In the month of August, as the news in the hockey world slows to a crawl, we will be taking a look at the most consequential deals in Buffalo Sabres history (using the Hockey News Archives as source material) and ranking the 15 best and the 15 worst deals in the club’s 54-year history.

This required the input of a trio of veteran media members (Dave Reichert, Randy Schultz, and Pete Weber), as well as three lifetime Sabres fans (Chuck Bender, Todd Riniolo, Joe Schwartz).

March 10, 2000 – Doug Gilmour and JP Dumont from the Chicago Blackhawks for Michal Grosek

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Coming off of the disappointing end to their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 1999, the Buffalo Sabres struggled through half of the season without All-Star and Vezina Trophy winner Dominik Hasek due to lingering groin issues. With Martin Biron making the majority of the starts, Buffalo getting into the post-season was in doubt, but GM Darcy Regier sprang into action before the trade deadline, acquiring center Chris Gratton from the Tampa Bay Lightning and later the same day acquiring 36-year-old Doug Gilmour and prospect J.P. Dumont from the Chicago Blackhawks for winger Michal Grosek.

Grosek was a key cog of the Sabres during the regular season in 1999, finishing third on the club with 20 goals and 50 points, but had a falling out with head coach Lindy Ruff the next season and requested a trade. Regier obliged and in exchange obtained Gilmour (with the Hawks retaining a sizable chunk of his salary for the following season), and a promising prospect in Dumont (a former third overall pick of the NY Islanders who had been traded to Chicago in a contract dispute).

Gilmour helped the Sabres get into the playoffs, scoring 17 points in 11 games, but eighth-place Buffalo lost to Philadelphia in the first round of the 2000 Playoffs. The following year without Michael Peca (due to a contract holdout), Gilmour reunited with former Leafs linemate Dave Andreychuk in 2001 and after beating the Flyers lost to Pittsburgh in the second round. He then signed with Montreal as a free agent.

Dumont thrived in AHL Rochester after the trade, scoring 14 goals for the Amerks in a run to the Calder Cup Final, and then finished second behind Miroslav Satan in scoring for the Sabres in 2001. In five seasons with Buffalo, he scored 20 or more goals four times, including 20 in 54 games and 14 points in the postseason in 2006.

His career in Buffalo ended when the Sabres walked away from an arbitration award, but Dumont went on to play five more seasons with Nashville, scoring 20 or more two more times.

Grosek’s tenure in Chicago lasted a grand total of 14 games. The big winger signed with the Rangers in 2000 and the next two seasons in Boston, but never scored in double figures. He left for Europe in 2004, playing mostly in Switzerland before retiring in 2008.