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Sabres GM Murray: I got a trade call on a player ‘I never thought I would get’

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If David Clarkson can get traded, anybody can get traded.

That message was delivered on Thursday and re-iterated shortly thereafter, when Sabres GM Tim Murray told WGR 550 Radio one of the trade calls he recently received caught him completely off guard.

“I had a call like that today that I never thought I would get on a guy,” Murray explained. “He actually said, ‘Can you believe I’m calling you on this guy?’

“I said, ‘No, I can’t. But let’s talk.’”

It’s easy to see why someone would ring up Murray with this kind of offer, as the Buffalo GM has established himself as one that’s willing to orchestrate a big move. Since coming aboard, Murray has pulled off two major deals -- the Ryan Miller-to-St. Louis trade, and the Evander Kane blockbuster -- and a series of smaller, but still significant moves, including Matt Moulson to Minnesota and Jaroslav Halak to Washington.

It’s also worth noting that, as the rental market becomes depleted with all these pre-deadline deals, the potential for actual “hockey trades” rises. There’s also the potential for names that haven’t been bandied about to surface by Monday, like the one Murray discussed.

“You’re supposed to have an idea of who you may be dealing with because of previous conversations, but you never know,” he explained. “Some team could come out of the blue, whether that’s because of an injury or your guy happens to be playing very well and their opinion changed on them.

“There’s multiple reasons why you might get a call from somebody that you hadn’t previously thought was a fit for a guy.”