The Pittsburgh Penguins have cleared some cap space by trading forward Conor Sheary and defenseman Matt Hunwick to the Buffalo Sabres
Coming into the 2018 offseason, the Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to make some changes to their roster. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Sabres are looking to make some upgrades to their roster after the status quo has proven to be set far too low. The two sides have worked something out, as Pittsburgh is sending forward Conor Sheary and defenseman Matt Hunwick to Buffalo for a 2019 draft pick.
Sheary and Hunwick to Buffalo for 2019 4th that can become a 3rd. https://t.co/zi2XB1dIvv
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 27, 2018
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It’s not surprising to see the Penguins and Sabres work something out. After all, Buffalo general manager Jason Botterill worked in Pittsburgh’s front office for a number of years. So obviously, the two sides know each other. And Botterill knows the Pens’ players.
For Pittsburgh, this trade is all about cap space. They just cleared $5.25 million of cap space, which is huge for them. The Pens now have just over $10 million of cap space with 17 players signed. Expect them to quickly re-sign center Riley Sheahan, who did fairly well for them last season.
Buffalo is getting a talented forward who became surplus in Pittsburgh. That’s probably more of a testament to how good the rest of their wings are than anyone else. The Sabres also add a decent defenseman in Hunwick. He has proven to be a decent third pairing defenseman but was never a fit in Pittsburgh.
Sheary got his top six forward spots taken by Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust. He has two straight 30 points seasons, but saw his point total decline from 53 points in 2016-17 to 30 points last season. Sheary also saw his average time on ice get cut from 15:56 per game to 13:57 per game.
Buffalo is betting on the talented wing rebounding and giving them a bit more skill in their top six. They’re also adding an NHL caliber defenseman in Hunwick. Given that he has a year left on his deal, Hunwick could get the team a decent haul at the trade deadline.