The deal: Buffalo trades Jaroslav Halak (after acquiring him from St. Louis for Ryan Miller just last week) and a third-round 2015 pick to Washington for Michael Neuvirth and Rostislav Klesla.
The money:
Halak: $3.75 million cap hit, deal expires in July 2014.
Neuvirth: $2.5 million cap hit, deal expires in July 2015.
What the Sabres are thinking: Buffalo acquired Halak in the Ryan Miller trade on Feb. 28, then swapped him for Neuvirth five days later, with Halak never having played a game in a Sabres uniform (though he did serve as Jhonas Enroth’s backup for one game). After giving up one of the league’s elite goaltenders last week, Buffalo is now banking on the 25-year-old Czech to be their go-to guy in the net. Neuvirth has shown promise, with a .910 SV% and a 2.67 GAA after five seasons with Washington, but he’s been derailed from claiming the starting job with the Caps by a rotating cast of challengers and poorly timed illnesses and injuries. He’s young in goalie years, so if the defensive deficiencies in front of him don’t wreak too much havoc, Buffalo could be his chance to finally seize a no. 1 spot definitively and show what he can do.
What the Capitals are thinking: If a guy beats you senseless, acquire him. Playing with Montreal in 2010, Halak was almost single-handedly responsible for dismantling the Caps in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and apparently Washington hasn’t forgotten. Halak, of course, was the guy later pushed off the goalie carousel in Montreal as Carey Price’s star rose, but for the last three seasons, he’s put in a respectable performance in St. Louis. He heads to Washington carrying a .917 SV% and 2.23 GAA, and he’ll challenge Braden Holtby for the starting job. Klesla was acquired by the Caps on March 4 in the Martin Erat trade; Phoenix waived the defenseman earlier this season and he’s been playing with their AHL team, the Portland Pirates.
Fantasy Implications: Neuvirth’s stock falls simply because of the team he’s now playing for, even if he’ll get more starts from now on. St. Louis has long been a solid team whose big question was goaltending, but with Washington still floundering out of a playoff spot, Halak’s value also takes a modest dive.
Who wins this deal now: Washington—Halak is a capable goaltender, and his presence will calm the crease if Braden Holtby struggles.
Who wins this deal later: Buffalo, if Neuvirth can live up to his early promise and, with more playing time and responsibility, grow into something even better.
Overall: An even trade. One last rousing game of musical goalies on a trade deadline positively lousy with them.