Darcy Does It Again

You've got to give him credit--when Darcy Regier says he'll make a move, he usually makes a move. He weathered a two-day storm of criticism when the hot free agent defensemen went off the board, and engineered an Independence Day trade for Craig Rivet. Regier once again demonstrated he has limitless patience, and he doesn't really care about carping from media and fans. He identifies who he wants, and waits until the time is right.
Rivet (above) is a good pickup for the Sabres. He still eats up minutes, even at the age of 33. The Sabres are going to assume his $3.5 million dollar a year contract (which looks like the going rate for veteran blueliners) and plug him right into the lineup. Even after passing on Brooks Orpik, Mike Commodore and others, Regier spent a couple of days putting the pieces in place to bring Rivet to Buffalo
With a surplus of forwards, the Sabres are not likely to miss Steve Bernier.
Like a good chess player, Regier was able to see a couple of moves ahead, accurately predicting that he may have to make a trade to get a defensemen who fits what the Sabres need.
What do you think of the Rivet trade? Will the Sabres miss Bernier? And did they get enough in the Brian Campbell trade? Let us know what you think.

Championship Analysis

I know it's a rival network, but I have to say the best, absolute best color commentary I've ever heard on any sport, comes from the Wimbledon team of John McEnroe and Mary Carillo (left). I've had the pleasure of watching their Wimbledon coverage every morning this week, and McEnroe and Carillo are tremendous.
They are insightful about the game, obviously the result of their backgrounds as former professional tennis players. But they don't live in the past. They obviously do their homework on today's players, and are full of anecdotes and stories about seemingly obscure young stars like China's Zheng Jie, or England's Andy Murray.
Moreover, they are funny. They are not afraid to poke fun at each other or at the sometimes archaic customs of Wimbledon. McEnroe, a bona fide tennis Hall of Famer, never acts stiff or "above it all." Today, he launched into a Maxwell Smart (Don Adams version) imitation, when he said Zheng Jie "missed it by that much."
Together, McEnroe and Carillo comprise television's best color analysts--smart, funny, and very interested in making the sport entertaining.

Disappointing Sabres

More than twenty hours into free agency, and the Sabres still haven't signed the impact defenseman they were seeking. It's pretty disappointing, especially when you see the moves other teams have made since free agency began.
GM Darcy Regier (above) says the team moved off Brooks Orpik shortly after the signing period began at noon yesterday, because of money issues. What's interesting, is that Orpik re-signed with Pittsburgh today, for $22.5 million over six years. That's $3.75 million a year, and that's not bad. It certainly is where the market has been set, for better-than average defensemen.
So, what were the Sabres waiting for? Mike Commodore got the same money from Columbus on Tuesday--the market was set. Now Orpik is gone, along with all the other free agent defensemen who might have made a difference in Buffalo.
I understand fiscal responsibility. I know the Sabres will not go into debt, and do not intend of spending to the salary cap this year (maybe never).
But the fact is, for the THIRD consecutive year, they have either misjudged the free agent market or chosen not to participate. The first two years, they sat back and watched their roster get picked apart by the rest of the league (McKee, Grier, Briere, Drury, etc.). This year, they sit back and let other teams make moves, while they prepare to play with essentially the same lineup that failed to make the playoffs last year. Very disappointing.
Let us know what you think about the Sabres performance so far in free agency.

A Good Fit---Now What's Next?

You had to wonder, after seven goaltenders were snapped up in the first five hours of free agency, whether anyone would be left for the Buffalo Sabres. But the Sabres got their man, finally, when they signed unrestricted free agent Patrick Lalime to a contract. It seems like a good fit- Lalime (above) played in 32 games for the Chicago Blackhawks last year, and played well. The Sabres need him to start about 20-games next season, just enough to keep Ryan Miller fresh down the stretch. Lalime is a seasoned veteran, with playoff experience and the right temperment to back up Miller.
So, now what? Buffalo remains in the market for a quality defensemen, and they've been flying off the free agent shelf for the last several hours. The seven-year, 56.8 million dollar deal signed by Brian Campbell has obviously raised the financial bar when it comes to signing defensemen. The Penguins Brooks Orpik remains available, but you wonder if the Sabres are ready to spend what it takes to bring him to Buffalo.
What do you think? Any other free agents out there who might fit in the Sabres "sensible" spending scheme? And what about the Lalime signing, do you like it? Let us know.

NHL Free Agent Frenzy

Today at Noon, NHL free agency begins. We'll continually update this blog entry with all the news from the Sabres and the rest of the league. So keep checking back here for the latest news.

5:41pm TSN reports that former Sabres defenseman Brian Campbell has signed with the Blackhawks. Its an 8 year deal worth $56 million. That's $7 million a season. He'll be teammates with Patrick Kane. Word was that Soupy wanted to come back east close to his Ontario home. Chicago isn't that close, but $7 mill a season buys a lot of plane tickets.

5:33pm Our Sabres reporter, Robin Adams, says about the Lalime signing...."I think he's a giant upgrade over Thibault. He should provide solid play for the 20 games the Sabres are looking for their backup to play."

4:34pm A SABRES SIGNING. The team gets it backup goalie by signing Patrick Lalime. This report comes from Sportsnet in Canada. Its a two year deal worth $2 million. He's played with the Senators, Penguins, Blues and Blackhawks. Last season in Chicago, he played 32 games...16 wins...12 losses...2.82 GAA...1 shutout. When he came up with Pittsburgh, Lalime set an NHL rookie record by going unbeaten in his first 16 games. That was in the 1996-97 season.

4:28pm Another backup goalie candidate gone. Alex Auld, late of the Bruins, signs with the Senators. He could compete with Martin Gerber. Remember, Ray Emery is gone.

4:11pm Darcy Tucker signs with the Colorado Avalanche. 2 year deal worth $4.5 million. I'm not sad to see less of him.

3:54pm John Murphy is wondering when the Sabres will sign a backup goalie, as he watches all these guys go to other teams. Names still left: Marc Denis, David Aebischer, Patrick Lalime, Alex Auld.

3:45pm Goalie Cristobal Huet has signed with the Blackhawks, according to TSN. They also report that Corey Stillman is going to the Panthers.

3:27pm If you're surprised about the lack of big-name moves, remember last year Briere didn't sign until almost 4pm. Drury didn't sign until 8pm.

3:23pm The Penguins have reportedly made an offer to Jaromir Jagr. He started his career in Pittsburgh.

3:17pm A flurry of goalie signings. Former Sabres goalie Ty Conklin signs with the Red Wings to backup Chris Osgood. Goalie Olaf Kolzig signs with the Lightning. Goalie Jose Theodore signs with the Caps. Colorado signs goalie Andrew Raycroft.

2:26pm The Ottawa Sun reports that the Vancouver Canucks have offered Mats Sundin a 2 year, $20 million dollar offers. Wow.

2:16pm I didn't fall asleep. I did get some lunch. But there's been no news for the last hour. That prompted Robin Adams to ask "What is going on?" No news on the big names Hossa, Campbell or Orpik.

1:07pm: Sportsnet says goalie Curtis Joseph is returning to the Leafs. Its a one year deal to be the backup to Vesa Toskala.

1:04pm: This happened earlier today. The Oilers traded Raffi Torres to Columbus for Gilbert Brule.

12:50pm: Sportsnet in Canada says forward Radim Vrbata (above) is the first unrestriced free agent to sign. He leaves Phoenix to sign with Tampa. $9 million over 3 years.

12:11pm: Forward Pascal Dupuis re-signs with the Penguins, says the FAN 590 in Toronto.

12:09pm: TSN says the Hurricanes have traded Erik Cole (Oswego native) to the Oilers for D Joni Pitkanen.

12:08pm: TSN reports that the Red Wings have re-signed D Brad Stuart. 4 years, $3.75 average. That takes another veteran blueliner off the market.

10:51am: Its just about an hour until the doors swing open on the big box of NHL free agents.

Here's what you need to know about the Sabres. Their unrestricted free agents are:

D Dmitri Kalinin

D Nolan Pratt

G Jocelyn Thibault

C Michael Ryan

D Teppo Numminen

Restricted Free Agents:

RW Steve Bernier

LW Daniel Paille

LW Clarke MacArthur

Paul Guastad is now of the list after signing his 4 year, $9.2 million deal Monday night. Kalinin is gone, while Darcy Regier says there may be interest in bringing back Pratt and Numminen. Don't be surprised if someone in the league makes an offer to Paille.

As for free agent shopping, Regier hints at looking for a defenseman and a backup goalie.