Briere48

Brian Campbell has declared himself unhappy in interviews at the lack of progress in signing him to a contract. Soupy hasn't made a deadline for his contract, at least not yet anyway. He said something along the lines of this in an interview:

“I’m not trying to make anybody the bad person, I like the organization, and I like being here. There’s nothing I don’t like. But to say I don’t think about it or it frustrates me is an understatement. It bothers me. It’s been dragging on for a while, and it’s not close to being done.”

Is this De ja vu of Briere last season? No. It's actually happening again. Campbell plays a massive role in the team, and the management are yet again letting it drag on, making the player feel frustrated and less-wanting to signa contract. Why should he sign a contract if the management seems to have no urgency about it? I doubt he feels very needed right now.

They managed to resign Hecht and Roy to long-term contracts, so what is the problem with this one? Just not in the mood?

Next season the Sabres will have 15 players in their final year of their contract. I'm dreading being around to see what will happen.

This is the players that will be in their final year:

Miller
Max
Spacek
Connolly
Kotalik
Pomminville
Stafford
Peters
Zagarpan
Sekera
Funk
Hunter
Denis
Kaleta
Mancari


I think i have the right to be scared..

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nossagog

I think that the problem with this one is going to be the ammoun and length. With what they spent on Vanek, and knowing that Miller is going to want an aweful lot next year, the Sabres don't wan to be bound up like Tampa with large contracts for three or four players, and no money left for everyone else.

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Penguins Fan living in Sabreland

ChrisDrury23

yea this isnt looking good for Buffalo...their last chance to win the cup was last season

Sabres Fan

This isnt good at all.
Out of that list, here is who I think WILL get resigned:


Miller
Max
Spacek
Connolly
Kotalik
Pomminville
Stafford
Peters
Zagarpan
Sekera
Funk
Hunter
Denis
Kaleta
Mancari


The others are maybe. But they need to make moves to start early or else its just a lot of Briere's and Drury's

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canadiancreed

I'm predicting a fire sale of momentous proportions if Buffalo wants to get any return on half of these guys.

Of course a miracle could happen and the players could take contracts that would allow everyone to stay with the team.....sorry couldn't type that with a straight face.

Briere48

Yeah the Sabres are in a bit of a rutt with the salary cap, and i really don't want them to end up like TB, but we need to keep the veterans we have left on this team. Come playoff time we won't get anywhere without some vets leading the team.

I think Stafford should be added to the highlighted teams in Sabres Fan's post. I feel it's essential we sign him. In the future i don't think he'll put superstar numbers up, but i feel that he'll be a very consistent player season-in season-out, and he could do good things for the team.

Haha, the only player i could see taking a pay-cut is possibly Kotalik.. i think he knows himself he isn't worth 2.5m a year.

Oh boy am i nervous for the team.

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BE-LEAF-ABLE

I heard in the off-season (after they lost Briere and Drury) that it's part of the team's policy not to discuss Player contracts/offers during the Regular Season. Only before the Regular Season, between the end of the regular season and start of the playoffs, and after the playoffs.

If that's the case, then things need to change there if they don't want to lose half the players on their team, many of them pretty good ones.

I remember last year they weren't very short on their list of UFA's and FA's either, and, the season before that they had around 17 of them to sign. There's a discussion on it somewhere around here....

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Lest we forget.

Briere48

Yeah that's true BLA, but this year darcy said that he would be willing ot discuss contracts during the season if it helped keep the deals down and keep players of course, and i was quite happy with him this season being able to go against his policies and tie up Roy and Hecht, but with Campbell he seems to be doing what they did with Briere and Drury behind closed doors last season; "talk" about a contract but never actually get round to do anything about it.

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Sabres Fan

Yea if Darcy does that, its a smart move.

But it all depends on who wants a cut, more money, and the salary cap for the next year

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nossagog

Well if that's their current word, it bull. They extended Jochen Hecht in October of this year after the start of the season. And at that time it was said to be a sign that this policy was over. I think that is one of the reasons that Campbell is upset. Once you do it for one player, if you don't do it for all, then it is a sign of sorts.

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Penguins Fan living in Sabreland