http://video.sabres.nhl.com/videocenter ... L|BUF|homeQuote:
Highlights:
Prices were higher than usual
Not a lot of activity
Players could have been sold for draft picks; but doing so is an admission you dont think your team can make playoffs
Not a lot of players in the market place
Talked to teams about aquiring bigger named players, longer term. Had serious conversations, but didn't go through. We will make more attempts at the draft, and hopefully get a deal done.
This is a new ownership group, opened to spending money, and gives us the ability to go into areas we haven't been into before.
Pegula is involved with the front office guys. Provokes thoughts and Ideas.
No consideration to trading Roy at the deadline this year.
This is not the usual Darcy bullshit. This is him being straight forward, and embracing his new role. He tried to get bigger name players, but didn't want to pay the LA price. Which is fair.
The LA price was a bit too expensive. Translated into Buffalo terms it would have been, Kassian + 1st + 3rd for Penner. While I still think Penner is a great player, and would have been good here, thats way too much.
What other players he was talking about, I do not know, and dont want anybody getting butt hurt for me mentioning names, because I dont have a "reliable" source.
Overall I think we tried to get a lot and make a serious run this year. We just weren't willing to pay what I like to call, "The Glenn Sather Premium" where you over pay, hurt your teams future, and really roll the dice on big name guys. (Drury, Redden, Frolov, etc)
I think we are going to continue to make positive moves, and acquire some really good players. Darcy seems to be capable of making deals, but wont put our team in a situation to fail long term. I'd much rather compete for a cup in 2 years for the next 10, rather than be Chicago who won it one year, and this year is struggling because they can't afford to put a team around 2 or 3 big time players.
This was a very good interview, and it leaves me feeling much more positive about the future of this team, and I still feel pretty good about what we could do in this years playoffs. Miller gets hot, Vanek gets hot, and who knows how far we can go.