A two-week break from the Sabres was awesome; would you like to know why? Because it meant I got to go two weeks without being inundated with the following comments (see if you can add your own):

- Tom Golisano is cheap!
- Tom Golisano doesn’t care!
- Larry Quinn isn’t a “hockey man”!
- Darcy Regier is an idiot!
- Darcy Regier never makes trades!
- Computers do the Sabres scouting!
- Lindy Ruff is overrated!
- Lindy has lost the room!
- Fire Lindy!
- The team is soft!
- The team has no heart!

My God, how did it come to this? The Sabres are mired in last place, probably likely to end up picking in the top-three, and there is no hope for the future in sight. Of course, that’s not true, but you would think it is by the way people carry on about this team.

Buffalo is now abuzz about the upcoming trade deadline, and the general consensus is that Darcy Regier is unlikely to make a move of any significance. I tend to agree with that, but the idea that Regier doesn’t do deadline deals is a little crazy considering that since he became GM he has made a deal of some sort almost every year at the deadline. Sure, some of them have been when he was selling and not buying, and some were insignificant, but there’s no doubt he makes deals. Here’s who was acquired each year:

1998 – Geoff Sanderson, Paul Kruse, Jason Holland
1999 – Stu Barnes, Joe Juneau, Rhett Warrener
2000 – Chris Gratton, Doug Gilmour, JP Dumont
2001 – Donald Audette, Steve Heinz
2002 –
2003 – Daniel Briere (Sabres were sellers that year)
2004 – Jeff Jillson, Mike Grier, Brad Brown
2005 – Lockout
2006 –
2007 – Danius Zubrus, Ty Conklin
2008 – Steve Bernier
2009 – Mikael Tellqvist, Dominic Moore

Here’s what he has never done at the deadline: blow up the team. In fact, he’s never taken that approach because it’s just not his style, and I fail to see the wisdom of such drastic measures at the trade deadline.

We’ll see what happens today and tomorrow. I expect some piece will be added here or there, but nothing major. Why? Because that’s HOW Darcy works.