Two or less Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Reports surfaced from Buffalo and Edmonton recently regarding the possibility of the Oilers shipping blueliner Tom Gilbert to the Sabres for right winger Drew Stafford. Salaries, however, are a significant stumbling block for that scenario. Gilbert’s cap hit is $4 million per season, while Stafford’s is $1.9 million. A swap would push the Sabres over the cap ceiling for this season, so the trade couldn’t take place unless Buffalo cleared cap space to absorb Gilbert’s salary. The Sabres, as a rule, don’t take on expensive salaries via trades, which should tell you all you need to know about the validity of this rumor. Link- http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/28577-Rumor-Roundup-Value-of-Oil.html I wonder how credible his sources is. He's usually the best guy when it comes to rumors. Guy works for sportsnet.ca and fox sports as well as rumor guru. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvermike Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Sounds like just some fluff that got passed along through the chain - the trade doesn't make sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 A couple of things to ponder if this trade took place... 1. Who fills Stafford's spot on a scoring line? 2. Where do they find room for Gilbert on the blueline? 3. Is Gilbert that much of a difference over what they have now in terms of puck moving dman and PP QB? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvermike Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 I was surprised to realize we were that close to the cap, too - according to nhlnumbers, we're within a million bucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom webster Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Link- http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/28577-Rumor-Roundup-Value-of-Oil.html I wonder how credible his sources is. He's usually the best guy when it comes to rumors. Guy works for sportsnet.ca and fox sports as well as rumor guru. Bucky mentioned this in his column Sunday and its seems to have taken flight since then. Like I said in an e-mail to him, if Edmonton is so in love with Stafford, why didn't they offer him an offer sheet? On the other hand, I would love Gilbert here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two or less Posted October 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 A couple of things to ponder if this trade took place... 1. Who fills Stafford's spot on a scoring line? 2. Where do they find room for Gilbert on the blueline? 3. Is Gilbert that much of a difference over what they have now in terms of puck moving dman and PP QB? Honestly, i love Gilbert's game. I love the way he moves the puck and has great vision. One thing i'd worry about him is he's playing on a very quick and offensive team. But i really do think he'd be an upgrade over any puck moving d-men we have. But the trade doesn't make sense. As i posted in another thread, Vanek's injury scare should have woke people up in the front office to realize if Vanek or Connolly go down, we're going to be facing trouble. Now to trade Stafford and not have any insurance for a scorer? Makes no sense at all. Also, from another thread, i posted Dallas is offering some offense for a PP QB.... i think Dallas should make a move for Gilbert and not us. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 I watch HNiC all the time, but can't say I remember Gilbert at all. That being said, he has some interesting stats. 1. He doesn't hit much or spend a lot of time in the penalty box 2. He is in the top 30 for giveaways the last two years. 3. He is in the top 30 for blocked shots the last two years. Is it just me or do #1 and #3 not go hand in hand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VansTheMans Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Yea, I've seen this rumor floating around. Evidently, along with trading Stafford for Gilbert, the Sabres were also asking Edmonton to take Tallinder and send back a pick or a prospect. Would you pull the trigger? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
todzilla Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Yea, I've seen this rumor floating around. Evidently, along with trading Stafford for Gilbert, the Sabres were also asking Edmonton to take Tallinder and send back a pick or a prospect. Would you pull the trigger? That makes some sense on the money end as well as freeing up a spot for Gilbert. I don't know much about him but it would leave us pretty thin up front as others have mentioned. How old is Gilbert and how long is his current deal, anybody know? I would be open to a move like this though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VansTheMans Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 I like Gilbert, but Stafford is a high price. He's a potential 30 goal/yr power forward, who has size and speed. It's hard to trade that away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darksabre Posted October 16, 2009 Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 Come on people, we bitched all offseason about Stafford being an underachiever and Tallinder being a waste of roster space. You know if this came up during the summer we'd be screaming for it to happen. I'll stick to this summer's ramblings and say if they do make the deal, then good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted October 16, 2009 Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 Bucky mentioned this in his column Sunday and its seems to have taken flight since then. Like I said in an e-mail to him, if Edmonton is so in love with Stafford, why didn't they offer him an offer sheet? On the other hand, I would love Gilbert here. And we all know they're a team willing to throw around offer sheets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VansTheMans Posted October 16, 2009 Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 Come on people, we bitched all offseason about Stafford being an underachiever and Tallinder being a waste of roster space. You know if this came up during the summer we'd be screaming for it to happen. I'll stick to this summer's ramblings and say if they do make the deal, then good. Haha, this is very true. Forget about Stafford. Kassian is on the come up. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfreeman Posted October 16, 2009 Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 I'm calling BS on this rumor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two or less Posted October 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 I'm calling BS on this rumor. Agree. As Inkman said, this must have come from the Buffalo news story about trades... http://www.buffalonews.com/opinions/columns/buckygleason/story/824447.html And while i don't think Bucky is lying, a source he has in Edmonton may be right on about Oilers dealing Gilbert in a heart beat for Stafford, but Sabres wouldn't. Stafford is a big part of the team and while i would trade Hank when he plays well because we all know what type of player he can be when he's not at his peak, but Stafford could be a star for years to come. You need goals to win. Stafford, as someone said, could be a 30+ guy for years to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carpandean Posted October 16, 2009 Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 Glibert's got four more years after this one with a $4 million hit and his salary goes up ($5.5 million next year and $5 million the year after) before it goes down again ($3.5 million and $3 million in his final two seasons.) He's 26, so that's still pretty young for a defensemen. Interestingly, it says on Wiki that he switched from defense to forward in his senior year of high school, scoring four goals in the game after his switch. Obviously, at some point, he switched back. Wouldn't it be funny if they traded Stafford for Gilbert, then converted him to a RW and he turned out to be a great power forward. If you trade away Tallinder and assume that they let Lydman walk, then they'd have an interesting problem next year (and possibly this year, depending on who sits): four right-handed defensemen (Gilber, Rivet, Montador and Myers.) After having 1 or 2 for so long, that's a big switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carpandean Posted October 16, 2009 Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 An interesting note from his (now dated) HockeyFuture's page: Talent Analysis Gilbert was a big, physical force on the blueline for the Steel but in college was more noteworthy for his offensive ability. Not afraid to make a play,Gilbert has a nice offensive touch for a D-man. Described as a solid two-way defender because he is defensively responsible but has an offensive upside as well. His willingness to play the body more often made him a force to be reckoned with on the Wisconsin blueline. As a pro, Wilkes Barre head coach Todd Richards admired his off ice dedication and his on ice work ethic describing himself as 'a big Tom Gilbert fan'. Don't know if the physical part has changed as a pro (stats that Labatt posted suggested it may have), but apparently it is in him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonderbread Posted October 16, 2009 Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 The Sabres will be forced to keep Stafford this year. They just don't have the offense if a top 2 lines player goes down. Don't be surprised to see the FO move him in 10/11. His contract is up and if plays well for the next 2 years he could be turned for a high value return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted October 16, 2009 Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 I'm calling BS on this rumor. Thank you. Thud only happens if they have a glut of scorers and a sucky pp. Neither of which are true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikegrier Posted October 16, 2009 Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 Link- http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/28577-Rumor-Roundup-Value-of-Oil.html I wonder how credible his sources is. He's usually the best guy when it comes to rumors. Guy works for sportsnet.ca and fox sports as well as rumor guru. I think Staff's salary is too cheap for the sabres to say goodbye to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted October 16, 2009 Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 I was surprised to realize we were that close to the cap, too - according to nhlnumbers, we're within a million bucks. I'm still surprised that this isn't common knowledge among Sabres fans. I guess not everyone spends 3/4 of their free time talking Sabres with fellow geeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calvin Posted October 16, 2009 Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 Tallinder + Stafford for Gilbert + Hemsky is the only time I'd like us to think about this NB: I haven't looked at cap hits or anything for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
korab rules Posted October 16, 2009 Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 I'm still surprised that this isn't common knowledge among Sabres fans. I guess not everyone spends 3/4 of their free time talking Sabres with fellow geeks. Don't you know that both the Sabres and Bills are cheap, and never spend any money? ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.