By MELISSA GESCHWIND 
News Sports Reporter 
Alexei Zhitnik <../../../players/zitnik.html> returned to the ice at the Pepsi Center in Amherst Tuesday, eager to skate and optimistic that he will be under contract in time to report for his team physical next Tuesday. 
"Nobody wants to hold out," said Zhitnik, a restricted free agent who does not have a contract for next season. "I prefer to start training camp on Day One. You 
never know what's going to happen, but we're working to sign a deal before camp." 
Zhitnik's agent, Serge Levin, has lopped a few dollars off his original request of $4 million a year for the defenseman, but the agent remains frustrated with Buffalo's 
evaluation of Zhitnik's worth. 
"We discuss only the offensive situation about Alex Zhitnik," Levin said Tuesday. "If he would play with an offensive team - a real offensive team, like Dallas or, of 
course, Colorado - he would get many more points. . . . The tactics of (the Sabres) are much more defensive." 
Levin seems fixated on the Sabres' comparison of Zhitnik with New York Islanders power-play specialist Roman Hamrlik, a middling defensive player who 
is set to make $2.8 million next season. But Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier said that the team compares Zhitnik with more players than just Hamrlik. 
"You could actually set Roman Hamrlik aside if you choose to," he said. "We're not just focused on the offense. 
"Obviously, we place an awful lot of value on Alex." 
The sides will have a chance to clear up any misunderstandings when Levin meets with Sabres negotiators Monday. Meanwhile, Levin allowed that Zhitnik is 
not in line for a team-high $4 million next season. 
"It probably should be a little less, but we will talk about the bonus situation," Levin said. "He has to prove, and he wants to prove, (his worth)." 
"We came down, they came up a little bit," Zhitnik said. "We'll try to find a compromise so everybody's happy."