We are now 17 days after the “Free Agency Frenzy” started on July 1st, 2008, and the insane signing poured in one by one, and made me laugh almost every hour on the hour. And now that the frenzy has died offa bit and we are reduced to “Doug Janik is a Hawk’ threads actually being started somewhere on a hockey message board near you, teams begin to turn to their attention to what they have in the cupboard, how much $ are we under the cap, what prospects can make the big club in October 2008, what top players will be re-signed?

I just know that I struck a nerve for a LOT of Sabres fans with my last comment.

Re-Sign top players? What exactly is that? Sure, the Sabres re-signed Daniel Paille to a two year contract, and the terms of the contract ($900k in 2008-2009 and $1.35M in 2009-2010) are very favorable given Paille’s production, and I give the Sabres Front office a great grade for that signing.

But the Paille re-signing is just supposed to be a opening preview for the main ‘movie’ that Sabres fans are yearning to see called Operation: Re-Sign Jason Pominville and Ryan Miller: Starring Sabres Owner Tom Golisano and GM Darcy Regier. Rated $$.

Sabres GM Darcy Regier and the Sabres ‘braintrust’ generally had a policy in place where he does not discuss contract extensions during the season, and we saw how that backfired with the Drury and Briere exodus on July 1, 2007. We were told after that dark day by Regier and Larry Quinn that ‘things will be different around here.” Most Sabres fans figured ‘hey, maybe they learned their lesson, let’s give them a chance. Defenceman Brian Campbell is next, let’s see how the Sabres handle that issue’

Fast forward to today, and let Campbell know that Chicago has some darn good pizza, and oh, say hello to Patrick Kane please!.

Now here we are again, and Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller is one year away from UFA. Miller is now considered by many to be the ‘face of the franchise”, you would assume (you KNOW what happens when you assume don’t you?!) that the Sabres will be making Miller a TOP priority this off-season and avoid another lost July in 2009.

The same goes for Jason Pominville, a young emerging forward who is a 30+ goal scorer, and is a huge part of the Sabres high tempo offensive system. You would THINK the Sabres will ensure the census bureau people used to account for the ‘Population of Pominville’ will stay in Western New York, correct?

Go take a look at the history of this franchise and the inability to bring back high level players. Dominik Hasek. Michael Peca. Alexander Mogilny. Daniel Briere. Chris Drury. Brian Campbell. Pretty sad list, isn’t it??

When does it become valid for a Sabres fan to being growing impatient with the Miller and Pominville siituation? Fugghedaboudit! The Sabres WILL get it right this time, I just know it!!

But all of the sudden, I have “Foolin’ by Def Leppard humming in my mind.

Gee, I wonder why?!?!?