The Buffalo Sabres have once again suffered a hit to their once deep roster. Thanks to Gary Bettman and this "new age" NHL, the hockey league has added four teams in the last four years. Does anyone think hockey will really last in such markets as Nashville or Atlanta? Probably not, especially when the going gets tougher. Teams can't be competitive forever.
Another problem with this expansion is the talent pool. With 30 teams now, career minor leaguers have to come up and play the roles of 5th defenseman, 4th center etc. Depth? Forget about it. Boring hockey? Absolutely.
Now on to the Sabres. We lost Dwayne Roloson and Geoff Sanderson. Jean-Luc Grand Pierre, Matt Davidson and 2 5th rounders were lost in side deals to keep the core of the team together. All of these assets went to Columbus.
None of these players were overly important but it certainly kills our depth. In the last few years, we have lost Steve Shields, Bob Boughner, Darryl Shannon, Dean Sylvester because of expansion. This makes drafting correctly all the more important.
Good Riddens to both Roloson and Sanderson. Rolo obviously wasnt happy about his playing time and needed this to improve his career. He will always be remembered for winning a playoff game in Toronto; I love him for that. We all know the story with Sanderson. Makes 1.5 million and lost his scoring touch. Sure he worked hard, but he needed to score to stay on the team. We wish him luck.
JLGP was the biggest lost. He possesses all the skills to be a regular NHL player, but missed his chances with the team. His physical presence will be missed as our backline becomes as soft as jell-o. Our once deep, young blueline corps has been reduced greatly. Only Campell and Kalinin remains.
Matt Davidson was a good AHL player who would have never seen the NHL in a Sabre uni. Moving him clears the way for such prospects as Norm Milley and Jaraslav Kristek, both of whom play the right wing. The two 5th rounders isnt that big a deal.
Overall, Darcy kept the core of the team together, which was the most important thing to do. We had to lose someone. You can thank Gary Bettman for that. Look for my analysis on the draft in the next few days.
