Buffalo Sabres Need Big Moves for Bigger Push

(Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

That being said, the Sabres do not need to bring in any superstars to this team.  It is believed that this team has plenty of young, potential star players in this league, like Derek Roy, Thomas Vanek, and Jason Pominville. 

However, these players are still young and have not reached their prime, and unfortunately, unless something happens, their talents will most definitely not be maximized at their prime unless management decides to bring in more veteran leaders around here.  Good veteran leaders will cost some money, though.

The plan of action should be to get rid of any dead weight lying around on this squad, whether that be through fully getting rid of those contracts by trading, or by buying out and only paying a fraction of that salary counting against the cap.  The latter is the more likely of the two options. 

Along with getting rid of the dead weight, it may be necessary to get rid of a player who actually plays to his potential.  I see Derek Roy as a nice guinea pig due to his production and bargain of a contract. 

Getting rid of this money gives help in the area of getting a good veteran leader like Sergei Zubov, who would really maximize a defensive corps considered weak in the past. 

What may be a relatively cheap (in my standards) pickup, would be a guy like Todd Marchant.  He made about $2.6 million last year, and may take a nice hometown discount (doubtful) for a team he most likely supported growing up in Williamsville, NY, a suburb outside of Buffalo. 

Only time will tell.  With the Conference Finals underway, the playoffs will be ending shortly.  The only thing Sabres fans will have to wait for, then, is July 1st, when the free-agency period begins.

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