The Buffalo Sabres avoided going to arbitration by re-signing defenseman Andrej Sekera to a four-year, $11-million contract on Tuesday. Terms of the deal were provided to The Associated Press by two people familiar with the contract, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the Sabres have not disclosed its length and value. The contract is front-loaded, with Sekera set to make $4.25 million this season, $3.25 million in 2012-13 and $1.75 million in each of the final two years, according to one of the people. General manager Darcy Regier said Sekera's contract averaged out to what he expected the player would receive had the two sides gone to arbitration. In exchange for avoiding arbitration, the Sabres have the advantage of spreading out the cost over a longer term. Read more: http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/6...sign-andrej-sekera-matt-ellis-multiyear-deals
