Briere or Drury?
As much as no one really wants to talk about it now, the Buffalo Sabres will have a tough decision to make this summer about whether they keep unrestricted free-agents Daniel Briere or Chris Drury. Briere, 29, made a cool US$5-million in 2006/2007 while Drury settled for US$3.15-million. So who would you pick: the slick skating, highly-skilled Briere, or the scrappy, hard-nosed Drury, who is proving his mettle during the current playoffs? In an interview yesterday, Sabres’ general manager Darcy Regier said no contract talks are taking place - which makes sense given the team is in the midst of a Stanley Cup hunt - but you’ve got to believe the team would love to find a way to keep both players.
Truth be told, keeping both could be impossible if they both want $5-million + deals because that would eat up 20% to 25% of the payroll. This wouldn’t leave a lot of room left to sign other up and coming stars such as Teppo Numminen, Thomas Vanek and Dainius Zubrus. Of course, that’s the joys of the new salary cap system at work. Just as you get really, you run into some serious economic challenges as your better players demand for money. Here’s a chart looking at the Sabres’s salary cap situation. Another factor is the financial strength of the Sabres’ ownership team and its ability to raise ticket prices in a decidedly blue-collar community.
Update: For more on Drury, Briere and the Sabres’ chances against the New York Rangers in conference semi-finals, check out SabresReport.
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POSTED IN: Salary Cap
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