Put the checkbook down and slowly back away

With the second UFA period of the Terry Pegula era about 48 hours away, I'm going to take a position that I doubt too many Sabres fans will agree with: the Sabres should NOT go after any big money UFAs this year.

The #1 reason is that the Sabres don't have any glaring holes on the NHL roster today. Just look at the CapGeek Sabres page.

The Sabres are set in goal with Miller and Enroth. They have 8 NHL ready defensemen under contract and TJ Brennan as an RFA who would have to clear waivers to go to Rochester. So while it's nice to dream about adding Ryan Suter to play with Tyler Myers for the next five years or longer, it could be a very tough sell.

At center, the Sabres have Roy, Ennis, and Hodgson and Grigorenko may be NHL ready. So, they could have 4 centers for 3 spots. The Sabres could potentially use a gritty fourth line center. But, that wouldn't be a premier, big dollar acquisition.

The Sabres have plenty of NHL depth at LW (Vanek, Foligno, Leino, Gerbe, McCormick, & Ellis). RW is a spot that isn't as deep (Pominville, Stafford, Kaleta, Tropp). But, they likely need more of a depth guy unless they flip Vanek or Leino from LW to RW to balance things out. Plus, if Grigorenko makes the team and the Sabres don't trade Roy, Ennis likely gets moved back to the wing to help the depth there. The Sabres could use maybe one depth addition on the wing. But, that's not a big ticket item, either.

The #2 reason is the contract Ville Leino got last year, the Sabres cap situation, and the CBA uncertainty. The Sabres have around $11.6 million available against the cap right now. But, that's with a provisional cap at $70.2 million that could come down when the new CBA is signed. They also have to re-sign RFAs (Ennis, & Kaleta) and if Grigorenko makes the big club, he'll count over $1 million against the cap.

While Terry Pegula has proven that he'll bury contracts, it's not an ideal situation. I'd rather that the Sabres pass this off season and help clean up the team's cap situation.

The #3 reason is that I want to see the Sabres spend their time not looking to make the roster better for the 2012-13 season and instead building around the "young core" of the team. Guys like Grigorenko, Girgensons, Myers, Hodgson, Ennis, Armia, and Pysyk are the guys that the team needs to build around. So, instead of adding UFAs that are older than the "young core", I'd rather see the team focus on moving out the "Rochester core" and adding new pieces to the "young core".

Can the Sabres move out guys like Vanek, Roy, Stafford, Pominville, and Miller and add to the young core. Anaheim winger Bobby Ryan has been mentioned as a player that is available. The Ducks have a lack of depth at center behind Ryan Getzlaf. Could the Sabres package up Roy, the team's 2013 1st round pick, and a prospect defenseman not named McNabb or Pysyk to get Ryan? Anaheim might prefer Tyler Ennis or Cody Hodgson to Roy. I would try and improve the other parts of the Sabres offer and keep Roy as the center moving and see if a deal can get done. But if push came to shove, I probably would move Tyler Ennis in a deal for Bobby Ryan.

I would see about moving Ryan Miller and then trying to trade for LA Kings back up Jonathan Bernier since the Kings just locked up Jonathan Quick to a ten year extension. Bernier and Enroth would give the Sabres a young goalie tandem that fits into the "young core" model.

If the Sabres could move Vanek and Stafford for prospects and/or young players, the Sabres could then potentially dip into UFA for some veteran bridge players like perhaps Shane Doan to try and give the "young core" some role models.

Given what happened at the draft, I think now is the time to try and move on from the "Rochester core" and build around the "young core" that the team has. And it doesn't have to be a complete rebuild where the team will suffer on the ice in 2012-13. There are plenty of young players on the roster already that can compete at a high level this season.

The final reason is that I doubt Suter or Parise will sign in Buffalo. Suter has a stated desire to stay in the Western Conference and Detroit and Minnesota have a need for a big time defenseman and the cap space to give Suter a handsome offer. Parise might get courted by the Penguins who have a need for a big time winger to play with Crosby or Malkin. I don't see the Sabres and their Pegulabucks enticing either guy to come here.

And I've seen what happens when the Sabres can't entice the #1 differencemaker and sign the #2 guy to a stupid contract. I don't want the Sabres signing another Ville Leino.

So, I hope that Pegula and Regier put the checkbook down and slowly back away. Hopefully I'll be as excited about the off season moves they make with the NHL roster as I am about how the draft went.

Two thumbs up. Way up.

I woke up my kids I was so excited when the Sabres surprised me, and a few other Sabres fans, by taking Mikhail Grigorenko at 12 on Friday night.

Sabres head scout Kevin Devine had talked about the Russian Factor at the top of the draft and that had people expecting the Sabres to pass on Grigorenko if he fell on draft night.

I was excited because betting on Grigorenko's talent is the type of gamble that a team like the Detroit Red Wings would take. Grigorenko was the most talented player on the board at 12. He fit a huge need that the team had. He could make the jump to the NHL next season.

There was no good argument against taking Grigorenko in that spot. That's why I was so psyched to see him don a Sabres jersey. The fact that he was happy to be a Sabre and a little ticked to be passed up by 11 other teams was icing on the cake.

The work ethic issues that caused him to drop seem to be late in showing up. Grigorenko has already moved into a Buffalo hotel to train with the team and to try and give himself the best chance possible to make the big club this season.

But, he's lazy and is going to be a bust. Uh huh.......

Then the Sabres gave Calgary their 2nd round pick back to jump up from 21 to 14 to take Zemgus Girgensons. It may have given Don Stevens a heart attack, but Girgensons may be the ultimate compliment to Grigorenko as a tough, physical, and still skilled center that is getting compared to guys like Ryan Callahan, Dustin Brown, Bobby Holik, and a whole host of other tough guys that Sabres fans would love to see play here.

And did I mention that the kid played a period and a half with a broken jaw that ultimately ended his playoff season in the USHL this year?

Girgensons has options with where he is to play next season. He could honor his commitment and go play at the University of Vermont in  Hockey East of the NCAA. He could sign a pro contract with the Sabres and then play either in Buffalo, Rochester, or he could go the major junior route where the Kelowna Rockets own his rights currently.

He is training in Vermont with some other Catamounts. So, it would appear that he is leaning towards the college route for next season. Personally, I'd rather that he goes to the CHL where he would play more games. But, I'd rather see him in Vermont than Rochester next season. The jump from the USHL to the AHL is a big one, even for a guy with "pro ready" frame like Girgensons.

The day two picks had a defenseman that Amerks head coach Ron Rolston knows well in Jake McCabe, a bunch more centers, and a Swedish goalie in Linus Ullmark that the Sabres hope will be their Pekka Rinne. Like most second day picks, we'll judge them in five to ten years.

But so far, I've got two thumbs up with how things went.

Draft Day is upon us

Here are some random thoughts on one of my favorite days of the year.

- If Mikhail Grigorenko is there at 12 and the Sabres use the Russian Factor excuse to pass on him, they are really stupid.

- I wish there was a way for the Sabres to get Alex Galchenyuk. He's a potential franchise center and the Sabres need one badly.

- If Radek Faksa becomes a Sabre tonight, I'll be psyched.

- I will be conflicted if the Sabres draft Teuvo Teravainen. I love the skill and hockey sense. I hate the size and position that he plays, though.

- There are a lot of good defensemen in this year's draft. But, if the Sabres bypass a solid center prospect to take a defenseman at 12, I may throw something at my television.

- TSN's rankings are pretty close to what happens in a lot of drafts and they have 3 solid centers (Faksa, Grigorenko, and Zemgus Girgensons) at 11, 12, and 13. I'll be happy if the Sabres get one of those three players at 12.

- At 21, the Sabres might take this year's "next Milan Lucic" in Plymouth Whalers winger Thomas Wilson. It would be an interesting pick given that the Sabres just traded away Zack Kassian who was touted as his draft year's "next Milan Lucic".

- If Belleville Bulls center Brendan Gaunce falls to 21, I would hope that the Sabres would sprint to the podium to take him. I think he could be like Mike Richards as a center that goes in the mid to late 1st round and turns into a very good NHL player. Although, a comparison to Wayne Primeau scares me a bit.

- Oshawa Generals center Scott Laughton is another guy that the Sabres could look at both at 12 and 21 and I wouldn't be upset if the Sabres take him.

- Czech center Tomas Hertl is a finesse guy with good size and if he falls to the early 2nd round, I would hope the Sabres would take a look at him.

- If the Sabres take a goalie in the second round, I hope it Sweden's Oscar Dansk. I'm not really big on Malcolm Subban or Russian Andrei Vasilevski in goal. I'd rather roll the dice on a later round American like Anthony Stolarz, Jon Gillies, or Collin Olson.

- I don't see the Sabres making too many deals despite all the talk. But, they could surprise me. I can't wait to see what happens tonight and again tomorrow.