Offseason Priorities

It's interesting to hear that Sabres Managing Partner Larry Quinn intends on signing both Ryan Miller and Jason Pominville to long terms deals during the upcoming offseason. Of course he does. He probably intended on signing Chris Drury and Brian Campbell to long term contracts, also. You know how that turned out. The Sabres have usually said all the right things in the last year or two, when it comes to keeping their soon-to-be free agents. But the evidence shows they rarely follow up their words with action. Both Miller and Pominville have one year left on their contracts, so it behooves Sabres management to get busy with the signings sooner, rather than later. That means they'll have to fairly and accurately judge the market value for each player, something they have consistently failed to do with other recent free agents. And if the negotiations drag on too long, say into the '08-'09 season, look for the same outcome. Expect the player to talk about avoiding contract talks during the season to elmininate distractions, etc. The onus is on Quinn, Regier, and especially Tom Golisano to get these deals done. It's fine to outline your plans for the pair, but talk is cheap. Sabre fans are worried that the team may be also.