Aug

26

This off-season has been characterized by a general feeling of heartache and loss. The Sabres lost both of their co-captains, but most of us eventually accepted the departures of Briere and Drury. In my book, they are both already dead to me, as most players are once they leave the team. We also witnessed paychecks skyrocketing for some of the younger forwards. Most notably, Thomas Vanek was awarded an astonishing $50 million, seven year contract. On the surface, money and talent seem to be seeping out of the Sabres’ locker room.

Looking deeper, however, one finds something a bit more remarkable. Buffalo is a team built up around the philosophy of maturing players in the minor leagues, testing them in the NHL, and finally permanently putting them on the team. We have a great deal of skilled youngsters who have already proven themselves over the past one or two seasons. Thomas Vanek was virtually unknown until 2005. The same thing can be said, to varying degrees, for Paul Gaustad, Derek Roy, and Jason Pominville. So anyone who believes that the Sabres lost its talent over the summer is sorely mistaken. We have an amazing group of players that has no problem tackling anything.

The main issue is more centralized around feeling that the team, including the fans, has gotten their money’s worth. Consistently winning was a trademark of the 2006-2007 season, but anyone who knows the Sabres understands the issue of consistency. No one has guaranteed that Vanek will be able to pull off the same moves, or that Miller will fling his body around to make those famous picture-perfect saves. Truth be told, no one can guarantee anything about the future. The only way to keep some of our guys around was to pay more. Any true Sabres fan knows that this season is marked by many expectations, but there is only one thing we can do: Believe.


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