Ryan Miller has made his statement. Powerful and assertive, it resounds through the hockey

world, two days after the close of the Olympics. Gold medal or not, Miller showed he is one of

the world's elite goaltenders, capable of leading a team on a seemingly unimaginable ride.

The next move belongs to Darcy Regier, the Sabres' general manager. The NHL trade deadline

is 3 p.m. Wednesday. It's time for Regier to show his belief in his hockey team and let the

world know he's serious about making a run at the Stanley Cup this year.

How close are they, really? The Sabres are only two points out of second place in the East.

But they blew a 13-point lead in the Northeast Division in a month. They had three regulation

wins in 17 games before the break. Outside the goalie crease, there's something missing in the

competitive soul of this team.

But Miller's Olympic performance raises the stakes. There's no telling how far a team can

go in the playoffs with a great goalie. We found out in 1998 and '99, when Dominik Hasek took

them on long playoff runs. This team is more talented. Toughness is another issue.

Miller has a 2.16 goals-against average and a save percentage of .930 this year. Hasek's

career numbers for the Sabres were 2.20 and .922. Since Jan. 1, 2009, Miller is 49-22-9, a

better winning percentage than Hasek had in his Buffalo career.

So they might as well make a run at it. The Sabres weren't expected to come on this fast.

The same was true in '98 and 2006, when they shocked the NHL after the lockout. Regier is a

patient man and he has built a solid, youthful foundation. But you never know how long the

window of opportunity will be open.

The Sabres made Miller the centerpiece of the franchise when they gave him a five-year,

$31.25 contract extension. He's 29, smack in his prime. Miller has a lot of good years ahead

of him. But why wait? Regier needs to add a couple of significant pieces so the Sabres can

ride the world's hottest goalie right now.

Their top Eastern rivals have already made moves. The Devils rolled the dice on Ilya

Kovalchuk. Ottawa picked up Matt Cullen. Pittsburgh, the defending Cup champ, acted

immediately when the roster freeze was lifted on Monday, acquiring defenseman Jordan Leopold.

Regier usually makes a move at the deadline, however uninspired. It's time he made a couple

of bold moves that will make the Sabres better in the playoffs.

Their top six forwards are too comfortable. They should move Drew Stafford, who has

regressed since signing a two-year, $3.8 million contract before the season. It's getting

tiresome, waiting for Stafford to hit his stride on a line with Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek.

Regier should go hard after Florida's Nathan Horton, a big, tough right winger who is

everything the Sabres wish Stafford would become. Horton also has three more years on his

contract at $4 million, which would be a nice investment in the future.

The Sabres have two defensemen who will be unrestricted free agents after the season:

Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman. If they're going to let defensemen walk away, they might as

well find one who can help them on the power play this spring. Joe Corvo is out there. Marek

Zidlicky, who had 10 power-play goals a year ago, could be had.

This might be shooting for the moon, but Toronto's Tomas Kaberle might be ready to waive

his no-trade clause to play in the East. You can't get much closer than Buffalo. After the

Olympics, Kaberle might be intrigued by the idea of playing in front of Miller.

Miller has done more than raise the hopes of Sabres fans. He has made Buffalo a destination

for veterans who believe this team could be close to something big. It's the GM's job to nudge

them even closer.