Ryan McLeod is one of a whole list of players who have been rumored as potential pieces to go to the Winnipeg Jets in a trade for goalie Connor Hellebuyck.
No deal has been completed yet, but that doesn't stop any speculation, and so it makes every roster decision the Buffalo Sabres do just one more way to consider if it's signaling anything about a trade.
The latest move is a tough one for McLeod, though. He seems set to play on the fourth line for the Sabres for the time being.
If that's the case, it likely isn't really about a trade, but many will wonder if it's somehow a demotion that could result in a change of scenery.
At this point, Sabres fans see Hellebuyck in their daydreams, and if that's to become reality, multiple pieces are going to get sent to Winnipeg.
The Sabres skated McLeod on the fourth line at practice earlier this week, and nothing has happened to make it seem like they won't try that out in game action against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday.
"Ryan McLeod was skating on the fourth line with Peyton Krebs and Beck Malenstyn during practice Monday," The Athletic's Matthew Fairburn wrote. "He got a brief look on the top line Saturday, but that didn't last long."
The one variable here is that Jason Zucker is close to a return from injury. That could shake up the forward mix somehow, although not necessarily for McLeod.
So far this season, McLeod has been too much of a negative for the Sabres to use him more.
"McLeod has struggled defensively going back to last season," Fairburn wrote. "During his five-on-five minutes, the Sabres have been outscored 8-3. Among forwards with at least 100 minutes of ice time at five-on-five, McLeod's on-ice expected goal share is the worst. He has just 2 points and seven shots in nine games. He's still skating well, as the NHL Edge data reflects, but so far he's not making the same impact he did when he put up 54 points last year and 53 the year before."
It remains to be seen what happens next.
The big and immediate question is whether McLeod's struggles could hurt the Sabres' chances of getting Hellebuyck.
If the Jets already liked McLeod, it's unlikely the slow start will deter their favoring of him too much. But if they didn't like him, this certainly hasn't helped.
The Sabres have a bunch of guys they can trade that aren't McLeod, obviously, but his name has been in some of the speculation, so it's fascinating to consider how this might all come together in the end.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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