Another thought about Drury...sorry

[Iggy72]

Hey guys.
I hate to bring this up, since it seems so Machiavellian, and I feel almost guilty for doing so, but here it goes. Do you think that Drury's injury will affect contract negotiations?

I know, it seems awful to bring that up with him being hurt like that, but I admit that I'm curious, and I haven't seen it brought up yet.

Pax.
Iggy72

[ricogarion]

Not at all, heck they gave Timmy an extension and its his second long term absense.

[Carl J. Ironsides]

Kind of depends. If he's out for the remainder of the season and playoffs, his price will probably drop. But if he's back soon, it won't.

[Iggy72]

Well, what I meant was would it make it easier for Darcy to sign both him and Briere?

Pax.
Iggy72

[shotgun]

i don't

[Carl J. Ironsides]

Well, what I meant was would it make it easier for Darcy to sign both him and Briere?

Pax.
Iggy72

I guess I'd say no.

On a similar note, if Drury's out for a long time and the team tailspins w/out him, I think he'd be a lock to re-sign after the season. Darcy would make sure of it. When the Sabres were missing Briere last year, they actually fared well. So, this could be a real litmus test as to which captain stays in Buffalo.

[SabreGirl]

Interesting point -- they are already saying on a Philly site that Drury's stock has dropped because of the concussion. I guess it would depend on the severity and the amount of time he will miss.

However, that could be a great point -- if other teams are afraid to sign him because of the concussion, we do lose the competition and possible overblown salary offers to sign him ourselves. There are some really good UFAs available at the end of this season, so it's not like he's a hot commodity due to lack of other selections. It could (potentially) benefit Buffalo. Many fans are touting signing Gomez before Briere or Drury (good!) so there are other options out there.

In the end, I do think that with the salary cap going up and Drury and Briere already making significant salaries, we can keep everyone. Vanek is a RFA next year and isn't expected to get the big bucks yet. I don't see a problem in keeping everyone -- especially if we also lose Biron's $2.1 M (I believe that's what he makes but I didn't look it up).

I hope it does give other teams a reason to shy away. I know we won't! :)

[unklechucky]

Let's just hope its a mild concussion so none of this talk even comes into play.

[delectrolux]

.
my thought - and this is a total conspiracy theory - is that the concussion syndrome ain't there, but the Sabres wanted to a) justify their Tuffalo response and b) use the "injury" to rally their fans - which it undoubtedly has. they'll keep Drury out a week or two, let his head gash heal up and rest his legs - and then he'll be back and the team will be steamrolling... well, that's what i want to believe...
.

[Larmo]

delectrolux.... love the though. I'm on board!

[SabresFan220]

That's one hell of a conspiracy theory, and Ottawa was invited into the conversation before the game? Yeah, that's it, Lindy and Murray talked before the game and both teams agreed that raising some hell would fire up both cities just before playoff time. With the existing rivalry between the 2 teams already it doesn't take much to get people fired up when these teams play. Why would the Sabres want Drury out of the lineup when we're already missing 7 other guys? That's the part that doesn't make sense.

[ricogarion]

Drury would never want to miss any playing time voluntarily,he has some concussion related symptoms. When he feels better and believe me when the Sabres know he is better he will be back. They won't fool around with a mis- diagnosis on one of the best captains and clutch players in the NHL.

[two4trippn]

Unless Chris doesn't play throughout the playoffs this injury should have zero impact on his future finances.

[Thumper]

Here's one concussion related symptom: Head ache.

If that is all Drury was experiencing, he'd be experiencing concussion related symptoms. Anyone would have concussion related symptoms after that cheap shot. So take it with a grain of salt.