By Budd Bailey, Buffalo Sports Page Columnist
Jordan Leopold – Signed by the Sabres in 2010
The Sabres needed a little offensive help from their defensemen as they prepared for the 2010-11 season. They identified someone who could help – Jordan Leopold.
He had been drafted by Calgary, and bounced around a bit from there. Leopold also suited up for Colorado, Florida and Pittsburgh in his career. On July 1, 2010, he became an unrestricted free agent – and later that day he was a Buffalo Sabre. It was a three-year deal worth about $9 million.
Jordan did what he was expected to do in Buffalo during this time here, which was to be a regular. He set career highs in 2010-11 with 13 goals and 35 points, and added 10 more goals a year later. Leopold never got the chance to complete the third year of his deal, as he was traded to St. Louis for two draft picks. Buffalo was already near the bottom of the NHL, and general manager Darcy Regier had started to look to the future.
Leopold’s departure turned out to be the beginning of a purge of the roster than eventually included such players as Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek. You could say, then, that Leopold’s departure was a signal that dark days were coming to the Sabres.
Here’s a happy memory for him.
(Follow Budd on Twitter @WDX2BB)
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