Chuzwazza
Registered User
if you aked GM Joshua Pitt about the status of his team, you would get a very interesting answer. "We're still in a state of rebuilding right now. we're almost where we need to be, but we still have a bit to go."
I case you're wondering why this is such an interesting statement, let me refresh your memory....
This is the team, that despite being ranked 25th last season on payroll (and that was after $5M in additions at the dealine) won the stanley cup last year, and with all the money made from such a big playoff run, combined with the new salary cap that crippled a number of teams in the FA market, went out and signed Jaromir Jagr, Derian Hatcher and Eric Daze.
So when Dick Tarnstrom left to go back to europe, and Marc-Andre Bergeron was traded to Phoenix, pitt went about looking to upgrade the D. Hatcher was the 1st step in the process, but Gonchar looks to be the prize piece.
"We wanted to get a legit #1 blueliner. We like what Bryan and Jay give us, but it never hurts to have another all-star calibre blueliner in the fold." Pitt said
The deal saw the Sabres also land center Jarret Stoll in the deal, who gives the team a great young 1-2-3 punch in Jokinen, Briere and Stoll. Going back to Ottawa was sniper Ales Kotalik, gifted young blueliner Fedor Tyutin and a 3rd round pick. This continues the Senators trend of getting younger and lopping more chunks of payroll off their roster to give them some flexibility in the future.
The biggest question hanging over the deal now, is will the Sabres re-sign Gonchar before he reaches UFA? At 33 and an impending UFA, he wasn't likely to stay in a Senators uniform for long. With the Sabres looking to win a cup a long term deal is likely, but how long and for how much is the question. Expect that to be answered in the not too distant future, as Pitt is not one to much around when it comes to re-signing his own guys.
That's all...for now
Buffalo Bill
Hockey Editor for The Buffalo News
I case you're wondering why this is such an interesting statement, let me refresh your memory....
This is the team, that despite being ranked 25th last season on payroll (and that was after $5M in additions at the dealine) won the stanley cup last year, and with all the money made from such a big playoff run, combined with the new salary cap that crippled a number of teams in the FA market, went out and signed Jaromir Jagr, Derian Hatcher and Eric Daze.
So when Dick Tarnstrom left to go back to europe, and Marc-Andre Bergeron was traded to Phoenix, pitt went about looking to upgrade the D. Hatcher was the 1st step in the process, but Gonchar looks to be the prize piece.
"We wanted to get a legit #1 blueliner. We like what Bryan and Jay give us, but it never hurts to have another all-star calibre blueliner in the fold." Pitt said
The deal saw the Sabres also land center Jarret Stoll in the deal, who gives the team a great young 1-2-3 punch in Jokinen, Briere and Stoll. Going back to Ottawa was sniper Ales Kotalik, gifted young blueliner Fedor Tyutin and a 3rd round pick. This continues the Senators trend of getting younger and lopping more chunks of payroll off their roster to give them some flexibility in the future.
The biggest question hanging over the deal now, is will the Sabres re-sign Gonchar before he reaches UFA? At 33 and an impending UFA, he wasn't likely to stay in a Senators uniform for long. With the Sabres looking to win a cup a long term deal is likely, but how long and for how much is the question. Expect that to be answered in the not too distant future, as Pitt is not one to much around when it comes to re-signing his own guys.
That's all...for now
Buffalo Bill
Hockey Editor for The Buffalo News
