Former Sioux Falls Stampede standout Thomas Vanek is in the headlines in the NHL these days as he gets set to enter the final year of his contract with the Buffalo Sabres.

Vanek and goalie Ryan Miller's names have been featured prominently in trade talks this off season as Buffalo heads into full blown rebuilding mode.

In an interview this week with KSTP-TV in Minneapolis, Vanek says he's prepared to go back to Buffalo for one more season, but isn't certain at this point what the 2013-14 season holds for him.

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In eight seasons with the Sabres, Vanek has scored 30 or more goals four times.  Last season a strike-shortened year, he scored 20 times and handed out 21 assists.

He was an All-Star in 2009.

Vanek played in Sioux Falls for three seasons from 1999-2002 and appeared in 108 games for the Stampede.  During the 2001-02 season, he scored 46 goals and had 45 assists in 53 games, before heading off to the University of Minnesota to play college hockey.

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