The Buffalo Sabres have already had a bumpy season as far as injuries to defensemen are concerned.
They’re currently missing Rasmus Dahlin due to an injury sustained a week ago. That comes after Mattias Samuelsson and Olen Zellweger both dealt with injuries late in the preseason that put their regular season availability in doubt.
It’s the kind of bad injury luck that makes a team well aware of whether it could use some more depth. And while the Sabres aren’t terribly positioned defensively, a few injuries could certainly make things a lot shakier in short order.
They could find potential help, though, in an old friend.
Tyler Myers Trade Rumors
Sabres fans obviously won’t have forgotten Tyler Myers. It’s tough to forget a 6-foot-8 defenseman that suited up in Buffalo for years.
Myers currently plays for the Dallas Stars, who acquired him before last season’s trade deadline from the Vancouver Canucks.
He’s not much of an offensive difference maker anymore, but Myers is still an NHL-level defenseman.
Recently, he was named by The Athletic as a logical “under-the-radar” trade candidate for the Stars.
“Six-foot-8 defensemen don’t grow on trees, though, and Myers — acquired at last season’s deadline — could be appealing to a contender looking for depth on the right side,” The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus wrote.
There was no initial connection to the Sabres made in that article, but it’s a fit that certainly makes some sense on paper.
Doesn’t Help Dahlin Issue
Of course, Dahlin is a left-shot defenseman and Myers is a right-shot, so generally speaking, Myers wouldn’t solve Dahlin’s injury absence all by himself.
The Sabres will also be hoping Dahlin is back sooner rather than later, so this deal would ideally not be about Dahlin in the first place.
Instead, it’d be about adding veteran experience to the right side of defense in a way that could help over the course of a long season.
The Sabres have youngsters like Zach Metsa and Louis Crevier occupying spots on the right side, and this isn’t to say Myers should take their spot. But he could serve as a great mentor, and injuries have been popping up fast and furious around the NHL this season, so Myers would also provide a great depth addition.
Lazerus does suggest in The Athletic’s article that the Stars are more likely to be buyers than sellers, so maybe it’d take a very specific scenario for Buffalo, or any team, to pry Myers from Dallas.
But if he truly becomes available, it’s not hard to imagine Myers in a Sabres uniform. He’s already worn one many times.
Sabres Could Trade for 6-Foot-8 Old Friend Amid Dahlin Injury