On Thursday, the Buffalo Sabres re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani to a 1-year deal, worth $525,000. Gragnani doesn't really have the numbers that would normally get him mentioned in a post for the hockey pools, with only 3 points (1 goal and 2 assists) in nine games for the Sabres in the 2011 regular season, but he did rise to prominence in the playoffs, where he had 7 points (1 goal and 6 assists) in the opening round against the Flyers.
Unfortunately for Gragnani, the Sabres went and spent a lot of money and a lot of time on rebuilding the blueline, adding pieces like Christian Ehrhoff and Robyn Regehr, which puts Gragnani in a bit of a tight spot, trying to make the roster for the 2012 season. He will likely be competing for a spot with Mike Weber or Shaone Morrisonn, so if he can make it, he'll probably be carrying some momentum from camp into the season, which could make him into a bit of a sleeper pick.
If you can hold out until training camp to select your pool teams, then keep a close eye on the Buffalo blueline. Otherwise, you may just want to keep a close eye on Gragnani for picking him up mid-season.
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