Best Trades In Buffalo Sabres History - #5

In the month of August, as the news in the hockey world slows to a crawl, we will be taking a look at the most consequential deals in Buffalo Sabres history (using the Hockey News Archives as source material) and ranking the 15 best and the 15 worst deals in the club’s 54-year history.

This required the input of a trio of veteran media members (Dave Reichert, Randy Schultz, and Pete Weber), as well as three lifetime Sabre fans (Chuck Bender, Todd Riniolo, and Joe Schwartz).

5 March 23, 1999 – Sabres acquire defenseman Rhett Warrener and a 1999 fifth round pick (Ryan Miller) from the Florida Panthers for defenseman Mike Wilson.

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READ ABOUT OTHER SABRES TRADES

Best Trades In Sabres History - #7

Worst Trades In Sabres History - #7

Best Trades In Sabres History - #6

Worst Trades In Sabres History - #6

Sabres GM Darcy Regier was loading up for a playoff run with reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy winner Dominik Hasek and team captain Michael Peca leading the way. The Sabres needed to add some scoring and acquired a rental forward in Joe Juneau from the Washington Capitals before the trade deadline and also added some grit on the blueline, swapping 25-year-old defenseman Mike Wilson to Florida for Rhett Warrener and a 1999 fifth-round pick.

Wilson was acquired from Vancouver in 1995 in the deal that brought Peca and a first-round pick (used to select Jay McKee) for Alexander Mogilny, but head coach Lindy Ruff was familiar with Warrener from his days as an assistant in Florida when the Panthers made the Cup Final in 1996.

The deal immediately impacted the Sabres blueline, as Warrener partnered with McKee as a shutdown defensive pair and penalty-killing tandem that helped Buffalo get past Ottawa, Boston, and Toronto before losing to the Dallas Stars in six games. He played four more seasons with the Sabres before being dealt to Calgary in the 2003 deal that brought Chris Drury to Buffalo.

Wilson faltered after being traded, playing parts of three seasons with the Panthers and their AHL affiliate. After signing with Pittsburgh and being dealt to the Rangers in 2003, the big blueliner played in Europe and the ECHL before retiring in 2011.

The aspect of the trade that made it one of the best in club history was that the fifth-round pick acquired in the deal was used to select a young goalie from East Lansing, MI named Ryan Miller. Miller spent three years at Michigan State University and three full seasons in the AHL before becoming the Sabres full-time starter in 2005 and the second-best goalie behind Hasek in franchise history, with 403 wins, 2.60 GAA, .916 save percentage and two trips to the Eastern Conference Final.

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