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Vanek thinks trade might be best if Sabres want ‘long rebuild’

Thomas Vanek

Buffalo Sabres’ left winger Thomas Vanek, of Austria, celebrates his goal against the Florida Panthers during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Buffalo, N.Y., Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Gary Wiepert)

AP

The Buffalo Sabres’ season is over, so now the question is: What will their 2013-14 squad look like?

There’s no shortage of speculation about a potential Ryan Miller trade. 29-year-old forward Thomas Vanek might be gone too. In fact, it sounds like he’d prefer to leave if the Sabres plan on doing a full rebuild.

“Let’s be honest,” Vanek told the Buffalo News. “I’m not stupid. I know I have a year left and they can probably deal me for prospects, young guys, whatever else is out there. Yeah, I’ve thought about it. If it looks like it’s a long rebuild, then it probably makes sense for both parties to move on.”

That also implies that Vanek is willing to stick with the Sabres if they intend to prioritize making the playoffs next season over building through the draft.

“I don’t know what the plan is,” Vanek said. “If they’re turning it over to the younger guys, it’s a turnover. Or are they going to build around us again? It’s all speculation at this point because you guys don’t know and I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

This is the second straight season that Buffalo has failed to make the postseason. The franchise acquired a combination of draft picks and prospects in separate trades for Jason Pominville, Robyn Regehr, and Jordan Leopold in the days leading up to the trade deadline.

Vanek led the Sabres with 20 goals and 41 points in 38 games this season. He comes with a $7,142,857 annual cap hit.