Murray disappointed Sabres couldn't move Kulikov, Franson

The trade deadline didn't go as planned for Buffalo Sabres general manager Tim Murray.

Murray entered the day with two potential rental defensemen in Dmitry Kulikov and Cody Franson - who will both become unrestricted free agents at season's end - but after 3 p.m. ET, they remained members of the Sabres.

"I'm a little bit surprised," he said, according to John Vogl of The Buffalo News. "We didn't have a ton of UFAs, as you know. We had two on the back end that I thought would create some interest. I had some calls on them. Price-wise I was very open."

The Sabres GM expressed his dissatisfaction with the day as a whole.

"Am I disappointed? Of course I'm disappointed," Murray said. "We still have two players here who are here, so I don't want to sit here and just say I couldn't get anything for them. I don't want them to walk in tomorrow with their tail between their legs here."

He added that he received calls on Brian Gionta and Evander Kane, but wasn't interested in the potential deals.

With the Sabres now six points outside the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and five teams to jump, they're likely destined for an early spring.