Commentary
Sabres must sustain fan base in wake of losses
MATT KRUEGER Sports Reporter
The signing of Thomas Vanek to a seven-year, $50-million contract may signal the seriousness the Buffalo Sabres have in keeping its team core intact, but General Manager Darcy Regier and Vice President Larry Quinn have much more damage control to do.

The loss of co-captains Chris Drury (New York Rangers) and Daniel Briere (Philadelphia Flyers) to free agency still lingers like a vulture's shadow on the Western New York landscape. The team has been gutted of its leadership, its top two scorers and its driving force. Now, the franchise will rely on the young shoulders of guys like Vanek (two NHL seasons) and goalie Ryan Miller (two NHL seasons).

Sure, the Sabres have veterans like the recently re-signed defenseman Teppo Numminen (19 NHL seasons) and oft-injured center Tim Connolly (eight NHL seasons) to pick up the mantle of locker room leader, but the 2007-08 Sabres will again be young.

But youth is not the primary concern Regier and Quinn will have to battle. They'll need to reinvigorate the fan base that was crushed at the sight of seeing the two best players quickly bolt out the door for the more lucrative fields of finance. Watching Drury slide that blue Rangers' jersey over his head was gut-wrenching for Sabres fans. Seeing Briere's beaming smile at becoming the newest Flyer sat heavily on the shoulders of ticket holders.

For the past two seasons, the fans of Buffalo have jumped on the Sabres' bandwagon with enough vim and vigor to power up the arena. Buffalo jerseys were the hottest Christmas gift this past winter, and tickets to games became as valuable as gold, or frankincense and myrrh for that matter. You couldn't drive around Western New York without seeing billboards, signs in office windows or posters on the front doors of houses that read "We Believe" or "Let's Go Sabres."

It's easy to see now that unyielding support has waned. Disappointment heaped itself on Western New York like a winter snowstorm when Drury and Briere left. A sense of dread followed when the realization sunk in that the favorite old proverb, "wait until next year," has transformed into wait until 2009 or 2010. Regier himself said in a press conference that next year's team would not be as good as the one that made back-to-back trips to the Eastern Conference finals the past two years. When your general manager admits the team is hurting, you know you're in trouble.

Regier and Quinn also need to address the size of Vanek's contract and explain to the public why this 23-year-old is worth a payday more than double any of his teammates. Sure, Vanek had a sensational season in 2006-07 with 43 goals and a league-leading plus-47 rating. But he'll have to be even better for the next seven years to warrant the contract he signed. If he does, Regier and Quinn will be viewed as visionaries and geniuses. If Vanek tanks, however, Regier and Quinn will hang the tag of ludicrous failure around their necks.

This offseason has provided Sabres' fans with a foreshadow of life in Western New York over the coming years. When the free agent class of 2009 (Miller, Connolly, Maxim Afinogenov, Jaroslav Spacek, Ales Kotalik, Jason Pominville and Drew Stafford) seeks its handout, it could be another sad season for the Sabres.

e-mail: mkrueger@beenews.com