Sabres Trade Robyn Regehr To Kings In Exchange For Two Draft Picks

The Buffalo Sabres traded defenseman Robyn Regehr to the Los Angeles Kings Monday in exchange for two second-round draft picks in 2014 and 2015. The trade reunites Regehr with his former coach Darryl Sutter as the Sabres have now traded away three defensemen in a little over two weeks.

The Sabres traded prospect T.J. Brennan to the Florida Panthers for a 2013 first-round draft pick on March 16 and traded Jordan Leopold to the St. Louis Blues for a second- and fifth-round pick on March 31. Moving Regehr to the Kings may not be the end of the Sabres overhaul this season, as they were forced to fire head coach Lindy Ruff in February after a terrible start.

Regehr has two assists in 29 games with the Sabres this season and will fill a void for the Kings left by injured defensemen Matt Greene and Willie Mitchell. Greene has been out since January due to a back injury while Mitchell had knee surgery the same month.

Regehr is a 13-year veteran of the NHL and played 11 seasons with the Calgary Flames before spending the last two with the Sabres. Regehr is set to become a free agent this offseason and didn’t fit well in Buffalo as they look to rebuild their roster with younger talent.

It took two weeks to hammer out the details of the trade, as the Kings weren’t willing to give up any late picks in the 2013 draft. The Sharks settled for two second-round picks in 2014 and 2015 for Regehr, whose physical play should fit in nicely with the Kings.

The Kings beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 on Sunday as they near the end of a five-game road trip. The Kings finish off the trip in Phoenix on Tuesday against the Coyotes before returning home for a meeting with the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.

Los Angeles in currently fifth in the Western Conference and in a battle with the San Jose Sharks for second in the Pacific Division. The Sharks traded away Michal Handzus to the Blackhawks on Monday but have won five straight games and are closing the gap on the Kings.

The Kings won the Stanley Cup last season as the 8th seed in the West and have now bolstered their defense for another run at the Cup. Robyn Regehr is sure to be in the mix but will the 32-year-old be a difference maker down the stretch for the Kings?

[Image via Creative Commons]