Folks want Jason Botterill to make a trade but it's just not that easy in the salary cap era. And GMs tend to hold on tight until the trade deadline. Botterill is obviously using his phone for more than ordering pizza and wings but you've got to have a willing partner and meet the price.

Ultimately, the Sabres need a second-line center because Casey Mittelstadt is overmatched in that spot most nights. Patrik Berglund failed there to start the year before flat-out quitting on this club because Housley, who only happens to be in the Hall of Fame, saw very little on the effort scale from the veteran and dared to scratch him.

The names you like are probably the ones Botterill has in mind, too. But there's going to be a price to pay for the likes of Los Angeles' Jeff Carter, Minnesota's Charlie Coyle or St. Louis' Brayden Schenn, to point out three guys you might find interesting.

Some of these numbers of players on lines 2-3 are just ghastly. Kyle Okposo, he of four years remaining at $6 million per season, has no goals in his last 21 games and no points in his last 14. Vladimir Sobotka has no points in 17 games and one assist in his last 23 while Ryan O'Reilly is St. Louis' best player (and don't even get me started on Berglund).