| Nick Obergan. 5th June, 2011 - 11:51 am
 This deal flew under the radar and with good reason -- it's a contract that just makes sense. The Buffalo Sabres and forward Drew Stafford agreed to a new four-year, $16 million contract that will start at the outset of the 2011-12 season.
Stafford, 25, is coming off of his best season as a pro, recording 31 goals and 52 points in just 62 regular season games. His goal scoring was one of the main reasons Buffalo was able to make the playoffs despite the injury to Derek Roy; he had 35 points in the first 35 games before a season-ending knee injury. Stafford finished tied for third on the team in points with Jason Pominville, behind Tomas Vanek (73 points) and Brad Boyes (55).
He is set to be paid $4 million in each of the next four years, making for simple math on his $4 million cap hit, which happens to be identical to what Roy and Boyes will make next season, while being considerably less than Vanek, who is overpaid at over $7.1 million and Pominville, who is also a bit overpaid at $5.3 million annually. The $4 million cap hit is a big raise on his previous two-year deal that carried a $1.9 million cap hit.
Not only is the dollar value appropriate, but the deal makes sense from Buffalo's perspective because it allows them to buy out two years of Stafford's unrestricted free agency. The downfall, of course, is if Stafford returns to a 25-goal pace instead of a 35-goal pace, in which he would be deemed overpaid, though not immovable. And while Stafford gives up these two years, he doesn't lock himself up past 29-years-old, allowing himself room for one more long-term contract on the open market.
The Sabres, previously a team that was often near the bottom in spending, are approaching a new era thanks to new owner Terry Pegula, a man who has publicly committed to spending more than the previous regime and who promised to focus his efforts on a winning team and not on the bottom line. This new deal is clearly the first step in the right direction for a team with a host of potential free agents.
Grade for Sabres: A-
Grade for Stafford: A-
Nick is RealGM's NHL Feature Writer. You can reach him by email nick.obergan@realgm.com or on twitter @NickObergan |
