Rumor: Highly skilled young defenseman may about to be traded.

This isn't a direct per say, but more a result of us putting the pieces together.

Let's start with the comments made by general manager Tim Murray, of the Buffalo Sabres, earlier this week regarding his number eight overall pick in the 2016 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

"Say if somebody offers us a top-end, young, left-shot [defenseman] and they demand our eighth overall pick and we feel that makes us better, we'll make the trade," Murray said Tuesday as per NHL.com. "And I think the fans might be short-term disappointed because we don't make a pick. If we did that, we'd try to move back into the first round somehow, but long-term if we got, it's a dream, a franchise left-shot [defenseman] that's 25 years old, I don't see anyone in the city complaining about that. I don't foresee that happening, but you're asking me a hypothetical so in a perfect world that's where the pick would go."

Now following the announcement of new four year contract for Anaheim Ducks defenseman Sami Vatanen, there was a belief that one of Cam Fowler or Hampus Lindholm would likely be placed on the trading block. 

Add to that today's report from ABC's Shawn Stepner, of Channel 7 Sports in Buffalo, that has revealed the Ducks and Sabres are currently working on a potential trade, and you've got yourself the makings of a major trade rumor.

Murray specifically stated a top 4 defenseman could get him to move from number eight in the draft, and the Ducks may have the answer.

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