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Who do the Sabres keep this summer?
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| Who do the Sabres keep this summer?
- Click HERE to go to the original thread with graphics
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| Petey Arms |
| Million Dollar Question |
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| WhatRUSaying |
| I always vote for the big time playoff performer. It is hard to argue that there are many players better than Drury come playoff time. I think many Sabre Fans are not happy with Briere's performance in the playoffs! |
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| Petey Arms |
| i think they loose both to FA |
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| WhatRUSaying |
Quote: Originally posted by Petey Arms
i think they loose both to FA |
I formed my opinion if I was The Sabres GM. For their sake they can not afford to lose both of these guys. |
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| hockeyman |
| I think the Sabres will go after Drury. There's a possibility they could lose both though. Imagine if they went after Drury first, couldn't get him, and then went back to Briere to try to get him. Not sure that would go over well with Danny. Both are going to get around the 6-7 million dollar range. Briere turned down a contract last year the Sabres offered at about 4.25M a year for 4 years. Then in arbitration he got 5M. I'm very worried but I hope they can at least get one of them, hopefully Drury. |
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| johnni37 |
| They will definitely keep Drury and Briere has intimated that he'd like to stay as well. We'll see. |
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| skawash |
| what are these sabres you speak of? |
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| johnni37 |
Quote: Originally posted by nedmark61
hockey = WGAS |
obviously you as your dumb hick ass keeps showing up on the threads. Either that or life in Ohio sucks sooooo much. |
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| WhatRUSaying |
| A shameless bump to get more people to vote. People seem to like Drury so far. |
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| Petey Arms |
May 22, 2007) — BUFFALO — The trashy remnants of the playoff party still littered the HSBC Arena plaza on Monday afternoon.
Empty mustard packets, pompon scraps and a crushed cup or two dotted the walkway.
So, too, did a crumpled sign made by a believing fan, perhaps balled up at the very moment when Daniel Alfredsson's goal 9:32 into overtime in Game 5 on Saturday afternoon ended the Buffalo Sabres' season.
"One team, one goal, many miracles," the sign said.
The Sabres fell short of their Stanley Cup goal, but now the need a prayer or two answered in the off-season.
Daniel Briere and Chris Drury, the team's best centers and the co-captains, will be among six unrestricted free agents on July 1. Defenseman Teppo Numminen, forwards Dainius Zubrus and Adam Mair and backup goalie Ty Conklin are the others.
The players know there will be changes. Because of the salary cap, that's the nature of the NHL today. "But hopefully a miracle can be done," defenseman Brian Campbell said.
On Monday, when the players cleared out their lockers, Drury and Briere said they were hoping for the same thing.
"I would love to come back," Briere said. "I didn't hide my feelings all year. I'm hoping I'm still going to be here next year."
In reality, however, common sense — and the Sabres' cents — say it's unlikely that both will return.
"It's our business; there's always changes," Drury said.
Over the next five weeks, owner Tom Golisano must decide how much he's willing to spend on the payroll next season and then general manager Darcy Regier must decide where it will be spent.
Because of one-on-one meetings with players, Regier and coach Lindy Ruff were not made available to the media on Monday.
Drury was paid $3.1 million this season. A player as valuable for his production as his leadership, he'll easily double that on the free-agent market.
Briere was awarded $5 million in arbitration last summer and backed it up with a 95-point regular season. The market will say he deserves more.
"I don't feel I have to max out, and it's not what I'm looking for," Briere said. "Probably my biggest wish would be to be part of this team with Chris next year. I'd like to play with Chris again; I have the utmost respect for him."
What is difficult for Briere is that he thinks some fans and media members view it as an either/or choice — one player or the other, not both, with the past season as the measuring stick.
"People tried to picture it as me against Chris," Briere said. "It never felt like that for me, and that's what is disappointing to me. I never felt I was in competition with Chris."
Briere said money isn't everything. It's clear he wants to win a Stanley Cup and he knows the Sabres are very close, having lost in the Eastern Conference finals during the past two years.
He believes re-signing himself and Drury would keep the Sabres among the elite. "You're so close two years in a row," he said. "Most of the players will be back, and we feel we can help the Sabres take that next step.
"If they're interested (in bringing Briere back), they're going to have the first chance and the best chance."
After winning the Presidents' Trophy as regular-season NHL champions, the Sabres believed they were Cup-bound this season. It turned out that not every player realized what it would take, a lesson they learned the hard way. "I don't think we could ever put the regular season in its place," Drury said. "We rolled into the postseason thinking we could play one way.
"Ottawa showed you can't. That's why they're still playing and we're talking." |
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| WhatRUSaying |
The Buffalo Sabres face an uncertain future following their elimination Saturday from the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Forwards Chris Drury, Daniel Briere, Dainius Zubrus, and Adam Mair and defenseman Teppo Numminen are eligible for unrestricted free agency on July 1, while forwards Thomas Vanek and Derek Roy are restricted free agents.
It's widely believed the Sabres cannot afford to re-sign both Drury and Briere, and general manager Darcy Regier's priority could be deciding which to keep. Both could command offers well over $6 million per season.
Presently Regier has over $28 million committed to payroll for next season, and with the salary cap anticipated to rise to around $48 million for next season appears to have plenty of room to accomplish this.
However, if he pays over $12 million for Drury and Briere, his payroll leaps to over $40 million. It's expected ownership will maintain payroll at $44 million for next season, thus re-signing both would leave Regier nothing to re-sign Vanek and Roy, let alone flesh out the remainder of his roster.
If it comes down to a choice between the two for Regier, media consensus has him re-signing Drury and cutting Briere loose. As talented as Briere is, he's considered more of an offensive player, while Drury is a two-way leader who elevates his game at playoff time.
That was evident during this year's playoffs when Drury was singled out for his all-round performance while Briere faced some media criticism for his inconsistent offense, even seeing his ice time slashed during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
However, there's no certainty that Drury will re-sign with the Sabres. His off-season home is in Manhattan Beach, Calif., fuelling speculation he might sign with the Los Angeles Kings. He'll get considerable offers from teams with plenty of salary-cap space, notably the Colorado Avalanche, his first NHL team with whom he won a Stanley Cup in 2001.
Briere would also attract plenty of suitors willing to pay over $6 million per season for his services. The Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens are believed topping that list.
The nightmare scenario for Regier is losing both players, leaving two gaping holes in the roster that would be difficult to fill, although he'd certainly try with the extra cap space available to him under that scenario.
One way Regier could retain Drury and Briere would be via salary-dumping trades, a possibility that shouldn't be ruled out.
Potential trade bait could be forward Ales Kotalik and defenseman Dmitri Kalinin; both had sub-par seasons and their respective performances didn't improve during the 2007 playoffs.
Kotalik earns $2.33 million per season, Kalinin $2 million, and cutting their salaries would free up over $4 million which could be put toward re-signing Drury and Briere. Promising forward Drew Stafford and defenseman Nathan Paetsch could be affordable replacements for Kotalik and Kalinin.
Once Regier sorts out the Drury-Briere situation he'll turn his attention to re-signing Vanek and Roy. Both are restricted free agents coming off entry-level contracts and have no arbitration rights, thus giving Regier more time to negotiate new contracts for those two.
Vanek earned over $900,000 per season on his last contract and not only had a great regular season in 2006-07 (43 goals, 84 points) but also played well in the playoffs, with six goals and 10 points in 16 games. Don't be surprised if he seeks at least $3.5 million per season.
Roy made over $600,000 last season and had his breakout season in 2006-07, with 63 points in 75 games and seven playoff points, earning favorable comparisons to future Hall-of-Famer Doug Gilmour. He'll likely try to double his salary.
Zubrus isn't likely to return, as he's believed seeking a five-year, $15 million contract, which was why the Washington Capitals dealt him to Buffalo at the trade deadline. He won't get that contract from the Sabres, or any other NHL team for that matter.
Numminen could return if he agrees to another season at $2.6 million or slightly less, and Mair — who earned $675,000 last season — should be an affordable re-signing.
Whatever moves Regier makes, it's certain the Buffalo Sabres roster will have a different look next season. Whether or not those moves improve the Sabres chances of winning the Stanley Cup remains to be seen |
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| Petey Arms |
Did A Briere - Drury Lockeroom Fight Occur?
http://onveutlacoupe.blogspot.com/2...did-briere.html
Many of you may have heard rumours of an altercation between Sabres' co-captains Chris Drury and Daniel Briere. I have been provided information by a source associated with the Sabres that an altercation did occur, but that it occurred during the Sabres - Senators series after the Game 2 loss in Buffalo. It appears to have occurred after the morning skate the following day. This source has given me positive information on the logo change and has informed me of the alleged agreement between Drury and the Sabres. He has also given me heads up on Sabres trade activity that has borne out through the years including Donald Audette and Danny Briere coming to town. What I am saying is when he talks I tend to believe it is true.
From what I have been told Daniel Briere was sitting with an unnamed Sabre in the lockeroom talking about possible places he may be playing next season. At this time Chris Drury and Drew Stafford walked through that area of the room and overheard the conversation. Apparently there had been some strife over the earlier reports, especially after a Philadelphia press interview with Martin Biron, that Briere has talked openly about leaving previously and that it had a negative effect on the room. When confronted by Drury on the comments Briere, allegedly, made reference to the rumour, which I have previously reported, that Drury had already reached a handshake deal and that he, and the team, were hiding it. Allegedly, Briere also made a reference that Drury was favored in Buffalo because he was an American and that is why he got all of the credit.
According to my source it escalated from there and some blows, though none damaging, were thrown and they had to be separated by teammates. The Sabres immediately followed this brush-up with possibly the worst performance by the team all year in Game 3. Interestingly after Briere tied game 2 with video clearly shows Drury skating right by Briere without even congratulating him. also in a off day press conference Joe Corvo of the Senators made reference of how it was tough for the Sabres to focus on the Sens when they are fighting themselves.
Is it an interesting set of coincidences? Maybe, maybe not. The Sabres aren't talking and worked quickly to dispel the rumour around town. All I know for sure is that the Chemistry and team play the Sabres lived on all year seems to have disappeared. Is it a divided lockeroom or just a totally superior Ottawa team?
In the meantime, Drury and Briere have had a full fledged love in, especially Briere, about each other since the season ended. Each can't say enough of how much they still want to play on each others team. Interestingly, Drury came out and admitted that he and the Sabres had negotiations during the season on an extension. Briere, on the other hand, was told there would be no negotiations due to policy. If this is true, at the very least, the Sabres botched the handling of their two leaders and maybe lost their best shot at the cup. Granted, you expect Briere and Drury to conduct themselves as professionals all the time, but when feelings, emotion and money mix, the results are seldom positive.
I will keep an eye on the story and report an further information that arises. |
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| thoroldjames |
Quote: Originally posted by Petey Arms
i think they loose both to FA |
that's my guess |
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