With the Oilers bursting at the seams in terms of defensemen, would the Sabres be a good team to deal with at the draft? Currently they sit in the 13th spot of the draft, and like the Oilers they have been absent from the playoffs for too long in their loyal fans eyes.
The Sabres biggest issue is their lack of solid defensemen. What I propose is dealing either Grebeshkov or Gilbert and Staios to Buffalo for the 13th pick, their 2nd round pick in this and next years draft, and Mark Mancari. Then I would make a big pitch to Bouwmeester and Komisarek and see who might sign on the dotted line.
The Oilers could then either package their 10th and 13th picks and a 2nd (if needed) and move way up in the draft, or just stock the cupboard with 4 picks in the top 60 in a deep draft while also adding another guy that could turn into a solid pro who also has some size. Mancari had an incredible start in Portland and then cooled way off towards the end of the year, however he's got a mix of size and skill that would be worth taking a gamble on. Not to mention he can REALLY hammer a puck and owns the AHL's record for hardest shot with a 102.8 MPH blast that would make Sheldon Souray proud.
The only roadblock is if Buffalo decides to "thank us" for the Vanek offer sheet and tries to poach Grebeshkov and leaves us in a position to have to wait a year or longer to get anything that can help the team or even know where we might be picking. One way or another, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Oilers and Sabres hooking up in some sort of a deal involving an Oilers defenseman or two headed to Buffalo. If it's by our choice or not remains to be seen.
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