BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) – Center Tim Connolly accepted a one-year qualifying offer, making him one of three players to re-sign with the Buffalo Sabres Saturday.

The team also announced it had reached deals with backup goaltender Mika Noronen and defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick. Both are scheduled for salary arbitration hearings within two weeks.

Connolly will make $1.36 million, 10 percent more than last year.

Connolly missed all of last season because of post-concussion symptoms from being knocked out by a hit in a preseason game last October. He didn’t begin skating until late March and has since been cleared for contact.

Acquired in a three-player deal that sent former Sabres captain Michael Peca to the New York Islanders in June 2001, Connolly has 22 goals and 48 assists in 162 games with Buffalo.

Noronen, who made $550,000 last year, is coming off an up-and-down season, his second full year with the team. He finished with an 11-17-2 record and a 2.57 goals-against average and was relegated to a full-time backup down the stretch, appearing in only three of the Sabres final 19 games.

Fitzpatrick made $375,000 and emerged as a regular last year after spending most of his previous eight seasons in the minors. He finished with four goals and 11 assists in 60 games – all career highs – before missing the final 17 games because of a knee injury.

Five Sabres players, including starting goalie Martin Biron and leading scorer Daniel Briere, are scheduled for arbitration hearings in August.

The team also had five players, including defenseman Dmitri Kalinin and goalie Ryan Miller, who failed to accept their qualifying offers by Saturday’s deadline. While the Sabres retain the players’ rights, the team must negotiate new contracts with them.

AP-ES-07-31-04 1736EDT