Steve Bernier has a very high opinion of Brian Campbell. It's going to drive him toward being a good player himself.
Bernier, acquired from San Jose today for Campbell, said he's going to use the trade as an opportunity to prove he should be traded for a two-time All-Star.
"Campbell is pretty much the best defenseman in the league, from my point of view," Bernier said on a conference call. "It's going to be tough. I'm young right now. I've got a lot of growing to do to become a good player. I'm happy to do it with the Sabres. I'm going to work hard and try to be as good as possible to make sure that trade is going to be a good trade for the Sabres."
The 22-year-old right winger is expected to arrive in Buffalo tonight and dress for the Sabres on Wednesday when they host the Nashville Predators. The Quebec City native is 6-foot-2, 225 pounds.
"My game is simple," Bernier said. "What I'm doing is try to create space for my linemates, be in front of the net as much as possible, hit."
The Sharks' first-round pick in 2003 has been in a scoring funk, much like the rest of his team. It's why they traded him for a point-producer like Campbell.
"At first I was surprised but right now I feel good," Bernier said. "I'm very excited to be going to Buffalo. I know they've got very good young players, and it's an exciting day for me right now."
---John Vogl
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NHL trade deadline
