Understanding the Campbell Trade
A Reasonable View at the Trade of the Smooth Skating Defenseman
Breaking down the whys of the reason Brian Campbell was traded, and putting it into perspective taking into account the Sabres franchise.
Brian Campbell departed from the Buffalo Sabres yesterday, ending his tenure with the only team he had thus far known in the NHL. On Tuesday, February 26, 2008 the Sabres traded the puck moving defenseman to the San Jose Sharks for forward Steve Bernier and a first round draft choice. The Sabres also sent a seventh rounder to the Sharks.
The move can certainly not come as a surprise to any Sabres fan, certainly not with the abundance of departures that have rocked the team the past several years from Chris Drury to Jay McKee. Campbell had broken off talks last month with the Sabres, attempting to focus on hockey. Then it was reported that the Sabres had given a final offer for three years at approximately six million per season (TSN Network), which Campbell rejected. It was expected that the defenseman would want a longer-term contract for five or six years.
So Campbell departs, and there is sure to be more venom towards Sabres management and ownership, and while this is not unjustified (re: Drury, Briere, Grier, McKee), this was one that in many ways had to get away.
The forceful play on Edmonton’s GM Kevin Lowe over the summer of attempting to sign Tomas Vanek to a seven year 50 million dollar deal (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3263020) hamstrung the Sabres salary structure. They were forced to match the price for the young forward as Briere and Drury bolted via free agency. Coupled with the fact that Ryan Miller’s contract is up at the end of next season and it is reasonable to assume that Henrik Lundqvist’s recent contract with the Rangers worth about 6.5 million a season (NY Post, Feb. 14, 2008, Brett Cyrgalis and Larry Brooks) will be what Miller looks at as a template for his demands. With only about 6 million or so in salary cap space, there would not have been enough room to keep both players after next year.
Could this have all been avoided if the Sabres had been smarter and done something about this in the off-season? Perhaps, but what’s done is done, and at least Darcy Regier got something for a warm body this time as opposed to only watching the dust clouds as big money and long term deals sent multiple players out of town.
The Sabres pick up Steve Bernier, a 6’2, 225 pound winger (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/3354) from San Jose. He adds size to a generally smaller squad and the Sabres will hope that the former first round pick will live up to his promise. They also acquire a first round draft choice from the Sharks.
While popular with many Buffalo fans, there were plenty of voices against him as well, often citing his inability to put the puck on the net, and his play of late suggested that his thoughts were elsewhere, including being a –4 in the February 16th loss to the Rangers, and his lethargic play after the first period in Monday’s home loss to the Flyers. Time will tell how well the Sharks make out with Campbell, as his ability to move up ice should fit well with the west coast style.
So while some may lament, those that understand the modern day NHL know that it is a business, hampered by large contract numbers. Getting something with potential is better than pointing fingers and getting absolutely nothing.
Finally, it should be stated that Briere is having a sub-par year; Drury has struggled with constantly shifting line mates, Jay McKee missed ¾ of the season last year to injury and Mike Grier was never more than a role player, albeit a popular one. Let the pucks fall where they may, and see where it all ends up.
