Is there a blockbuster trade to be had between Dallas and Buffalo?

Maybe.

One of the obstacles to finding a trade partner, and the reason why so many GM warriors (myself included) end up tying themselves in knots is that ‘fit’ is kind of a big deal when it comes to being an all-business armchair GM. It’s also a nebulous concept. As hockey GMs are quick to point out: their jobs are hard! Sure, Rasmus Andersson, a right-handed defender who can move the puck and play tough minutes, makes too much sense. But Calgary is two points out of a playoff spot. And since teams mistakenly think making the playoffs is the same as having a chance to win the Cup¹, I wouldn’t expect anyone to be available on their side.

What about the Sabres, who recently lost 13 games in a row? Believe it or not, Buffalo is only seven points out of a playoff spot thanks to the East being so impossibly bad. And believe it or not, they’re quite proud of deciding not to throw in the towel per Matthew Fairburn. But they’re as good as it gets when it comes to theoretically poaching talent from another team because destiny will arrive for them eventually, so let’s start there.

As a template for making realistic offers/choices, I’ll be referencing Fairburn’s piece in The Athletic on who’s untouchable from the Sabres. According to him, it’s basically just Rasmus Dahlin who is off limits. I feel like teams do themselves a disservice by biasing themselves to anyone who is not the best at their position, but I get it. And Dahlin is legitimately elite, right up there with the best of the best.

While sG is a single value stat, it’s not a black box (no model is, but that’s beside the point). Dahlin’s shift-to-shift value is buoyed by elite offensive impact, and strong defense (Evolving-Hockey’s model has Dahlin in the 91 percentile defensively). If I’m lingering on this point, it’s because I might be in an idiotic mood later, and entertain what it would to take to get him.

For those that are new, and recently-transitioned paid subscribers who aren’t about to waste time sifting through the archives, you have access to one of the more enjoyable times I’ve had writing here, which is ‘The Untouchables’, where I ranked each Dallas player in terms of tradeability. It’s funny revisiting that piece. A case could be made that it holds up extremely well, and a case could be made that it hasn’t.

For now, let’s keep the two lists in mind while we consider the most gettable pieces from the Sabres.