If you only make 75k a year, would you overpay by several thousand for a car just because that is the best one the dealer had?

There are other ways to win championships. In fact, history shows there are better ways.
- Slump Buster

You cannot use real life analogies when it comes to sports. It just doesn't work.

You can get the best player without having to give up assets (sure it will cost you a little more in salary) but for the love of beer why wouldn't you want the best goal scorer to hit free agency in the salary cap era?

Offer Stamkos the max $14.3m....for 1 year. Convince him to come and see if he likes it and if the team gels understanding that if all is good we will then extend him for the full 8 years with a very good salary. If it doesn't work out, he will be traded at the deadline to the team of his choice or able to walk at the end of the season. No long term commitment being signed to a team and not having work out plus still young enough to capitalize next summer.

If it doesn't work out, offer Benn $12m next year. Better fit for the team being a LW.
- adambuffalo

If you were Steven Stamkos would you take 1 year for $14.3 or 7/77. I know what I would do

I have no idea whats going on in here.... and i love it
- Havic3814

It's like a food fight. Just throw, don't look.

The salary cap isn't in a vacuum either. It was suppose to go down, then remain the same. It ended up going up 3.5 million.

Over the last 7 years, there has been one team with noticeable cap issues, and they won the cup 3 times. Things will work themselves out.
- Mentalorgasm5

It does, and salaries rise with them.

Chicago is different. They had a very young and elite core that had won cups and they rightfully paid them. You really can't pay more than 2 guys and they have to be your best guys. I don't see Stamkos being that guy 3 years from now.

Besides, look at how Chicago has to scramble to stay under the cap. 2 mill a year is a ton when you are up against the cap.

Kreider would be a nice addition here, better then that scrub Okposo
- SABRES 89

On a line with vesey ,jack that speed would be amazing to watch with all those 3

And in a few years other bills will fall off and the cap will increase and there will be 500 new things. Yeah, it's a lot of money, but I'd rather be a top heavy team and start losing my 4th line players and replacing them with cheaper players.

I'll work out the math of how things look in 2 years. Then 3 years. Give me a minute
- Zschalberg

I did this a few months ago.

I did it with Stamkos getting $10.5 million and keeping Foligno. Oh well buy bye Marcus.

It is 100% doable

I heard Sam prefers Samson and goes by Reino on the ice. Rhino is not only an incorrect spelling but also not indicative to his personality or play style.

The public may call him Samson. His teammates may call him Reino and spell it as such.

The Taco has spoken.
- TheSabresTaco

do they write him love notes?

we have so many cup banners raised at the arena that we don't need stamkos
- homiedclown

Stamkos and Fasching

or

Okposo and foligno
- IndianaSabresFan

This!

Stamkos and Fasching all day every day even all night too

You cannot use real life analogies when it comes to sports. It just doesn't work.

You can get the best player without having to give up assets (sure it will cost you a little more in salary) but for the love of beer why wouldn't you want the best goal scorer to hit free agency in the salary cap era?
- Stripes77

It is a perfect analogy in that (unlike the food analogy) we have a limited amount to spend and we don't need to get this particular player.

I hope we get him. I just think 12 mill a year is foolish. These kinds of signings are almost always regrettable. I am trying to think of similar FA signings that worked out even reasonably well for the team.

Pittsburgh just did the same thing and won the cup. You don't need to have 2 juggernaut lines and then a bottom 6. Spread out your talent with the less talented players. If you have REAL talent (ie. Crosby, Kane, Jack?) and not Sabres talent (Roy, Vanek) they will make players better around them. Then you can take that $925,000 ELC kid and have him play well next to the 12 Million dollar star and produce numbers. But you have to have that star and you have to draft and develop well. This is half of that.

tl;dr: if you think we've drafted well in the last 3 years then now is the time to go FA and go hard
- Zschalberg

If Pittsburgh did not move Kessel to the 3rd line, they would have been fighting for a playoff spot and would not have made it out of the first round most likely. Like previously noted when we had vanek, pommers and roy on our 3rd line. We could definitely fit Stamkos right into the line up andrun three top lines.

Kane Stamkos Ennis
Vesey Eichel Reinhart
Moulson O'Reilly Girgs
D'lo Larsson Gionta
Foligno

It does, and salaries rise with them.

Chicago is different. They had a very young and elite core that had won cups and they rightfully paid them. You really can't pay more than 2 guys and they have to be your best guys. I don't see Stamkos being that guy 3 years from now.

Besides, look at how Chicago has to scramble to stay under the cap. 2 mill a year is a ton when you are up against the cap.
- Slump Buster

What did you say? Their cup rings are plugging their ears

I did this a few months ago.

I did it with Stamkos getting $10.5 million and keeping Foligno. Oh well buy bye Marcus.

It is 100% doable
- Stripes77

I bet he gets 12 from someone

What did you say? Their cup rings are plugging their ears
- Stripes77

Sure - I would have signed their guys as well. And their guys aren't Stamkos. We don't have to go out and try to sign the best available guy for crazy jack. There are other ways.

It is a perfect analogy in that (unlike the food analogy) we have a limited amount to spend and we don't need to get this particular player.

I hope we get him. I just think 12 mill a year is foolish. These kinds of signings are almost always regrettable. I am trying to think of similar FA signings that worked out even reasonably well for the team.
- Slump Buster

No its not, because there is not a better option that doesn't cost crucial assets to keep the team as a winner like draft picks and prospects.

They built most of the team through the draft and trades. Swing for the fences in free agency and save those draft picks to replenish when players like Marcus Foligno need to be traded because they are getting too pricey

What did you say? Their cup rings are plugging their ears
- Stripes77

They just drop players and replace them who's that guy that's going to win rookie of the year this year oh that's right

I bet he gets 12 from someone
- Slump Buster

Yeah so give him $12 and say goodbye to Marcus and have Bailey or Fasching play in his spot

The salary cap isn't in a vacuum either. It was suppose to go down, then remain the same. It ended up going up 3.5 million.

Over the last 7 years, there has been one team with noticeable cap issues, and they won the cup 3 times. Things will work themselves out.
- Mentalorgasm5

THis is a good point.

If salary continues to rise. Benn could make 12M next year and no one bats an eye. Marchand and Neal could make 8.5 or 9M and no one bats an eye.

In 2018, Carey Price could be at 10.5M and Tavares at 12M and no one bats an eye. Maybe Nash even makes 10M.

In 2019...
Doughty at 7.65M gets a raise
Karlsson at 7.55M gets a raise
OEL at 7M gets a raise
Duchene at 6.5M gets a raise
Seguin at 6.5M gets a raise
Couture at 6M gets a raise
Pavelski at 6M gets a raise
Henrique at 5.5M gets a raise
Pacioretty at 5M gets a BIG raise

it is going ot all inflate. I bet by then there are 10 or 11 guys in the NHL making over 10M instead of 5

Sure - I would have signed their guys as well. And their guys aren't Stamkos. We don't have to go out and try to sign the best available guy for crazy jack. There are other ways.
- Slump Buster

Why not ??? If those players hit ufa we would be paying them more than Stamkos

It's like a food fight. Just throw, don't look.
- TheSabresTaco

Sure - I would have signed their guys as well. And their guys aren't Stamkos. We don't have to go out and try to sign the best available guy for crazy jack. There are other ways.
- Slump Buster

Stamkos was absolutely in the same category as Kane and Toews. Then Cooper stopped playing him a lot.

Stamkos was absolutely in the same category as Kane and Toews. Then Cooper stopped playing him a lot.
- Stripes77

stop making sense

No its not, because there is not a better option that doesn't cost crucial assets to keep the team as a winner like draft picks and prospects.

They built most of the team through the draft and trades. Swing for the fences in free agency and save those draft picks to replenish when players like Marcus Foligno need to be traded because they are getting too pricey
- Stripes77

"Swing for the fences" - how often does that work out in free agency? This is why free agency is known as the silly season. It all seems so great on July 1. And it almost never works out. I agree with Tampa - I wouldn't have given him more than 9 either, especially since he has question marks.

It does, and salaries rise with them.

Chicago is different. They had a very young and elite core that had won cups and they rightfully paid them. You really can't pay more than 2 guys and they have to be your best guys. I don't see Stamkos being that guy 3 years from now.

Besides, look at how Chicago has to scramble to stay under the cap. 2 mill a year is a ton when you are up against the cap.
- Slump Buster

Yes, that's my point, as it rises Stamkos' contact won't look "so bad." Just as Crosby's looks like a steal now.

I don't want to say Greztky was a dude when I was watching
- Mentalorgasm5

I'm still laughing about this.