Buffalo Sabres

Expected Return in Possible Eric Staal Trade Might Shock You…

If the Buffalo Sabres are going to trade Eric Staal before the NHL Trade Deadline, don’t expect the return to be all that large.

by
NHL Trade Talk
March 21, 2021

If a team is interested in trading for Buffalo Sabres forward Eric Staal, the price to acquire him likely isn’t all that high. While Staal is one of the more popular names out there this year as a trade deadline candidate, the Sabres are running out of options when it comes to potential teams he can be moved to.

Sabres' Eric Staal totally open to trade, puck is in GM Kevyn Adams' end now… https://t.co/NOgNTU1aEy
— NHL Trade Talk (@nhl_tradetalk) March 9, 2021

During a recent article for The Athletic, author Craig Custance ran some trade proposals by NHL executives and among them was a trade that would see the Carolina Hurricanes make a pitch for Staal by offering a second-round pick in return. The executive in question had a slightly surprising response to that proposal.

“It’s fun to think about. Both Pierre LeBrun and Sara Civian have written about it. But that might be an outdated price tag for Staal, who had 10 points in his first 29 games for the Sabres, ” said Custance. This is because the response he got from the anonymous exec suggested a second-round pick was way too high.

The exec responded: “Carolina says no. I think they would take him but not for a second-round pick. The absolute home run for Staal is a third-round pick. You’re probably looking at a fourth-rounder now. Buffalo has fewer teams to deal with.”

Absolutely Home Run is a Third?

If Staal is only going to fetch a third-round pick (at best), does this say more about Staal’s value or more about what the market might look like as a whole? Staal’s name is one that has been linked to more than a few teams. That said, his age, the quarantine issues and the lack of money available to spend drastically changes the equation.

If Staal goes for a fourth-round pick on his own, maybe the Sabres get a third because they are willing to retain salary in the deal. If so, perhaps the extra salary cap space is as valued to a team as the player is.

It should be an interesting trade deadline.

Next: Should Jack Campbell Take Over as Starter in Toronto?