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GRAGNANI SIGNS ONE YEAR DEAL

August 11, 2011, 1:57 PM ET [ Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Updated 3:49pm
Kevin Snow of sabres.com reports that the Sabres have signed MA Gragnani to a one year deal. Dollars not known yet.

Kevin spoke wth Gragnani after the signing:

“I wasn’t stressed about the process at all,” Gragnani explained during a phone conversation from his hometown of Montreal. “They had other priorities with free agency, and there were some other guys they needed to get signed before me. I knew everything would work out.”

Read the rest of Kevin's. Exclusive chat with Gragnani at sabres.com



****

The Gragnani signing now gives Buffalo 8 signed Dmen on the roster for the 11/12 season. Someone's gotta go. Likely Morrisonn, right? Maybe Sekera, too. Read my takes below.

The team is now roughly 3.7 million over the cap with Grags in the number. They have 20 million committed to their backend for next season.

Let's the purge begin.

***

Admit it. The suspense and silence is killing you, isn't it?

The break neck pace at which the Sabres made deals in June and July got your heart rate up and your cardio levels dialed in for a long Sumemr sprint. And then, the calendar flipped to August and the pace has slowed dramatically and now you're wondering when the next skate will drop.

The Sabres have locked up all of their RFAs, save Dman, MA Gragnani. This morning, Grags tweeted that he is looking forward to spending what he hashed-tagged a "great day" while watching Djokovic and Federer at the Rogers Cup tourney in Toronto. I one-timed him a response to the effect that the residents of Pegulaville will consider it a great day when the talented two way D man finally signs his contract. Until such time, speculation will continue to swirl regarding the Buffalo blueline. Once considered the achilles heal of the team, the Buffalo D corps is now its strength.

Any time you can add two top four D, like Regehr and Ehrhoff, in the month of June you've increased the curb appeal and equity in your organization. Factor in returnees like Myers, and Leopold, and yoiur top four looks golden. Then, you re-sign RFAs Weber and Sekera and you solidify your starting six. Gragnani, by all accounts, will be in Buffalo's top six when camp breaks in late September. The kid showed exceptionally well last Spring when the Sabres were playing Playoff hockey, in order to nail down a postseason invitation. Grags lugged the mail and held the fort while Sekera was dinged and out of the lineup during a key stretch of games in March and April. Grags proved his true value to the team by scoring goals and setting up others, while not getting beaten in his own end of the rink.

What I saw in the late regular season and then again in the Philly Playoff series was that Gragnani had earned his spot in the top six for this season.




My eyes don't lie. I saw a kid come of age before my very eyes, as did Ruff, Regier, and Gragnani's peer group. There's a lot to be enamored with when you look at Gragnani. He has NHL speed, size, hockey IQ, and hands of a neurosurgeon. The kid is better than alright. He's a keeper. Its time to get his nameon a contract.


(Thanks, eliteprospects.com. I met the guys at the World Juniors in January and I love their site)

He likes the Sabres, having impressed his way up the food chain from draft choice through the minors. They obviously like him more now than they did at this time last season.

So, the million dollar question in Pegulaville has become:

What is taking the Sabres so long to re-sign Gragnani?

Its August 11, and still there is no contract to speak of. I'm told that the Sabres and the agent for Gragnani have had conversations and that they will continue to dialogue until a final agreement is signed, sealed, and delivered.

One possible scenario that I've heard of is that the Sabres may be trying to trade Sekera and his very attractive $2.75 million cap hit.

Darcy Regier presently has 7 Dmen under contract for 11/12. He has $18,095,000 committed to his back end, without having Gragnani signed. Suffice to say, Shaone Morrisonn will be demoted to Rochester, traded, or will be bought out by the time camp opens in Buffalo in mid September.


According to capgeek.com, here's how the defensive dollars are presently being distributed on the Buffalo blueline:


Regehr- $4,020,000
Ehrhoff- $4,000,000
Leopold-$3,000,000
Myers- $1,300,000
Weber- $950,000
Sekera- $2,750,000
Morrisonn- $2,075,000


The Sabres presently have 23 players under contract to the tune of $67,895,357. Add in $425,000 in bonuses, and the team is now over the cap by $3,595,357.

Two teams that I've heard rumoured to be interested in the Slovakian Dman are NY Islanders and Columbus Blue Jax.

I've been told that Buffalo are interested in a second rounder for Sekera, or, a veteran centreman.


The Sabres have a bevy of Sekera-like vintage aging nicely ion their wine cellar right now.

Drew Schiestel, TJ Brennan, and Dennis Persson are three homegrown hyrdoponic prospects that the Sabres want to bring along to the next level of progression in their development this season. Schiestel is an AHL All Star who can do it all. I'm told that were it not for his injury last Spring, Buffalo would have recalled him instead of Persson for the Playoffs. Brennan has a Smith and Wesson 104 mph slapper that he uses with accuracy and manual dexterity. He skates like a train and has a ton of confidence after playing a vital role in Portland last season. Brennan will make Buffalo fans forget about Soupy Campbell. yes, he's THAT good! He does not use his D zone as a place to collect his breath in between end to end rushes. Persson is a slick puck mover who can skate and create. Not a very physical guy, however, he isn't afraid of contact.

All three are defensively responsible. All three can make the drive down Interstate 90 at a moment's notice. Morrisonn will be an insurance policy that can be plugged in as well.

Bottomline:

The acquisitions of Regehr and Ehrhoff, coupled with the emergence of Grags, and the confidence of knowing that the wine cellar is stocked with tasty futures, makes Sekera expendable at this time. He is an asset, and as such, should be traded now to achieve his highest level of value.


Agree or disagree?
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