Do some homework on Anthony Cirelli and Erik Cernak, if we can bring them back for Risto it would be a brilliant deal for the Sabres.
Cirelli- Very young, strengths include face-offs, short-handed, and defensive play- exactly what the Sabres need on the 3rd line
Cernak- Very young, physically huge with defensive shutdown ability- exactly what the Sabres need on the blue-line and to replace Risto

I like your enthusiasm, i really do. Unfortunately tampa wants to drop salary like callahan, and is probably willing to move 5 million-ish guys like miller and gourde. When your team is absolutely freaking stacked, guys get paid, even if they take the hometown, tax free state discount. Its a great problem to have, but it means they have no desire to trade very promising cheap young kids for anything. Faulk is a risto comp to me, would you trade mittlestadt and pilut for faulk? And before you answer, you are a team right against the cap, you cant take on faulks salary without some serious money going back with the kids.

Perfect answers my friends. I only wish every one was as thoughtful, fact filled, courteous and encouraging as you two have been.

I would not trade mittlestadt and pilut for faulk, I think they are both way too significant for the sabres' future plans. Additionally, what if the sabres took on Callahan's contract on that end of the trade and dropped the 3rd round pick on their end of the trade, making it:

Cirelli
Cernak
Callahan
for
Ristoleinen

What do you think about that?

If im tampas gm, i wanna move 10 million in salary and take back 5, so im 5 million to the good no matter what. They might move one kid, i dont expect its cernak. So my understanding is gourde is probably a contract they would get rid of, with callahan and cirelli, and they would ask for ristolainen and either nylander or a pick like the sj first. I dont see any trade where they move promising cheap kids out without clearing some serious cap. Botterill has gone for this idea before and its failed miserably, but all players are not the same.