Spielzüge » ial lottery pick. But one player who wont be on

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Goalie Ryan Miller and forward Thomas Vanek are both taking a business-as-usual approach to their uncertain futures with the Sabres. Miller, a former Vezina Trophy winner as the leagues top goaltender, and Vanek, Buffalos top offensive threat, reported for physicals Wednesday after an off-season filled with trade speculation. Both players are in the final year of their contracts and are not currently negotiating extensions with the Sabres. "If you play long enough, youre going to have this type of discussion surround you at some point," Miller said. "I have to be professional enough just to do the job. Im able to do a job in a city Im familiar with, a city Im very much at home. I like to be in Buffalo. I like the people. "So this isnt a bad situation." General manager Darcy Regier said the window for making training camp deals has closed, but that talks will heat up again as the in-season trade deadline approaches. Regier did shore up his roster on another front later in the day, re-signing restricted free agent Cody Hodgson to a multi-year contract. Hodgson is Buffalos top-line centre, who finished last season second on the team with 15 goals and 34 points in 48 games. The Sabres are in transition. They opened last season with Stanley Cup aspirations, but have since elected to rebuild an under-performing roster with prospects and draft picks after missing the playoffs for a second straight year. Miller acknowledged at the end of last season that he may no longer fit into the Sabres long-term plans. Following last seasons home finale, Miller skated a lap around the ice, waving to fans. He also sold his home over the summer and is now renting. "It does look like, OK, Im out of here," Miller said. "People are going to believe it or theyre not going to believe it. I thought it was a smart business decision to have it on the market in the last year of my deal so I didnt at least get low-balled. "I had to laugh at myself and say, this is not going to be looking good to the people of Buffalo. Im not racing out of town. It was just honestly a business decision." Vanek has previously said he is not interested in enduring a lengthy rebuilding process and will take this season to assess. On Wednesday, he was more political. "Im not ready to re-sign, and to be honest, Im not sure if they are ready to re-sign," Vanek said. "If I would have got traded, I wouldnt have been shocked." Regier said the NHLs new collective bargaining agreement has made players with expiring contracts reluctant to sign extensions. "Thats the nature of the new NHL," Regier said. "The expectation from the players side is that the cap is going to go up. To the extent that the cap goes up, it may be beneficial for them to wait for the unrestricted market." Miller, who has played 500 games with the Sabres, left the door open to re-signing long-term. "You start to see a situation here where you can build something good, something thats going to last," Miller said. "Thats what I want to be a part of, whether this is the last season I can make a difference or its going to continue forward. I just want to make sure that Im a positive influence on this team moving forward and that Buffalo has a lot of success or a foundation to build success on in the future, because I do care about this area and the people. I do believe they deserve to be cheering for a team deep into June. "My hope is that we can do that this year." Hodgson is part of that foundation. Hes a fourth-year player, whom the Sabres acquired in a trade with Vancouver in February 2012. We feel he is going to be an important piece of our organizations success," Regier said in a statement released by the team. Regier said hes also had preliminary discussions with the agent for forward Steve Ott about a contract extension. The veteran centre, acquired in a trade from Dallas last off-season, is in the final year of his deal. "I want to be here," Ott said. "I love the organization, the sense of where its going, the young guys, the stable full of prospects. As you add pieces and continue to build the team, I see the uphill climb beginning very shortly." ---- NOTES: Coach Ron Rolston completed his staff by hiring former Harvard assistant Jerry Forton, a Buffalo native who has also worked at UMass-Lowell and Niagara. . Rolston said he will choose his captains at the end of training camp after rotating the captaincy for preseason games. . The Sabres will hold their first on-ice session Thursday and play their first preseason game Sunday in Montreal. ... Buffalo opens the regular season at Detroit on Oct. 2. Custom Cleveland Browns Jerseys . She was a pioneer. She did things on skis that made the birds take notice. Denzel Ward Youth Jersey . made a diving catch in left field for the final out in a 1-0 victory over the Miami Marlins in a regular-season finale Sunday. Zimmermann (14-5) allowed only two baserunners, finishing with 10 strikeouts and one walk in the fifth no-hitter in the majors this year. http://www.brownsrookiestore.com/Browns-Denzel-Ward-Jersey/ Ozzie Newsome Browns Jersey .com) - The Chicago Cubs reportedly signed recently-acquired outfielder Dexter Fowler to a one-year contract on Friday, avoiding arbitration. Myles Garrett Youth Jersey . Hes just beginning to get similar results. The right-hander struggled after winning the honour in 2008 and 2009, but a retooling of his game has begun to pay off and has the San Francisco Giants thinking about the Lincecum of old. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas coach Bill Self was chatting this week with someone who brought up the possibility that some unfortunate team with a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament might have to play its second game against Oklahoma State, which was once considered a Final Four contender. "I said, Just think if that happens in your conference tournament," Self responded. After winning their 10th straight regular-season title, the Jayhawks earned the top seed when the Big 12 tournament begins Wednesday night at the Sprint Center. But the reward is a first-round bye and a potential matchup with the eighth-seeded Cowboys in Thursdays quarterfinals; the two teams split their two meetings this year. Oklahoma State plays No. 9 seed Texas Tech in the first game Wednesday night. Seventh-seeded Baylor takes on No. 10 seed TCU in the nightcap of a double-header. "I think weve always had very competitive Big 12 tournaments," Self said, "but I dont know if I can ever remember where if theres a final between whatever seeds there are, it would be absolutely not a major surprise to anybody. Its going to be a pretty special weekend." The Big 12 has been the runaway leader in conference RPI all season, and some believe that it could land seven or eight teams in the NCAA tournament on Selection Sunday. Just consider the games that will be played Thursday: Along with Kansas getting Oklahoma State or Texas Tech, second-seeded Oklahoma will play the Baylor-TCU winner, No. 3 seed Texas will play No. 6 seed West Virginia, and No. 4 seed Iowa State will play No. 5 seed Kansas State. "This league," Texas Tech coach Tubby Smith said, "is by far the toughest in the country." Thats why the Jayhawks still believe they can earn a No. 1 seed to the NCAA tournament, despite their 23-8 record. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State (20-11) is teetering around the bubble, and a win over Texas Tech might be enough to push the Cowboys firmly into the dance. Knocking off the Jayhawks would certainly do the trick. "Were just trying to worry about the next game," Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said, "and worrying about all that other stuff doesnt really do you any good." In thaat case, here are five things that fans SHOULD worry about: BUBBLE WATCH: Oklahoma State isnt the only team on the NCAA tournament bubble.ddddddddddddBaylor (21-10) would feel much better with a win or two, while West Virginia (17-14) hopes the momentum it picked up by knocking off Kansas last weekend will propel it to enough wins in Kansas City to make a case on Selection Sunday. "I think if we won two wed be in great shape," said Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins, "but I think if we can win that first one that we would be pretty good." CHAMPIONSHIP CHALLENGE: Kansas is the only current member to have won the Big 12 tournament since 2005 -- twice since then, Missouri won the title. In fact, Oklahoma and Iowa Stare are the only current schools besides the Jayhawks and Cowboys to have won. "No matter what people say, no matter what other teams do," Oklahoma States Marcus Smart said, "it goes through Kansas." STAR WATCH: There will be stars-a-plenty at the Big 12 tournament. Andrew Wiggins of Kansas is a potential No. 1 draft pick, Iowa States Melvin Ejim is the Big 12 player of the year and Smart is also a potential lottery pick. But one player who wont be on the floor is Jayhawks centre Joel Embiid, whos been ruled out for the Big 12 tournament and unlikely for the first week of the NCAA tournament because of a stress fracture in his back. HOMECOURT ADVANTAGE: Local schools Kansas and Kansas State always pack the Sprint Center, but Iowa State also tends to draw well -- its campus is a reasonable drive from Kansas City. That means itll be tough to secure a ticket to Thursdays first session, when the Cyclones play the Wildcats and Kansas is also in action in a tantalizing double-header. LONGSHOTS: Even longshots have coaches concerned this year. Texas Tech is the No. 9 seed but has wins over Oklahoma State, Baylor and Texas on its resume. And nobody thought TCU would go winless in the league, so the No. 10 seed Horned Frogs could be primed for a first-round upset of the Bears. "Were going to do our best to keep within striking distance, like we have all year long, and give ourselves a chance down the stretch," TCU coach Trent Johnson said. ' ' '