Darcy Regier's weekend was a relaxing one. The Buffalo Sabres' general manager lounged in the

stands of Rochester's Blue Cross Arena, taking in two days of hockey featuring the Portland

Pirates. It was nice to just sit back and watch games without the intense emotional

involvement that accompanies Sabres' outings.

Still, there was research to be done. Regier and the team scouts surrounding him need to

figure out if the Sabres' prospects are the future of the organization, short term and long

term, particularly on defense.

"It's fun to watch," Regier said in Rochester. "They're all different players, different

types of players, and you sit here and say, "Well, that will work in the NHL, and that won't

work in the NHL. You need to do a little more of this and not so much of that.'

"Without going specifically into individual players, some of these guys will have to play

next year, or they're certainly going to have an opportunity to play next year and/or the year

after. That's the work that they're doing and I'm watching."

The defensive corps is definitely one area of interest. The organization is stocked on the

blue line, with eight defensemen in Buffalo and another eight in Portland.

Two prominent defensemen for the Sabres — Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman — are

in the final year of their contracts. The Sabres need to know if their prospects can step in

next season or if the team should push to re-sign the players. Another issue is short term.

The trade deadline is a week from today. Regier has to determine whether he should possibly

lose the duo for nothing during the summer or turn them into assets now via trade.

It's a dilemma. The Sabres have a legitimate shot to win the Northeast Division, so keeping

important pieces of the roster seems prudent. Then again, all Regier had to do was look at the

Pirates' best player — forward Tyler Ennis — and flash back to the last time he

had a prominent defenseman with an expiring contract. He traded Brian Campbell to San Jose in

2008 for a first-round pick.

"Campbell is Tyler Ennis," Regier said. "That's the pick we used to take him. It's a really

hard thing to do, trade terrific players like Brian Campbell, but if you don't trade them, you

don't have Tyler Ennis. Now you've got to find another way to improve your team."

It's debatable whether Buffalo has prospects who can step in and hold their own against

Pittsburgh and Washington, the Sabres' first two opponents after the Olympic break —

which ends today for the non-Olympians who will practice in HSBC Arena.

"If you look at Portland," Regier said, "we certainly have a lot of defensemen, but who's

going to come out of that mix and what they're going to be is tough to determine now. But I'm

confident there will be players."

Here's a look at the leading candidates:

Mike Weber. The 22-year-old is no stranger to Sabres fans, who watched him perform

well after Campbell was dealt and struggle through injuries last season. Weber entered

training camp intent on being in Buffalo, but he's spent the entire season in Portland because

of the blue-line depth.

"Up top we've got a lot and down here we've got a lot," Weber said. "Those are the things

you can't really worry about. You've just got to come out every night and put forth a

consistent effort, be consistent throughout the season, and hopefully you'll get lucky and get

the call.

"It's easier said than done, for sure, but there's not much you can do about it. We've got a

great team down here. Right now my whole goal is to win with this team."

Weber has played every game for Portland and leads the team with a plus-18 rating. The

third-year pro can chip in offensively (two goals, 13 assists) but is more of a gritty,

tough-in-the-zone type as evidenced by his 100 penalty minutes.

They're not always the best trips to the box. The 6-foot-2, 211-pounder took a

cross-checking penalty in front of the net in the final minute Sunday with a one-goal lead,

and the Amerks scored with 1.3 seconds left and won in a shootout.

Marc-Andre Gragnani. The third-year pro is Portland's top offensive threat from the

blue line. He missed 14 games with a knee injury early in the season yet still leads the

defensemen with six goals and 20 assists.

He joined a rush to score Sunday and set up Ennis for a chance with a no-look pass

Saturday.

"His enthusiasm for the game and his maturity as a person and a player has really, really

stepped up," Pirates coach Kevin Dineen said. "I still believe he has a bright future in the

NHL."

Gragnani, who turns 23 in March, has steadily improved his defensive game. He was minus-24

as a rookie in 2007-08, minus-1 last season and plus-9 this year.

"I'm doing better defensively than I did the year before, and the offense is there also,"

said the 6-2, 201-pounder. "My play is more mature than the years before. I was thinking maybe

a little too much offensively and maybe cheating a little bit. It's just about that, not

cheating."

T.J. Brennan. The 20-year-old stands out — for good and bad, which is expected

of a first-year pro. The 31st overall pick of the 2007 draft has offensive talent and a tough,

cocky side. It shined through Saturday when he set up a goal and yelled in the face of a

Rochester player who hit Brennan after he passed the puck.

He had four assists Saturday, but only three were for the Pirates. A bad giveaway turned in

an odd-man-rush goal for Rochester.

"Three assists, and we'll still be having a little chat about their goal," Dineen said. "We

give him a lot of leeway. We want him to be a creative offensive player, but it's making

respectful decisions with the puck. He showed his best side on a lot of those goals when he's

snapping it around. He's got a lot of confidence and we're showing confidence in him right

now, but again there'll be some mixed video for him."

Said the 6-foot, 208-pound Brennan: "I'm learning a lot, and I think I've changed my game

around. I'm still making some mistakes out there. I've got to think the game a little better

sometimes. Instead of trying to make the high-risk plays — I had a bad turnover out

there that caused a goal — but it's just, "What are you going to do about it now?' You

come back the next shift, next period and play hard. That's part of the process."

Regier needs to determine how far along his prospects are in the process.