Tip of the Tower
Fansided

Buffalo Sabres acquire Conor Sheary and Matt Hunwick from Penguins

By David Morassutti

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 15: Conor Sheary #43 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Wells Fargo Center on April 15, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Penguins defeated the Flyers 5.1 (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 15: Conor Sheary #43 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Wells Fargo Center on April 15, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Penguins defeated the Flyers 5.1 (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Buffalo Sabres continue their offseason makeover trading for Conor Sheary and Matt Hunwick from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Jason Botterill has decided to call his old team in hopes of improving the Buffalo Sabres as they acquired Conor Sheary and Matt Hunwick from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2019 fourth round pick.

This deal was an obvious cap dump for the Penguins as they shed $5.25 million in salary which for them was a necessary move. For the Sabres, this gives them some experience in much-needed areas as they try to get out of the NHL basement.

Sheary had a down year scoring 18 goals and 12 assists in 79 games last season but is capable of scoring 20 goals. In 2016-17, the 26-year-old had 23 goals, 30 assists for 53 points in 61 games and could rediscover his scoring touch playing in a top-six role.

Hunwick doesn’t have a lot of flash to his game but is a serviceable defenceman especially at a cap hit of $2.25 million. When he was a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs he stepped up in the playoffs when Roman Polak and Nikita Zaitsev were unable to play.

The Sabres will get a player who is strong on the penalty kill and uses his skating to his advantage but struggled to find a spot on the Penguins. There is the possibility of Josh Gorges or Justin Falk could be on their way out given how they have struggled to be reliable contributors.

For just a fourth-round pick, this is a worthwhile gamble for the Sabres to take considering how tough it has been for the team to bring in productive players.

More from Tip of the Tower

This is where Botterill’s relationship with Sheary comes in handy as Jonathan Bombulie of Trib Live reports that the former assistant GM of the Penguins helped sign Sheary out of college.

The Sabres still have a lot of business to take care of this offseason with over $18 million in cap space to take care of Sam Reinhart needing a new contract, finding a starting and adding to the rest of the roster.

After selecting Rasmus Dahlin first overall, the Sabres have the pieces to build with but a lot of questions still remain on what they plan to do next especially with Ryan O’Reilly who’s future is still in question.

Next: Sabres get the easy business out of the way

What do you think about the trade?  What should they do next? Let us know in the comments below. 

Home/Buffalo Sabres