Orpik says Sabres never made him an offer
By John Vogl - News Sports Reporter
The Buffalo Sabres were convinced Brooks Orpik would command too much money. So they never even made him a contract offer.
The desire in Western New York to have a tough, home-grown defenseman on the Buffalo blue line didn’t reach HSBC Arena. The Sabres were never in the running for Orpik, the defenseman from East Amherst said Wednesday after re-signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“They called my agent and asked what we were looking for,” Orpik said. “That was the only time we heard from them. They never came close to making a contract offer. They were way on the outside, to be honest.”
Orpik stayed in Pittsburgh after agreeing to a six-year deal worth $22.5 mil-lion. That’s $3.75 million per season, within an acceptable range during the summer shopping season. It’s the same yearly average Mike Commodore received from Columbus on Tuesday for a five-year deal. Both are big, physical defensemen, which is what the Sabres were expected to be seeking.
“Certainly, we have an interest in Brooks,” Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier said hours before Orpik signed, “but what he’s going to be able to do in the marketplace is going to exceed where we’re prepared to go. That aside, I think he’s a very good young hockey player, and he’s going to do very well.”
So .... who's available for 3.5 a year or less?
By John Vogl - News Sports Reporter
The Buffalo Sabres were convinced Brooks Orpik would command too much money. So they never even made him a contract offer.
The desire in Western New York to have a tough, home-grown defenseman on the Buffalo blue line didn’t reach HSBC Arena. The Sabres were never in the running for Orpik, the defenseman from East Amherst said Wednesday after re-signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“They called my agent and asked what we were looking for,” Orpik said. “That was the only time we heard from them. They never came close to making a contract offer. They were way on the outside, to be honest.”
Orpik stayed in Pittsburgh after agreeing to a six-year deal worth $22.5 mil-lion. That’s $3.75 million per season, within an acceptable range during the summer shopping season. It’s the same yearly average Mike Commodore received from Columbus on Tuesday for a five-year deal. Both are big, physical defensemen, which is what the Sabres were expected to be seeking.
“Certainly, we have an interest in Brooks,” Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier said hours before Orpik signed, “but what he’s going to be able to do in the marketplace is going to exceed where we’re prepared to go. That aside, I think he’s a very good young hockey player, and he’s going to do very well.”
So .... who's available for 3.5 a year or less?
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