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John Scott will beat you up if you even look at Ryan Miller the wrong way

Greg Wyshynski

The Buffalo Sabres finally dipped their toes in the NHL free agent pool on Sunday, signing a 4-year NHL veteran who can play both on the wing and on the blueline. And more importantly, he can do this:

From the Sabres:

Buffalo Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier today announced that the team has agreed to terms with unrestricted free agent forward John Scott on a one-year contract. "John's size and toughness make him a difficult player to battle against," Regier said. "His physical play will be a valuable addition to our team."

Via TSN, it's a 1-year deal worth $600,000 for Scott.

John Scott is not what you'd call a "good" hockey player; in fact, the most common description of his NHL prowess is as a "liability."

But when you're the Buffalo Sabres, John Scott can help, because you're a team that had its toughness challenged by Milan Lucic last season when he freight-trained Ryan Miller; and it was a challenge they failed to overcome, with the psychological scarring from the school bully lingering through the season.

So now they have a guy with 236 PIMs in 146 games, who goes by the nickname "Big" and remained one of the most feared heavyweights in the NHL.

If nothing else, Scott (6-8) and Tyler Myers (6-7) are going to give the Sabres a hell of an advantage in their midnight basketball league. Assuming, you know, they participate in one.