Buffalo gets: Forward Jimmy Vesey
New York gets: Buffalo's third-round selection in the 2021 NHL draft
Buffalo Sabres: A-
Last season began with so much promise for the Sabres, and then it all came crashing down. The disappointing season resulted in Phil Housley losing his job, and ownership and management picking Ralph Kruger to right the ship in the locker room. The Sabres need more NHL-ready talent, and that's what Jimmy Vesey is. He's not a game-breaking forward, but he can play in the top six.
It's apparent general manager Jason Botterill has been itching to make some moves this offseason. But on the one-year anniversary of the Ryan O'Reilly trade -- which manifested great for the St. Louis Blues and ... not-so-great for the Sabres -- Botterill had to be a little more conservative. Adding the 26-year-old Vesey, at this stage in his career and with this cap hit, isn't a huge risk. In fact, it makes a lot of sense. The Sabres have to pay Vesey only $2.275 million next season, which won't break the bank. And if it doesn't work out, they can part with Vesey next summer when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
But there's a high ceiling for this trade to work. Vesey had consistent 16-, 17- and 17-goal outputs in his three seasons with the Rangers, but was ready for a change of scenery and should be motivated after an unceremonious exit from the Blueshirts. He knows Jack Eichel well, and might even get the opportunity to play on his wing; Vesey never had the opportunity to play with a center of that caliber in his tenure with the Rangers. The Sabres had coveted Vesey for some time, even giving up a third-round pick for the right to talk to him three years ago. Now they have him. And all Buffalo had to give up was a third-round pick for 2021.
New York Rangers: B
Vesey was set to become a UFA next summer, and it didn't feel like the Rangers envisioned him as a huge piece in their future. Vesey was a serviceable player for the Rangers over the past three seasons, but never really met the expectations he carried after being such a highly coveted college free agent. He was, at his best in his three years in New York, a 35-point player. This isn't someone the Rangers will really miss next season as they transition from rebuilding team to contender. (And if they really miss him, they can of course re-sign him as a free agent next summer.)
The return isn't huge, just a third-round pick in 2021. But New York also gets to shed some salary, albeit just over $2 million for next season, which they may be able to use either now (for a certain Russian winger) or later, at the trade deadline, if they exceed expectations and begin to look like a playoff team sooner than we thought.