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Commentary: Sabres to Miller: We won't pay — or win
Kevin Oklobjiza
Rochester D&C
Feb. 27
In once again failing miserably to sign a key player, the Sabres confirmed what every one of their players already knew too well: Winning is not the ultimate objective.
Because they couldn't sign Campbell, they were forced to trade their All-Star defenseman.
The Tampa Bay Lightning faced a similar situation and they got a deal done with defenseman Dan Boyle ($40 million for six years).
The Sabres chose to remain true to their budget. They know the franchise's future depends on smart fiscal management. Fans will only spend so much on tickets and corporate money is limited.
So in reality the Sabres sent another message: That fan loyalty doesn't matter.
Thanks for buying those season tickets for a team that doesn't exist anymore. Yeah, we sold them to you when Campbell, Drury and Briere were winning the Presidents Trophy and staring down the Stanley Cup.
ok PLEASE somebody answer me this:
if buffalo met soups demands and gave him the 5.75 over six years what does the team do about all the other players coming up for free agency
everybody wants to say the club is cheap but the cold hard reality is that they simply cannot pay everybody. miller is going to command another big chunk of the cap this offseason. then you have goose and pie-yay and macarthur coming up after that. and on their heels are pommer and stafford. sissy is playing great and you gotta keep him around after his contract runs out next year
id have loved to keep brian but if they did they would have had to make some tough choices elsewhere to make up for it. and lets be honest, he is just not worth the franchise money he wanted and will get elsewhere. really good but not break the bank good. thats just reality
just look around and see how other teams are strapped now because they paid too much for guys who were at their peak a few years ago. toronto is probably going to suck for three or four more years specifically because of that. meanwhile the sabres should remain competitive for the playoffs year after year and with a bit of luck could be serious contenders any given year
its tough to be objective this time of year but thats really the only way you can look at it. the sabres are finally being smart about their free agents. as tough as it is to see somebody like soup (and jp and clutch and danny and ...) have to go at least they are stopping the bleeding by getting value in return this time. they deserve criticism for not accepting brians offer of five for five but nothing they could do about that now except make the best of it. at least they did that and got something pretty good in return
now just DONT ***KING WAIT TO SIGN MILLER. get a deal done this summer cuz you know damn well its gonna cost you more if you wait. and please try to be more proactive about other young stars in the making. easier said than done of course
so if youre gonna sit there and say the sabres are cheap and dont want to win youre gonna have to back up those words with some facts. lets hear em
Kevin Oklobjiza
Rochester D&C
Feb. 27
In once again failing miserably to sign a key player, the Sabres confirmed what every one of their players already knew too well: Winning is not the ultimate objective.
Because they couldn't sign Campbell, they were forced to trade their All-Star defenseman.
The Tampa Bay Lightning faced a similar situation and they got a deal done with defenseman Dan Boyle ($40 million for six years).
The Sabres chose to remain true to their budget. They know the franchise's future depends on smart fiscal management. Fans will only spend so much on tickets and corporate money is limited.
So in reality the Sabres sent another message: That fan loyalty doesn't matter.
Thanks for buying those season tickets for a team that doesn't exist anymore. Yeah, we sold them to you when Campbell, Drury and Briere were winning the Presidents Trophy and staring down the Stanley Cup.
ok PLEASE somebody answer me this:
if buffalo met soups demands and gave him the 5.75 over six years what does the team do about all the other players coming up for free agency
everybody wants to say the club is cheap but the cold hard reality is that they simply cannot pay everybody. miller is going to command another big chunk of the cap this offseason. then you have goose and pie-yay and macarthur coming up after that. and on their heels are pommer and stafford. sissy is playing great and you gotta keep him around after his contract runs out next year
id have loved to keep brian but if they did they would have had to make some tough choices elsewhere to make up for it. and lets be honest, he is just not worth the franchise money he wanted and will get elsewhere. really good but not break the bank good. thats just reality
just look around and see how other teams are strapped now because they paid too much for guys who were at their peak a few years ago. toronto is probably going to suck for three or four more years specifically because of that. meanwhile the sabres should remain competitive for the playoffs year after year and with a bit of luck could be serious contenders any given year
its tough to be objective this time of year but thats really the only way you can look at it. the sabres are finally being smart about their free agents. as tough as it is to see somebody like soup (and jp and clutch and danny and ...) have to go at least they are stopping the bleeding by getting value in return this time. they deserve criticism for not accepting brians offer of five for five but nothing they could do about that now except make the best of it. at least they did that and got something pretty good in return
now just DONT ***KING WAIT TO SIGN MILLER. get a deal done this summer cuz you know damn well its gonna cost you more if you wait. and please try to be more proactive about other young stars in the making. easier said than done of course
so if youre gonna sit there and say the sabres are cheap and dont want to win youre gonna have to back up those words with some facts. lets hear em
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