Buffalo Sabres trade Derek Roy for Dallas Star's Steve Ott, Adam Pardy -NHL offseason Update
Derek Roy had been on the Buffalo Sabres trade radar for quite a while and finally made the deal happen as they acquired Steve Ott and Adam Pardy from Dallas Stars for the player on Monday, July 2, 2012.
Dallas Stars had been looking for a competent centre position player ever since the departure of veteran Mike Ribeiro. With Roy, it seems like the Dallas team is finally complete.
"We had a hole at the center position. By trading Ribeiro we needed to fill that hole," Stars general manager, Joe Nieuwendyk, told ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun. "We're trying to incorporate other kids at forward and this allows them to stay in their right spots.
This deal made sense for us."
Roy is entering the final National Hockey League (NHL) season of his six-year, $24 million contract, which will make him an unrestricted free agent by the end of the 2012-2013 regular season.
Having one year left, Dallas Stars got what they wanted as the Texas based franchise will be able to evaluate the player’s performance on the team and whether he fits the role or not before signing him on to something longer term.
Derek Roy was picked up by Buffalo Sabres as the 32nd overall back in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft during the second round. He has a total of 549 games played under his belt with 427 points (161 goals, 266 assists) and 331 minutes in penalty time.
Left Winger Steve Ott is also definitely excited about moving to a new team as it will bring around a fresh experience. With two years left on his contract, giving him a total of $6.4 million, Buffalo also has ample time to adjust the player into their squad.
“I’m a guy that looks forward to an excellent opportunity and a new opportunity,” Ott said. “I love challenges, and if this is going to be a new challenge or a new adventure in my life, I’m really looking forward to this adventure more than anything.”
Ott had 39 points (11 goals, 28 assists) last season in 74 games played, much better than the previous two seasons.
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