Hockey Night in Canada's Scott Morrison breaks down all the major trades made on NHL trade deadline day.
Biron finally leaves Buffalo; Conklin joins Sabres
Tuesday, February 27, 2007 | 12:00 PM ET
The Buffalo Sabres dealt backup goaltender Martin Biron to the Philadelphia Flyers for a second-round draft choice and picked up journeyman netminder Ty Conklin from the Columbus Blue Jackets in a separate deal for a fifth-round pick.
Finally, the Flyers do something meaningful to address their goaltending problem. They still have to sign Biron, but you have to think that will happen.
From Buffalo’s standpoint, you have to wait and see what they do with the salary cap room they freed up to fix their other problems.
Conklin’s a good stop-gap measure for the Sabres. If starter Ryan Miller goes down with injury, they’re in trouble. They weren’t going to get another Biron, so Conklin is at least serviceable for short periods of time.
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About the Author
Scott Morrison, the recipient of the Hockey Hall of Fameís 2006 Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award, has been covering hockey for 25 years. The Toronto native began his career at the Toronto Sun in 1979. After spending more than 11 years as a hockey writer and columnist at the paper, Morrison became Sports Editor in 1991 and led the section to being named one of North America's top-ten sports sections in 1999 - the first sports section in Canada to receive the AP Sports Editors North American Award. Scott, a former two-term president of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, joined Rogers Sportsnet in 2001 as Managing Editor, Hockey, and is currently both a commentator on Hockey Night in Canada and a columnist for CBC.ca.
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- February 2007 (26)
Comments
Micky G
Holy Cow!?
This deal may be the deal of the century for the Flyers. Since Pelle Lindberg no one has taken up the mantle in goal. Clarkie never believed in spending the money.
Sabres got virtually nothing in return for Biron and the Flyers potentially got their future handed back to them with a bona fide no. 1 goalie for a change - what a steal!
The bigger question is does this mean that goalie depth around the league is so deep that no playoff (contending) team would make a run for someone of Marty's caliber???
Holy Cow??!!
Posted February 28, 2007 09:45 PM
Gary Dare
Chuck, I have a funny feeling that the Sabres had a bigger deal that fell apart at the last minute. That's after realizing that they held on to Biron for too long and the Flyers stole him on a salary dump. Finally, Buffalo had all these chintzy little deals that basically filled out their bench until the regulars come back.
Posted February 27, 2007 06:04 PM
Corey
Ottawa
To Chris in Winnipeg:
Last I checked, Knuble was a 34 year old veteran and has never been considered the cornerstone of a franchise, his best season being last year and a considerably more apt Flyers club, and even then he only managed 65 points. I will agree that Jeff Carter has much potential, but he is certainly not putting up numbers close to what Malkin is producing with the Penguins. To compare Knuble and Carter to Crosby and Malkin would be akin to comparing the '84 Oilers to the expansion Senators. Biron will also provide stability in the Flyers, as he certainly cannot fair any worse than the lacklustre duo they currently have. Perhaps the lack of NHL hockey in Winnipeg the last ten years has skewed your judgement.
Posted February 27, 2007 03:32 PM
Jayden
Scarborough
Martin Biron will finally get his oppurtunity to be a starter, especially in Philadelphia. After seeing the Flyers this year, their goaltending has been terrible. With Robert Esche getting older and Nittymaki still in need to adjust life in the big league, Biron was a good pick up for the Flyers. Knowing after they've traded one of their elite player, Peter Forsberg. Philly's in a position of rebuilding their franchise. Already with Simon Gagne, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter as their young core of forwards, then adding Biron between the pipes, Philadelphia is directing in the right direction...sign him up.
Posted February 27, 2007 03:04 PM
chris
winnipeg
The guy who said they should have got Jeff Carter or Mike Knuble needs to come back to reality. Those two guys, along with Gagne, are the future of the Flyers. To trade one of them for a goalie who is only slightly above average would be crazy. Maybe they should have offered him to the Penguins for Crosby or Malkin?
Posted February 27, 2007 02:16 PM
Dave
Buffalo was going to lose Biron anyway, so they pick up the first pick in the second round of the 2007 Draft, and free up some salary room. Now they can look at acquiring one or two healthy bodies to help them get to the playoffs when most of their injured players will be back in the line-up.
Posted February 27, 2007 01:41 PM
Jason thaler
Ty Conklin will NOT help the Sabres in their cup run this season, he has been/is a constant under-acheiver.
They clearly placed all the pressure on Miller to perform this Playoff season with this deal.
Posted February 27, 2007 01:26 PM
Corey
Ottawa
Definitely have to question the logistics of this trade, if only because Buffalo does not get a roster player. Biron most assuredly would not have returned to Buffalo, but they could have gotten more than just a 2nd round pick. Given the myriad of injuries Buffalo has experienced over the last few weeks, a forward (such as Mike Knuble or Jeff Carter) should have been included in the asking price. Adding Conklin for a 5th round pick is reasonable, but in no way replaces the depth Biron afforded the Sabres. If Miller goes down or fails to perform, the Sabres could have a short stint in the playoffs this year and a long summer to reflect on this trade.
Posted February 27, 2007 01:07 PM
Dan F.
Vancouver
In last year's playoffs their depth in goal was useless to Buffalo - what they really needed was depth everywhere else. With the amount of injuries they have right now, it's even more imperative that Buffalo shores up their lineup...not only for the playoffs, but to fight off Ottawa from catching them and taking the division. An easier first round is crucial for the Sabres, since they will still have some top guys making their way into the lineup and getting rid of rust.
Posted February 27, 2007 01:02 PM
Mark K
Biron was moved to free up cap space (look for Buffalo to make some more moves).
He is a UFA and was going to sign elsewhere meaning Buffalo would have lost him and gotten NOTHING in return.
It looks like they're banking on Miller playing every night in the playoffs.
Posted February 27, 2007 12:43 PM
The Bambino
Newfoundland
Mind blowing. Here's hoping that Miller doesn't have trouble in the playoffs. If he gets hurt or has a bad game, as an Oiler fan I can guarantee you one thing, Ty Conklin isn't the answer. I know they were trying to get Biron a starting job somewhere, he was owed that much, but get something in return.
They would've been better off trading him to Canadian Tire for the motorized "Le Goalie".
Posted February 27, 2007 12:40 PM
Chuck Smith
I'm really confused.....I don't know the salary figures offhand, but why did the Sabres bother picking up a constant underachiever like Conklin while giving up easily one of the best backups in the league?
Even without salary considerations, this is a headscratcher. I know Biron must have great trade value, but if it's not a first-rounder, the Sabres made a potentially huge mistake.
Miller's no Luongo or Brodeur, he can't be expected to bring his best every night.
Posted February 27, 2007 12:24 PM