Buffalo Sabres General Manager Jason Botterhill was very adamant about what he wanted to do to help his team get back on track. For weeks, we have been hearing that trade talks involving the Sabres are underway and that they would like to strengthen their forward depth via the trade market.
It would seem, however, that a trade could have taken place without the "dysfunctional" system of the National Hockey League. This is how Darren Dreger explained it in Thursday night's edition of Insider Trading on TSN:
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"It's a moving target. Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill has actually made offers to add forwards, but the system is a little gummed up. The financial system of the National Hockey League. There are so many teams, more than 10 teams, working with players on the "LTIR" and it can become very, very problematic. Some think that Botterill feels a sense of urgency and he would like to do at least one or even two trades over the next two to three weeks. But he has to find the right partner and the right deal."
Including the Sabres, there are 11 teams - Toronto Maple Leafs, Arizona Coyotes, Boston Bruins, Sabers, Dallas Stars, Calgary Flames, St. Louis Blues, Canucks Vancouver, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Washington Capitals and the Detroit Red Wings-that currently have players on the long-term injury list providing them a lighter cap space, according to CapFriendly.
It seems that the Sabres will have to continue working hard to find a partner who can meet their needs. The Sabres are looking to add a forward since Vladimir Sobotka was injured during the team's visit to Europe on November 8th and 9th.
After a very productive October (9-2-0), the Sabres slowed the pace in November with a 1-7-1 record. They are now fifth in the Atlantic Division. They will resume action this Sunday in Florida against the Panthers before facing the second state team, the Lightning, the next day. It will be interesting to see if Botterill has managed to complete a trade by then.
Last July, player agent Allan Walsh openly criticized the current NHL financial system. He stipulated then that the salary cap gave a false impression of parity in the NHL. He took the example of the Leafs who managed to spend $ 92 million on a salary cap of $ 81.5 million, thanks in particular to the cap relief provided by the list of long-term injuries (LTIR).
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Walsh proposed then that the league allow teams to exceed the salary cap for a luxury tax. Rich teams could therefore have more flexibility. The transaction market would be more active in this way. Let's bet that secretly, Botterill would like this scheme to be in place in the NHL.
Source: TSN
