Marty’s Better

When Brian Campbell’s agent, Larry Kelly, informed the Buffalo News that his client was playing his last game as a Sabre on Monday, it was only a question of where the two-time All Star defenceman would end up at, and what was coming back in return. Less than 12 hours later, it turned out to be San Jose for RW Steve Bernier and a 1st round draft pick. Many Sabres fans were outraged that we could have gotten a lot more for a player such as Soupy, but let’s not beat around the bush. It was either get the best deal possible before 3pm or get nothing at all if we couldn’t sign #51 before July 1st.

When the dust settled, all parties made out great in this trade. For San Jose, they finally get a power play quarterback that hopefully can increase the Sharks’ anemic man advantage statistics (17.3% - 18th in the league). For Campbell, he will finally get the financial stability in the form of yet another overpriced, long term contract be it in San Jose or eslewhere. Don’t get me wrong, he is a good player - he is worth the years, not the money.

For Buffalo, they now have an extra bargaining chip in the form of a top 30 draft pick come June. For the newest Sabre, Steve Bernier, he gets a new lease on his already young career. He did have an impressive debut against Nashville (2G, 1A, +3 rating), but fizzled against a very strong Canadiens club (-1, 4SOG). The 22-year old Bernier, drafted 16th overall in 2003, is still young and will develop under the tutelage of Lindy Ruff. Playing alongside Thomas Vanek and Derek Roy should give hope to many Sabres fans, and to him as well, down the road.

My cohort, Dish, believes that Bernier is a “regular underachiever”. Let me refresh memories out there about a trade GM Darcy Regier made on March 10, 2003 -

“Buffalo Sabres traded Chris Gratton and a 4th round selection in 2004 (C Kevin Porter) to the Phoenix Coyotes for Daniel Briere and a 3rd round selection in 2004 (D Andrej Sekera).” ~ from TSN

Briere, drafted 24th overall in 1996, was viewed as the classic “underachiever” in the eyes of the Coyotes organization. After tearing up the QMJHL with Drummondville, Briere fought hard to just maintain a roster spot with Phoenix for parts of 5 seasons. After one of the most one-sided trades in recent years, Briere became one of the league’s most pontent offensive forces on the ice, and one of the most popular Sabres in club history. While Bernier will not achieve Briere-like numbers, he could be the missing power forward that can chip in 20 goals for Buffalo’s top over for the next several years.

However, the moves in the last few years have shaken the Sabres’ fanbase to its core. Questions this past season have risen about the whereabouts of owner Tom Golisano and managing partner Larry Quinn. Is ownership really committed to winning the Stanley Cup, or just keeping the payroll at a certain amount to keep a somewhat competitive club on the ice while pocketing revenue sharing checks at the end of the year? Fans have also questioned the validity of Darcy Regier’s role as General Manager - conservative risk taker or puppet?

More and more questions could be asked, and debates could take part in Buffalo’s 4am bars because - lets face it - we have nothing better to do while waiting for the next snowstorm to roll off of Lake Erie. The truth still remains - the Sabres have hemorrhaged quality players left and right and received nothing in return. The Brian Campbell deal was the best option for this franchise, but there are still many talented players who could bolt out of town in the next few years for nothing unless something is done soon.

Starting with the man between the pipes…

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