The first two trades of the day belong to the Montreal Canadiens as the team announced they have acquired Brian Flynn from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a 5th round draft pick in 2016.
Who is Flynn?
The 26-year-old native of Lynnfield, Massachusetts, was originally undrafted, but has since become an every day player for the Sabres. After a 48 point season at the University of Maine, Flynn signed with Buffalo.
In 2012-13, he put up 32 points in 45 games with the Rochester Americans of the AHL before being called up by the big club. He notched 11 points in 25 games as a rookie, becoming a main stay with the club.
In 54 games this season, the pending restricted free agent has 5 goals, 12 assists for 17 points with a pretty good -3 rating considering he has been playing for a last place team. The 6-foot-1, 185 pound centre adds solid depth at a reasonable price, carrying a $637,500 cap hit (it’s important to note that’s even less than the teams current fourth line centre, Manny Malholtra).
Where does Flynn slot in?
Flynn is a solid grinder, known as an aggressive fore-checker who can contribute on the penalty kill. It’s expected he will fit it on the teams fourth line, perhaps as a replacement for Malholtra. Flynn also possesses some decent offensive skill, something the bottom six desperately needs.
