Fansided

5 NHL trades we would love to see this offseason

By Dave Stevenson

BUFFALO, NY - MARCH 23: Ryan O'Reilly #90 of the Buffalo Sabres skates during an NHL game against the Montreal Canadiens on March 23, 2018 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ryan O'Reilly
BUFFALO, NY - MARCH 23: Ryan O'Reilly #90 of the Buffalo Sabres skates during an NHL game against the Montreal Canadiens on March 23, 2018 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ryan O'Reilly /
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Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images /

3. Conor Sheary to the Sabres for a draft pick

BUF gets: F Conor Sheary

PIT gets: 2018 2nd round pick

Why the Sabres should do it: The Buffalo Sabres don’t just need help on defense. They need help all across the ice. That includes on the wing, where they don’t have many quality NHL caliber options. Conor Sheary isn’t a top-tier wing, but he’d immediately be one of their better ones.

Sheary needs a change of scenery. He can get that in Buffalo, along with (hopefully) more consistent playing time. Playing with either Jack Eichel or Casey Mittelstadt is a pretty good gig to have. It’s not as good as playing with Sidney Crosby, but Sheary has lost that privilege thanks to Jake Guentzel. The Sabres also have the cap space necessary to do it.

It’s worth noting Jason Botterill knows Sheary very well since he used to be a part of the Penguins’ front office. If he thinks he’s worth taking a flyer on, the Sabres should be all over it.

Why the Penguins should do it: This is more about cap space than Sheary. The Pittsburgh Penguins would like to keep most of their current team intact while still adding some upgrades. Sheary has lost his place in the Penguins lineup alongside Crosby. Things clearly didn’t work out for him in the bottom six. So why not trade Sheary while his value is still fairly high?

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