Brad Boyes is a Buffalo Sabre

Last night, the Buffalo Sabres traded a second round pick for St. Louis Blues right-winger Brad Boyes. Boyes may not be one of the top goal scorers in the league, but he plays at a high level and should be an asset to this team as they try and get into playoff position.

I like the move by the Sabres, but I'm kind of disappointed that they didn't get a center. With Derek Roy out for the season, that is the team's biggest need right now. Boyes will add more goal scoring potential to the team's top two lines (he scored 43 in 2007-2008) but he will likely be skating with Jochen Hecht or TIm Connolly, two guys who haven't been impressive.

As a Tim Connolly fan, I can only hope that Boyes will be paired with him and the two will develop some chemistry. After all, these guys played together in juniors and Ruff wants them on the same line to start.

What I do like about the deal is Boyes' contract. Unlike the Sabres' usual trade deadline deal, they picked up a player with a full year still on his contract. This means Boyes will likely play all of the 2011-2012 season with the Sabres. In recent years, the Sabres pick up someone who plays the rest of the season and playoffs with the team but then leaves to free agency. If Boyes turns out to be a good fit in Buffalo, maybe he will ink an extension and stick around.