CLEAN UP IN AISLE B(UFFALO)

VANCOUVER, BC — Things are so rough in Buffalo, Eric Staal didn’t even want to talk about his season with the Sabres in his zoom media conference on Sunday.

Sabres GM Kevyn Adams began reshaping his roster this past week by trading Staal to the Montreal Canadiens and goalie Jonas Johansson to the Colorado Avalanche, and more moves are coming, but it’s clear everyone in that organization is frustrated.

“The good part, for me, right now, is I don’t really need to explain (what happened in Buffalo),” Staal said. “I can kind of put that behind me and focus on what I can do for the Montreal Canadiens. Obviously, it has been a very difficult season for the Sabres and for me personally there. I think there’s a lot of contributing factors – I’m not going to lay them all out, as far as what I thoughts are. I know Kevyn is going to do the best he can to recharge that organization, recharge that program, and he’ll do a good job. But there’s a ways to go.”

Adams has several pieces he will continue to take calls on over the next 15 days, including Taylor Hall, Brandon Montour, Tobias Rieder and Linus Ullmark, all of whom can become unrestricted free agents this summer, and these players are clearly waiting to see how things unfold.

“I think everybody knows I’m a UFA at the end of the year,” Montour said Friday after the team dealt Staal. “Teams could be calling, could not be calling. That’s not my decision. If I’m wearing a Buffalo Sabres jersey or whatever jersey, I’m a player and my job is to go on the ice. That’s all I’m focused on.”

Unless the Sabres work out a trade involving someone with term – Rasmus Ristolainen, Collin Miller and Sam Reinhart have also been talked about, and Adams should be listening on everybody, including captain Jack Eichel – Hall is clearly the biggest asset the Sabres can move and it sounds more and more like it’s heading in that direction.

The Sabres are asking for a first-round draft pick and a top prospect or young NHL talent as part of a deal for Hall, but the early chatter doesn’t seem to suggest they’ll get it. Adams will certainly hold on for the biggest return, but Hall’s no-movement clause will factor in and he’ll not only dictate where he ends up, but ultimately what type of package Buffalo will get back for him.

A second-round pick, a top prospect and perhaps another asset might end up being the package the Sabres receive for Hall. Even if there is an indication that he is willing to sign an extension with the Sabres, at this point, it’s in the team’s best interest to regain some assets for him and revisit those talks in the off-season.

The Sabres will surely have to retain half of Hall’s $8 million cap hit, and teams that could take a swing at him include the New York Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche, who pursued him in the off-season.

Teams can only retain salary on three contracts during a season. With the Sabres eating half of Staal’s deal and the anticipation that they’ll gobble up a chunk of Hall’s contract, that leaves just one spot for either Montour or Ullmark, assuming they won’t considering taking on a piece of someone’s deal beyond this season.

Ullmark, 27, has put up solid numbers this season and in 2019-20 with the Sabres, which may come as a surprise on the surface given how poorly the team plays in front of its own crease, but that’ll attract the attention of teams investigating the goalie market.

HABS STILL EXPLORING OPTIONS

The Montreal Canadiens made one acquisition ahead of the trade deadline, bringing in Staal from the Sabres for two draft picks. With 15 days until the deadline, Habs GM Marc Bergevin is still fishing for deals.

With limited salary cap space, though, the next move Bergevin could make – unless he gets really, really creative – will likely result in a roster player being shipped out of town in a package for an upgrade. There’s been some chatter surrounding Detroit Red Wings defenceman Jon Merrill ($925,000 cap hit), but that might not be a big-enough move if the Habs try to swing for the fences.

Bergevin said Saturday he doesn’t expect to make another move, but if you believe he’s not trying, then you would’ve believed him Thursday when he said it was “probably very unlikely” he makes a trade by the deadline – less than 24 hours later, he acquired Staal.

With Cole Caufield now in the mix, the Canadiens could end up slotting him into the lineup later on in the season. His cap hit, though, is just $880,833 as his total salary this season is $792,500 compared to the $925,000 in each of the next two years of his deal, giving Montreal a little bit of space in the event he sticks with the big club. That could affect their trade plans, but they could also keep him on the taxi squad and utilize him during the playoffs, where the cap disappears.

Defenceman Victor Mete’s still a piece the Canadiens can include in a deal, especially if they upgrade their blueline, and that could help them maneuver the cap depending on the player coming back.

Montreal will be a team to keep one eye open on over these next two weeks. You just never know.

DON’T FORGET ABOUT BOSTON

The Boston Bruins want to make an addition or two over these next two weeks – one up front and one on the blueline. With John Moore done for the next five-to-six months, his $2.75 million salary cap hit can go on LTIR and help free up some extra space for Bruins GM Don Sweeney.

In a perfect world, the Bruins would like to add a top-six scoring winger and a left-shot defenceman for their first or second pair. We’ll see what Sweeney has up his sleeve but adding someone up front might be at the top of his list.

Jake DeBrusk is one piece the Bruins are willing to package for an upgrade and moving him and his $3.4 million cap hit helps bring in a high-priced asset.

The usual suspects – Kyle Palmieri and Mikael Granlund – are on Boston’s radar, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them pursue a player with at least one more year left on his deal. Anaheim’s Rickard Rakell is prime for the picking and if Boston believes they can still go on a Cup run with an add or two, it might be worth it.

Another player to watch out for: Coyotes forward Conor Garland.

I do wonder, though, if they poke around a little further in Arizona. Would Oliver Ekman-Larsson reconsider a move in-season if it’s to Boston, one of the two teams he was willing to waive his no-movement clause for in the off-season? The cap offers its challenges, but if you’re going for it, go big or go home.