I call it a risk because he can be a tad inconsistent, but he definitely fits the game that Botterill and Phil Housley want to see. He’s a north/south skater and he moves the puck up ice quickly and accurately.
When Tim Murray acquired Ryan O’Reilly, Evander Kane and Robin Lehner, many fans complained that he gave up too much. Some might think Botterill gave up too much, but I disagree.
The Sabres held three first round picks in a draft that some people say falls off at pick No. 15. I call it currency, and I’ve been reporting for months that Botterill would be willing to part with one of those picks if the right deal came along and this was the right deal.
Most of you know I’ve been very high on Brendan Guhle ever since I saw him in his first prospects camp. The kid can skate like the wind, but at age 21, he seemed to have hit a wall. He struggled mightily in Rochester this season, but honestly, I wasn’t that worried about it. I think he will find his way and become a pretty good NHL defenseman.
I’ve always said I really don’t want to see Guhle traded, but if the right deal came along, I’d be all for it. In my mind, this was the right deal.
The other thing that Botterill liked about Montour is he still has another year left on an affordable contract before becoming a restricted free agent.
Many fans are ripping Botterill for paying Montreal a third round pick to acquire Nate Beaulieu only to get a sixth round pick back from Winnipeg. In my mind, Beaulieu’s agent put him in a really bad position by putting out that he wanted to be traded.
Beaulieu had to stand in Vancouver and answer the tough questions, not his agent. It also made it more difficult for Botterill to get the value that he would’ve liked to. In the end, Botterill did Beaulieu a favor and just found him a different team.
What the armchair Twitter know-it-alls don’t realize is word gets around when players are treated the right way. Players talk when they’re treated well and it creates a culture that many can’t comprehend. There was no reason to keep Beaulieu when he felt the way that he did.
There really wasn’t any selling to be done on Monday unless Botterill could find a deal for Jason Pominville.
Montour will make his Sabres debut Tuesday in Philadelphia.