Vanishing act

For the Sabres to stay, McKee may have to go

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jay McKee is a pretty fair amateur magician, and one of his favorite tricks is making a dollar float over his hand and up the length of his arm, no strings attached. It's a darn good illusion, too. I've seen him do it.

But now the NHL, which is running the bankrupt Sabres, is pulling an even greater dollar-bill stunt. They've made $133,000 of McKee's money disappear. And it looks like it might not be coming back.

McKee is owed that amount in a deferred payment promised by Buffalo's former owners. Sabres forward Curtis Brown is owed the same figure and defenseman Brian Campbell has $25,000 coming to him. They should all have been paid in mid-December, but with the Sabres spinning further into financial uncertainty the NHL simply didn't pony up. "Holy Houdini!" you might be thinking. "How do they do that?"

Well, it's an easy trick to pull off (try stiffing your paperboy, for example) but a very hard one to get away with (watch as your newspaper lands on your roof the next day). If the players don't get those payments soon, and if they file grievances through the players' association before mid-March -- which they almost certainly will -- they can become free agents.

Then you'd really see a couple of neat tricks. You'd see McKee's and Brown's salaries (they both make $1.53 million) grow overnight. You'll see them go to sleep as Sabres and wake up as Red Wings, Blues, Canucks or Rangers.

Brown is a very solid, energetic two-way center who could help many teams. And McKee could be the defenseman that separates a contender from the pack -- and not by sleight of hand. This guy will give a backline some serious bristle. He blocks shots, he hits big, he's steady and he's a postseason force. He was Buffalo's best defenseman during its run at the 1999 Stanley Cup; in 2001 his overtime goal beat the Flyers in the playoffs. "I'm not satisfied," McKee says of his level of play. "I want to play at my top level all the time."

McKee hasn't always done that this season, however. When you're the defensive anchor of the Sabres -- who've scored the fewest goals in the league -- your slips are going to show. McKee's subpar numbers this year (he's a highly uncharacteristic minus-11) are a result of Buffalo having to take chances, having to rally desperately too often.

This is a lousy team, and it's in an awful pickle in a browbeaten sports town. Yet McKee is in no hurry to leave Buffalo, nor his favorite hobby shop (Elmwood Magic & Novelty) behind. "If I do become a free agent," he says. "I'd hope the Sabres give me an offer no one could match. I like it here."

This is the city where McKee broke into the league as an 18-year-old (he's only 25 now) and where he met his wife, Nicole, who was a Buffalo Jills cheerleader. McKee is from Kingston, Ont., only a few hours' drive from Buffalo. He knows about Scott Norwood wide right. He knows about Brett Hull's skate in the crease (he was there for that one). He knows this town could use a little magic. And for all his nasty on-ice hitting, McKee's not the type who likes kicking someone when they're down. "A lot of people could think I'm not very intelligent if I didn't press the issue and file a grievance," McKee said. "But I'm going to give the Sabres time. I've been treated very well by the organization."

Now, in this season of bizarre bankruptcies, the "Sabres' organization" is the NHL. And though the league didn't get itself into this mess, it can still do the right thing by the team. The NHL should go ahead and pay McKee, Brown and Campbell (the league could work in a clause that it will be reimbursed when the team is sold) -- and make sure a little magic stays in Buffalo.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Kostya Kennedy takes sides each week at CNNSI.com.

 

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