Rumor: Sabres veterans on the move?

With the woeful Buffalo Sabres mired at the bottom of the NHl standings yet again, long-suffering fans of the franchise are calling for another tear down and rebuild. While the team’s previous management group, led by former GM Tim Murray, did an admirable job in trading off assets and acquiring future considerations, the fruit has not yet come to bear in Buffalo. Sure, Jack Eichel has been excellent  and veterans Ryan O’Reilly and Evander Kane have provided some offense, but support players like Kyle Okposo, Sam Rienhart and Matt Moulson have been mostly invisible this season.

The team’s new management group, led by rookie GM Jason Botterill, is now in a tough position. Do they follow through on the plan outlined by the former regime, or do they forge their own path? If they choose the latter route don’t be surprised if veterans started flying out of Buffalo in advance of the NHL’s trade deadline. 

Kane has been on the trade block for months now, but according to The Fourth Period, don’t be surprised if he’s joined by Moulson and defenseman Josh Gorges. 

Directly from the report:

Sabres defenseman Josh Gorges is also a pending UFA and is likely to be traded by the late-February trade deadline. Another member of the Sabres may be coming to his end with the squad, as veteran winger Matt Moulson's time in Buffalo is diminishing.

Interesting. While both of these veterans have struggled with a weak Sabres roster, mighty they be of interest to a more competitive team? Moulson can still provide some depth offense, while Gorges provides some blue line depth. While they won’t fetch a return anything close to what Kane might attract, they’re still solid bargaining chips for Botterill come the February 26th deadline.