Negotiating wisely, Sabres could keep both Drury, Briere

by Ralph Schwarz
Grand Island Dispatch, June 1, 2007

Now that the Buffalo Sabres’ quest for the Stanley Cup has come to an abrupt halt, hockey fans across Western New York enter the summer with one major question in mind: What will happen to the team’s roster come July 1?

More precisely: What will the Sabres management do to secure the services of co-captains and unrestricted free agents Chris Drury and Daniel Briere? Will the team be able to lock up restricted free agents Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek without going through arbitration? And will Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier have enough cash on his hands to boost the Buffalo blue line without reaching the ceiling of the salary cap?

Entering the 2006-07 season, the Sabres saw their players’ salaries go over $43 million and creeping close to the cap of $44 million. With the cap for the 2007-08 season expected to be somewhere around $48 million, the Buffalo management needs to do some shrewd maneuvering to prevent two of its best players from leaving town.

What definitely speaks in favor of the Sabres is the fact that they have the core of the team in place. Plus, unlike the Philadelphia Flyers, who are believed to covet both Drury and Briere, Buffalo remains a contender for the Stanley Cup.

Would you rather take a pay cut to play for a contender, and possibly sip from hockey’s holy grail, or play for a team that is going through the pains of rebuilding? Goaltending great Martin Brodeur had this in mind when he signed a new six-year, $31.2 million, contract with the New Jersey Devils in January 2006. Although he could have commanded more money as a free agent, he chose to stay for less. Apart from feeling comfortable with the Devils organization, he explained that by signing for less money, he was giving his team more flexibility and the chance to add other players to remain a contender.

If the Sabres want to be contenders for the years to come, they need to lock up their best players, but at a price that would not jeopardize the contract situation of other important players, namely Vanek and Roy. Both coming off career years, the two would certainly like to reap the financial rewards for their achievements.

So let’s do the calculations: The Sabres have currently locked up a core of 13 players for $28.4 million. That would leave about $19.6 million, assuming the salary cap increases to $48 million. Doubling Vanek’s and tripling Roy’s salaries would take up another $3.851 million, reducing the cap space to $15.749 million.

Now, the question remains what to do with Teppo Numminen and Dainius Zubrus, both unrestricted free agents, as well. Most likely, the Sabres will part with Zubrus and his $1.85 million salary and give Drew Stafford a full-time promotion. With Numminen, the situation might look a little bit different, given his experience and leadership among the Buffalo defensemen. If the Sabres management decides to sign the 38-year-old Finn for another year, it will be for less than the $2.6 million he’s currently making.

Let’s say, the Sabres sign Numminen for $1.8 million and lock up Nathan Paetsch and Adam Mair for $650,000 and $850,000, respectively – that leaves the management with about $12.449 million. Then, we subtract another $600,000 for an experienced backup goaltender (unless Regier decided to go with less experience for less money by bringing in a prospect from Rochester) and end up at $11.849 million, of which $11 million can be spent to re-sign Drury and Briere.

If the two are reasonable with their salary demands, the equation could certainly work out. If not, the Sabres have to make up their minds regarding who to retain. Of course, they could always trade some of the already signed core players who underperformed in the playoffs. Don’t be surprised if Darcy Regier parts with Dimitri Kalinin, Jaroslav Spacek or even Ales Kotalik (and their combined salary of $8.225 million for next year) by initiating a deal at the upcoming NHL Entry Draft in Columbus.

The Buffalo News recently reported that the Sabres have already decided that they can’t afford to spend up to the NHL’s salary cap, quoting managing partner Larry Quinn as saying, “We will have our own budget and it will be a responsible one.”

Does this mean the days of Chris Drury and Daniel Briere in the Queen City are indeed numbered?

Ralph Schwarz is the former sports editor at Niagara Frontier Publications.