Boyes to Buffalo

			2011 Season				2011	Remaining
To Buffalo	Position	Age	GP	G	A	P	Cap Hit	Years	Cap Hit
Brad Boyes	Forward	28	62	12	29	41	$4 million	1	Same
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To St. Louis	Position	Age	GP	G	A	P	Cap Hit	Years	Cap Hit
2011 2nd Round Draft Pick

With new ownership taking over in Buffalo, we'll be seeing a different era of the Darcy Regier regime, as the budget days appear to be over for now. Regier made his first move under new ownership, by upgrading their offense with a strong centre in Brad Boyes, dealing away a 2nd round pick from this Summer to get him.

Boyes is a quality centre who should fit into the systems that are in place in Buffalo under Lindy Ruff and there are a number of good wingers that he can pivot for, so it will be up to the coach to find a good set to develop some scoring chemistry with.

Boyes has had a bit of a rebound season to this point, as he has almost passed his point total from all of the 2010 season, where he did play all 82 games. This acquisition already looks good for Buffalo.

The Blues, who lost to the Flames on Sunday night, took a big hit to their playoff chances, as they now sit 7 points out of a playoff spot, but there is such a logjam to get in, the decision may have been made to see what kind of assets they can get from some decent players, possibly even some rentals and that'll work for them now.  A 2nd round pick for the upcoming draft will definitely work in their favour.

Cap-wise today, the Blues are selling off an asset and the Sabres were a budget team all season, so neither team should feel a pinch or a threat from the completion of this deal.  I don't have all my figures in front of me, but I would have to think that the budget the Sabres were working with was very long-term, so the addition of a full $4 million cap hit shouldn't be an issue either.

The questions in the draft then become, who does he belong to and will this trade impact the money race?  Well, Boyes belongs to Dale B., who is in the 6th spot in the standings, 21 points out of the last money spot.  If Boyes can find good chemistry with some new linemates right away, the last 20 or so games for the Sabres could come up with a few more wins and Boyes could have a bit better scoring pace, so yes, this does have a potential impact on the race.  Dale could work his way in a little closer, if everything goes well.