There's just something about those big blueliners in Buffalo.
Sabres GM Tim Murray, shortly after heaping praise on Tyler Myers, shipped him off to the Winnipeg Jets along with a boatload of other NHL assets in exchange for Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian.
Could young defenseman Nikita Zadorov be facing a similar fate?
"You wonder how tempted General Manager Tim Murray might be to make a move with Zadorov as the March 2 trade deadline approaches. Murray, remember, doesn't have to have allegiance to him. Zadorov wasn't his draft pick," muses Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.
Zadorov, a 19-year-old former first-round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, is on a short leash with the Sabres at the moment. Issues of maturity and focus - not surprising considering his young age - continue to dog him and have led to his status as a healthy scratch numerous times this season despite his immense talent.
Yes, he's still growing both mentally and physically and could simply need time and seasoning in order to more fully realize his NHL potential, but why would the Sabres scratch Zadorov, who has looked good when he's been on the ice this season, in favor of fellow 2013 first-round draft pick Rasmus Ristolainen, who has struggled?
If Zadorov becomes expendable - or enough of a frustration or headache - could Murray move him as part of a package for Colorado Avalanche center Ryan O'Reilly, a player he has long been rumored to be enamored with?
"One of the worst-kept secrets in hockey is Murray's near-obsession with Colorado center Ryan O'Reilly. Whether it's next week or this summer, you wonder how tempted Murray is to reunite Mikhail Grigorenko with Avalanche coach Patrick Roy, who had him in junior, and to include Zadorov in a package," Harrington writes.
"Murray is stoking the O'Reilly fires and, after another terrific outing Sunday, you have to believe the Michal Neuvirth audition is going well enough for Murray to get something for him."
Zadorov reported to training camp overweight, balked at the notion of returning to the OHL and has now been a healthy scratch seven times this season.
He's got great physical tools and may very well become a great player in this league - the team has considered him a non-starter in trade talks in the past - but he's not there now and could find himself worth more as a trade piece than a player to grow with, depending on Murray and the Sabres' view of his NHL future.
