Arbitrator Rules in Favour of Kennedy

An arbitrator ruling came down (finally, instead of all of these deals getting done before the hearings) on Thursday, which saw Tim Kennedy winning his case and earning a 1-year, $1 million deal. Since the CBA has a standard level of deal that teams cannot walk away from, the Sabres are forced to take this deal and Kennedy is signed for the 2011 season now at the ruling's cost.

In 2010, Kennedy played in 78 games for the Sabres, scoring 10 goals and adding 16 assists for 26 points. Those are decent enough numbers to be considered among the lower depths of pool worthy players and he has a little bit of growth in him yet. Being only 24, he should mature a little bit more and possibly give a little bit more in the 3rd line position, possibly earning some 2nd line minutes with injuries or just some good play. He might be a little ways off being a sleeper, but does have the potential to be a mid-season replacement player at the very least.