Regier on trades: 'Nothing close'
PITTSBURGH – Unless trade talks take a significant shift before Wednesday's 3 p.m. deadline, the Buffalo Sabres who play Wednesday in HSBC Arena should look nearly identical to the Sabres who played tonight.
Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier fielded and made phone calls the day before the NHL’s trade freeze, but none tempted him to make a swap.
"We’ve had conversations, but there’s nothing close," Regier said before the Sabres faced the Pittsburgh Penguins. "We’ll keep working on it tomorrow and see where it goes, but right now we don’t have anything close to what our objective is."
Regier’s objective is to build his team for the long term, not just for the final few months of the season. He said most of the players being shopped are free agents at the end of the season, and he’s previously said that’s not a route he’d prefer to go.
"Our focus has really been on seeing if we can do something for a longer term, beyond just this stretch run, but including next season," Regier said in Mellon Arena. "For the ideals, you’re looking a much bigger marketplace in the summertime. This is one opportunity when ideally you’d like to improve yourself, but I think the great opportunity is during the offseason and the summer. There’s going to be more free agents at that time."
The Sabres have two key defensemen – Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman – who will be free agents this summer. Regier said teams have inquired about some of his players.
"Yes, but we’re not going to weaken our team," he said. "As much as I don’t want to refer back to the rentals, we’re not going to trade players away that can help down the stretch, either. If we do make a move in that direction it will be because we feel we have players either internally or within the system in Portland that can improve our situation here.
"I think some kids are getting very close to be able to help us now."
The GM, who has made trades at or near all 11 of his trade deadlines, said asking prices are high, but he still expects a high number of trades today. The Sabres host the Washington Capitals four hours after the deadline.
"There’s fewer sellers, and some of the fewer sellers are selling more," Regier said. "I think there still will be a lot of player movement. How much of it in the end really matters, probably not very much."
---John Vogl
