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How much did McKee sign in St. Louis for? Would it have been better for them to have paid McKee instead of Spacek? I can't see Jaroslav Spacek earning $3.5m a year, if that was from his postseason last year he had to have gravytrained Pronger! I had no idea he was getting that much.

Well, stranger things have happened in sports this year; the Colts win the Super Bowl, Florida winning both major national championships over Ohio St., and Mark Martin nearly winning the Daytona 500. IF the Utah Jazz make it to the NBA finals and win and the Cubs make it to the World Series I'm gonna wonder if the end is near. Ottawa finally making the finals??? I didn't see that one coming at the beginning of the postseason.

Spacek makes $3.475; McKee - $4m for 4 years.

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Hmm...I'd still take McKee, not sure at that price though...

I was neve rin favor of Spacek coming here but I thought he would add more offense to the blueline which was needed. The way he flamed out in the playoffs this year reminded me of watching him on Edmonton where entire games were lost because of him. That being said, he was a lot healthier than McKee this year and the blueline needs bodies who will play. McKee was a great loss for this Sabres team but that price tag is a bit heafty!

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Me personally, I think if I was a Sabres fan I'd rather see them keep Drury. Will they be able to? I know Drury and Briere both probably aren't possible. Is there anyone they could buy out? I also heard Numminen is a UFA. I'd love to see them keep him. Any thoughts?

Realistically Drury and Briere staying together is not very likely, though I would love to see it. Of the two though, I think I would rather keep Drury. Both are extremely talented players but I think Drury would be better for the team.

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Well I was mad as ever on Saturday when Buffalo lost, and if I see the name Daniel Alfredsson one more time....

Buffalo just wasn't themselves in this series. They weren't hustling like they usually do, and they just weren't playing their best hockey. Too much pressure and they folded. Let's hope they can make it to the finals next year, even with the Briere-Drury situation. Right now, I could care less who wins the West, just as long as they kick Ottawa's butt.

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We've probably seen the last of Teppo; he's hinting at retirement and if he doesn't decide on it himself the Sabres will probably nudge him that way by lowballing him. We just can't afford to pay him $2.6m again at his age. Vanek is an RFA and will command a fair price, while Drury and Briere are two of the hottest commodities that will hit free agency this year. To give Vanek, Briere and Drury contracts would create a situation similar to the Lightning's big three, and because of that, I almost guarantee Briere will be the odd man out. Spacek's salary will likely be the first one the Sabres look to move, as there isn't a defenseman in the world worth $3.475m if you're going to limit him to 8 and 10 minutes, respectively, in the two biggest games of the year. I wouldn't be surprised to see Kalinin gone either, after only skating 4 and 2 minutes in those same games. Kotalik will probably be shoppped around and I wouldn't be surprised to see the Sabres move either Stafford, Roy, or Pominville (not more than one of the three) in an effort to bring in a more steady defensive powerhouse by offering talented youth. Conklin is a UFA and will likely be signed to stay on as Miller's backup and Zubrus is also a UFA. Regier doesn't like to hand out long contracts, but Zubrus said himself that he's looking for 5 years. If that's the case, he probably shouldn't have admitted to being plagued by recurring knee problems throughout his career prior to being offered a deal as it makes the likelihood of Regier offering him more than two years very unlikely. I expect to see a VERY different Sabres team next year. Additionaly, people talk about Connolly performing as well as can be expected of a guy who missed so much time, but I was under the impression that an extra couple of months were taken so that he'd be at peak condition and not returning just as he became symptom free. He has 2 years remaining on his contract and $6.5m to be earned over that time and I don't think the Sabres can afford to pay a mediocre player like Connolly that much. He might be flashy and have great hands but he didn't contribute a single goal in the playoffs and often looked out of place. He also didn't help the miserable PP that he was supposed to become a spark plug for. If some team will take him, I can see the Sabres moving him to make space. Expect to see Vanek, Miller, Drury, Gaustad, Tallinder, Lydman, and Campbell as the only sure bets to be back next season (I cannot see them not keeping Drury after his season ending performance and the notion that losing BOTH of the captains will knock the Sabres out of contention for a couple of years).

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Yeah I'm kinda thinking the same thing now. Buffalo was given their shot TWICE and in successive years. Not many teams get that many chances in a career and the Sabres got two cracks in two years. Unfortunately for them, they blew it both times. Next year, I think they're gonna flop. But, with Miller playing the way he's been playing thus far, I guess they're never really out of it.

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Yeah I'm kinda thinking the same thing now. Buffalo was given their shot TWICE and in successive years. Not many teams get that many chances in a career and the Sabres got two cracks in two years. Unfortunately for them, they blew it both times. Next year, I think they're gonna flop. But, with Miller playing the way he's been playing thus far, I guess they're never really out of it.

Let's face facts, even with a likely increased salary cap, with all of the UFA's and RFA's- this was THE year. After all, that's why they traded Biron- this was the shot. Now I am sure the farm system will bring in some good bodies (as we saw in the middle part of this year) but the utter firepower exhibited this year will not be on display next year. I am a big 48 guy and want him to stay here over Drury but the chances of him going to Philly are probably pretty good and let's not forget Dru's wife wants to move permanently to LA, he has a house out there and the Kings are a few veterans who can produce away from being a real contender in the West (if they get Labarbara in net). He fits the bill for them (or even the Sharks who are threatening not to sit idly by). So both could be gone on July 1st.

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Maybe I'm being too optimistic, I'm not sure that the Sabres have blown their chance. IF they make the right moves this offseason, keep at least ONE of the Drury-Briere duo and get rid of some of the dead weight (Spacek) and lock Vanek up. They could very well be back next season. Sometimes all it takes is a major shakeup to get a team over the hump. Ottawa comes to mind for me. They have been trying to find the right mix the last several seasons and have just now gotten to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time.

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