BUFFALO, N.Y. -- State economic officials plan to meet with businessman Mark Hamister to discuss the future of the NHL's financially troubled Buffalo Sabres, a spokesman for the state said Wednesday.

Michael Marr, spokesman for the Empire State Development Corporation, said a meeting was being scheduled but he did not have a time. A spokesman for Gov. George Pataki said keeping the Sabres in Buffalo was vital.

''The governor believes that the Sabres are one of the things that makes Buffalo a special place, and we're committed to continuing to work with the NHL to ensure that the Sabres have a long and prosperous future in Buffalo,'' said Pataki spokesman Michael McKeon.

On Thursday, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is to update the league's board of governors in Toronto on the Sabres' status.

The team has been in limbo for the past two months because of the financial problems of owner John Rigas, whose fortune was tied to the debt-ridden Adelphia Communications Corp., the nation's sixth-largest cable company.

Rigas operated the Sabres separately from Adelphia but used company money toward the purchase of the team. The Sabres reportedly owe Adelphia as much as $150 million, making it the team's largest creditor.

Hamister, CEO and founder of the Buffalo-based National Health Care Affiliates and owner of the Arena Football League's Buffalo Destroyers, has spent the past month forming a group that would keep the team in Buffalo.

Hamister was unavailable for comment, and has repeatedly declined to discuss his interest in the Sabres.

Also Wednesday, sources who spoke on condition of anonymity said Hamister was meeting with investors to move his ownership bid forward. The identities of the other potential partners were not revealed.

''A lot of those investors are in the Buffalo area meeting as we speak,'' said one source, when asked how close the group was to completing its plans.

A second source said: ''There are people in town that Mark is talking to.''

Although there is no motion on the board of governor's agenda for the league to take action regarding the Sabres, the NHL could choose to take temporary control of the franchise, a move that would help clear the way for the team to be sold.

The Sabres, who will take part in this weekend's NHL draft in Toronto, have reported serious cash-flow problems this past month. Adelphia, which earlier this week missed making $55 million in bond interest payments, is being pressured to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which could come as soon as Friday.

Erie County Executive Joel Giambra said it was important for the NHL to take action before that happens. Adelphia's filing for bankruptcy would further muddy the Sabres' status, and possibly lead to protracted legal proceedings, Giambra said.