Free agency begins and I'm already worried

It's official, Satan is gone. Miroslav Satan's career as a Sabre came to an end on Monday when the team failed to qualify him. The Buffalo News:

' "It came down to an evaluation of what we were looking as a budget, what our needs are, where we have a surplus, which is up front among the forwards, and what we have at defense, the loss of (Alexei) Zhitnik."

Regier indicated that the team will direct money it would have had to pay Satan toward signing free-agent help on defense where the talent is thinnest.

"There are some very good defensemen out there," Regier said. "The problem is there isn't enough to go around. It's something we're going to pursue. We're going to start talking to players (Monday) and see where it goes."

At the same time, though, Regier said the Sabres would not plunge recklessly into free agency.

"We're going to do things for the right reasons over a period of time. We're not going to just jump right into it," he said."

Satan was never my favorite player, but he always kept things interesting. I can't point to anyone else on the Sabres in the past seven years (when Satan led the team in points and scoring five times) who had the raw talent to score and create magic on the ice. But while I wouldn't call him an elite player in the league, he was an elite player in Buffalo. He scored 40 goals once -- in 1998-99 -- and averaged over 60 points per season in Buffalo.

But the past couple seasons haven't been kind on the franchise and Satan was no different. He finished the 2003-04 season with 57 points, eight points behind teammate Daniel Briere. Satan's defensive game also suffered, finishing a dismal -15. His critics pointed to his extensive goal droughts, meaningless goals that padded his stats (including many empty-netters) and that he wasn't a team player.

Still, I'm not left with bad feelings. I remember his dazzling goals, piling on the power-play and shorthanded goals, his goofy and ever-present unibrow, how cool it was to have a player with the name Satan on his jersey, and how he was the guy with the golden stick on the Sabres for the entire time I've been a diehard fan of the team. One of the last remnants from the '99 run, his departure is just another reminder from Darcy Regier that The Future Begins This Fall. I just hope it's not filled with lackluster offense.

A few parting stats:

-Sabres career: 578 games, 224 goals and 232 assists (456 points)

-Ranks seventh on the team's career goals list, 10th in points, sixth in game-winning goals and fifth in power-play goals

-He was the first Sabre to reach 40 goals since Pat Lafontaine in 1995-1996

-Played in All-Star game twice for Sabres (1999-00, 2002-03)

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I don't mean to give you a little deja vu, but read this quote again from The Buffalo News:

' "It came down to an evaluation of what we were looking as a budget, what our needs are, where we have a surplus, which is up front among the forwards, and what we have at defense, the loss of (Alexei) Zhitnik."

Is Regier saying that he is not even pursuing Zhitnik? I'm even more worried now. The talk for this NHL season is all about change and all Sabres fans are left with is Regier -- the same Regier that fails to make stellar decisions, year after year. We still have a goalie problem that has been going on since Dominik Hasek left. I keep hearing about this upcoming group of forwards, but beyond Daniel Briere's line, I'm skeptical that the bunch is ready to step up this season. And I'm not enthused with a defense that is Zhitnik-less, led by Dmitri Kalinin, a lesser Jay McKee, and a few dependable stragglers.

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AROUND THE LEAGUE:

-Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons one-liners:

"The Pittsburgh Penguins future is just like an old movie. It's all about hope and Crosby."

So funny and so true.

"Las Vegas has listed the Detroit Red Wings, without a goalie, as 7-1 favourites to win the Stanley Cup, followed by the Ottawa Senators, with a goalie who hasn't played in two seasons, at 8-1."

Some things never change. That would be just dandy if Dominik Hasek returned to form and played everyone in the Northeast Division eight times. Eight times, people.

-Big names on the move: Adam Foote heads to Columbus (Chance to play with Rick Nash and the up-and-comers?), while Joe Nieuwendyk and Gary Roberts turn a new leaf and join the Florida Panthers. Could it be the eternal summer sun?

-ESPN's Scott Burnside has another solid column taking a look at this summer's free agency.

Comments

[Schick]

So would it be fair to say its the death of Satan in Buffalo?

[amber]

for your listening enjoyment, may i suggest "get behind me satan" by the white strips?

yea, couldn't resist.

[amber]

stripes, not strips... yea...