By Budd Bailey, Buffalo Sports Page Columnist
No. 65: March 6, 1989 – The Sabres trade Calle Johansson and a second-round draft choice in 1989 (Byron Dafoe) to Washington for Clint Malarchuk, Grant Ledyard and a sixth-round draft choice in 1991 (Brian Holzinger).
The Sabres needed a goalie in the spring of 1989. Badly. Daren Puppa had broken his arm in January of that year, and Jacques Cloutier was straining under the workload as the top netminder. If Buffalo was going to do anything in the postseason that year, an upgrade was needed in a hurry.
The Sabres sent for help around the trading deadline when they acquired Clint Malarchuk from the Capitals. Grand Ledyard and a draft pick also headed north in the deal, but the price was a steep one. Calle Johansson was a former first-round pick, and Washington also received a second-rounder.
This one didn’t go so well for the Sabres. Malarchuk had his throat slashed by a stray skate later in the month, and it caused issues for him that last until this day. Buffalo was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Johansson, meanwhile, spent 15 years with the Capitals. The draft pick was turned into Byron Dafoe, who turned into a good NHL goaltender once he left Washington.
(Follow Budd on Twitter @WDX2BB)
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