Buffalo Sabres Scratch Defenseman Ahead Of Imminent Trade
The Buffalo Sabres made a surprise move tonight, making defenseman Henri Jokiharju a healthy scratch, an indicator that he has played his last game in Buffalo.
With the trade deadline coming up next Friday, the Buffalo Sabres are in a position to sell.
It certainly appears as though the team will extend their NHL-record playoff drought to 14 seasons this year as they are currently 24-28-5, dead last in the Atlantic Division, and the Eastern Conference.
As a result, everyone not nailed to the floor is once again up for sale in Buffalo.
Players like Alex Tuch have already been drawing interest from teams around the league, but there are plenty more that could be playing their final games with the team this week.
One of those players is veteran defenseman Henri Jokiharju.
The 25-year-old former 1st round draft pick has already played in 389 career NHL games, putting up 19 goals and 93 points in the process.
This season he has 3 goals and 6 points in 42 games for the Sabres.
According to NHL insider David Pagnotta, the Sabres have been shopping Jokiharju recently, which could very well explain why he was a healthy scratch tonight.
Other players that could find themselves on new clubs by next week include Dylan Cozens, who has also drawn trade interest, Jason Zucker, who is a pending UFA this summer, and James Reimer, who has been surprisingly good in goal for the team.
Regardless of who gets moved and who stays, Sabres general manager Kevin Adams has his hands full as the organization has seemingly made zero progress in the last decade.
At this rate, the Sabres could easily hit 20 years in a row without making the playoffs, which would not only be a bad look for the team, but for the NHL as a whole.
It could potentially even lead to talks of relocation, considering Buffalo is a small market as it is.
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