Darcy Regier may have surprised many fans with this signing. Rob Niedermayer has agreed to a one year, one million dollar contract with the Buffalo Sabres.
Niedermayer has been in the league for 16 seasons, and is playing for Buffalo in this next one.
Although he has a career plus/minus of minus-115, Niedermayer brings in more grit and experience to the team. He has 450 points in 1,082 career games.
Niedermayer certainly has postseason experience and won the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks during the 2006-2007 season.
Out of all of the rumors going around, this one was kept quiet.
Niedermayer has played for four teams, his last was New Jersey this past season where he collected 22 points in 71 games. He will likely play on the third or fourth line, but it is still a solid pickup for Regier and the Sabres.
Some may argue that Niedermayer is washed up and may not produce like he has in the past. He is 35 years of age, but will still be able to make a solid impact with the team.
He may not come close to his career season, which he had back in 1995. That year, he totaled 61 points in 82 games, while collecting 23 power play points and six game winning goals.
I wouldn’t expect much more than 20 points from the 16-year NHL veteran this season, but he brings a lot with him.
He is not a 40 goal scorer, or the power-play quarterback that the Sabres need. He may be an upgrade over Adam Mair, who may not return to the Sabres as he is an unrestricted free agent.
Niedermayer brings experience, leadership, and grit to the Sabres. He will fit in with Paul Gaustad and Patrick Kaleta.
Before fans begin to disapprove of the move, let’s see what he can do for the Sabres.
It is only a one year contract. If things don’t work out, he won’t be in town for long.
Overall, he is a solid pickup for Buffalo. He may not be exactly who the team needs, but he could help.
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Many Sabres fans, including myself, became furious over the fact that Darcy Regier hadn’t made any moves on July 1st. With every signing, it seemed like the Sabres chances of improving became slimmer.
Before free agency even began, the only thing Regier did was re-sign Mike Grier, which was a solid move. That still left six unrestricted free agents on the team, leaving around $14 million of space left to sign players.
Martin Biron was one of the first moves on Thursday, signing with the New York Rangers for under $900,000 for two years.
Are you kidding me?!
Unless Biron really doesn’t want to play for Buffalo, there is no reason Regier could not have topped that offer. Even if it was for $1.3 million per year, he would have been a solid pickup.
Shortly after, we watched Sergei Gonchar get signed, followed by Anton Volchenkov and Braydon Coburn.
Henrik Tallinder became an ex-sabres by signing a four year deal with New Jersey for $3.3 million. After Anaheim signed Toni Lydman, the “fire Darcy” comments built up once again. 
Finally, Regier signed Jordan Leopold for three years, totaling $9 million. With that signing, compared to Tallinder or Lydman’s, it is an obvious downgrade on defense.
Out of the three, I would have chosen Leopold last.
Leopold has only played more than 60 games twice in the last six seasons. He rarely plays physical and will not improve the team’s toughness. He is an offensive defense-man that will score 20-30 points at best.
Hopefully he will be a good fit in Buffalo, but there is no reason Regier couldn’t sign Tallinder to a similar contract like the Devils did.
Basically, Regier got rid of what I think are two of the top three defense-men on the team.
Tyler Myers is obviously locked in on the first pairing, but with who?
Him and Tallinder shared similar abilities with their height and worked well together. Craig Rivet may not make it back in time due to surgery. Plus, Rivet didn’t perform that well when he was healthy.
It was only day one of free agency, but Buffalo missed out on a lot of opportunities. Regier can still make up for it in the next few days. If he can find a way to sign Tomas Kaberle or acquire Mark Streit in a trade, I will be satisfied with the defense.
There’s still around ten million left to spend and what the team needs is a backup goaltender and defense. Buffalo can still shop around Connolly, Roy, and Stafford as well. Bobby Ryan would be a great addition to the team on the top line with Vanek.
Darcy has to do something. There is no way he is done.
Let’s see what Regier decides to do over the next few days. Fans have the right to be discouraged, but there are still plenty of opportunities for the Sabres to capitalize on.
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