Painful

I have avoided writing this one. Partially out of denial, partially because it is so easy to pile on. But... well, now is the time.

This Sabres team is broken. Not broken in the sense that there are poor players or coaching. I am talking broken in the spiritual sense. I had not, I admit, seen this coming. sure all of the signs were there, especially the ones in neon lights (see Briere and Drury leaving). I thought that Miller, Gaustad, Campbell would pick up the slack. I truly did. What I have seen is an unemotional team going through the motions on most nights. I acknowledge they picked it up big time in the past two games against the Bruins and Leafs, but no one was home to score those clutch goals that They-who-shall-not-be-named used to score.

Who is to blame? Yes it starts with Regier. He was wrong, pure and simple. There is still time to right the ship but the fix is going to be expensive in the way of prospects. There are players to be had, players that can fill the Drury/Briere roles but they are going to cost Buffalo some of their exquisite depth and prized prospects.

Lindy doesn't get off easy here either. For the first time ever Lindy seems at a loss. I think part of it is a sense of betrayal. I know if I had signed a new 3 year deal at less than market value and then had my veteran leaders stripped I would feel betrayed too. I can't help but sense that it has seeped into his thinking and the room as a whole.

Tom Golisano gets a bite of the apple too. He has done tons of good while here in Buffalo, but anyone who listened to the fans and read the news knew that bringing one of those two back was critical to the perception of this team, if nothing else. Now this team must win in order to draw. Losing Briere and Drury destroyed any grace period this town was willing to give. Tom, as a business man, you should have known better than that.

The players. The players have been downright awful. What shakes me is this unwillingness to take ownership of the team. Instead of grasping the leadership role they have played hot-potato with it. It may have something to do with the fact that being the captain of this team is akin to a death sentence. Ruff's rotating captaincy has been criticized. i think it is more of a result of a locker room waiting for the other guy. A true team would DEMAND and push forward a captain. Yet, they sit back and let the opportunity sail by. This leads me to believe that the role needs to be filled from the outside. I don't know who that guy is, but he better be found and brought in soon.

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!

Ruff and Regier Back For More

Sorry I haven't posted. It has been a crazy ole time here in Buffalo. Anyway. General Manager Darcy Regier agreed to a two-year deal and Head Coach agreed to a three-year deal with an option year to return to the Sabres. Interestingly, both acknowledged they took under market-value deals to return. On face value this would seem to indicate a significant comfort level with the current Sabres organization. Hopefully this will translate into a willingness by owner Tom Golisano to pay top dollar to keep the franchise competitive.

Ruff and Regier Agree to New Deals

Multiple news outlets in Buffalo and Canada are reporting that the Sabres have reached agreements on newcontracts with General Manager Darcy Regier and Head Coach Lindy Ruff. More news to follow as details become clearer.

Prospect Note:

- The Sabres signed Defense prospect Marc-Andre Gragnani on the last day prior to the deadline for signing 2005 draftees. Gragnani, who was drafted 87th overall that year is thought of as a highly skilled offensive defenseman with very good powerplay skills. The Sabres declined to sign Branislav Fabry and Phillipe Gogulla who were also at their signing deadline.

The politics of Goose and Max

There is a lot of discussion going on about the possibility of Drew Stafford being sat to make room for the return of Paul Gaustad. Also, there is still the ongoing chatter about the Max Afinigenov benching.

We'll talk Max first. This was a bit of a strange move by Ruff in my estimation. He does have a history of doing things like this with rookies, just ask Thomas Vanek. I believe that in trying to send a message to Max Ruff might have done damage in the room. This has been a close nit team and most matters have been handled in-house. I think that many of the players took umbrage with the calling out of Max in the press in the first place and then the scratch. In Ruff''s defense the media in Buffalo has been waiting to pounce on a Max-failing-to-show-up-for-the-playoffs-story and pounce they did. I think he handled it poorly. Max hasn't played well, but he was hardly the worse player. I would argue that Briere has been even worse. I think the players have moved past it and have rallied around Max. In fact, Thomas Vanek was quoted yesterday on WGR Sports Radio 550 as saying it was his and Derek Roy's responsibility to help Max out of his slump. This is a good sign for Ruff in my opinion. It seems that the players, instead of making it a public controversy, have given Ruff an out for his poor decision.

Then there is Gaustad. I think he is a tough player for people outside of Buffalo to wrap their hands around. He is an immensely respected and popular player in the Buffalo room and the public. He is also Ryan Miller's best friend on the team. The closest player I can equate him to is Joel Otto as he does a lot of the same gritty things Otto was famous for. I firmly believe he will be the next captain of this team after Drury and Briere. Ruff is in a tough spot here. If Gaustad can play and he sits him in favor of a rookie, even one as talented as Stafford, he sends a bad message to the team. Ruff is pretty cognizant of leadership issues and the politics of messing with that leadership. Basically an 80% Gaustad might be more valuable to the Sabres than a 100% Stafford.

The guy forgotten in all of this is Stafford. The kid has done and said all the right things. He is quoted today in the Buffalo News as saying he is prepared to step aside to make room for Gaustad. The kid shows maturity beyond his years, he really gets it. The best thing about this is Stafford is making it easy for Ruff to find a way out of this situation.

This is a good sign for Buffalo. I think the problem has been resolved, at least temporarily, and I expect to see more jump and focus. They have let Ruff off the hook and decided to move on. Gaustad alone should help increase the energy level. My expectation is that you will see a highly motivated and physical Sabres team tonight and that should lead to a comfortable victory.