BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Sabres coach Ron Rolston added NHL experience to his new staff by hiring Joe Sacco on Tuesday. Sacco is a former NHL player who spent the past four seasons as the Colorado Avalanche coach before being fired in April after the team missed the playoffs for a third straight year. Sacco had a 130-134-40 record and was an NHL coach of the year finalist in 2010 after leading the Avalanche to the playoffs in his first season. In May, Sacco coached the U.S. national team to win a bronze medal at the World Championships in Sweden. Rolston described Sacco as an ideal fit because of his coaching experience and familiarity with teaching young players, as he had done with the rebuilding Avalanche. And Rolston had to remain patient in waiting for Sacco, who had been a candidate for at least two NHL head-coaching vacancies. "Once those opportunities passed, it was a situation where -- at that point -- he was obviously a no-brainer to bring in and talk to," Rolston said. "In terms of what we had here and the direction we were going, we thought hed be a perfect fit." The Sabres are in transition by rebuilding through youth. Rolston is part of the teams transformation. He took over as interim coach in February after Lindy Ruff was fired. He was then hired on a full-time basis in May after closing the season with a 15-11-5 record. Saccos hiring fills one of two openings in Buffalo after Rolston fired both bench coaches, James Patrick and Kevyn Adams. Rolston intends to hire one more assistant, while confirming hes retained two assistants, Teppo Numminen and goalie coach Jim Corsi. Rolston and Sacco have ties to USA Hockey, but have never worked together. Sacco was a forward during 13 seasons in the NHL before retiring in 2003. Drafted by the Maple Leafs in 1987, he finished with 213 points (94 goals, 119 assists) in 738 career games split between Toronto, Anaheim, the New York Islanders, Washington and Philadelphia. Earlier in the day, Sabres general manager Darcy Regier indicated he wasnt prepared to make a major splash once the NHLs free-agency period opens Friday. He is instead interested in targeting veteran role players who would be able to complement Buffalos young lineup. "Our focus is going to be on supporting this younger group," Regier said. "It means fit. And the fit may be positional, it may be character, it may be to add some scoring." Regier remains noncommital as to whether he intends to trade his two star veterans, goalie Ryan Miller and forward Thomas Vanek. Both players are entering the final years of their contracts, leaving their futures uncertain in Buffalo. "Its incumbent upon me to have a sense of what the marketplace is or re-sign them, versus allowing them to become unrestricted and just have very good assets walk out the door," Regier said. "It would be fair to characterize that Im actively finding out what the marketplace is." ---- NOTES: After an up-and-down rookie season, C Mikhail Grigorenko can expect to play all of next year in Buffalo. Though the 2012 first-round draft pick is still eligible to play at the Canadian junior level, Regier said he intends to have Grigorenko develop with the Sabres. ... Regier said D Alexander Sulzer will become a free agent. ... The Sabres will hold a three-day rookie development camp in Buffalo next week. Lou Boudreau Indians Jersey .ca NHL Power Rankings, finally overtaking the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks, who rank second and third this week. Jefry Rodriguez Indians Jersey . Blown save in the ninth inning? No problem. https://www.cheapindiansonline.com/1968u-eddie-murray-jersey-indians.html . -- Michigan coach John Beilein is willing to give Nik Stauskas a little leeway when it comes to shot selection. Dwight Gooden Indians Jersey . Terms of the contract were not disclosed by the club. Clemons spent his first five NFL seasons with the Miami Dolphins, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2009 draft out of Clemson. Brook Jacoby Indians Jersey .com) - Eric Fehr and Marcus Johansson each registered a pair of goals, as Washington spoiled the head coaching debut of Peter Horachek by picking up a 6-2 victory in Toronto on Wednesday.San Diego, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Arizona Diamondbacks selected catcher Oscar Hernandez of the Tampa Bay Rays organization with the first pick in Major League Baseballs annual Rule 5 Draft on Thursday. Hernandez, 21, had been in the Rays system since signing as a 16-year-old out of Venezuela. He appeared in 94 games for Single-A Bowling Green last season and batted .249 with nine home runs and 63 RBI. He may have put together one of the greatest Venezuelan Summer League seasons anyone will ever see in 2011, hitting .402/.503/.732 with 21 home runs. Hernandez led the league in batting average by 38 points, home runs by 13, slugging percentage by .238 points, total bases by 37 and on-base percentage by 39 points. Hernandez, though, has never come anywhere close to matching those numbers and isnt fully polished behind the plate There were 14 players taken in the major league phase of the draft on Thursday. If those players do not sign with their new team, they must be offered back to their original team, effectively canceling the Rule 5 Draft choice. However, once they spend an entire season on their new teams 25-man roster, their status reverts to normal and they may be optioned or designated for assignment. Of course, several players have succeeded through the Rule 5 Draft in the past, most notably Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana and 2010 AL MVP Josh Hamilton. Other prominent players selected tthrough the Rule 5 Draft include pitchers Joakim Soria, Matt Mantei and Antonio Alfonseca, as well as second baseman Dan Uggla and outfielders George Bell, Willy Taveras and Shane Victorino.dddddddddddd Players who are not currently on their teams 40-man roster are eligible to be taken in this draft, but only after a standard exemption period has elapsed. Also, only teams whose rosters are under the 40-man limit are eligible to participate. A player who is 18 when hes signed can spend five seasons in an organization before he has to be protected. Anyone who is 19 or older must be protected after four years. Once past that time of service, a player must be put on the 40-man roster if that team wants to keep him from becoming eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. MAJOR LEAGUE PHASE 1. Arizona Diamondbacks: C Oscar Hernandez, Rays 2. Colorado Rockies: IF Mark Canha, Marlins (Traded to Oakland) 3. Texas Rangers: OF Delino DeShields Jr., Astros 4. Houston Astros: RHP Jason Garcia, Red Sox (Traded to Baltimore) 5. Minnesota Twins: RHP J.R. Graham, Braves 6. Boston Red Sox: RHP Jandel Gustave, Astros 7. Chicago Cubs: SS Taylor Featherston, Rockies 8. Philadelphia Phillies: IF David Herrera, Rangers 9. Miami Marlins: LHP Andrew McKirahan, Cubs 10. New York Mets: LHP Sean Gilmartin, Twins 11. Atlanta Braves: RHP Daniel Winkler, Rockies 12. Seattle Mariners: LHP David Rollins, Astros 13. Baltimore Orioles: RHP Logan Verrett, Mets 14. Philadelphia Phillies: LHP Andrew Oliver, Pittsburgh ' ' '