 40 goals in their 1999 run to the Stanley Cup Final and in 578 career games with the Sabres had 224 goals.
After playing in Europe during the 2004-05 lockout, Buffalo did not offer Satan a contract and he signed a free-agent deal with the NY Islanders, where he scored 35 goals. After three seasons on Long Island, he signed with Pittsburgh and won a Stanley Cup in 2009, played briefly with Boston before returning to Slovakia and finishing out his career in the KHL, retiring in 2014.
Moore played only four games for the Oilers at the end of the ’97 season and shifted between the AHL, IHL, ECHL, and European leagues for the next 12 seasons. Millar played parts of three seasons for the Oilers before being dealt to Nashville in 1999. After a brief stop in Tampa Bay, the big blueliner was out of hockey by 2002.
LATEST THN BUFFALO STORIES
Sabres Say They Are Ready For Accountability
Ruff Sees Similarities Between Sabres And Former Club
Ruff Hopes To Bring Winning Culture Back To Buffalo
Follow Michael on X @MikeInBuffalo
