Nathan Paetsch signs

The Buffalo Sabres signed their seventh defensemen Nathan Paetsch to a very good deal in my opinion of just around $850,000 per year for 3 years. If Paetsch can develop into a solid top six defensemen, this contract is a steal for a quick defensemen who can run the powerplay and who has a bit of a mean streak to him. Paetsch will bring a lot of energy to the team. I also feel that this deal may make room for a trade of either Dimitri Kalinin or Jaroslav Spacek. I would definately prefer Spacek going as he makes more money and doesn't add much value in terms of the powerplay, while atleast Kalinin is good at killing penalties and has a much better all-around game. Only about a month til training camp begins.

Derek Roy

Derek Roy will be here for 6 more years after he signed a 6 year $24 million dollar deal. This deal to me tells me that the Sabres now believe that Derek Roy will continue to progress, but even further than that is that the Sabres believe that the NHL salary cap will continue to rise. I like Roy a lot, an even though he is small and complains alot, I think that is good for his game. He will be able to play with his linemate Thomas Vanek for that that time and I feel those two will have success. This deal is much different than any 2 and 3 year deal that the Sabres were giving out last year. If you look at what Derek Roy did last summer, he decided to accept his qualifying offer of only around $650,000. He played well and was rewarded with a huge contract. This is different than what Jason Pomminville did, taking a 3 year, $3.5 million deal. This was quite a difference in salary. This is the same thing that Paille did this year and while I love Paille, I would have liked the Sabres to have locked him up long-term as well. This contract probably means that the Sabres are going to start the season with either Mike Ryan, Clarke McArthur, Andrew Peters, or Marek Zagrapan.

NHL

Not related to the Sabres, but isn't something that the NHL is the only one of the four major American sports not currently being investigated by the federal government. MLB has steroids, especially surrounding Barry Bonds. The NFL has dog fighting relating to Michael Vick, and the NBA has a new scandal involving referees betting on the games that they are officiating. It's time for people who complain about how bad professional athletes are to take a look at the NHL.

Michael Peca

I would love the idea of Michael Peca being signed by the Sabres if it is around $1 million or less. He would bring toughness and leadership to the team. He fits the bill exactly for the third line center that the Sabres need. I do not feel that he would bring any harm by overshadowing the younger players. If anything, I feel his toughness, hard work, and ability to do all the little things would show players like Derek Roy to be even better. If he wants to come here, which it seems like he does, then the Sabres should definitely sign him.

Daniel Paille Signs

I am very happy that Daniel Paille signed. He is going to be a very good player, especially defensively. He has Selke Award candidate written all over him if he can learn to finish offensively. I am sure he took the qualifying offer because he saw how Derek Roy will cash in this year after just taking a qualifying offer last year. I hope he plays very well for the Sabres.

Sabres Rookie Camp

I visited the Sabres rookie camp and really liked what I saw, especially the turnout from the fans. Some guys that I thought stood out were Drew Stafford, who obviously was the best player on the ice. He played with such control, paitence, and skill. He is certainly ready to be an NHL regular. Another guy I really liked was 2005 first round draft pick Marek Zagrapan. He was so much bigger than I expected him to be, and it is clear that he will be a star one day in the NHL if he continues to progress. Pat Kaleta was really physical out there and I liked it. Philippe Gogulla liked like he could be a good player one day. Nathan Gerbe, the smallest guy on the ice at only 5'5" was so skilled. He looked like a small version of Daniel Briere and I believe that he could definately play in the NHL. On the back end, I really liked how Sekera skated with the puck. I thought T.J. Brennan definately looked like he could be a good player. I thought that Mike Funk and Mike Weber could definately dominate a game physically. I liked what I saw overall.

Outdoor Hockey Anyone

WGR 550 has reported that the Buffalo Sabres are one of the two lead candidates, along with Detroit, to host an outdoor hockey game on January 1, 2008 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. If the Party in the Plaza was exciting, imagine 70,000 fans screaming for the Sabres at Ralph Wilson stadium. This is a game that no matter what the cost, fans should be at because it may be a one time only event. With the new HD Jumbotron there, it should be a great occasion. Lets just not hope that global warning has impacted Buffalo too much at the time, as I would rather not have the players skating through water, with fans in shorts and t-shirts. I know that when Edmonton played their outdoor game, the temperature was below zero. I guess that the game would be especially interesting with that. Even better would be a snowstorm to start while the game is being played. I'm really hoping for it to happen. It could be a very good thing for the NHL.

7 years, $50 million!!

The Oilers offered Thomas Vanek a 7 year, $50 million contract and thankfully the Sabres signed Vanek in a matter of minutes. While it is much too much money for Thomas Vanek, it is much better to have him on the team for 7 years than to not have him, even though compensation would be four first round draft picks. Maybe if compensation was higher, it would prevent teams from offering ridiculous contracts, allowing teams to keep restricted free agents without ruining their salary cap. I think Vanek is the type of player who could end up having his number retired in Buffalo.

The Loss of Drury

If it's true that the Sabres had two chances to sign their captain, Chris Drury, and just didn't follow up with the final paperwork, then someone really screwed up. First, Drury would have supposedly signed a 4 year $21 million contract extension, but the Sabres didn't close the deal. Then, at the end of the season, Drury would have supposedly signed for $6 million per season and the Sabres just waited, something that they are very good at doing. Drury, the heart and soul of the team, and the guy that they expected to head up their franchise for years to come, is now gone, and the Sabres, who will still probably have a good team, will have to find a way to win without Drury. Me and countless other Sabres fans hope that it can be done.

Buffalo News Article

Day 2 of Free Agency

The Sabres were quiet again, watching Nylander, Hamrlik, Handzus, Lang, Smolinski, Bertuzzi, and Sydor get signed. I am glad actually because none of those guys (with maybe the exception of Smolinski) were someone that I really would want at that price, but atleast the Sabres should make sure they can assemble a team that is not from Rochester. I still cannot believe what they are doing. There are rumours flying around the internet that Souray or Markov may be coming to Buffalo, but at this rate, it seems very unlikely.

Early Free Agency

I am very pleased with how Darcy Regier has handled the offseason so far. He has been stating the whole time that he has wanted to keep both Briere and Drury and I like that. Then, in a matter of about 4 hours, he managed to lose both captains, but also over the last 12 hours watch other very good players such as Ryan Smyth, Scott Hannan, Paul Kariya, Scott Gomez, and others sign with other teams. Now I like Adam Mair, but he cannot be the only free agent that you sign when you have all three captains as free agents. If Darcy doesn't do something to improve the Sabres soon, Sabres fans who payed for season tickets may not rush to show up at games like last season.

Briere

Briere has apparently been offered $7 million per year over 6 years by Montreal. In my opinion that is overpaying. However, I think if the Sabres bump him up to an offer of 5 years for $30 million, that maybe its a starting point for Briere to take around 5 years $32 million following some negotiating. If Joe Thornton gets $7.2 million, Briere should only be worth around $6 million.