Off season dream vs reality

The Sabres need an upgrade at center. Heck, even Darcy admitted it in the wrap up press conference.

The Dream: San Jose Sharks C Joe Pavelski - Joe currently leads all playoff goal scorers with 9 and leads the league with 3 Game Winners for the chronically un-clutch Sharks. He is set to becomes a RFA if San Jose doesn't sign him to an extension prior to July 1st.

The Reality: I want to believe that Regier pulls off a deal for a guy like St Louis Blues center David Backes. But the reality is likely to be that the Sabres once again have Tim Connolly & Derek Roy as their top 2 centers......

Another area of need that Regier mentioned was a PP QB Defenseman. Regier even said that they almost landed one at the deadline, but felt the asking price was too steep.

The Dream: I don't want to help the Maple Leafs, but trading for Tomas Kaberle would be pretty dreamy. On the UFA market there will be Sergei Gonchar who would not only bring a solid PP guy, but someone with a Stanley Cup ring, as well.

The Reality: Regier could bank on growth from within and bank on Marc-Andre Gragnani making the jump or he could go the less than premium UFA route and sign Kurtis Foster from Tampa Bay. Foster was signed dirt cheap because he was coming back from a wicked leg/hip injury. But in the regular season, he was 7th in the NHL in PP pts amongst defensemen. Not bad for a guy that cost $600k against the cap.

The Sabres need a back up goalie that Lindy Ruff is comfortable enough with to play him 25+ games to ensure that Ryan Miller is rested for the playoffs.

The Dream: I wouldn't mind the Sabres getting a guy like Dan Ellis that has been a back up, not played a ton, and still put up decent stats. I know that a lot of people will be beating the drum for Marty Biron's return to Buffalo, but I think there are better options out there.

The Reality: I think the Sabres will sign a goalie that they can get on a two-way contract so that they can have a competition between that guy and Jhonas Enroth for the back up job in Buffalo. One guy that might fit that description is Yann Danis who backed up Marty Brodeur this past season. One other option could be trading for a guy like Corey Crawford who has been stuck as the #3 guy in Chicago for a while.

I hope that Darcy and crew have a shocking move, like say when the Sabres traded for Chris Drury, but I'm not holding my breath.