Two of the most important players are the co-captains, Chris Drury and Daniel Briere.  Both become unrestrict players as of July first.  There has been talk of Daniel Briere looking for work in Philadelphia, LA, and Montreol.  However Danny made it clear that he "would like to stay in Buffalo but he wants it to be fair ".  For both of these players, only time will tell. 

    Other unrestricted players as of July first are Dainius Zubrus, Teppo Numminen, Adam Mair, and Ty Conklin.  Zubrus has claimed that he likes Buffalo but if he asks for the figures that he wanted in Washington, he may not make the Sabres budget.  Teppo Numminen will likely not be back, he has talks of retirement and with the great talent coming out of the Rochester Americans, he may not be needed.  Numminen did lack speed at the end of the 06-07 season. 

       As for the restricted players, the most important being forward Thomas Vanek.  Thomas led the Sabres in goals this season with 43 and collected 80+ points.  Others on the list are Daniel Paille, Derek Roy, Nathan Paesch, and sabres enforcer Andrew Peters. 

      Although not as bad, this offseason is in very close comparison to last offseason.  Last year the Sabres where not able to sign defenseman Jay McKee, foward JP Dumont, and power forward Mike Grier. 

 

Follow all the Sabres news and transactions right here.