Sabres negotiating with Teppo
Club trying to re-sign veteran defenseman
By Mike Harrington -- News Sports Reporter
Updated: 07/23/08 10:29 AM
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- Teppo Numminen, who is now 40, has skated in 1,315 NHL games — the most by a European-trained player.
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The Buffalo Sabres would like to add one more veteran defenseman to their roster and they’re working hard to close a deal with Teppo Numminen that would bring the 40-year-old back for another season.
Numminen missed virtually all of last season due to open-heart surgery in September, and finally returned to play in the finale at Boston. But on locker clean-out day in April and in exit interviews with team officials that day, he was adamant that he wanted to play at least one more year.
Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier said Tuesday he has had ongoing talks with Don Baizley, Numminen’s Winnipeg-based agent, about a new contract.
“Teppo wants to play and he plays a style of game none of us see any reason that he can’t play,” Regier said following the Sabres’ HSBC Arena news conference to officially announce goaltender Ryan Miller’s five-year contract extension. “As long as he’s healthy and all indications are that he is, we’d like to have him.
“He’s one of these players league-wide that even with the recognition he’s gotten, he’s underappreciated. We got to experience some of that ‘underappreciation’ last year.”
Coaches and players around the league often pointed out last season how much they felt the Sabres missed Numminen, who just turned 40 on July 3.
Former Ottawa coach John Paddock, who coached Numminen when they were in Winnipeg, said he felt the loss of the veteran defenseman actually damaged the Sabres more than the losses of Daniel Briere and Chris Drury to free agency.
“We’ve had discussions with the Sabres and we’ve certainly made progress but there’s nothing done yet,” Baizley said Tuesday by phone from his Winnipeg office. “We’ve heard from other teams and we’re plugging along at it but ‘Tep’ likes it very much up there and Buffalo is his first choice, no question.”
Numminen could not be reached for comment. He signed a one-year, $2.6 million contract with the team last summer but was sidelined in training camp when his faulty heart valve was detected on the first day. He was placed on the suspended list and was not paid his salary, other than the six days he was reinstated at the end of the season, and filed a grievance with the NHLPA that is still pending.
He played 16 minutes in the finale April 5 at Boston and Baizley said Numminen’s health has remained “very good” over the summer.
“Given the gravity of his health situation last fall, coming back within the timeline given for serious surgery to play in that particular game was big, no doubt,” Baizley said.
Numminen entered last season with 1,314 NHL games to his credit, the most by a European-trained player, and was a mainstay on Buffalo’s penalty-killing unit the previous two years. He had played 79 games for the Sabres in 2006-07 (two goals, 27 assists, plus-17 rating) and 75 games the previous year (2-38, plus-6).
“He’s important in the dressing room,” Regier said. “You can learn a lot just by watching him play. That’s such a benefit to a young defenseman.”
Baizley would not comment on how many other teams he’s talked to about Numminen although it’s believed the Los Angeles Kings are among the most interested.
“Teppo’s is a case where he loves it here and his family loves it here,” Regier said. “He came from Phoenix. The issue isn’t whether you’ll like it here. The issue is getting you here. There’s a spirit of city, community and schools, the area sells itself with a guy like him.”
Regier said if the Sabres don’t strike a deal with Numminen, they might revisit bringing back Nolan Pratt. The Sabres signed him for $550,000 last November and he played 55 games, collecting one goal and six assists while finishing at plus-1.
