Goalie Fight! As seen above, former Sabre Ryan Miller never shied away from anything.
Canadian Press/Frank Gunn

When it comes to the business aspect of sports, sometimes you have to make hard decisions. For the Buffalo Sabres, unfortunately that time came Friday when they traded Ryan Miller. The popular franchise goalie was packaged with captain Steve Ott to the Blues for Jaroslav Halak, Chris Stewart, 19-year old prospect William Carrier, a 2015 first round pick and a conditional 2016 third round pick.

At 33, Miller is in the final year of his contract. The former Vezina winner can become an unrestricted free agent this summer. On a last place team, he performed admirably winning 15 games while posting a 2.72 goals-against-average and .923 save percentage. His final start for Buffalo came after returning from Sochi in Tuesday’s 3-2 home win over Carolina. He stopped 36 of 38 for a franchise record 284th win. It was poetic that it came against one of the teams his team lost to in consecutive Conference Finals. Back then, those Sabre teams were one of the best in the game. Unfortunately, key injuries to several players prevented them from reaching the Stanley Cup. Who knows how different it might’ve been.

With new GM Bob Murray rebuilding, it made sense to unload him. If you’re a Sabre fan like one of my closest friends, it still hurts the same. While it’s easy to rationalize getting a good return for Miller, he was one of their own. Selected in the fifth round of the ’99 Draft, the former Michigan State product developed into one of the best NHL goalies. In a decade, he’s won 40 twice, taken home a Vezina, represented Team USA in consecutive Olympics including backstopping them to silver in Vancouver. Despite that impressive resume, he’s only seen the playoffs four times. He deserved another chance elsewhere and will get it with a talented Blues team.

Clearly, things went downhill for Buffalo once Chris Drury and Daniel Briere left. At times, Miller showed frustration with how the team played in front of him. Even the legendary Martin Brodeur has shown this side. That’s the competitive nature of an athletic goalie who wants to win. Miller didn’t always say the right thing. That didn’t always enamor him to Western Buffalo. Who could blame him? You always want fiery players who want to win. Having already dealt Thomas Vanek earlier this season, the writing was on the wall. As much as they would’ve liked to re-sign him, they had to do what was best for the franchise.

In a way, they did right by Miller. It’s not like the Sabres are making the postseason. This isn’t the same situation as the crisis facing Rangers GM Glen Sather with Ryan Callahan. When you have a team in playoff position, it’s a lot harder to justify trading a team leader. By moving both Miller and Ott to St. Louis, Murray has helped create Buffalo Midwest. Former Sabres Derek Roy and Jordan Leopold also play for them. That’ll be an odd reunion under Ken Hitchcock. Another oddity who guided the Stars to the Cup over Buffalo in 1999.

It was a little surprising what the return was. Halak is 28 and turns unrestricted this summer. He earns $3.75 million. Not to point out the obvious but there’s no guarantee he’ll stay. You wonder if they’re hoping he’ll take a short-term deal and be a stop gap until either Jhonas Enroth or Matt Hackett are ready. Stewart is 26 and is signed through next year earning $4.15 million. A good player with size and strength, he’s scored 28 goals twice. After getting 18 in 48 last year, he has 15 in 58 this year. Not overly impressive. But he plays with edge and has 112 penalty minutes. The kind of character Buffalo fans crave. He’ll have over a year to impress the Sabres or be used as a trade asset.

The other aspect of the trade is Carrier and future draft picks. Getting a 2015 first rounder is a plus. A potential deep draft. The conditional third depends upon what happens in St. Louis with Miller. Carrier is 19 and was taken in last year’s second round by the Blues 57th overall. He plays in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and has totaled 56 points with Cape Breton and Drummondville. After putting up 41 in 39 games with Cape Breton, Carrier was traded with teammate Matthew Donnelly to Cape Breton for Guillaume Gauthier, a 2014 fifth round pick and 2015 number one. So far, he’s posted five goals and 10 assists in 21 games for the Eagles. A 6-2 198 pound left wing with a heavy shot who’s a shifty skater, Gauthier could develop into something nice.

Buffalo continues to load the deck. With former Islander Matt Moulson next to hit the block, they’ll continue to see what they can get back. Vet defenseman Christian Ehrhoff must agree to waive his no-trade clause. With the Sabres, it’s all about the future.