Rumors are flying fast and furious

With Columbus shipping Jeff Carter to LA for D Jack Johnson and a conditional 1st round pick, the trade deadline rumor mill is spinning out of control.

LA is a team that most insiders expect to make more moves and the Sabres are getting mentioned as a team that is talking to the Kings about their captain, RW Dustin Brown.

TSN's Darren Dreger was on WGR this morning and he said that the Kings are looking for a young defenseman and secondary scoring in return for Brown.

The big question is whether that young defenseman that LA wants is a young NHLer like Andrej Sekera, an AHL/NHL guy like Brayden McNabb or TJ Brennan, or a prospect like Mark Pysyk whom the Sabres took in the 1st round of the 2010 draft.

As far as secondary scoring goes, do they want Drew Stafford [this report says that LA is interested in Stafford and Sabres captain Jason Pominville] or someone younger and cheaper like Tyler Ennis or Nathan Gerbe?

I think most Sabres fans would give up Stafford and Brennan and not even think twice. I might even give up Stafford and Pysyk without much thought. I'm much more wary of giving up Ennis or Gerbe as the secondary scoring part of the deal. And there is no way I give up Pominville in a deal for Brown.

The only deal with LA that I would part with Pominville in would be if LA's #1 center Anze Kopitar is headed to the Sabres. I'd give up Vanek or Pominville to get Kopitar.

That gets us to the major issue with the roster: the center position.

There are a lot of people that are talking about dealing Paul Gaustad and Derek Roy. Gaustad is an obvious trade option with his pending UFA status. Roy is a guy that a lot of people view as addition by subtraction. Personally, I'd target either young NHL/AHL centers with upside or C prospects that can be expected to arrive in the NHL in the next 2 or 3 years.

I talked about the Florida Panthers and their depth at the center position. I'd love to get Nick Bjugstad on the Sabres. Roy to Florida for Bjugstad and a 2nd would be a dream scenario for me. Well, other than Regier figuring out a way to pry Mikael Granlund out of Minnesota.....

Then I'd try and get either Riley Sheahan or Calle Jarnkrok out of Detroit for Gaustad and we're cooking with gas.

Sure, the Sabres center position would still be a mess in 2012-13, but you'd have the off season to address that. One wild card could be Sabres 2011 1st round pick Joel Armia. If he leaves Finland a year earlier than expected and makes the Sabres next season, he could make a guy like Pominville more available than ever.

All in all, there are a lot of options for the Sabres right now. And I hope that there is something positive to talk about after the deadline comes and goes on Monday. I don't know what I'll do if Regier stands pat at the deadline and no moves are made.......