Chalk this one up as another colossal mistake for Buffalo.
Now, I know, if you've ever been to Buffalo, that opening tidbit doesn't exactly narrow things down, if you know what I mean.
But we're talking about the Sabres and their stalled contract talks with star defenseman Brian Campbell.
According to Campbell, any chats intended on keeping him on the U.S. side of the Peace Bridge are now over until this summer.
"I'm done talking about it with the team until the end of the year," Campbell said. "There's more important things right now than just me."
Diplomatic guy.
Of course, we could interpret that as a premature wave good bye to the fans of Buffalo.
Where have we seen this play out before?
Oh, I remember. About seven months ago with co-captains Chris Drury and Daniel Briere. In case you haven't been paying attention, neither calls Buffalo home anymore. With talks put on hold during last season, both bolted town in a hurry on July 1st.
Oh, and not by coincidence, the Sabres are currently riding a nine-game winless streak.
I'm at a loss why the Sabres would risk losing another star, risk pissing their fans off, and risk falling further and further out of contention.
This time last year, the Sabres were one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup.
In their first season minus Drury and Briere, they currently sit out of the playoffs with not much hope for a spirited charge.
And now they don't seem rushed to get anything done with Campbell.
In case Darcy Regier hasn't caught on, Buffalo is not viewed as an ideal destination for pending free agents, especially in the dead of winter.
Seeing how the Sabres are perceived as a team on the slide, just opening the checkbook may not be enough to sway anyone to Western New York either.
So, instead of screwing around with their star players, the Sabres might want to lock one up and perhaps entice a free agent or two to town.
With his star defenseman counting down the days until he broke off talks for the season, GM Darcy Regier chose to dish out miniature trophies to Sabre players to mark their Presidents Cup win as the top team through the regular season last year.
Enjoy it, Buffalo. It may be the only piece of hardware seen in your parts for a while.