prospects i'd like to see come to buffalo at the deadline

some of these, maybe all, might be "pie in the sky"...(shrugs)

the teams that might be regarded as tops in the eastern conference--philadelphia and boston--predictably, got out in front of the trade-deadline...both teams knew what they wanted and got it done...

as for the sabres, like we've done throughout the darcy regier era, we sit...and wait...and watch the glee with which other fans welcome their teams' trades...we sit off in the corner of the playground watching other teams compete, waiting for the school-master to let us in...

yawwnnnnnnn...the end of the regier-era can't come soon enough...

anyhow, with the list of teams shoring up their roster as the post-season approaches diminishing almost daily, it behooves regier to get something done...

the sabres, through defection (chris drury, daniel briere) and incompetence (tim connolly,) are thin up-the-middle...and for a number of years they either struck out on their draft-picks at center (marek zagrapan, felix schutz) drafted a center very late (maxim schevjev, 6th-round, 2002; nathan gerbe, 5th-round, 2005; benjamin breault, 7th-round, 2006; paul byron, 6th-round, 2007,) were left drafting a small one (gerbe, byron, tyler ennis, 26th overall, 2008,) or didn't draft a center at all (2003, 2004)...

luke adam (2nd-round, 2008) is the only drafted prospect that bucks the aforementioned trend...

the traditional return for veteran players who'll help a contender in the playoffs is a prospect and/or draft picks...therefore a small list of center-prospects who i'd like to see in the sabres organization...

the following profiles are taken from a great site, hockeysfuture.com, unless otherwise noted...

• Benn Ferriero--san jose' sharks...an undrafted free agent, ferriero is on the fringe of the nhl having played 20 games with the worsester sharks in the ahl and 32 with the big club this season...a "balls-to-the-wall"-kinda player somewhat in the vein of flyers center, mike richards...the 5'11", 195 boston, ma native and former 7th-round pick of the phoenix coyotes (2006) seems as if he may be a late-bloomer who'll never take for granted that he's playing in the nhl..."Ferriero is a tenacious, fiercely competitive forward who plays equally well at both ends of the ice. He has great hockey instincts and does a superb job of reading and following plays. While Ferriero may be small he is by no means weak. His strength makes him a difficult player to move off of the puck and the way he plays his game makes covering him a daunting task for opposing defenders. Ferriero has shown a willingness to go to and take the punishment in front of the net to create scoring opportunities. He is also powerful skater."...in other words, "anti-core"
• Evgeny Kuznetsov--washington capitals...kuzentsov is playing in the khl and it looks like he'll be there through the 2012/13 season...at 6'0" 175 lbs, he still has some growing room and, although he's listed as a right-wing, he can play center...sure, the sabres haven't gone after any russians in a while, because they could get burned, but maybe with the new ownership they'd take a shot with this kid..."Kuznetsov displays a mixture of strength and skill along with the exuberance of other young Russian players such as Evgeny Malkin. His game is still in its early stages of development, and he has the expected shortcomings when it comes to defending consistently and tactical play. What sets him apart from other players his age is his flawless skating, stick handling and passing and pass receiving skills along with a fearless desire - particularly along the boards - to control the puck and create scoring opportunities."...anyone who watched the world juniors last month, saw the aggressiveness, skill and skating this kid has
• Tomas Tatar--detroit redwings...strictly a dream-scenario here, but the following analysis should provide some insights as to the difference between detroit and buffalo...from redwingscentral:  "He's one of those guys the puck just follows. He's got the offensive instincts, the head and the hands." — Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill (June 2009)...He's relevant in every game. He has a big future ahead of him. He's got really, really nice hands, really good vision and he's hard on the puck in the corners. He plays the game hard, too, for a skilled guy. He's not big but he's strong on his skates." — Grand Rapids Griffins general manager Bob McNamara (March 2010)...he is on the smallish side at 5'10", 175 lbs and it'll be interesting to see what a top-notch organization can do with the package he has...
• Marcus Kruger--chicago blackhawks...is already being considered "a steal" after being drafted in the fifth-round of the 2009 draft, "Kruger  is an exceptionally skilled playmaker with elite hockey sense. He likes to set up plays and find his teammates with tape-to-tape passes. Has become much stronger which has improved his game, although he still could use additional strength and muscles. Works well in all three zones and has leadership qualities."...originally clocking in at 5'11, 172 lbs. he's said to have bulked up to 190...

of course, no one outside of the "war-room" (or in the sabres case the last five-plus seasons, "the kiddie pool") knows what's going on, but just some food for thought to take our attention away from the last two home games...

we'll see...

once again, regretfully, the over/under for regier making a trade is february 28 at noon...the heavy money is still on over