A crazy 48 hours came to the conclusion that all Sabre fans were hoping for when it was formally announced on Saturday that Calgary defenseman Robyn Regher agreed to waive the no-move clause in his contract and accept a trade to Buffalo.
In the deal, Buffalo also gets RW Ales Kotalik, who spent seasons with the Sabres prior in is career, and a second round draft pick in the 2012 draft.
Headed to Calgary are D Chris Butler and C Paul Byron. The 24-year-old Butler had two goals and nine assists in 49 games for Buffalo last year. Byron, who spent most of last season in Portland, has 53 points (26 G, 27 A) in 67 games, and scored the first goal of his NHL career on January 25th aganst Ottawa.
Regher is the prototypical stay-at-home defenseman. He has never had more than 26 points in a season, but any offense he provides will just be a bonus to the Sabres. Regher blocked 142 shots and had a team-high 180 hits with the Flames last season.
Since being dealt away from Buffalo in 2009, Kotalik has had a few forgettable seasons with the Oilers, Flames and Rangers. It's not clear where he fits into the Sabres' plans, with it being very likely that he spends some time with Buffalo's new AHL affiliate in Rochester.
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