The Buffalo Sabres are, arguably, the most obvious sellers in NHL history ahead of the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline on Monday at 3 p.m. ET.
Who will the Sabres trade away and for what?
Here are my predictions:
Taylor Hall* to the Bruins for left winger Jake DeBrusk
* - Sabres retain half of Hall's $8 million cap hit
The Boston Bruins were reportedly in on Kyle Palmeri before he was sent from the New Jersey Devils to the New York Islanders.
If they are still intent on adding a scoring winger, Hall is the top name on the market.
The Bruins have spread the talent throughout their lineup as of late. Hall could replace Nick Ritchie on their second line with David Krejci and David Pastrnak.
Craig Custance from The Athletic reports the Bruins are getting calls from other teams on the asking price for DeBrusk.
DeBrusk has struggled mightily this year with just three goals and seven points in 24 games. Plus, the Bruins do not have the room to protect DeBrusk in the Seattle Expansion Draft. They likely need to move him.
It's a buy-low for the Sabres on a player they'd have contract control of. DeBrusk is just 24-years-old and has one year remaining on his deal at $3.675 million, after which he will be a restricted free agent.
This trade is just about even salary wise, with the Sabres losing $300,000 in space.
Brandon Montour to the Winnipeg Jets for goalie Mikhail Berdin
Montour gives the Jets a needed addition on a blueline whose second pair includes Derek Forbort and Tucker Poolman. Cue most Sabres fans saying "who?"
Berdin was the Jets' sixth round pick in 2016. He played well in the American Hockey League in 2017-18 and 2018-19, but has struggled this year.
Berdin has just an .899 save percentage in 20 games for the Manitoba Moose. However, he did have a solid .912 save percentage while playing in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia this past fall.
I see Berdin as a player that gives the Sabres needed organizational depth in goal. He could also be a player that could move up to the NHL next season to potentially back up Linus Ullmark.
Rasmus Ristolainen to the Florida Panthers for right winger Owen Tippett
It's probably the 10,000,000th hypothetical Ristolainen trade you've ever read.
The Sabres will have to move Ristolainen in the next 12 months, regardless of what the team thinks of him. In 15 months, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent, Ristolainen will be gone, whether you like it or not.
In recent years, there have been plenty of reports of Ristolainen wanting a trade, and he's spoken even more candidly about his frustration in Buffalo than Ryan O'Reilly did.
The only question is when do the Sabres move Ristolainen? Now? The offseason? Next year's deadline?
The best option would be now or at the beginning of the offseason, prior to the Seattle Expansion Draft, so that the Sabres can protect Will Borgen instead of Ristolainen.
The Panthers lost Aaron Ekblad to a brutal leg injury a couple weeks ago that ended his season. Florida needs a big minute eater on the right side of their blueline.
Ristolainen would fill that role, and the Panthers have the cap space to do it. In fact, they could acquire three big salaries at the deadline with $14.22 million in space.
For the Sabres, Owen Tippett is an intriguing young player that has not set the world on fire since being drafted 10th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft, but who's development is coming along nicely.
In 46 AHL games last season, Tippett had 19 goals and 40 points in 46 games.
In his first season with the Panthers this year, Tippett has five goals and 12 points in 31 games played.
Tippett is a goal scorer. His release and finish make him an intriguing option for the Sabres' top-six as soon as the 2021-22 season.
Linus Ullmark to the Colorado Avalanche for a first round pick
A first round pick might seem like a hefty price for Ullmark, but the Sabres should not trade their chance to lock Ullmark up on an extension for anything less.
The Avalanche are good enough to where they know their first round pick will be in the late 20s, if not the 30s of the NHL Draft.
Colorado is the best team in the NHL, even if they have one fewer point than the Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs for the most in hockey.
Right now, they have just Philipp Grubauer, and our old buddy Jonas Johansson in goal.
Grubauer is having his best season as a pro, but are the Avalanche going to let Johansson be one heartbeat away from the net for the best team in hockey?
Ullmark would assure the Avalanche that goalie is not going to sink them come playoff time.