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Dominik Hasek pre-retired. And after he injured his groin, he canceled those plans and decided that he would return for another season. The fact that he only started 35 games in 1999-2000 was bad enough, but the distraction of his ambiguous future made it doubly difficult for the Sabres to repeat their magical run to the finals in 1999. ESPN.com takes a Closer Look at Buffalo and what it needs to get better next season.

Season Review: Not a one-man show

	Gilmour

On paper, it looked like another typical Sabres year: They didn't allow many goals, but didn't score that many, either. Buffalo squeaked into the playoffs, but came nowhere near the previous season's success, bowing out with a first-round loss to the Flyers. Against Philly, Stu Barnes (three goals) and Miroslav Satan (three) scored six of the team's eight goals, and the Flyers scored two or more times on Hasek in all five games.

If Doug Gilmour hadn't been ill, the series might have been more competitive. However, it remained clear that unless Hasek stood on his head, this wasn't a championship-calibre team.

During the season, scoring was balanced but sparse. With 33 goals, Satan had 11 more than the next highest scorer -- excluding Gilmour, who only played 11 regular-season games in Buffalo. Michael Peca (20) and Curtis Brown (22) were the only other players to score 20 or more goals. That's not good.

Proabably the weakest component of the Sabres' game was their play on the road. In the Northeast Division, only Boston (12) won fewer road games than the Sabres (14).

The Open Market: Peca's a problem

	FREE AGENCY
	Key unsigned free agents: Martin Biron, Michael Peca, Erik Rasmussen, James Patrick, Vladimir Tsyplakov, Dixon Ward Signings/offseason acquisitions: Dave Andreychuk, Rob Ray, Jason Woolley, Alexei Zhitnik

The Sabres have the chance to have one of the strongest corps of centers in the league with Peca, Chris Gratton, Doug Gilmour, Stu Barnes and Curtis Brown all able to skate the position. Unfortunately, Peca -- who would surely be in the top three -- likely will be a holdout. Peca is looking for a deal in the area of $4 million a year, more than double his '99-00 salary. Yes, he's a great two-way center, but his 20 goals in 73 games were off his '99-00 career highs of 27 scores in all 82 games. Perhaps, his style of play -- incredibly aggressive and physical for a 5-foot-11, 180 pound man -- is beginning to take a toll on his body. A long-term lucrative deal might not be wise for Buffalo, and a protracted holdout is a definite possibility.

The return of Dave Andreychuk adds size, depth and clutch scoring. But he needs to be utilized in the right way, so the soon-to-be 37-year-old can be effective for a whole season -- see tapes of former Detroit forward Igor Larionov for an example of what a tired veteran skater looks like late in the year.

How to improve: Get pen in Peca's hand
If Peca signs, and the team remains healthy -- especially Hasek -- the Sabres can be much better. The team will be stocked with veterans but not over the hill -- their average age is around 29. Satan and Gilmour can score 25-or-more goals, and maybe Gilmour can get Gratton to live up to his potential -- or at least repeat his 30-goal season from '96-97.

That's not to say that Peca is some all-world player, but his grit and toughness anchor the Sabres. Without him, they're fringe players once again.

Brian A. Shactman is the NHL editor for ESPN.com.