Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – By the time the dust settled following the flurry of action before the NHL Trade Deadline, Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams made a total of four trades.
The first deal came on Wednesday with forward Casey Mittelstadt going to the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Bo Byram.
Adams said Friday after the deadline if he was going to trade a player as good as Mittelstadt, it would have to get him a good player back.
"I have an incredible amount of respect for Casey. He’s loved in that locker room, and I was not shopping him," clarified Adams on Friday. "He was a sought after player, and it’s no secret I’ve been working for a couple of years to find a defenseman. It’s really tough in this league to find a top-pair talent that Bo Byram is at that age, because you generally have to draft them.
"It was something I’d say that had been worked on for a while."
With Mittelstadt gone, Adams feels it’ll be more of an opportunity for Peyton Krebs, along with the young centers drafted in the first round two years ago in Jiri Kulich, Noah Ostlund and Matt Savoie.
Adams also looked into trading for a veteran centerman, but he feels there may be better options over the summer.
As far as what the Sabres got in Byram, Adams says he's everything he looks for in a defenseman.
"I love his ability to get up into the play and move the puck, and his calmness and his skating ability," he said. "I think he has more offensive upside than he’s been able to completely show.
"He’s a guy that can play both sides, and he likes the right side. And with his age, he’s a guy that can really mature and grow in this group."
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Adams is very close to Kyle Okposo, and had to stop and compose himself before he could talk about him on Friday.
"He’s an unbelievable person, and I have a lot of respect for people that are selfless in this game, what he’s given to this organization, and he was the captain of the team," Adams said of Okposo.
Okposo also wanted to go to a team with a chance to win the Stanley Cup.
"He made it very clear to me what he was hoping to do, and where he was hoping to go. I wish him the best," Adams said.
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Zemgus Girgensons wasn’t traded on Friday, because Adams says it’s a different situation with the 30-year-old.
"I did have the conversation with Zemgus. He’s so important within the fabric of this team, and I think he has plenty of years ahead of him. I’ve made it clear to him that's something we’re going to talk about now that we’re through the Trade Deadline," he said. "I did have conversations with teams, and it just had to make sense for us, and there wasn’t the right deal. I’m really glad we’re keeping him, because there’s something special about him."
Adams also clarified on Friday the Sabres didn’t retain any salary in any of his three NHL deals made.
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After the deadline, Buffalo called up Tyson Jost and Kale Clague from the Rochester Americans and sent down Ryan Johnson. Johnson is going to stay in Rochester to get a lot of playing time, and also be eligible for the Calder Cup Playoffs.
