Sabres Re-Sign Kennedy, Then Buy Him Out

The Buffalo Sabres have announced that they have accepted an arbitrator's one-year, $1 million for center Tim Kennedy. The Sabres did not have the option to walk away from the deal because any arbitrator awarded contracts under $1,611,180 are automatically accepted. Buffalo then placed him on waivers, and when he cleared, bought out the contract, making him an unrestricted free agent. In 78 games last season with the Sabres, Kennedy had 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points. An interesting move by Buffalo, as one year, $1 million seemed to be an okay contract for Kennedy, but the team obviously didn't want to pay him that kind of money. He plays with lots of energy and has good playmaking skills, but is very undersized for the NHL. I imagine a team will likely sign him to a contract prior to the start of the 2010-11 season, as he still has plenty of upside.