Published: July 05, 2008 10:55 pm            

SABRES: Regier lands coveted defenseman

BUFFALO — Sabres general manager Darcy Regier expressed his desire to obtain a hard-nosed defenseman when the NHL’s free agency period began earlier this week. He’s now gotten what he wished for.

Instead of spending the Fourth of July grilling hot dogs and hamburgers, Regier created his own picnic by obtaining veteran blueliner Craig Rivet from the San Jose Sharks late Friday afternoon.

The move bolsters a blueline corps after the team allowed three regulars from last season — Dmitri Kalinin, Nolan Pratt and Teppo Numminen, who missed all but one game last season because of heart surgery — to become free agents.

“We feel we accomplished filling a very important need for the hockey club,” Regier said. “Craig’s a proven player, and when you put him in with our club he’ll make a very significant contribution.”

In addition to coveting Rivet’s hard-nosed style and penchant for winning battles in the corners, what also endeared Regier was Rivet’s leadership skills. The 33-year-old was named an alternate captain for San Jose after the Sharks obtained him in a deadline deal with Montreal late in the 2006-07 season.

“He brings a lot of experience, and is just a solid player to have around our young guys,” Regier said. “He brings a tremendous amount of character.”

In order to obtain Rivet, the Sabres had to part with forward Steve Bernier, who was shipped to Vancouver earlier in the day. That move brought a couple of draft picks that put Regier in the position to send the Sabres’ second-round picks in 2009 and 2010 to San Jose. Buffalo netted a third-rounder in 2009 and a second-rounder in 2010 in the Bernier swap.

“Steve is going to be an outstanding player, but we knew we had to add to our defense,” Regier said. “The decision was to take one of our quality forwards to acquire a quality defenseman.”

Rivet, 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, has played in 744 NHL games after Montreal selected him in 1992 in the third round. He will make $3.5 million in each of the next three seasons.

        

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