Briere and Drury Appear To Be Gone WIth The Wind

In a move that seems shocking to even the most pessimistic Sabres fan it appears Darcy Regier is prepared to let Danny Briere and Chris Drury go without a fight. Agents for both players report little or no contact in the way of negotiations with the Sabres' general manager. With each passing day it appears less and less likely the Sabres will be able to retain either of their co-captains. Also, Danbius Zubrus' agent reports no contact at all with the Sabres in regards to a new contract.

This is not a unique situation as in that Regier doesn't seem to like to make token offers to players just to stay in the game. He does have a tendency to work late and come in with the last/best offer in many of his negotiations. He has utilized similar tactics in situations involving Mike Peca, Jay Mckee, Mike Grier and numerous prospects. It has mnet with, at best, mixed results.

My hope is that Regier goes to the players and at least requests a chance to match the best offer they receive. Unfortunately, the message that the tactic sends probably isn't one that leads a player to have faith in the progression of the team. When you factor in the captaincy of each player it is probably deemed more as insulting.

If Regier has simply turned the page and intends to move forward without the co-captains I wish he would just come out and say so and then move forward in restructuring this team. He and Ruff alluded to that when they signed their new deals. Unfortunately, Chris Drury seems like a cog that would be needed in a more defensive, tight checking style of game.

At any rate, Regier's inaction, at the least, has Sabres' fans on edge and the pessimists running rampant. My simple request of Darcy is this: do something!