Darcy Regier enjoys this time of year — a lot. It’s obvious, judging by his history. The Buffalo Sabres’ general manager has been through 10 trade deadlines, and he’s made a deal at or near all of them.

The clock is ticking to keep the streak alive.

The NHL’s swap meet comes to a close at 3 p. m. today. Regier spent Tuesday night working the phones without working a trade.

Though it’s a pressure- packed time, Regier looks forward to it.

“There’s an aspect of it that is exciting,” he said, “but when you go back and you look at the history of the trade deadline, the excitement I’m not sure is warranted. There’s not a lot of big names that are moved. It’s more of a tinkerer’s workshop than it is a craftsman’s workshop.”

The proof is in Regier’s 22 trades. For nearly every Daniel Briere, Doug Gilmour or Stu Barnes, there’s a Timo Helbling, Jason Holland or Brad

Brown. Sometimes the Sabres get Mike Grier, other times they get Bob Corkum. It depends on needs.

This year, as usual, the Sabres have a few:

They need another goaltender. Patrick Lalime has performed beyond expectations during Ryan Miller’s injury absence. But what happens if Lalime gets hurt tonight when the Montreal Canadiens visit HSBC Arena? Regier and owner Tom Golisano both said the Sabres need to make the playoffs, and leaving the crease to rookie Jhonas Enroth down the stretch is not an option.

They need more defensive depth.

The Sabres have eight blue-liners on the roster, two more than necessary. But the farm club in Portland is hurting, and the news got worse Tuesday.

The Maine Hockey Journal reported that Mike Weber will undergo surgery on his separated shoulder Thursday and is done for the season. Neither the Sabres nor the Pirates would confirm the story.

Regardless, the Pirates had only four defensemen at Tuesday’s practice . . . not counting assistant coach Eric Weinrich. The retired blue-liner was forced to dress to help the team.

Regier acquired defensive depth in 2007, the year after a run of injuries ruined the team’s shot at the Stanley Cup. He acquired Helbling from Washington and Mikko Lehtonen from Nashville. Both reported to the minors and never played in Buffalo. A repeat scenario is likely.

The Sabres could use a left winger.

The fractured jaw suffered by Thomas Vanek highlighted the Sabres’ lack of scoring depth, particularly on the left side. Jochen Hecht, Clarke MacArthur and Daniel Paille have experienced extended or season-long troubles.

Whatever moves Regier makes are expected to benefit the Sabres down the stretch and into next season. Again, the immediate goal is to make the playoffs. But Regier is not a fan of rental players, so any acquisition is expected to have another year or more on his contract.

“If you’re going to spend resources, assets, draft picks, players, prospects, we’re not in a position to look at things on a short-term basis,” Regier said. “Ideally, you want to have something for this stretch and hopefully next year, in the least.”

Regier’s deadline resume is good. He’s added pieces that fit while buying, and he’s bolstered the franchise’s future when selling.

Regier’s best year was undoubtedly 1999, which culminated in the Sabres advancing to the Stanley Cup finals.

He acquired Joe Juneau, who tied for third on the team in playoff assists, for Alexei Tezikov, who played 30 NHL games. Regier got future captain Barnes from Pittsburgh for Matthew Barnaby, who was unhappy and wanted out. If that wasn’t enough, gone was fan whipping boy Mike Wilson and in came Rhett Warrener and a draft pick—which turned into Miller.

The low point was 2002, when the only move was acquiring Bob Corkum from Atlanta for a fifth-round draft pick. The problem wasn’t getting Corkum; it was the message the deal sent. It showed Regier didn’t have faith in the team, and it was warranted as the Sabres missed the playoffs.

Regier’s actions today will reflect his thoughts on this year’s team.