Sabres place Mair on waivers

Adam Mair, whose seven-season run in Buffalo is the second longest among Sabres forwards, may be in his final hours with the club.

General Manager Darcy Regier announced this afternoon that Mair has been placed on waivers. He will remain on the waiver wire until noon Tuesday, with the other 29 teams free to claim the forward.

"We’ve just got extra forwards, and he’s not playing," Regier said in HSBC Arena. "He’s in a contract year, and it’s an opportunity for him to hopefully get a chance elsewhere."

Regier said he tried trading the 30-year-old but could not find any takers. Because of the interest shown by teams during the talks, however, there's a chance Mair could be claimed.

"There’s interest, and I think people recognize that he’s an NHL player," Regier said. "The situation you get into is ... there’s a lot of players. I think teams have extra players signed. That will play in with whether or not he clears or gets picked up."

If Mair isn't claimed, the Sabres have two options. He and his $775,000 salary could be sent to the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League, or the Sabres could do nothing and keep him on the team. Mair has played just three games after playing 72 or more each of the past three seasons.

"If he goes unclaimed, we’ll make that decision tomorrow, but nothing may change, quite frankly," Regier said. "But again, we’ve made no decision on that, pending the noon tomorrow deadline."

Mair, who joined the Sabres for the 2002-03 season, trails only Tim Connolly in service time among forwards.

"It's not really surprising in a sense that I wasn't playing," Mair told The Buffalo News. "I understand that it's a business. For me, I guess it's just wait and see what the next 24 hours hold. It's something fresh and new in my career that I haven't been through. I'll just wait it out, and if I get claimed then I get an opportunity to go play somewhere, and if not I'll either stay here or go down and help Portland.

"I'd like to continue to help this team. If I can, that'd be great. This is where I want to be."

Regier said the waiver option has increased for teams this season because of the number of players under contract.

"If you’re trying to make adjustments on your team, it’s one way to try to do it," Regier said. "In our case, it’s just the number of forwards we have. We have a lot of forwards.

"It’s difficult," Regier added. "He’s a quality guy, and he’s been terrific through the process."

---John Vogl

Comments

[GmR]

OK...this is a start. Regier has finally realized he isn't going to win with many of the players who've been on the team for awhile. He started by getting rid of Peters and Afignenov, then Paille, now Mair. Next he needs to waive Paestch, trade Connolly, and let Lydman walk at the end of the season. Then go after a serious impact player to help Vanek reach his full potential because it's not going to happen with Roy and Pominville on his line.

[donjoe]

What troubled me most about Mair was his tendency to take unecessary 2-minute penalties at crucial points in the game,--mostly for holding, slashing and tripping. That's not being tough. It's being dumb.

[roy]

how can anyone bash adam mair? he most certainly got the most from his limited talent and is the ultimate team player. any doubts, see his comments. he was never more than a spare part. those who thought he came here to score and be a regular were unrealistic.

[Slesh]

Good bye Adam and good riddance! Under achieving players such as this need to go. Lets hope this leads to a trade that brings in a RWer that can elevate either line 1 or 2's scoring ability. This team lacks "consistant" offensive threat. Playing defensive only hockey will not win you a cup.

[Jeff]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNeWEvrV9nY

....couldn't resist

He's done better in fights over the years than I thought, but Ellis is just the better player at this point.

[the berkes]

Grit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13c6xxRCEl0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0bDhJhei0c

[Gaustad/Mair=FlowerGirls]

Mair and grit....hmmmm. I suppose the definition of "grit" is being pushed around the ice, losing precious puck battles, and getting dropped in about every fight you get into, to the embarrassment of the Buffalo faithful as well as teammates (Unless they endorse losing in fights?). If that is your definition of "grit" I could understand but that is not the definition I use.

A lot of people liked his hard work. I cannot argue that the guy worked hard. I was not there during his training sessions or when he practiced. But lets be honest, this is professional hockey and I know a lot of people who work their tails off who are not in the NHL. If you do not get the job done then you are gone. Sorry, If I upset those of you who feel I am too harsh. I hear tissues are 50% off at Walgreen's.

I hope the guy does well somewhere else because he was not doing HIS job in Buffalo.

[timmer923]

Mair was 100% hard working, but other younger players (Ellis, McCormick) come up in the organization to create this situation.....That's the business of hockey...Good luck Adam.......now, if only we can get someone to really light a fire under the asses of this team.......

[RoyBoy]

Good move. Mair may have been gritty but cant put the puck in the net if his life depended on it.

[patrick kaleta]

mike k u are a retard. i blow ellis out of the water. yes mair was good but bringing cody mcormick up is a smart move. guastad isnt enough of a fighter. rivet wount fight anymore and mantador is to small to fight heavy weights. i am a agitator and do my job drawing penaltys. ellis should go not mair. bottom line

[Dave]

Buffalo fans are a joke, I hate to say it, but you sort of have a point.

[Buffalo Fans Are A JOKE]

...once again proving Buffalo fans will complain about ANYTHING if given the opportunity. Passionate? Nope. Pathetic? Yep.

[Greg B.]

If this is making room for McCormick, it's a smart move. Cody is a better fighter than Mair and just as "physical" and "gritty" since those seem to be the buzzwords on this board right now. They desperately need someone who will look for a fight. That's not really Mair's game. And word on the street was that Mair's hip still isn't fully right. Smart move and I applaud it.

[Ry]

i love adam mair and his work ethic. hopefully this blows over and we keep him up here. it'll keep the other tough guys on their toe's, and maybe lead to some better performances. pete i disagree Grier is a great sabre and i couldn't be happier that we got him back. Buffalo will be the team to beat this year. can't win `em all.

[jan]

I don't get why you waive a player who plays with toghness and grit. Is something else going on???

[pgr88]

Put Sekera on waivers and bring up another young D from Portland. We've seen everything Sekera can do (and it often isn't pretty), and the best he will ever be is a #6 or #7 defenseman.

[silly GM]

Mair was too rough for Darcy...he actually went out and hit opponents...that's a no-no in Darcy's book...he wants more Vaneks that turn th other cheek...and gee, look how well the Sabres have performed in the last three years..way to Darcy...

[DCPete]

I would rather see Grier on waivers. He may be good in the locker room, and be a good role model, but he is severely lacking in the skills department. No stick handling-skills whatsoever. Have you ever seen him even put the puck on his backhand?

[Gary]

Regier may be trying to help Adam and help the team. I'm sure he would like to give a good guy like Adam the opportunity to play somewhere else and he would also like to trim $775,000 off the payroll. Maybe someone out there can correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the salary cap was just over $56,000,000 and the Sabres were just about $1,400,000 under that?

[Jeff]

Be patient, there's another move coming. There's no reason to waive Mair otherwise. I'd guess that they'll recall McCormick, but Mancari, Gerbe, or Ennis are possibilities.

As much as some people love Mair, it's pretty clear that Grier, Kaleta, and Ellis all belong in the lineup over him.

[Mike K.]

This team makes no sense at all...no heart and no toughness throughout the team. Atleast we have guys like Gaustad and Greer...Mair is valuable and to leave him hanging like this is b.s.
Mair injured is a better played than Kaleta and Ellis put together.
I would lose either of those two before I screwed over a warrior like Mair. I wish someone with a brain would take ownership of this team...

[blueliner]

Unfortunately it is a cost saving move that impacts Mair. He has played hard and been a great team guy. What scares me is thinking the leadership of ROY,VANEK,CONNOLLY ETC will get this team anywhere. The Sabres are soft, especially their 2 top lines which cannot lead effectively enough. The last 3 games show when the going gets tough their so called young stars fold.

[TJ]

Like others, I'm surprised in a way because it's Mair, who's always been avidly supported by Ruff - but Matt Ellis's work ethic is equal to Mair's, with more speed and youth as well. Kaleta's bodychecking and Gaustad's face-off skill are too important an element to use either as a spare so Mair becomes the obvious choice. It's a sign of the times that teams are looking at every avenue for saving money - even if it means forfeiting some peace of mind with roster depth. In past years, we'd never see Regier give up on a young player like Paille as he did but the team saved money there and freed up roster space. I see Mair's waiving being a similar situation - and Paetsch is sooner or later going to be in the same boat once Lydman is 100% healthy and the team has 7 other defensemen.

[Rhett4]

A lot of forwards? They are carrying no extra forwards now, unless you count Paestch's ability to jump the blue line. They made room by trading Paille. This makes no sense unless they plan to use that spot to call up or sign someone tougher. This team got pushed around all weekend. So the key is trading Mair? Mair was ALL warrior. You will be missed, Adam.

[Dude]

Wait a second.....I thought the team wanted to get tougher and grittier.....now they are waiving one of their tougher and grittier forwards????? I don't get that.....