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Sabres Trade Thomas Vanek to Islanders for Matt Moulson and Draft Picks
October 28, 2013
With a rough start to the NHL season, the Buffalo Sabres have reportedly traded Thomas Vanek to the New York Islanders for Matt Moulson and multiple draft picks.
John Vogl from The Buffalo News gave the details of this big trade, explaining that the Islanders will also be giving up a first-round pick in 2014 and a second-round pick in 2015.
The Sabres PR Twitter account confirmed the trade.
UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 3:50 p.m. ET
From ESPN's Pierre LeBrun:
UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 11:45 a.m. ET
From TSN's Darren Dreger:
---End of update---
UPDATE: Monday, Oct. 28, at 3 p.m. ET
Brian Compton of NHL.com provides a statement from Thomas Vanek:
"It's been a long 14 hours, or whatever it is," Vanek told reporters after participating in his first practice with his new teammates. "It's obviously a shock. I'm not surprised. I knew it was going to happen sooner or later with the situation in Buffalo. Obviously when it does happen, initially you're shocked.
"I'm excited to come here. They have a great, young team, up-tempo style. I'm looking forward to it."
As expected, Islanders coach Jack Capuano has placed Vanek on the top line with Tavares and right wing Kyle Okposo. It's certainly a tremendous opportunity for Vanek, who has 254 goals and 243 assists in 598 games.
John Vogl of The Buffalo News reports the Sabres were willing to make Vanek the highest-paid player in the league:
Thomas Vanek could have been paid handsomely to stay in Buffalo. A source, in fact, says the Sabres were willing to make him the highest-paid player in the NHL.
---End of update---
Sabres GM Darcy Regier commented on the transaction:
Islanders GM Garth Snow also spoke about the big move via Arthur Staple of Newsday:
Moulson talked about getting traded via Katie Strang of ESPN.com:
After going 39-32-11 during the 2010-2011 season, the Sabres slid to 21-21-6 last year and are now 2-10-1 to start this season. It's clear they are starting to slide, and they need to rebuild for the future.
For the Islanders, they're 4-4-3 to start the year, needing a strong player to push them over the hump. As Chris Botta from SportsBusinessDaily.com points out, this trade is certainly a win for the Islanders, considering Moulson will be a free agent after this season.
Vanek will be a good fit for the Islanders. The left winger already has four goals and five assists through 13 games, and he's put up some strong seasons over the years. He was on a tear during the strike-shortened season, grabbing 20 goals and 21 assists in just 38 games.
Bob McKenzie from TSN provided this quote from Vanek's agent.
It appears to be a win-win scenario for the two teams, but we will be focusing more on Vanek as he gets a chance to become an even more exciting player in the NHL as he moves to New York.