DON’T GET ME STARTED wasn’t surprised that Ryan Miller was on his way out of Buffalo.  The question was:  “What do you get for him”

Well, in his first major action as the new General Manager of the Buffalo Sabres, Tim Murray has made quite a few people happy.  Make that a lot of people happy.

Though Ryan Miller looked sad in his closing statement, I’m sure he’ll be happy going to a contender for the Stanley Cup in St. Louis.  Not only that Steve Ott is joining him with the Blues and will work for his former coach, Hitchcock.

For Buffalo it is a good deal.  They receive a big body in Chris Stewart, a power forward who can also score goals.  They receive goalie Jaroslav Halak, who is no stranger to the division.  He sports a winning record with a low goals against average and a good save percentage of 917.  The Sabres also get a fine prospect, William Carrier, who has scored 17 goals in the juniors so far.  So trading soon-to-be-unrestricted free agents for a pair that could help the team – many would say it was a good trade.

But wait.  Murray wasn’t through negotiating.  He also whisked away a 2015 #1 pick from St Louis, and an additional conditional pick.  If Ryan Miller signs a contract with St. Louis before June OR if the Blues wind up in the Conference finals, Buffalo will get a 1st round pick from St. Louis in June.

It might seem as if I’ve been badgering Murray to do something.  Well – he went out and did it.  There are indications he’s not through wheeling and dealing as the deadline is next Wednesday. So while I’ve been almost pleading to have Murray give fans hope – believe me, if his first big blockbuster is any indication that he means business – Buffalo is in for some great times.  The rebuilding will probably not take as long as many suspect.

When the news broke on WBBZ TV Friday, many fans were surprised.  All except Tim Murray who deserves a lot of credit for negotiating what looks like a good trade considering  that if he waited without acting, he would stand a chance of losing Miller and Ott without getting anything in return.

Simply put – Job Well Done.

 

Things are looking up for the Buffalo Sabres under the new team of LaFontaine and Murray.  Now if he inks Teddy Nolan to a long term deal……things will brighten up the foot of Washington St. on Don’t Get Me Started.

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