Darcy Regier has made a few moves this offseason, but he is far from done. Buffalo still has about eight million left to spent before it reaches the maximum salary cup.
Everything has slowed down around the NHL recently, due to the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes. Once that is over, expect Regier and the Sabres to make a few more moves.
Buffalo has already seen the addition of Jordan Leopold and Rob Niedermayer, two solid signings that should help the team. The Sabres also re-signed Patrick Lalime for another year. Lalime put up respectable numbers, but only went 4-8-2 last year.
While many Buffalo fans may not feel confident with Lalime in net, he is a veteran backup who Ryan Miller looks to for advice. Lalime is a great presence in the locker room, and is not a bad choice as a backup. His number slipped down a bit due to the time off between starts.
Buffalo still has a shot at obtaining Tomas Kaberle on defense. With him and Leopold replacing Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman, the defense would be improved. Craig Rivet may miss the start of the regular season, which may allow Mike Weber to see some playing time.
David Perron from the St.Louis Blues has been drawing interest from the Sabres. He is only 22 years old and has played three seasons in the NHL. He has put up 98 points in the past two years, and is a solid, consitent, left winger that would fit nicely on the Sabres.
Buffalo and Calgary have also been rumored in trade talks. The Flames are interested in Derek Roy and a prospect, while the Sabres may be looking at Robyn Regehr and a couple of others.
The Sabres still need some help on offense. A top-line center would really help out the entire team. Roy is the ideal candidate for a trade and his cap hit of four million would be nice to get rid of.
Buffalo has a chance to acquire three or four more solid players. It is just whether or not Regier will actually come through this time. He has money to spend, so it is expected that he will do something soon.
Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.Buffalo is not far from becoming a solid team. You can argue that they already are. The Sabres finished third in the conference this past season, mainly because of its goaltending and defense. As stated before, Buffalo has already replace Tallinder and Lydman, so the defense remains the same.
If the Sabres do acquire Kaberle, it would be a significant plus on defense. Pairing him up with Myers would make for a solid defensive core.
On offense, the Sabres could add one or two more names, but they need to score. Tyler Ennis may get a full time spot in the roster, based on his performance towards the end of last season.
Hopefully Regier has some offers ready to go, and Buffalo is not far from seeing some changes in the near future.