Matt Ellis will be back in the blue and gold for another year after agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with the team. According to CapGeek he will earn $625,000 this season.
Sabres ink Ellis
Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres coverage. Related to the Sabres, their prospects and the minors.
Kennedy finds a new home
Former Sabre Tim Kennedy agreed to a one-year $550,000 contract with the New York Rangers, thus ending his tumultuous offseason.
Suddenly the Sabres are wheeling and dealing
Darcy Regier made some waves today, more waves than he has made in a 24-hour span in quite some time, in fact.He waived hometown kid Tim Kennedy before signing veteran defenseman Shaone Morrisonn.
Upon Tim Kennedy arriving to sign his new contract (recently awarded by an arbitrator) he was waived by the team. This move is beyond surprising for a couple of reasons.
Watch out NHL! Here come the Buffalo Sabres!
Not really. The Sabres officially announced another signing today, but it is even more underwhelming that the re-signing of Patrick Lalime.
The Sabres agreed to terms with tough-guy Tim Conboy. The 6’2″ 210lb right winger will spend the season in Portland, barring any unforeseen rash of injuries. Conboy has split time between the AHL and NHL the past few years but, I don’t see a spot for him on the Sabres roster.
Some die hards will remember him for inciting a gongshow at the first Pirates game at HSBC Arena in 2009. This was during my time with the Sabres and I’ll never forget the game because of the lengthy shootout (Portland lost 4-3 to Albany) and the numerous fights. Conboy stuck to the code when he decided Nathan Gerbe was the right dance partner for him that evening. We will see how well those two get together on the farm next year.
Another A-bomb
This has been the busiest week for free-agent signings for the Sabres this summer.
Darcy Regier went out and grabbed some Stanley Cup experience and grit with Rob Niedermayer and then had Mike Weber accept his one-year qualifying offer. In addition, Corey Tropp was inked to a three-year entry level deal. Then came the big one. This afternoon the Sabres announced that they had re-signed Patrick Lalime to a one-year deal.
Who the hell is going to wear #44 for the Sabres?
Well, Sabres fans can’t say Darcy didn’t sign anybody. But, he really has yet to make a major impact in free agency. On the bright side, he didn’t just sign Bob Corkum.
The Sabres signed Rob Nidermayer to a one-year deal today. According to TSN, the deal is worth $1 million for the 2010-11 season.
My guess at the Sabres new alternate jersey
I am a big fan of the website, Icethetics. It is run very well and always has new information about what uniforms are being worn throughout hockey, not just the NHL. Chris, the guy who runs the site, has had some info about a new Sabres uniform for next season.
Larry Quinn stated on a local radio show last year that there would be two new uniforms this season, including a new third jersey to celebrate the team’s 40th season. Chris over at Icethetics put together a concept based on what he has been told the new uniform will look like, here is the link to his story.
I think he is pretty close to accurate based on his description. But, being a hockey nerd and knowing that the city of Buffalo is fanatic about its history (why else wouldn’t Bass Pro be built), I think the sweater will hearken back to an earlier era of Buffalo pucks. Going off what Chris has on his site, I think the Buffalo script will be similar to the script that adorned the old Bisons jerseys in the 1960s. Plus, I don’t know if putting an extra logo on the front makes any sense, I like having the number underneath the script, it leaves room on the right breast for a 40th anniversary patch. Here is my try at the possible third jersey:
Sabres stay static on July 1
July 1 must not be a good day at HSBC Arena. The Sabres have never done too much on the opening day of free agency, particularly in the past few years. Mark down 2010 as another one of those days.
With a free agent pool deep with defensive talent, and two UFA defensemen likely leaving the team, it was believed that the Sabres would make one or two acquisitions today. They didn’t disappoint in every sense of the word, although most fans expecting Tomas Kaberle are likely up in arms about the Sabres’ signing.
Jordan Leopold is not a bad pick-up. Three years at or around $2 million (his 09-10 salary was $1.75MM) is not a bad rate for a reliable defenseman. Leopold has playoff experience from his Cup run with Calgary and he has shown he is a capable power play contributor. Just don’t expect him to be Duncan Keith on the man advantage.
While underwhelming, Leopold addresses the loss of the Sabres’ two top left handed defensemen. With Mike Weber coming up from the minors, Buffalo shouldn’t lose too much skill. If they were to find another guy later in free agency they might be golden – reason being, Chris Butler and Andrej Sekera do not deserve a regular shift. Continue reading
It’s almost UFA day – what will the Sabres do?
The dearth of trades leading up to the beginning of free agency, Thursday at noon, has been somewhat surprising.
Ten days ago rumors were rampant that players like Tomas Kaberle, Jason Spezza and others would be moved on or before the draft. At the very worst they wouldn’t last past June 30. But, there have only been a few “major” deals. Vancouver acquiring Keith Ballard and Victor Oreskovich for a first-round pick, Steve Bernier and Michael Grabner is probably the biggest – followed closely by Nathan Horton and Greg Campbell for Denis Wideman and a pair of picks. Aside from Dustin Byfuglien, the Chicago-Atlanta trade was heavy on numbers but weak on talent.
Either way, the only moves that have been made have been to clear cap space rather than acquire talent. Most of the fringe acquisitions have been smart, but have lacked the pop that all the rumors have predicted. Continue reading
Pat Kaleta HITS Foundation Golf Tourney
Patrick Kaleta’s HITS Foundation is pleased to announce its 1st annual golf tournament to be held Sunday, August 8 2010 at Holland Hills Country Club (10438 Holland Glenwood Rd. Holland, NY 14080).
Registration for this event is going on right now. It is slated to be a shotgun start at noon and will play in a four-man scramble format. There are still openings for golfers of all skill levels. The cost is $500 per foursome which will include 18 holes of golf, lunch, dinner, and drinks. To register for this event, please visit http://www.hitsfoundation.org or email cw.hitsfoundation@gmail.com for further information. All proceeds will directly benefit the HITS Foundation.
The HITS Foundation (Helping Individuals To Smile) has been recently established to provide opportunities within the Western New York community for children and adults to participate in activities that otherwise would not be available to them. In doing this they are aiming to elevate the participants’ quality of life.
For more information, contact Chris Wasik at: cw.hitsfoundation@gmail.com or visit the HITS Foundation website.
Two in the Box 