Max Pacioretty signed a 1 year deal with the Buffalo Sabres worth $6 million

BUFFALO, NY – Sabres GM, Bernie, played his cards tight during the first wave of free agency in the SHL and bagged the premier forward available.  In signing Max Pacioretty to a 1 year deal with a team friendly signing bonus of just $15,000,000 dollars, the Sabres GM found an elite scorer to pair with captain Jack Eichel and pushed expectations for the next season even higher.

“With the core we have we want to be in this to win a Cup every year. We expect to he contending and want to extend our window for as long as possible” GM Bernie stated at the news conference “and we’re looking to make smart yet aggressive moves “.

When asked if the Sabres would target a goalie in round 2, GM Bernie was noncommittal “We’re really happy with Varly and Franky. We always look for ways to improve our team so I can’t say no but I also can’t say yes, as I am sure you all understand”.

While success on the ice has only recently returned in Buffalo following years in the basement, the Sabres who are among the richest teams in the league, have pockets deep enough to land any player who wants to get paid. GM Bernie has always maintained that he has a willingness to exceed the cap during the offseason “If we can sign a player we covet and know can help us, we will. There will be plenty of time to take care of the cap situation, but quite frankly, salary isn’t as big an issue for us as with some other teams. We don’t have a lot of holes to fill” he said in a presser leading up to UFA.

So, could we see Allen, Halak or Markstrom heading to Buffalo soon? Who knows but we are hoping for continued fireworks from GM Bernie this offseason.