Am I missing something?

[Iggy72]

Three days into the UFA frenzy, and the biggest headliners are guys who are more suited to the old NHL. Enough has been said about Jay Mckee and Mike Grier on this board (for the record, I wish them both the best. Thanks for playing your hearts out for us last season.)
Very few younger and faster UFAs have made the news, and a lot of these contracts are beyond me.
The only signing that has made real sense to me is Roberto Luongo. The Canucks need a stud goalie.
For the rest of them, I wonder.
The only thing I fear is that these GMs think that the game will be played and called as it was before the lockout, especially with all the complaints I heard about the officiating. I really hope I'm wrong, and that these GMs are just proving that an "idiot-proof" system was indeed necessary.

In the meantime, I really hoping Darcy uses the extra dough to sign the core to longer term contracts. Let's hope the plan works. If the Sabres do win the whole thing next year, all the GMs will model themselves after Buffalo, and there will be fewer goofy contracts out there.

Pax.
Iggy72

[DropTheGloves]

Agreed.

[The MVP]

Solid post, Iggy.

Off the top of my head, I really can't think of any free agents who signed somewhere that actually fit this new NHL. Most are big, slow forwards or defensemen better suited for the other game of old.

Well said.

*For the record, I wish Grier and McKee re-signed here, but it simply wasn't feasible.

[Hockeystud1414]

Excellent post Iggy! I do wish Grier and McKee the best with their new teams, I will miss them here very much. Time to move on though...

[SabresFan220]

You're absolutely right, our management is ahead of the curve in the NHL, and these other teams just don't seem to get it. Look at the Blues stocking up has beens and players like Mckee who's careers they will run into the ground. Sounds like Toronto piling up their hockey antiques last season. We are saving money signing young, talented, fast players who we've developed through the draft over the past few seasons. The problem will be keeping these players around once the rest of the NHL catches on to the smart scheme. Players like Pominville will become the premier players of the league and demand to be paid like it. The aging stars of the old NHL that are still hanging on will far out and retire eventually, once teams stop overpaying them. But paying off these long term deals they're handing to older players will severely limit our opponents' ability to turn their teams around. For example, the Isles will either eat Yashin's deal or be forced to buy him out when he finally just can't keep up anymore. Our strategy should keep us ahead of the rest of the league for at least 2 more seasons, provided we sign several of our key players to multi year deals this year.

[itslonganditsgood]

Sorry, but you aren't going to see any long term deals from this organization.

[anEinherjer]

What do you want, 7 year deals?

[beTough54]

Darcy has said his goal was to negotiate long-term deals for his RFAs this off season. That's 3 years and up.

[bduff54]

You're absolutely right, our management is ahead of the curve in the NHL, and these other teams just don't seem to get it. Look at the Blues stocking up has beens and players like Mckee who's careers they will run into the ground. Sounds like Toronto piling up their hockey antiques last season. We are saving money signing young, talented, fast players who we've developed through the draft over the past few seasons. The problem will be keeping these players around once the rest of the NHL catches on to the smart scheme. Players like Pominville will become the premier players of the league and demand to be paid like it. The aging stars of the old NHL that are still hanging on will far out and retire eventually, once teams stop overpaying them. But paying off these long term deals they're handing to older players will severely limit our opponents' ability to turn their teams around. For example, the Isles will either eat Yashin's deal or be forced to buy him out when he finally just can't keep up anymore. Our strategy should keep us ahead of the rest of the league for at least 2 more seasons, provided we sign several of our key players to multi year deals this year.

Nice post but i do think the Sabres lack some pieces, I really thought they would add to what they add last year. They will still be a good team next year but can they do better than this year? I really don't think so. Who will replace mckee, that is a huge loss on that blue line?

[bduff54]

You're absolutely right, our management is ahead of the curve in the NHL, and these other teams just don't seem to get it. Look at the Blues stocking up has beens and players like Mckee who's careers they will run into the ground. Sounds like Toronto piling up their hockey antiques last season. We are saving money signing young, talented, fast players who we've developed through the draft over the past few seasons. The problem will be keeping these players around once the rest of the NHL catches on to the smart scheme. Players like Pominville will become the premier players of the league and demand to be paid like it. The aging stars of the old NHL that are still hanging on will far out and retire eventually, once teams stop overpaying them. But paying off these long term deals they're handing to older players will severely limit our opponents' ability to turn their teams around. For example, the Isles will either eat Yashin's deal or be forced to buy him out when he finally just can't keep up anymore. Our strategy should keep us ahead of the rest of the league for at least 2 more seasons, provided we sign several of our key players to multi year deals this year.

Nice post but i do think the Sabres lack some pieces, I really thought they would add to what they had last year. They will still be a good team next year but can they do better than this year? I really don't think so. Who will replace mckee, that is a huge loss on that blue line?

[anEinherjer]

You'd think a super moderator wouldnt' have double-posting issues. :D

[Hockeystud1414]

Nice post but i do think the Sabres lack some pieces, I really thought they would add to what they had last year. They will still be a good team next year but can they do better than this year? I really don't think so. Who will replace mckee, that is a huge loss on that blue line?
Probably nothing real special, or within......Duff, remember when we got rid of Satan and Zhitnik last year? Everyone was frieking out when we signed Numminen and brought in lydman because everyone was feeling that we didn't make up fot those losses, which were big. We still found a way to win hockey games and had one of the better years in team history! McKee and Grier are losses, but they will be made up for, either with cheaper players or through the system. We'll be fine...

[two4trippn]

A healthy Kalinin for 82 + games is what the Sabres need. An upgrade over Fitzpatrick besides last year's Amerks (Paetsch & Jillson, possibly Janik) is what is needed - not a Strudwick.

[smaweet]

ugh, I hope Jillson and Janik never make it anywhere in the system, much like I'd like Fitzy to disappear


Bring in Paetsch!

[Ralonzo]

With all the entry-level defensemen just signed, we need to make room in the system for them. Aside from the no-brainer moves of losing Fitz and Jillson, I'd like to see Janik as #7 up here next year. It's been obvious for a couple of years that his NHL upside is as a #7/spot starter, sort of like a Steve Poapst. He really struggled that first playoff game he played, but apparently it was nerves. By Game 7, Janik was playing solid on his side of the ice, but also cheating over and covering as many of Rory's gaffes on the other side as he could.

Paetsch will be a Campbell-type player; a #5 or #6 with some offense. Unless that role is open for him up here, he should be the #1 guy down on the farm and playing lots of minutes. Numminen-Campbell should be pencilled in at #5-#6 next year. Projecting either of them higher is a reach; Numminen due to age/medical conditions, and Campbell due to crappy defense.

That leaves Tallinder-Lydman as the top pair, and Kalinin on the second pair. We need one more top-4 guy to play with Tree. The guys mentioned in other threads (Spacek/Martin/Sarich) are very suitable players who can fill that role.

Biron is the main bait. Let's see what Regier can pull off. Heck, Anaheim pulled a young guy from the Columbus' minor-league system and he became the #2 on a team that went almost as far as the Sabres did. This is your task, Darcy. Get 'er done.