Steve Bernier

With the Sabres pretty much forced to move Brian Campbell at the trade deadline, what should the team have looked to get in return? Before I delve into that, let me first make it clear that the Campbell trade was not the result of money. Campbell was offering a hometown discount but the Sabres were not willing to give him the long-term contract he desired. With Ryan Miller’s contract due to expire at the end of the 2008-09 season and no capable backup currently on the roster, Buffalo clearly wants the long-term cap space to try and extend Miller’s contract.

This fact, alone, should tell you that a quality backup netminder would have been a good choice. The other logical choice would have been a veteran center that can win face-offs, score and distribute the puck to the young guys. The Sabres have been horrible in the circle this season, sport one the youngest (most inexperienced) teams in the NHL and lack top-notch finishers. Even a true shutdown defenseman would have been nice. So, what did the Sabres get in return for Campbell and a 7th round pick in this year’s entry draft? A young physical winger by the name of Steve Bernier and a 1st round pick from the San Jose Sharks.

The Sabres just got younger (god help us), while adding even more grit to the lineup. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as Bernier is a big hitter who can score and also has the potential to improve his game. Additionally, because the Sabres talent pool is drying up (mostly due to this year’s call-ups) and they have a history of drafting well, the 1st round draft pick should definitely help.

However, what they lost was one of the top offensive defensemen in the league. Not only was Campbell valuable from a statistical standpoint (43 points in 63 games), but he also played a pivotal part in jumpstarting the Sabres’ power play. He could gain the opponent’s blueline with ease and then quarterback the team on the man advantage. As a result, it should be no surprise that Campbell – along with his defensive partner Jaroslav Spacek – led the team in total power play ice time per game. So, what will become of Buffalo’s power play – currently ranked 8th in the league – now that Campbell is gone?

Defenseman Nathan Paetsch will likely step into the role of quarterbacking the Sabres’ power play. Paetsch – a solid skater with quality passing skills – had experience with this in Rochester, as well as part-time duties with the Sabres earlier this year.

Though I have to admit that Campbell’s defensive skills can be suspect at times, he led the team in total ice time per game and was also third on the team in shorthanded ice time per game. This means that other defensemen (like Dmitri Kalinin) will have to log more minutes. If I had to speculate, I would guess that Paetsch will be paired with Pratt on the third line.

The problem, however, arises with the top two lines. For example, Henrik Tallinder and Tony Lydman are paired together almost all of the time but prior to Campbell’s departure, these two were assigned to second line duties. With Spacek now without his traditional mate, do the Sabres pair him on the second line with Kalinin and move Tallinder/Lydman to the top line? Or do they split Tallinder and Lydman at the hip and pair one of them with Spacek on the top line? These are questions we should know the answers to soon enough.

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2008 Western Hockey Network