Briere/Drury Update

[Allan in MD]

The analysis is great. The what ifs are cogent. But one point that hasn't been mentioned much here and is, certainly, always a major factor in what happens with free agents is where do they really want to play.

 

In todays professional sport marketplace, it's usually whomever offers the most bucks wins out, but not always. If Danny and Drury enjoy being Sabres so much that other teams offering them a bit more cash won't significantly sway them, than perhaps they can both be resigned. But if the lure of the big, glitzier town becomes the primary attraction and selling point, than dollars may not particularly matter despite how everything gets rationalized out on the board and in the media.

 

A lot of pro athletes are learning, sometimes the hard way- Mike Peca - that money isn't everything. Let's hope Drury and Danny become thinkers instead of grabbers. Helpful, in this regard, may be a rise in the cap for next year.

[Bmwolf21]

Betcha didn't think this thread would blow up the way it did, huh...

 

Your point is well taken, though - throughout sports, there is a plethora of instances where guys end up leaving good teams for a "grass looks greener" situation, and then they realize that they missed out on something great. Sometimes it is a chance to compete for a championship, or a chance to play alongside great young rising stars, or they find out that being an important part of something bigger is sometimes better than being the focal point of a different franchise.

 

I think Danny and Drury are smart enough to realize that they have the chance to be cornerstone players in the rise of a very good hockey team for years to come, and will work with Darcy to get deals done ASAP, before playing the negotiating through the media game. I also think that Darcy, Larry and Tommy G realize that as fast as the region & city took to this team, they can turn their backs on it if fans perceive they are being cheap or unwilling to keep the team together, so I think they'll be able to put together some very respectable numbers for our co-captains.

[wjag]

Betcha didn't think this thread would blow up the way it did, huh...

 

Your point is well taken, though - throughout sports, there is a plethora of instances where guys end up leaving good teams for a "grass looks greener" situation, and then they realize that they missed out on something great. Sometimes it is a chance to compete for a championship, or a chance to play alongside great young rising stars, or they find out that being an important part of something bigger is sometimes better than being the focal point of a different franchise.

 

 

I get your point. Kind of like Reggie White taking the big bucks and heading off to Green Bay to play football. Remember he went there during the Bay of Pigs games. Look at how well that worked out.. Oh wait.. Never mind...

 

The ONLY move that ever truly annoyed me was Thurman Thomas going to play for the Dolphins. After all he said about them during his career, he then goes and does that. It was pure spite.

 

These guys have the right to play anywhere they want and use any means they have. NOBODY is going to limit my options. I wouldn't presume to limit theirs and I am certainly in no position to question their motives. Who cares if it is for the money, playing close to home, or yes even spite. It is their American given rights to sell their services in any fashion they choose.

[frisky]

I'm not sure it's been mentioned on this thread (I'll admit I haven't read all the posts), but I'm wondering if we'll start seeing contracts and money worked out similar to like pro football where their are given money that is like signing bonus money or something to squeeze players into the cap. I'm no contracts expert but if I'm repeating something that's already been discussed please ignore.

[Bmwolf21]

I get your point. Kind of like Reggie White taking the big bucks and heading off to Green Bay to play football. Remember he went there during the Bay of Pigs games. Look at how well that worked out.. Oh wait.. Never mind...

 

The ONLY move that ever truly annoyed me was Thurman Thomas going to play for the Dolphins. After all he said about them during his career, he then goes and does that. It was pure spite.

 

These guys have the right to play anywhere they want and use any means they have. NOBODY is going to limit my options. I wouldn't presume to limit theirs and I am certainly in no position to question their motives. Who cares if it is for the money, playing close to home, or yes even spite. It is their American given rights to sell their services in any fashion they choose.

I think you missed the point. I am not talking about depriving someone of their "American given rights" or anything like that, nor limiting their options. My point was that I think Danny & Drury are smart enough guys to realize that they are focal points of a team that should be contending for division, conference and league championships for years to come, and that leaving to take a little extra coin somewhere might be a bad idea. I get the feeling that they want to be here and want to be part of the team's continued Cup runs, and we need to reward that loyalty and their play by locking them up ASAP.

[deluca67]

Betcha didn't think this thread would blow up the way it did, huh...

 

Your point is well taken, though - throughout sports, there is a plethora of instances where guys end up leaving good teams for a "grass looks greener" situation, and then they realize that they missed out on something great. Sometimes it is a chance to compete for a championship, or a chance to play alongside great young rising stars, or they find out that being an important part of something bigger is sometimes better than being the focal point of a different franchise.

 

I think Danny and Drury are smart enough to realize that they have the chance to be cornerstone players in the rise of a very good hockey team for years to come, and will work with Darcy to get deals done ASAP, before playing the negotiating through the media game. I also think that Darcy, Larry and Tommy G realize that as fast as the region & city took to this team, they can turn their backs on it if fans perceive they are being cheap or unwilling to keep the team together, so I think they'll be able to put together some very respectable numbers for our co-captains.

 

They are up right against the cap :wallbash:

 

There will always be fans who think the owners are cheap no matter what they spent. In the '90s Ralph Wilson spent over $200 million dollars in signing bonuses alone and idiot Bills fans still called him cheap.

 

I have much more faith in the WNY hockey fan than that. There still are some who will yell "sign them all no matter the cost". But for the most part the WNY hockey fan has a good grasp of where the Sabres are when it comes to the cost of doing business.

 

We would all like to see this group of players stay together as long as possible. We also know that's a pretty tall order in this age of professional hockey. The key for long term success of this franchise lies in the scouting and player development not Tom Golisano's wallet.

 

No matter what happens down the road I think the guys making those decisions have earned the benefit of the doubt. They have a pretty good track record. ;)

[Bmwolf21]

If everything happens that most think will happen - cap is going up, Marty likely leaving, the Connolly situation being resolved one way or the other; then add in the possibility of guys like Kotalik (trade?) and Teppo (retirement) not being back - then being up against the cap won't be as much of an issue. Even so, if they are able to bring back one of the two and make a serious attempt to retain the other, then fans won't get too upset. If you see both walk, and Danny goes back to negotiating through the media (his "calling out" the Sabres management last year) then you'll see a lot of backlash from the fans, IMO.

 

I honestly don't think it will come to that, as Darcy, LQ and Tommy G probably realize how important these guys are to the team's success, and will try to bring them both back if at all possible.

 

And I think you are giving some fans too much credit - there was a hell of a lot of hand wringing and "sky is falling" posts and comments from fans when Dumont, Grier and McKee walked. Plus, the way the cap is calculated makes it somewhat difficult for fans to interpret the team's payroll situation - - there was a lot of confusion between actual payroll and cap hit, for instance.

 

For now, and until proven otherwise, I have faith that management will make the right decisions to keep the core of the team intact so the team can continue challenging for the Cup.