Is GM Darcy Regier Worthy of the Pegula Rewards Program?

No matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to justify Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier as part of the Pegula Rewards Program. And I really have tried.

Regier has guided the Sabres through treacherous waters throughout the last 14 years and there's a lot to be said for that. His reward, imo, was doled out by then team president Larry Quinn last fall. As negotiations for the sale of the Sabres to Terry Pegula were ongoing, Quinn, as managing partner of the team, gave Regier what amounts to a golden parachute--a multi-million dollar, two-year extension for his GM.

Let's forget about that, though.
 

"Captain Crunch"
Michael Peca



"The Dominator"
Dominik Hasek

We're also gonna forget about Regier's dismantling of the "hardest working team in hockey" accented by the eventual loss of Selke-winner Michael Peca and future Hall of Fame goaltender Dominik Hasek. The former traded in July, 2001 after a year-long holdout the latter demanding a trade to Detroit that same off-season.



We're gonna remember calling Regier a genius for shipping Chris Gratton to Phoenix for Daniel Briere and remember that his follow-up trade--a blockbuster--brought in a Cup-winning center to pair with Briere, Chris Drury. We'll let slide the fact that Quinn pulled rank on Regier forcing him to part with one of his prized draft picks--Keith Ballard--in order to get the three-team trade for Drury done.

Chris Drury and Daniel Briere

We marveled at the post-lockout team that Regier built, a team that was described as "the team built for the new NHL" back in 2006/07. But we also need to remember that he had an inside track as to where the league was headed being in constant contact with Commissioner Gary Bettman while the Sabers were under control of the league from 2002 to March of 2003 when Tom Golisano stepped in to buy the team.

We'll forget the fact that the new NHL was changing in late-winter, 2007 to a tougher more grittier league as evidenced by the bullying the Anaheim Ducks did on their way to the Stanley Cup. We'll also forget that Regier was left with an era-specific team filled with soft-but-skilled players.

Thomas Vanek styling, and who
wouldn't after signing a $50m offer-sheet.

Nobody wants to remember what happened in the 2007 off-season as Briere and Drury left via free-agency and Thomas Vanek was signed to an offer sheet by Edmonton after Regier let it be known that he'd match any offer designed to poach the superstar winger. We'll forget about that and we'll also forget that he never, even until now, replaced Briere and Drury with quality top-six centers.

We'd like to forget about "the core," that vaunted collection drafted players who were supposed to step into leadership positions with the departures of Briere and Drury. But they're still here. We'll remember that these players--Derek Roy, Jason Pomminville, Thomas Vanek, and Drew Stafford--were players who thrived in a secondary role, but failed, as a whole, when asked to step into primary roles after the 2007 off-season. We'll forget that these players, along with "core-like" players Tim Connolly and Jochen Hecht, comprised what many considered "the easiest team to play against in hockey."

Steve Bernier

We'll forget Regier's poor trade-deadline moves and the myriad of second-round picks given up for them:  Danius Zubrus in 2007, Steve Bernier in 2008, Steve Moore in 2009, Raffi Torres in 2010. All of them, save for Torres, of the same ilk as "the core." All of them failing to produce when it counted--either helping the team make the playoffs or advancing deep into the playoffs. All of them dealt for picks that could've added depth to the organization. We'll remember this trend later on.

And we'll remember Regier's drafting--pretty much on par with any team save the Detroit Red Wings. First-round picks that worked out well like Vanek and Stafford and Ballard balanced by the busts like Artem Kryukov, Barrett Heitsen and Jiri Novotny. We'll forget that his draft picks were all of the same ilk as "the core" up until 2009 when he finally realized that his team filled with soft-but-skilled players needed an influx of size and grit.

Zack Kassian

We'll forget that Regier's idea of tough was drafting Andrew Peters with the 34th pick in the 1998 entry draft. And we'll forget that despite being devoid of NHL-calibre centers in the system, with the 13th pick in the 2009 draft he drafted a big, tough winger in Zack Kassian who was suspended three different times since he was drafted. The jury's still out on the 20 yr old and luckily there wasn't a jury involved when he was arrested for a fight in a bar in Ontario last summer.

Sabres' draft pick Tyler Myers
towers over everyone.

As we watch potential Norris Trophy candidate Tyler Myers excel at such a young age and adapt quickly after his immediate jump from the 2008 draft and into the Sabres line-up (winning the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year,) we'll forget the fact that Regier's Director of Amateur Scouting, Kevin Devine, implored him to trade up one spot to select the phenom. And we'll forget the fact that Regier left that to chance. Had LA Kings GM Dean Lombardi wrote Myers' name on the napkin instead of Colton Teubert, Regier may not have got the job done.

"Tough-guy"
Andrew Peters

Simply put, forget all the good, the bad and the ugly of the pre-Pegula era with regards to Regier as general manager of the Buffalo Sabres. All of it may be attributed to influences by varying superiors in the chain of command. He's always been a yes man, his passion and "fight" comparable to an Andrew Peters fight, where you could look like a champ in an easy battle, and look like a chump when facing a tougher opponent.

Just forget about it all.

Terry Pegula rode into town as a new owner with new mandates.

Gone was the stifling adherence to financial considerations, Darcy Regier now had freedom.

And what did he do with it?

Brad Boyes.

With Sabres' top-center Derek Roy out for the season and the team in a playoff push, Regier's lone transaction at the trade-deadline this past season was to bring in a winger.

I won't hate on Boyes. He's a very good player who has proven he could produce. He was better than any of the trade-deadline acquisitions prior--Zubrus, Bernier, Moore and Torres...in the regular season.

Come playoff time, in seven games he had one goal (a meaningless one late in Game 7 of the Philly series,) zero assists and was a minus-2.

With the hockey world wide open and the new owner behind him, Regier brought in a player that was exactly like "the core." Just like Roy and Pomminville, Connolly and Hecht and Stafford, all of them perimeter players, all of them of the same ilk.

When you add vanilla to vanilla, it's insane to expect anything other than vanilla.

This is the best Regier could do?

Epic fail...and...what should be...

End of story.