Another UFA is gone

by David Oleksy on Jul 3, 2007 3:58 PM EDT

It appears that the New Jersey Devils have signed Dainius Zubrus to a six year contract. I was probably Zubrus biggest fan after he was acquired at the trade deadline but six years is way too many. I think New Jersey did exactly what I don't want Buffalo to do...panic. In six years Zubrus will be 35 years old and probably not very effective on the ice.

The list of free agents is dwindling quickly and still no moves by the Sabres. Does this mean they are going into next season with the team they have? Are they going to explore the trade market? I'm hoping we get some answers soon because the anticipation is killing me.

Who is still available? I'll tell you a few people who may fit in with the Sabres. A couple of guys I might target are Mike Comrie, Mike Johnson, Nils Ekman, Ruslan Fedetenko and former Sabres Mike Peca and Brad May. On defense I would target Sheldon Souray and Vitali Vishnevski. I will have more on these free agents later today but I thought a little name dropping was appropriate.

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Not Peca

Maybe it's just me, but I don't like the idea of signing a guy who took a year off because he didn't want to play in Buffalo.

by rexob on Jul 3, 2007 5:12 PM EDT reply actions

The value of Zubrus

was that he was a grinder. We'll miss his physical play up front. But he wasn't going to get close to a 6-year deal in Buffalo.

Totally agree about that being a "panic" signing for New Jersey. Bye bye Gomez, hello Zubrus. That's a good call.

SB Nation's Bills blogger at www.buffalorumblings.com

by Brian Galliford on Jul 3, 2007 6:11 PM EDT reply actions

I actually like the signing for the Devils

Zubrus had the same amount of points as Gomez and he's going to offer a bit more toughness and going into the corners than Gomez did. Plus, even though Gomez scored 30 the year earlier, he isn't a goal scorer. Zubrus might be a very good fit with Elias, in particular because I see Zubrus as somewhat similar to Jason Arnott. A guy who really controls the boards well and can cycle well with Elias. I also think the Devils needed to get bigger. Six years might be a little long, but the Devils could always probably find a taker for him. Remember, they got Zubrus for $30 million less than Gomez.

I'm still hoping the Devils get Souray somehow, some way. He'd be a big time upgrade to the power play.

My biggest concern in all this is how losing Gomez is going to affect the Rochester Rocket (Gionta).

Oh wait, this is a Sabres blog. Sorry, I'm dying to talk about the Devils :-)

by Blez @ Die By The Blade on Jul 3, 2007 9:18 PM EDT reply actions

I like the signing...

but at six years? I think it is way to many years for a guy like Zubrus. For the record I think Gomez is completely over-rated. I think he is a good player but I would agree that Zubrus will fill in adequately for him.

D.O.

by David Oleksy on Jul 3, 2007 10:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, it is a little long

But at the same time, if the contract was structured like Gomez's whereas Zubrus is paid the most at the start of the deal and it gets progressively cheaper, then it also makes him easier for Lou to dump at the end of the deal.

by Blez @ Die By The Blade on Jul 3, 2007 11:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Briere's is the same way

The vast majority of his money is in the first few years.

by JasonB on Jul 4, 2007 12:03 AM EDT up reply actions

It's free agency

I've noticed you've said that about alot of these signings. That much? For that long?

Sure, they are all kinda crazy... but that's free agency in any sport. You always overpay in free agency. That's why it exists. If teams only paid guys what they were worth, no one would ever change teams.

Plus, the fact is that market value is what someone is willing to pay. If someone is willing to give Briere 50 mil and Zubrus 6 years... then doesn't it mean that's what they're worth?

Plus, I think some of these GMs are taking a long term view. An optimist would surely tell you that the league will continue to grow in revenue and the cap will continue to go up for the next 6 years. Who knows? In hindsight, the Drury, Briere, & Gomez deals might not look so crazy?

by JasonB on Jul 4, 2007 12:02 AM EDT up reply actions