The Buffalo Sabres appear to have their full team signed up and ready to go for the season. We've also had a few heartbreaks into this off season time. Here's a recap of what they've been up to.
Coach Lindy Ruff & General Manager Darcy Regier both signed new mutli-year contracts. I think this is a really good move. I think this gives the club stability and they've been around for all the turmoil over the years. They've also been a big part of why the club has been very competitive the last few seasons.
Two players who have been a big part of the winning ways of the Sabres the last 2 years have now departed. It was a sad day in Buffalo when both Chris Drury and Daniel Briere were lost to free agency. This one upset me a bit, but deep down I knew that the Sabres are a team that can't afford to pay all the really high salaries and I thought that we'd lose at least one of these guys. Plus, I also think that the Sabres weren't smart enough to try to keep them. I think this was a decision high up in the organization, saying we're not paying for superstars. Why didn’t they try to sign them during the season when they were in the mood to keep playing with the team? Why wait until you don’t make it to the Stanley Cup Finals and then drag your feet to start negotiations? It came back to bite them, because I don't think anyone thought we'd lose both of these guys. Briere is moving on to Pittsburgh joining other ex-Sabres Martin Biron & Geoff Sanderson. He signed an 8 year $52 million dollar deal. WOW! Drury is moving on to the Rangers with a 5 year $35 million dollar deal. Rangers were on a buying spree lately and snapped up Scott Gomez from New Jersey too. Both the Rangers and Pittsburgh will be more competitive with these guys next year and I think Buffalo will be a little less competitive without them. It was sad time and I was in Buffalo around the time the deals were announced and no one was happy about it, but like any other hard blows in life, you have to move on.
Sabres organization got a little smarter and finally started to sign some longer term deals with a few of their guys. Just days after losing Drury and Briere, Thomas Vanek was offered a 7 year $50 million dollar deal by the Edmonton Oilers and the Sabres reacted fast by matching the offer and signing Vanek for 7 years. This was a good move overall, but he has been a tempermental player in the past and I just hope he lives up to his expectations. I think he is a solid player, especially last year, but in the past he's had his share of ups and downs. Let's hope he turns into the superstar player that he has the potential to be. Derek Roy also got a long term deal signing for 6 years worth $24 million. This was a decent deal. Roy, Vanek & Afinogenov had a stellar year as a powerhouse line and I'd like to see that continue. But Roy, is a far cry from Drury or Briere.
Sabres also signed up a bunch of folks for 1 year including Teppo Numminen, Daniel Paille, Adam Mair (signed for 3 years), Nathan Paetsch(3 years), Michael Ryan and enforcer Andrew Peters (2 years). Sabres also signed as a backup goalie, Joceyln Thibault. He last played in Pittsburgh. Funny how Marty Biron is there now huh? Anyway, he should be a better backup than Ty Conklin. He didn't play much and when he did wasn't overly impressive. He's a free agent this summer.
Some others leaving the Sabres uniforms include Taylor Pyatt (not such a big deal - he's kind of inconsistent), Dainius Zubrus is going to the New Jersey Devils (he came in late, I figured he was gone).
There could still be some trades, but it looks like for now that the Sabres are ready for the season.
Overall, here's my take. I am hoping for the best and I am excited to see the team play. I think there are a few guys that will step it up and play even better than they did last year. I'm hoping Brian Campbell and young Drew Stafford will play a bigger role in the team this season. Anything can happen, but losing Briere and Drury makes the team a lot less stronger. I wish those 2 guys the best of luck with their new teams, but I will miss them from this team very very much. They were more than just good players, they were players with heart and they should've stayed in Buffalo because they fit in so well. It wasn't in the cards I guess.
Finally, the best news, after the NHL released the 2007-2008 schedules, I discovered that the Sabres will be out to play in Los Angeles twice this year. I'll be going to both those games hopefully. 1 in Honda Center in Anaheim and 1 in Staples Center in LA.
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