Best Sabres FO move ever?

[IKnowPhysics]

Opposite of other thread.

 

To get things started, moves that come to mind:

--Don Meehan's gamble on selecting Alexander Mogilny in the '89 draft and aiding in his subsequent defection.

"[Mogilny] asked me in his broken English, ‘Am I free now?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, you’re free.’ And he went over and had a beer. He couldn’t believe it. He said ‘free’, he didn’t say ‘safe’. He said ‘free’."

--Trading Stephane Beauregard and considerations for Domink Hasek.

--Signing Scotty Bowman as head coach and GM in '79, after he had just head coached Montreal to four consecutive Stanley Cups from '76-'79.

--Trading Eddie Shack for Rene Robert to complete the French Connection.

--Trading Chris Gratton and a 4th round pick for Daniel Briere and a 3rd round pick.

--Trading JP Dumont, Doug Gilmour, and a draft pick for Michal Grosek.

--Effectively trading Keith Ballard and Rhett Warrener for Chris Drury and Steve Begin.

--Trading Matthew Barnaby for Stu Barnes.

--Trade deadline acquisition of Steve Bernier and a 1st round pick (Tyler Ennis) in exchange for rental Brian Campbell and a 7th round pick.

--Trading Mike Wilson for Rhett Warnener and a 5th round pick (Ryan Miller).

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

April 14th, 2013

[Eleven]

I like your thinking and I encourage parallel polls...here's a few more ideas:

 

--Turgeon, et al. for LaFontaine, et al.

--LaFontaine for a second-round pick (it can be in both polls!)

--Gaustad for a first

--it was a 4th for Hasek, with Beauregard, and that 4th ended up as Erik Daze, no?

--Eddie Shack for Rene Robert (gotta have this!)

[Neo]

IMHO (I'm learning bloggerese), acquiring Hasek stands alone. I've seen it argued he's the greatest ever at his position. I've never seen it argued that he's not among those considered. He's the single greatest Sabre I've ever seen, and I attended my first game in 1970.

[Eleven]

IMHO (I'm learning bloggerese), acquiring Hasek stands alone. I've seen it argued he's the greatest ever at his position. I've never seen it argued that he's not among those considered. He's the single greatest Sabre I've ever seen, and I attended my first game in 1970.

 

If Physics starts a poll, that is the problem: it's a freaking landslide. There probably are Buffalonians who wanted him to succeed JPII to the papacy.

[Weave]

Korab to LA for the draft pick that became Phil Housley

Anyone want to argue Ruff to the Rags for the pick that became Richard Smehlik? :P

add to the most lopsided list, Mike Wilson to Fla for Rhett Warrener and the pick that became Ryan Miller

how about parlaying a 2001 7th and 9th rd pick into a 2012 1st rd pick (Paul Gaustad). That's some serious inflation. :P

 

 

 

DId anyone notice that John Tucker was twice traded by the Sabres for future considerations? :blink:

[darksabre]

Korab to LA for the draft pick that became Phil Housley

Anyone want to argue Ruff to the Rags for the pick that became Richard Smehlik? :P

add to the most lopsided list, Mike Wilson to Fla for Rhett Warrener and the pick that became Ryan Miller

how about parlaying a 2001 7th and 9th rd pick into a 2012 1st rd pick (Paul Gaustad). That's some serious inflation. :P

 

 

 

DId anyone notice that John Tucker was twice traded by the Sabres for future considerations? :blink:

 

I did not know that one. That's a darn good move.

[millbank]

Punch Imlach on Buffalo very first draft the choice of number 11. It turned out that the two new franchises would choose 1 - 2 , the choice being made via spin of wheel. Vancouver got choices from 1 - 10 Buffalo from one to twenty. The wheel was spun, initially it was thought that Vancouver had won the right to first pick as the Commissioner thought that the spin had fallen on number one. Punch Imlach asked them to check again, it turned out the spin had landed on 11 and not 1, thus Buffalo with the first pick were able to select arguably the greatest Buffalo Sabre ever, Gilbert Perreault. Great move to choose Perreault and great move to contest the spin.

It may also be of interest this was first year Montreal Canadians did not have lock on Quebec players in draft.

[K-9]

Punch Imlach on Buffalo very first draft the choice of number 11. It turned out that the two new franchises would choose 1 - 2 , the choice being made via spin of wheel. Vancouver got choices from 1 - 10 Buffalo from one to twenty. The wheel was spun, initially it was thought that Vancouver had won the right to first pick as the Commissioner thought that the spin had fallen on number one. Punch Imlach asked them to check again, it turned out the spin had landed on 11 and not 1, thus Buffalo with the first pick were able to select arguably the greatest Buffalo Sabre ever, Gilbert Perreault. Great move to choose Perreault and great move to contest the spin.

It may also be of interest this was first year Montreal Canadians did not have lock on Quebec players in draft.

 

Without a doubt, the spin of that wheel was the greatest move in franchise history.

 

GO SABRES!!!

[Jeanbe]

I always thought Bowman killed the team. But this would be from a kid's view of the Sabres.

[Taro T]

I like your thinking and I encourage parallel polls...here's a few more ideas:

 

--Turgeon, et al. for LaFontaine, et al.

--LaFontaine for a second-round pick (it can be in both polls!)

--Gaustad for a first

--it was a 4th for Hasek, with Beauregard, and that 4th ended up as Erik Daze, no?

--Eddie Shack for Rene Robert (gotta have this!)

That trade was Christian Ruutu (and future considerations) for Stephane Beauregard, and then after the expansion draft Beauregard and the 4th (which became Daze) was traded to Chicago for Hasek, and Beauregard was then sent back to Winnipeg for Ruutu.

 

So, the net effect of that trade was Winnipeg got insurance that Beauregard wasn't claimed and Buffalo got Hasek for Ruutu and a pick.

 

Considering Muckler had no idea what he'd done - just traded for the best goalie of his generation and arguably the best ever, I'm not surprised that most fans don't know exactly how the trade went down.

[Taro T]

Opposite of other thread.

 

To get things started, moves that come to mind:

--Don Meehan's gamble on selecting Alexander Mogilny in the '89 draft and aiding in his subsequent defection.

"[Mogilny] asked me in his broken English, ‘Am I free now?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, you’re free.’ And he went over and had a beer. He couldn’t believe it. He said ‘free’, he didn’t say ‘safe’. He said ‘free’."

--Trading Stephane Beauregard and considerations for Domink Hasek.

--Signing Scotty Bowman as head coach and GM in '79, after he had just head coached Montreal to four consecutive Stanley Cups from '76-'79.

--Trading Eddie Shack for Rene Robert to complete the French Connection.

--Trading Chris Gratton and a 4th round pick for Daniel Briere and a 3rd round pick.

--Trading JP Dumont, Doug Gilmour, and a draft pick for Michal Grosek.

--Effectively trading Keith Ballard and Rhett Warrener for Chris Drury and Steve Begin.

--Trading Matthew Barnaby for Stu Barnes.

--Trade deadline acquisition of Steve Bernier and a 1st round pick (Tyler Ennis) in exchange for rental Brian Campbell and a 7th round pick.

--Trading Mike Wilson for Rhett Warnener and a 5th round pick (Ryan Miller).

My choice for the 3 best moves ever by the Sabres were choosing the high #'s which resulted in Perreault wearing 11, the trades that ended up being Hasek, and the trade that brought in Patty.

 

I'd put Housley becoming Hawerchuck along with Arniel & Parker becoming Jets and the flipping of draft spots up there as well but the Sabres moved up to get May leaving Keith Tkachuk there on the board. :doh:

 

I like most of your list, but I wouldn't put bringing in Bowman to be GM one of the best moves ever - it's far closer to the other end. When Scotty took over, the Sabres were within 3 years from winning a Stanley Cup. After he was through, they were drafting 1st overall.

 

Some others.

 

Mogilny becoming Peca, Wilson, and a pick (McKee) was another great trade. Even though the Sabres did end up with Wilson.

 

Doug Rombough becoming Brian Spenser. (Thought you'd like that Tom Webster. ;))

 

Choosing Danny Gare in the middle of the 2nd was sweet.

 

Drafting in slot 5 2 years in a row and hitting home runs both times: Rico and Schoeny.

 

Trading a damaged Rico for a 3rd and a 1st 2 years later that turned into Barasso.

 

And picking up the rights to Desi in '75.

 

[EDIT: Can't believe I mentioned Tom Webster and then didn't mention landing Crozier. :doh:]

[Kristian]

Finally dumping Tim Connolly.

[drnkirishone]

My personal best moves in order of how I ranked them.

 

The trade bringing Hasek to buffalo. Althou I still harbor some unresolved hatred for the man cause of how he left buffalo and some of the his insanely asshattery moments whilest here, he is the greatest player I have ever watched play and if we would have had some talent with "the hardest working goons in hockey" teams that he carried we would be owners of multiple cups.

 

Patty LaLa coming in. We traded for him right around the time that I really started paying attention to the Sabres and thier players instead of watching them cause my brother was. He was the most gifted forward I had seen (we only watched sabres games so never really watched the oilers or penguins). I remember watching him play and trying to mimic him on the ice (badly). Had injures not done him in I beleive him and Hasek woulda gotten a cup.

 

Drury trade. I remember soon as I heard of the trade I told my co worker the sabres where gonna be good and soon. I don't recall a trade that had such a seemingly positive effect on the team as this one. Peca was gone, Hasek forced his way to detroit and we where far removed from that no goal incident. But once Drury was here it seemed like they had a chance to win again and that they beleived they could win again.

[RazielSabre]

My personal best moves in order of how I ranked them.

 

The trade bringing Hasek to buffalo. Althou I still harbor some unresolved hatred for the man cause of how he left buffalo and some of the his insanely asshattery moments whilest here, he is the greatest player I have ever watched play and if we would have had some talent with "the hardest working goons in hockey" teams that he carried we would be owners of multiple cups.

 

Patty LaLa coming in. We traded for him right around the time that I really started paying attention to the Sabres and thier players instead of watching them cause my brother was. He was the most gifted forward I had seen (we only watched sabres games so never really watched the oilers or penguins). I remember watching him play and trying to mimic him on the ice (badly). Had injures not done him in I beleive him and Hasek woulda gotten a cup.

 

Drury trade. I remember soon as I heard of the trade I told my co worker the sabres where gonna be good and soon. I don't recall a trade that had such a seemingly positive effect on the team as this one. Peca was gone, Hasek forced his way to detroit and we where far removed from that no goal incident. But once Drury was here it seemed like they had a chance to win again and that they beleived they could win again.

 

Hasek, Drury and Briere trades are my 3. Hasek is my all time favourite NHL player and a complete legend. Drury I watched during his run with the Avs to get the cup and I thought he was brilliant then so I was ecstatic when we got him. I don't need to explain the Briere/Gratton trade. Regier can pull them off when he wants to.

[LastPommerFan]

IMHO (I'm learning bloggerese), acquiring Hasek stands alone. I've seen it argued he's the greatest ever at his position. I've never seen it argued that he's not among those considered. He's the single greatest Sabre I've ever seen, and I attended my first game in 1970.

If Physics starts a poll, that is the problem: it's a freaking landslide. There probably are Buffalonians who wanted him to succeed JPII to the papacy.

 

I'll write here what I wrote in the other thread. What good is the move to acquire and keep Hasek when Meehan/Muckler/Regier/Knox/Rigas never put a competitive team in front of him. Just as bad FO moves can't be viewed in a vacuum, neither can good moves. All it would take was $4M more in payroll at the time. The team still would not have been in the top half of payroll, but it's hard to compete when the Redwings are out spending you by 50%. They were losing money in the mid-90s because they couldn't crack 4th in the division despite Hasek winning the Vezina in 94 and 95. Spend $4M more and you're deep in the playoffs every year racking in the cash while you don't have to pay the players. Whenever I think of Hasek, this infuriates me. We had best pure player ever, playing in the most important position, and we made nothing of it.

[Kristian]

I'll write here what I wrote in the other thread. What good is the move to acquire and keep Hasek when Meehan/Muckler/Regier/Knox/Rigas never put a competitive team in front of him. Just as bad FO moves can't be viewed in a vacuum, neither can good moves. All it would take was $4M more in payroll at the time. The team still would not have been in the top half of payroll, but it's hard to compete when the Redwings are out spending you by 50%. They were losing money in the mid-90s because they couldn't crack 4th in the division despite Hasek winning the Vezina in 94 and 95. Spend $4M more and you're deep in the playoffs every year racking in the cash while you don't have to pay the players. Whenever I think of Hasek, this infuriates me. We had best pure player ever, playing in the most important position, and we made nothing of it.

 

Couldn't agree more.

[Lanny]

That trade was Christian Ruutu (and future considerations) for Stephane Beauregard, and then after the expansion draft Beauregard and the 4th (which became Daze) was traded to Chicago for Hasek, and Beauregard was then sent back to Winnipeg for Ruutu.

 

He had a busy year:

• 
  1992-Jun-15 Traded from Winnipeg Jets to Buffalo Sabres for Christian Ruuttu and future considerations
  
• 
  1992-Aug-07 Traded from Buffalo Sabres with future considerations to Chicago Blackhawks for Dominik Hasek
  
• 
  1992-Aug-10 Traded from Chicago Blackhawks to Winnipeg Jets for Christian Ruuttu
  
• 
  1992-Oct-01 Traded from Winnipeg Jets to Philadelphia Flyers for future considerations and round 3 pick in the 1993 draft
  
• 
  1993-Jun-11 Traded from Philadelphia Flyers to Winnipeg Jets for round 3 pick in the 1993 draft and round 5 pick in the 1994 draft
  

 

 

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=277

[shrader]

Punch Imlach on Buffalo very first draft the choice of number 11. It turned out that the two new franchises would choose 1 - 2 , the choice being made via spin of wheel. Vancouver got choices from 1 - 10 Buffalo from one to twenty. The wheel was spun, initially it was thought that Vancouver had won the right to first pick as the Commissioner thought that the spin had fallen on number one. Punch Imlach asked them to check again, it turned out the spin had landed on 11 and not 1, thus Buffalo with the first pick were able to select arguably the greatest Buffalo Sabre ever, Gilbert Perreault. Great move to choose Perreault and great move to contest the spin.

It may also be of interest this was first year Montreal Canadians did not have lock on Quebec players in draft.

 

This is exactly what came to mind immediately when I opened this thread. I was shocked to see that it took so many posts before it was mentioned. Yes, it was luck with the wheel followed up by the no brainer first overall pick, but this was clearly a franchise defining moment.

[Eleven]

This is exactly what came to mind immediately when I opened this thread. I was shocked to see that it took so many posts before it was mentioned. Yes, it was luck with the wheel followed up by the no brainer first overall pick, but this was clearly a franchise defining moment.

 

Sure, but is that a front office move? It's pure luck!

[shrader]

Sure, but is that a front office move? It's pure luck!

 

The pick still was a front office move. Just because it's the same pick anyone would have made in that spot doesn't mean it wasn't a great pick. There was no mystery involved when Pittsburgh picked Lemieux or Crosby, but I'm willing to bet those two would be right up at the top of their all time best moves list.

[nucci]

Opposite of other thread.

 

To get things started, moves that come to mind:

--Don Meehan's gamble on selecting Alexander Mogilny in the '89 draft and aiding in his subsequent defection.

"[Mogilny] asked me in his broken English, ‘Am I free now?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, you’re free.’ And he went over and had a beer. He couldn’t believe it. He said ‘free’, he didn’t say ‘safe’. He said ‘free’."

--Trading Stephane Beauregard and considerations for Domink Hasek.

--Signing Scotty Bowman as head coach and GM in '79, after he had just head coached Montreal to four consecutive Stanley Cups from '76-'79.

--Trading Eddie Shack for Rene Robert to complete the French Connection.

--Trading Chris Gratton and a 4th round pick for Daniel Briere and a 3rd round pick.

--Trading JP Dumont, Doug Gilmour, and a draft pick for Michal Grosek.

--Effectively trading Keith Ballard and Rhett Warrener for Chris Drury and Steve Begin.

--Trading Matthew Barnaby for Stu Barnes.

--Trade deadline acquisition of Steve Bernier and a 1st round pick (Tyler Ennis) in exchange for rental Brian Campbell and a 7th round pick.

--Trading Mike Wilson for Rhett Warnener and a 5th round pick (Ryan Miller).

Gerry Meehan, not Don.

[R_Dudley]

Punch Imlach on Buffalo very first draft the choice of number 11. It turned out that the two new franchises would choose 1 - 2 , the choice being made via spin of wheel. Vancouver got choices from 1 - 10 Buffalo from one to twenty. The wheel was spun, initially it was thought that Vancouver had won the right to first pick as the Commissioner thought that the spin had fallen on number one. Punch Imlach asked them to check again, it turned out the spin had landed on 11 and not 1, thus Buffalo with the first pick were able to select arguably the greatest Buffalo Sabre ever, Gilbert Perreault. Great move to choose Perreault and great move to contest the spin.

It may also be of interest this was first year Montreal Canadians did not have lock on Quebec players in draft.

 

I was going to suggest Perreault however I would not have(did not know) added the other background on rechecking the spin number.

 

Thanks Millbank great little piece of history there

[mphs mike]

Without a doubt, the spin of that wheel was the greatest move in franchise history.

 

GO SABRES!!!

 

Sure, but is that a front office move? It's pure luck!

 

The Canucks, with #2, were left with Dale Tallon

[LastPommerFan]

The Canucks, with #2, were left with Dale Tallon

 

Or they could have had Darryl Sittler.