According to the Long Island Newsday, NY Islanders GM Garth Snow reportedly made a substantial offer to former Sabre/present Islander Thomas Vanek which is "believed to be in the same range as Vanek's current seven-year, $50 million deal."
The report states that Vanek rejected it.
Which is great news for the Buffalo Sabres.
Vanek was traded to the Islanders for Matt Moulson a conditional first round pick and a 2015 second rounder. The condition of the first rounder rests upon the finish of the Islanders this season. Should they finish with a top-10 pick in the draft this year, they will have the option of keeping the pick and deferring to next year's draft.
Adam Proteau analyzes the latest developments for Snow and his team. Proteau recognizes what Snow was trying to do and he speculates that Isles GM will be looking to upgrade his defense at the deadline when Vanek will probably be moved.
Vanek was acquired to ride shotgun on the John Tavares line. Tavares, Vanek and Kyle Okposo have been smokin' hot as of late and this is what Snow envisioned when he made the trade.
Vanek is an extremely talented hockey player who is very smart off the ice as well. Back in 2007, he and his agent extracted a $50m contract out of the Buffalo Sabres via an offer sheet from the Edmonton Oilers.
As far back as July of last year, we speculated that Vanek would be having his cake and eating it too come the 2014 off season and it looks as if unrestricted free agency is where he's headed.
Although the Sabres passed up four first round picks by matching the Edmonton offersheet, it would appear that they will still be getting a hefty return for him, albeit seven years later.
As mentioned, the Sabres received Moulson in the deal. Moulson is a 30 goal scorer in the middle of his prime right now. Should they re-sign him, it would be like adding a top-six player that's not statistically that far away from Vanek. Should Sabres GM Tim Murray decide to trade him (if he's able to,) the return will probably be a first rounder and a mid to upper-level prospect.
Plus, they will be receiving the Isles 2015 second-rounder.
The conditional first rounder is where things get interesting, and why Sabers fans are thanking Vanek for not re-upping on Long Island.
Presently the Islanders are 26th in the league with one point separating them from 28th. The only thing keeping them afloat is the play of the Tavares line.
Take out Vanek from the equation and there's a good chance they'll plummet further.
Should they finish with a top-5 pick this year, they will need to decide whether or not they want to keep the pick or defer. And the Sabres organization couldn't be happier.
Should the Sabres get the pick this year, they could have two top-5 picks in 2014 and with the draft being top-heavy with forwards, it represents an immediate jump in talent up-front.
If the Islanders defer to next season, there's no guarantee for them that they will finish any better.
In looking at the team, they will need to do a ton of work on defense just to get it respectable. And even if they do add pieces, there are still some serious question marks in goal.
With the Sabres looking at another low finish in 2014-15, and the Islanders looking at another lottery pick, the chances that Buffalo could land the top overall pick in the Connor McDavid sweepstakes just got better.
This is about as good a win-win as any franchise could hope for.
Many thanks should be spread around, including Snow and former Sabres GM Darcy Regier for fashioning this trade.
But most of all, thank you Thomas Vanek.
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