Buffalo Sabres Roster: Updated with the Grier Signing

by David Oleksy on Aug 12, 2009 10:45 AM EDT

On Monday night the Buffalo Sabres announced that they had signedt free agent forward Mike Grier to a one-year contract. Yesterday we found out that contract was for $1.2 million. It seems like a fair price for Grier but it makes you wonder what the next move will be. The team still has restricted free agents Drew Stafford and Mark Mancari unsigned and they are well over their self-imposed salary cap.

Here is an updated list of the Sabres roster but a more in depth post should be up later today in regards to the Sabres forward situation. Do they have too many forwards or will it all work itself out?

LW			C			RW
1	Thomas Vanek	6.4		Derek Roy	3.5		Jason Pominville	4.5
2	Clarke MacArthur	1.4		Tim Connolly	4.5		Drew Stafford	RFA
3	Daniel Paille	1.35		Paul Gaustad	2.5		Mike Grier	1.2
4	Jochen Hecht	3.8		Adam Mair	0.775		Patrick Kaleta	0.55
Res	Matt Ellis	0.5		Cody McCormick	0.55

D				D
1	Craig Rivet	3.5		Chris Butler	0.585
2	Steve Montador	1.55		Andrej Sekera	0.7
3	Toni Lydman	3.15		Henrik Tallinder	3.25
Res	Nathan Paetsch	1.05		Joe Dipenta	0.55

G
1	Ryan Miller	6.25
2	Patrick Lalime	1

	Under Contract	23
	Estimated Hit	53.262		Estimated Salary	53.11
	Estimated Cap	56.8		Projected Budget	50
	Cap Space	3.538		Money Left	-3.11


	* denotes NTC


	Other Notables
D	Tyler Myers	0.85
D	Mike Weber	0.563
F	Nathan Gerbe	0.85
F	Tim Kennedy	0.635
F	Phillip Gogulla	0.685
F	Mark Mancari	RFA

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Hopefully the amount of forwards will drive the players to play to their full potentials to secure their roster spot and the Sabres will only benefit from this….hopefully

by sween on Aug 12, 2009 1:34 PM EDT reply actions

Here's my 2 cents...

This Stafford thing is getting a little maddening. I know we’re all impatient, but DR has to do something with him soon, doesn’t he? I can’t remember the last Sabre who I was more “on the fence” on than Stafford. Some days I think he can end up being a stud, and other days I think he’s just average at best, Taylor Pyatt style.

DO – I think you’re being harsh on Hecht. I still think he’s do for a comeback year, and I think he ranks a lot higher on the roster than MacArthur.

Is McCormick eleigible to be shuffled back and for to Portland? I really only picture him to be a guy called up from the minors when games are predicted to get ugly. Kind of a modern day Val James maybe? I really can’t offer an opinion on the guy (can anyone?), so it’s not fair for me to say whether or not he has any game at all. My thinking though, is no for the moment. On first impressions, I would imagine he is a Lindy Ruff kind of guy, so who knows…

I forgot about Ellis. If I had to bet, I guess he gets yo-yo’d around this year again. Might get released, resigned, etc., through the course of the season. No way that guy dresses for 82.

In an “I told you so” moment, I’m still laughing no one has signed Max. I don’t know if there was a player I wanted to run out of town more than him in my Sabre life.

Does Drury have any say in NY? I can’t imagine that he didn’t offer opinions on Kotalik and Grier.

This training camp has got to be the “sh!t or get off of the pot” time for Paetsch.

I think they do have one too many forwards myself. If you ask me, the only untouchable there is Vanek.

To free up cap room, is it possible to extend Rivet by a year or two, give him the upfront money, and then have him retire a year or so before the contract ends? Kind of like what the Flyers did with Pronger, but on a smaller scale.

by krytime on Aug 12, 2009 1:42 PM EDT reply actions

I think that we are going to see a Hecht-Gaustad-Grier line when we start the season which should bump Paille down to the fourth line.

Yes, McCormick signed a two way contract so he could be sent down to Portland, Ellis would be the scratched forward.

The Hockey News came out with a list of the top five worst free agent signings this off season and two former Sabres were on that list, Kotalik and Spacek. It’s a good feeling to know that other teams are wasting cap space with our former junk.

And no we can’t free up cap space with a Rivet extension, the extension and cap hit wouldn’t kick in until the original contract is over.

Die By The Blade - An SB nation destination for Sabres fans everywhere

by Zachary Zielonka on Aug 12, 2009 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions

the extension and cap hit wouldn’t kick in until the original contract is over.

Good call on that one. I forgot about that. I should have referenced the Pominville deal myself, and then I wouldn’t have asked such a dumb question.

If you want to see more FA Sabre “busts,” check out the SI article right before FA opened this year, naming the top FA busts of the last few years. List seemed to be dominated by Sabres…

by krytime on Aug 12, 2009 8:21 PM EDT up reply actions