February 11, 2015 will go down as a famous day in Buffalo Sabres history and as GM Tim Murray’s busiest day so far during his tenure with the club. In his first trade of the day, Murray sent defenseman Tyler Myers, forward Drew Stafford, prospects Joel Armia and Brendan Lemieux, and a first round draft choice to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for forward Evander Kane, defenseman Zach Bogosian, and goaltending prospect Jason Kasdorf.
Murray followed this trade up with a deal that sent goaltender Jhonas Enroth to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Anders Lindback and a conditional third round pick. Both trades have caused a massive roster shakeup in Buffalo and more trades appear to be on the horizon. The Sabres have several pending unrestricted free agents on the roster and Tim Murray has said he does not want to let them leave at the end of the season for nothing. The NHL trade deadline is less than a month away so the time leading up to the deadline will be interesting to say the least.
Tim Murray reiterates he will try to get something for all UFAs. List: Chris Stewart, Torrey Mitchell, Kaleta, Meszaros, Strachan, Benoit.
— John Vogl (@BuffaloVogl) February 11, 2015
The trades of today have brought a few key pieces to the Sabres that will be important to the club’s on-going rebuild. Forward Evander Kane’s season has ended due to surgery that he needed to fix a shoulder injury. Meanwhile, Zach Bogosian should be suiting up for the Sabres in their next game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Goaltender Anders Lindback has had a difficult season but he will be given an opportunity to prove himself with his new club. Jason Kasdorf hasn’t seen any NHL games but he will be considered among the Sabres’ goaltending prospects for a future role. Here is a look at the careers of the Buffalo Sabres’ newest acquisitions.
[See Also: Win-Win Blockbuster for Sabres, Jets by Larry Fisher]
Evander Kane: Buffalo’s New Power Forward
The biggest name heading to the Buffalo Sabres is forward Evander Kane. Kane had a few off-ice issues while playing for the Winnipeg Jets but, according to Pierre LeBrun, he is excited for a fresh start with the Buffalo Sabres.
Evander Kane's goal scoring: Over past 3 seasons he's on par with Malkin, Staal, Hossa and Gaborik for EV Goals per 60
— Matthew Coller (@MatthewColler) February 11, 2015
A native of Vancouver, the 23 year old Kane is coming to the Sabres during his sixth year in the NHL but won’t start playing for Buffalo until the 2015-2016 season. The power forward began playing for the Vancouver Giants of the WHL during the 2006-2007 season. In 134 career WHL games, Kane recorded more than a point per game scoring 73 goals and 138 points.
Evander Kane was drafted fourth overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Atlanta Thrashers. The forward spent parts of two seasons in Atlanta before the franchise relocated to Winnipeg for the 2011-2012 season. In 361 career NHL games, Kane has scored 109 goals and tallied 222 points. He scored 30 goals during the 2011-2012 season and has scored 10 or more goals in each of his NHL seasons. His 10 goals this season are his lowest but injuries have limited him to just 37 games this year.
After falling out of favor in Winnipeg, Kane now has the opportunity for a larger role in Buffalo. He won’t play for the club until next season but his offensive talent will be a welcomed edition. The Sabres average 1.76 goals per game and have scored an NHL-worst 97 goals this season. The Sabres already have an impressive stock of prospects and they may have the opportunity to bring Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel into the fold if they can hold onto last place. Kane should mesh well with Buffalo’s young talent and he should see an expanded offensive role with his new club.
Zach Bogosian Gets a Fresh Start in Buffalo
Zach Bogosian comes to the Sabres as a talented defenseman that was in need of a change of scenery. The twenty-four year old showed signs of brilliance in the earlier years of his career but his game has tailed off in recent years. He has battled through injuries his last few years but hasn’t been able to play as well as he did earlier in his career. Bogosian will get a fresh start in Buffalo and this new opportunity could help jump-start his career.
A native of Messena, NY, Bogosian began playing for the Peterborough Petes of the OHL during the 2006-2007 season. He played 127 games over two seasons in Peterborough where he scored 18 goals and 94 points. Bogosian led the Petes in scoring during the 2007-2008 season and many praised his strong work ethic that he showed while playing in the OHL.
"He's such a quality person." -Cheveldayoff on Bogosian.
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) February 11, 2015
Bogosian is playing in his seventh NHL season. The defenseman was drafted third overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Atlanta Thrashers. He played three seasons in Atlanta before making the move with his club to Winnipeg. In 393 career NHL games, Bogosian has scored 40 goals and 127 points.
Injuries have limited Bogosian’s ice time. The last time he played in 70 or more games was during his last season in Atlanta for the 2010-2011 season. The move to Buffalo brings Bogosian back to his home state. He will have his hands full joining the Sabres who have allowed 190 goals – the most goals allowed by any team in the NHL.
A Look At Buffalo’s New Goaltenders
Tim Murray added two goaltenders into the fold today. Prospect Jason Kasdorf joined the Sabres in the trade with Winnipeg. Buffalo also dealt Jhonas Enroth in a separate deal with the Dallas Stars in exchange for goaltender Anders Lindback as well as a conditional third round pick.
Goaltending prospect Jason Kasdorf is a Winnipeg native. He was drafted by the Jets in the sixth round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Kasdorf has spent the last three seasons playing in the NCAA with the Rensselaer Engineers at Resnsselaer Polytechnic Institute. In 23 games this season, Kasdorf has a 2.94 GAA and a .900 save percentage.
Regarding Kasdorf: Big kid, sees a lot of pucks at RPI. Had shoulder surgery in 2013-14 (redshirted), can stay in school two more years
— Kris Baker (@SabresProspects) February 11, 2015
Anders Lindback is from Gävle, Sweden and he was drafted in the seventh round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators. Lindback found some early success in Nashville where he won 28 times in 38 games. Since then his play has fallen off. He was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2012 and signed as a free agent by the Dallas Stars this past summer. He has managed 2 wins in 10 games for Dallas, a 3.71 GAA and .875 save percentage so far this season. Lindback’s numbers haven’t been great but his 6 foot 6 inch and 210 pound frame will bring a unique element to Buffalo’s current group of goaltenders.
[See Also: Chris Stewart Starting to Shine As Trade Deadline Approaches]
Getting something for Kaleta will be a feat,