I thought the plan was to get better?

Didn't Darcy Regier and Larry Quinn talk about how they wanted to improve the Buffalo Sabres this off season?

I know we're only one day into Free Agency, but I'm less than thrilled with what happened yesterday.

I didn't expect Toni Lydman or Henrik Tallinder to be back after they hit the open market. But, with two spots on defense open, I was disappointed in how the Sabres addressed the need.

I have no issue with giving Mike Weber and Marc-Andre Gragnani a shot. But giving Jordan Leopold 3 years and $9 million is tough for me to stomach.

Leopold was the Penguins' 6th defenseman in the playoffs last year before getting his season ended with a shot to the head. The fact that Leopold has previously missed large chunks of time due to concussions makes me question this signing even more.

But ultimately, my issue is that Leopold is a soft, mobile defenseman who doesn't bring big offensive production to the table.

Maybe Mike Weber will bring the nasty edge the Sabres need on defense. But, Leopold isn't the PP QB the Sabres have needed for a while now.

If the Sabres make a move where they ship out Chris Butler or Andrej Sekera and they add a legit PP QB defenseman, then it will be easier to swallow what happened yesterday.

But, Darcy Regier sounded like he was done addressing the defense and he's focusing on the forward ranks. But, with guys like Adam Mair & Matt Ellis on the UFA market, it is unlikely that Regier brings in more than 3rd/4th line guys at this point.

So once again, Regier will tweak the roster and hope for growth from is "core".

And while I could see guys like Vanek & Pominville being able to improve over last year, I don't see anyone making the impact that Tyler Myers had on this team last season.

If the Sabres don't get a pop like that, what are the odds that they improve?

Perhaps the motto for the Sabres' 40th Anniversary season should be: Commitment to Mediocrity