The Buffalo Sabres have traded goaltender Ryan Miller and captain and former Dallas Star Steve Ott to the St. Louis Blues. Buffalo gets Chris Stewart, Jaroslav Halak, prospect William Carrier AND a first-round pick in 2015, AND a third round pick in 2016. So that’s not a bad little haul for an expiring contract and a goaltender, which are often hard to trade for significant value.
St. Louis gives up a bunch of assets to get a goaltender when they already own the third lowest GA/G in the entire league, so… That’s…an interesting move.
Steve Ott makes them better instantly, as we know. With Backes and Maxim Lapierre…that’s not going to be very fun, and Blackhawk and Kings fans must be deeply uneasy about it. Sharks fans should be so defeated after years of failure that it doesn’t much matter.
So Steve Ott is back in the Stars’ division.
Buffalo is retaining some of Miller’s salary to make the dollars work, and they still get to deal Matt Moulson. First round picks will help them rebuild, and rebuilding they most certainly are now.
Bob Mckenzie speculates that the Sabres might just flip these assets for even more picks…
I’m told there aren’t likely to be any more BUF moves tonite. I’d say BUF will try to flip Jaro Halak to MIN and Chris Stewart to OTT.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) March 1, 2014
Tonight. It’s spelled ‘tonight.’
Meanwhile Colton Sceviour has done nothing but absolutely destroy the AHL this season, and was rewarded with waiver concerns after coming up to the NHL level and producing some big goals.
Now comes word that he has signed a new contract for two years. And the lead story is that…
Colton Sceviour’s contract extension with the Dallas Stars is a one-way deal for both years.
— Mark Stepneski (@StarsInsideEdge) March 1, 2014
It’s one-way for both years.
So likely without Ray Whitney and Vernon Fiddler, and possibly others, it appears on the surface as though Sceviour has finally, finally earned that chance to stick with the big club that he has worked so hard for over the last many season.
He is in the plans, baby, but as Mike Heika puts it “he has two games left on regular call-up to avoid waivers or nine games left on emergency call-up.”
Once he comes up he really cannot go back down.
More from Heika:
In regards to Colton Sceviour, I’m hearing $600,000, $700,000 on one-way contracts.
— Mike Heika (@MikeHeika) March 1, 2014
So congratulations are in order for Mr. Sceviour. As the war of attrition drags into late March and early April his services will likely be needed here in Dallas.
And Steve Ott won’t be coming to town on Tuesday after all, but he will be coming. (Friday, April 11th)
