yes buffalo trades the Goalie with better numbers this year along with 2 guys they drafted in the 1st round for a guy who is struggling and locked in for years at 5m$

Demko shouldn't be traded right now. All the fans of teams acquiring him are going to point to this year's start and us Canuck fans know he's a top 10 goalie in the league coming off off-season hip surgery. We aren't going to get an offer that would make us willing to deal him. Even if he wants out he'll have to understand that isn't happening until he rebuilds his value.

As a disinterested observer, I think that this is a bad idea for the Sabres. People who believe that a competent GM would take the risk of investing significant assets in Thatcher Demko before the trade deadline should research the history of why Jake Oettinger is tending goal for the Dallas Stars.

So let's assume that this trade occurs in the summer. (I'm going to ignore the unsigned Johnson.) Here are the possible outcomes of this trade:

1. Demko turns out to be far from the elite goalie his supporters contend that he was. No matter what happens with UPL and Kulich, Buffalo doesn't come out ahead.
2. Demko turns out to be a middle-of-the-pack goalie. Buffalo comes out ahead only if both UPL and Kulich don't pan out as well.
3. Demko turns out to be a middle-of-the-pack goalie, but UPL turns out to be as good. Buffalo doesn't come out ahead.
4. Demko turns out to be a middle-of-the-pack goalie, but UPL turns out to be an elite goalie. Buffalo REALLY doesn't come out ahead.
5. Demko turns out to be a middle-of-the-pack goalie, but Kulich turns out to be a top-6 forward. Buffalo doesn't come out ahead.
6. Demko turns out to be a middle-of-the-pack goalie, but Kulich turns out to be an All-Star. Buffalo REALLY doesn't come out ahead.
7. Demko turns out to be a middle-of-the-pack goalie, but both UPL and Kulich turn out to be first-class NHL players. Buffalo doesn't come out ahead.
8. Demko turns out to be a middle-of-the-pack goalie, but both UPL and Kulich turn into first-class NHL players, and at least one of them is very good. Buffalo REALLY, REALLY doesn't come out ahead.
9. Demko regains his form and is an elite goalie. Neither UPL nor Kulich turn out as well. Buffalo comes out ahead.
10. Demko regains his form and is an elite goalie, but the aggregate of UPL and Kulich is roughly equal. Buffalo doesn't come out ahead.
11. Demko regains his form and is an elite goalie, but one of UPL and Kulich turns out to be of equal impact. Buffalo doesn't come out ahead.
12. Demko regains his form and is an elite goalie, but both UPL and Kulich turn out to be of equal impact. Buffalo REALLY doesn't come out ahead.

Now I will be the first to concede that #9 might well be the single most likely outcome, but the risk presented by the other 11 possibilities is simply too great for any prudent GM to take.

Or, to put it another, simpler, way, @jonnymc26 is right.

Kulich is untouchable to start. Sabres don't need to gamble on Demko

Dear VAN fans,

1- Buffalo doesn’t want Demko, we are no longer looking for a goalie- UPL has been good for us

2- Demko is hurt & has played poorly this season- i wouldn’t give you ONE of those pieces you propose for him, let alone all 4…. that’s just laughable bud


You guys ABSOLUTELY will not get the kind of return for Demko that you want- not unless he gets healthy & plays like his old self for a significant amount of time

And even then, Buffalo would still pass
As i said, we are no longer looking for a goalie

Knowing how long it takes to transcribe a detailed comment, this is amazing.
Thank you very much for your input.

Vancouver fans want UPL. Montreal fans want Levi. Leggo of our goalies please

Thanks for the reinforcement. I try to be logical and evenhanded while recognizing my own biases. I put some time into drafting a comment before I write, and I ALWAYS proofread before sending. I think that the worst mistake one can make on CapFriendly is to react reflexively. But I'll be the first to admit that I frequently fly off the handle when confronted with a particularly bad take. (Today a guy commented about one of "my" defensemen that he stank while with their team and hadn't gotten any better. So I looked up my guy's record and discovered that he had spent all of ten whole games with the other team, in which he recorded two assists and was a plus-one. It's offhand and uninformed nonsense like that which really sets me off.)