Darcy Regier has never been eager to jump into the shark-infested waters known as the

first day of free agency, so his approach Thursday should come as no surprise. The Sabres

general manager waited for the feeding frenzy to die down before dropping his line and hooking

a fish.

Jordan Leopold isn't some great catch, mind you. He's not going to wind up on the mantel or

win any contests. He's a mid-range defenseman, a good skater and puck mover, a veteran who

should help the power play.

Nobody should have a problem with the Sabres landing him so long as they know Buffalo is no

better than it was last season. In truth, the Sabres were down to slim pickings after getting

a late start and losing veterans Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman. Leopold helps fill a hole

and saves some money, but he alone is hardly an upgrade.

The time for action wasn't Thursday afternoon, anyway. It was more than a week ago, when

Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman was forced to trade good players from a Stanley Cup winner. It was

in the days leading into free agency, when other good players popped free.

If you remember, the Sabres in their year-end news conference made it clear they intended

to push for the Cup sooner than later. Managing partner Larry Quinn talked about bringing one

to Buffalo and joked how he, Regier and Lindy Ruff were getting old.

"We're totally committed," Quinn said. "There should be no other reason to be here other

than to win a championship. There is no other reason. We should all be retired. We're too old,

but it's the truth."

All three are in their 50s, so they're hardly old. Really, it's their passive approach

during the offseason that's getting old and should be retired.

Funny how quickly the organization healed from the sting of getting dumped in the first

round of the postseason and returned to their tiresome ways. Regier during a recent radio

interview figured they had two of the NHL's top 20 centers, which to me sounded like a ringing

endorsement for soft, uninspired, overpaid pivot Tim Connolly.

And so, for now, it appears the Sabres' everlasting love affair with their own players

saunters toward another offseason while everybody else counts potential upgrades who wound up

elsewhere. There is no greater example than Connolly, whose talent has exceeded his production

for eight years and counting.

The Sabres' attitude makes you wonder if they actually bought into their own success after

winning the Northeast Division. Anybody could see they were a myth. It was obvious in the

playoffs that they needed to make three or four key changes in the offseason.

Players who could have helped the Sabres were available at reasonable prices (see:

prospects, draft picks, dead weight), but it takes a more aggressive, or even mildly

aggressive, approach to acquire them. Now, other teams know they need another defenseman. Bet

the house the price for Tomas Kaberle just soared through the roof.

Excuse me for fantasizing about Patrick Sharp last week, by the way. He would have been an

ideal fit, but the Blackhawks wouldn't let him get away with two years remaining on his

contract. Chicago instead shipped out four players, any one of whom would have helped Buffalo

next season.

Two general managers who are known for getting things done, Atlanta's Rick Dudley and

Toronto's Brian Burke, didn't mess around. Both jumped on opportunities when Chicago unloaded

Dustin Byfuglien, Ben Eager, Brent Sopel and Kris Versteeg.

Just imagine, Big Buff in Buff, breathing life into the dressing room and toting the

requisite amount of tenacity and terror while protecting Tyler Ennis the way he did Patrick

Kane. Let's face it, not many players can say Chris Pronger brought out the best in him in the

playoffs, but Byfuglien can.

Eager isn't blessed with an abundance of talent, but he's an honest player who adds punch.

Sopel is still a solid D-man who would have been more productive on a team less stacked along

the blue line. Versteeg had 20 goals in each of his first two full seasons in the league and

killed penalties.

Yes, opportunities were there.

Tampa Bay traded away defenseman Andrej Meszaros for a second-round pick Thursday. He's

6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, dependable, young and signed through 2013-14. He'll make $4 million

in each of the next two seasons before his salary climbs. The Sabres know from his days in

Ottawa that he can be miserable to play against. Really, a second-round pick?

So we're not talking about teams selling the farm for mediocrities. Land one or two good

players, and it gives you more leverage and better options in the open market. It also makes

your organization more attractive for unrestricted free agents looking for a team on the rise.

The Senators signed Sergei Gonchar to a three-year deal worth $16.5 million, which was

reasonable. Gonchar is 36, but he has plenty left in his career and could run a power play

until he's 60. He's a leader. He's a Cup winner. He also just made a division rival better.

One reason he signed with the Senators was because he thought they were a few players from

contention even though they finished behind the Sabres. The Sens showed how much they wanted

him when free agency opened, jumped in with both feet and made a big splash.

The Sabres barely made a ripple.