"Imagine the fun you could have if someone walked up, handed over $15 million and said, "You can spend this Friday if you want."

That's essentially the situation in which Darcy Regier finds himself.

The Buffalo Sabres' general manager is two days away from Christmas in July, also known as the opening of NHL free agency. In the past, Regier has expressed his disdain for July 1, bemoaning the high-priced deals that ruin the salary structure he envisions.

This year, thanks to owner Terry Pegula and his open-wallet policy, Regier is eagerly anticipating Friday's noon start of the market.

"You have to give, in this case Terry, a tremendous amount of credit because he's opened up the ability for us to focus on unrestricted free agents and given us the resources," Regier said. "It's a small list this year, but knowing that we have the ability to compete for those players with the other teams is tremendous."

The Sabres would like to add a forward (preferably a center) and a defenseman to their roster. They have enough money to go after any players they want.

The salary cap has risen to $64.3 million for 2011-12, up $4.9 million from last season. The Sabres, according to salary numbers from CapGeek.com, have 15 players signed for $51.8 million. That leaves $12.5 million available. They have committed $3.9 million to their key restricted free agents (forward Nathan Gerbe, goaltender Jhonas Enroth and defensemen Andrej Sekera, Mike Weber and Marc-Andre Gragnani), leaving them with $8.6 million in cap room.

In the summertime, teams can spend 10 percent above the salary cap. That additional $6.4 million provides the Sabres with $15 million to entice the available talent.

"We'll certainly be making calls, inquiries, making some offers," Regier said. "In the past it was largely about trades and drafting and developing your own players. A third area has been opened up on the unrestricted side where we can compete for the best, top unrestricted free agents."