Sabres' Murray has "received a lot of calls" on trades

Tim Murray was on Buffalo’s WGR 550 on Thursday afternoon.

On if the lack of trades he’s made this season has disappointed or frustrated him:

“No. No. You have to be patient. The only frustrating part is I haven’t made many calls. I’ve received a lot of calls, so I listen. So I guess there seems to be a lot of tire-kicking going on, and I know that’s part of the game.

“I had a conversation today with our owner and it was about patience and things don’t happen overnight. In the whole aspect of the game. Getting better doesn’t happen overnight. Making trades don’t happen overnight. So it’s just being prepared. I get asked a lot about trades, so it sounds like I talk a lot about trades. I get that. And the players certainly can’t like that. I understand totally. But when I do get a call, I do have to listen. That’s my job.

“I haven’t made a trade yet. So it’s not like I want to clear out half our roster here and it didn’t really matter what we got back. That’s certainly not what I’m trying to do. So I listen. If something makes sense, we’ll make it happen. But it’s not like every day I go in and pound the desk and say to my guys, ‘Okay, let’s get ready here. Snap to attention. Let’s make a trade today.’ That’s not quite what we’re doing.”

You could be making calls if you wanted to.

“Sure. Right now I don’t see a huge need to shake up this roster or make trades. But I can certainly tell you that I don’t want to lose players for nothing. There are players that are UFAs at the end of this year, so I’ll listen to other teams on those guys. There’s no question.

"And I’ve even spoken to a couple of our veteran players and basically that was my sentiment, that I don’t want to lose anybody for nothing. I do listen. Somebody will eventually get traded. I don’t know who. But that’s the nature of the game. And we’re rebuilding. We haven’t forgotten that fact, even though we are playing well, and that’s great. We are rebuilding, and you just try to accumulate assets. That, at this point in my career, and my job here in Buffalo – that’s my job right now.”

On his plan for his two UFA goaltenders:

“Whatever decision I make, it’s a lot easier the way they’re playing. It’s a lot easier to sell to your fan base that you’re bringing one or both back on contracts because of the way they’ve played. I have to assume when there’s goalie needs, which there will be, that they’re easier to trade the way they’re playing.

“I haven’t had any calls on them. If it gets to that point I will listen. But they’re helping me.”

Source: WGR 550/ Transcript: Nichols on Hockey