[Buffalo, NY] - Thursday saw a total of three separate deals completed by the Buffalo Sabres. The first was the aquisition of three solid prospects along with the #22 overall pick in the upcoming OTHL Entry draft from Nashville, in exchange for young defenseman Jeff Jillson, a 2nd RD pick in 2004 and a 2nd RD pick in 2005. The three prospects the Sabres aquired were defensemen Alexander Sulzer and Richard Stehlik and center Gregori shafigulin.
The biggest deal of the day saw the Sabres aquire an old face, center Pierre Turgeon from Dallas. Turgeon was originally drafted by the Sabres. The Dallas Stars agree to pay $1,000,000 of Turgeon's salary this year. Going to Dallas is goaltending prospect Marty Magers.
The third and final deal was a small one, as the Sabres shipped off thier 7th Rd pick in 2004 in exchange for Chicago's 7th Rd pick in 2005.
C Gergori Shafigulin 6'2" 185 lbs - Drafted in 3rd RD, 98th Overall in 2003
"Considered one of the top defensive forwards in the 2003 draft."
D Alexander Sulzer 6'2" 213 lbs - Drafted in 3rd RD, 92nd Overall in 2003
"Sulzer is a solid defenseman, who can combine physical presence on the ice with some good offensive skills. He is a very good skater with a remarkable stamina. His fine positional play and a strong shot from the blue line are making him a good all around defender. Furthermore Sulzer is playing an effective game in the corners and in front of the net. Sulzer is a very compact defender with lots of strength and less weaknesses." - from HF.
D Richard Stehlik 6'4" 245 lbs - Drafted in 3rd RD, 76th Overall in 2003
"Stehlik is the best Slovak prospect. He has all assets to be the NHL player – size, strength, skills, hockey sense, work ethic. Richard played in the Senior League since the age of 16. He is a rock in his own zone. Stehlik uses his size well, has no problems playing in traffic. He reads the play well, and is very competitive and plays the game with desire. Stehlik is a solid puck distributor and doesn't overhandle the puck. Richard works well along the boards and takes care of business in front of the net as well. He needs to improve on his shot power and work on his mobility, but he shows the willingness to imporove and works hard to perfect his game. Richard has solid physical parametres and he uses them very well. His checks are hard and he doesn't give his opponents too much respect. His stability and strength are big advantages that allow him to win majority of one-on-one duels. He could become more of an offensive threat if his shot accuracy improves." - from HF.