Tell me this doesn’t get you wet in the pants for next year...

Sheary-Eichel-Reinhart
Skinner-Mittelstadt-Stone

*switch up the wingers however

Find a way to make it work
Even if we are waiting & signing Stone as a UFA

Man, this blog.
- BeadyEyedDouche

Well at least we aren’t fighting about ROR, Kane, how much Sam is worth, etc

Feel free to interject with a topic for discussion

For now...
let’s say we sign Sam to 6per long term
That puts us at 79.0

+ Stone 7.25

Brings us up to 86.25mil
Cap is 79.5
So we need to knock out at least 7mil

trade Beaulieu -2.4
trade Girgs -1.6
trade Larsson -1.5

I think we all are pretty much assuming that’s gonna happen anyways, right?

That’s 5.5mil off the books, so we need another 1.5 off
Preferably more so that there’s some wiggle room

Stone would be our 2nd best forward
Considering his defense, you could even argue he’d be our best (he’s that good)

So u do what you have to to make it work

Tell Sam he’s gotta suck it up with a 1 year deal for 4.5, and he can get big $$$ next year
That saves 1.5mil and we squeak under

Then trade McCabe & get 1.6mil in extra room

Or

Trade Scandella -4.0
With Guhle, Pilut & Samuelsson all coming,
is he in the future plans anyways?

Or
Trade Hunwick -2.25
I know, we give up a better pick, but a player like Stone is more than worth that imo

Or
I’d even go so far as to move Bogo or Okposo, and give up a pick or prospect to do so
include Pommer here as well
Obviously this isn’t ideal, and would probably be the last resort
But again...
for a player as good as Stone,
you find a way to make the room


Easy? No, probably not

Possible? Yes, for sure
- jdfitz77

What all of this is leading to, imo, is that Okposo needs 55-60 points to justify his continued presence on the Sabres. If he can't do that, they need to be thinking heavily about a trade or even a buyout next season. It sounds kind of crazy to say buyout, I know, but $6m is a lot, and 40-45 points doesn't cut it

Is the entire premise built on the supposition that Mittelstadt isn't ready for 2C, and will instead play wing? If so, I think that's wrong, or at least flawed logic. He needs the experience at center, regardless. He's not gonna learn how to be a center by playing the wing. I know that was the idea with Reinhart, but that didn't really play out
- jcragcrumple

A lot of good centers do though. They play a year or two on the wing, then transition. It's not even about size either, Getzlaf played at wing a lot early in his career.

What all of this is leading to, imo, is that Okposo needs 55-60 points to justify his continued presence on the Sabres. If he can't do that, they need to be thinking heavily about a trade or even a buyout next season. It sounds kind of crazy to say buyout, I know, but $6m is a lot, and 40-45 points doesn't cut it
- jcragcrumple

Agreed
Best case scenario:
Get him up to 60pts this year & we should be able to trade him

Also, Dahlin if not mistaken can get bonuse's that will count towards the cap
- sbroads24

Bonuses can roll over though.

A lot of good centers do though. They play a year or two on the wing, then transition. It's not even about size either, Getzlaf played at wing a lot early in his career.
- Wetbandit1

Sure, plenty do. I guess what I'm saying is, when he does transfer to center, there will be growing pains anyway. I'd rather take those lumps now than try Reinhart there - which has at least as high of a probability of not working imo - than stretch the whole thing out

Sure, plenty do. I guess what I'm saying is, when he does transfer to center, there will be growing pains anyway. I'd rather take those lumps now than try Reinhart there - which has at least as high of a probability of not working imo - than stretch the whole thing out
- jcragcrumple

Sam wasn’t really given much of a shot at Center last year though

What was it, like 12 games?
And it was with Pouliot & Griffith on his wings

Bonuses can roll over though.
- Wetbandit1

I meant for the following seasons.

Doesn't Ottawa have to wait until post January to trade Stone?

Sam wasn’t really given much of a shot at Center last year though

What was it, like 12 games?
And it was with Pouliot & Griffith on his wings
- jdfitz77

I view him as a reserve center. If the worst happens, and Eichel and Mittelstadt are both hurt, you could still go

Reinhart
Erod
Berglund

Down the middle. It's kind of interesting to me that Botterill always mentions Reinhart's ability to play center, but when ROR had his appendix out, it was Erod who moved to 2C, not Reinhart, iirc. I wonder if Housley has a different take than Botterill.

The biggest thing to me is that Mittelstadt looked fine at C last year, and Berglund is a really nice 3C. It sort of feels like reinventing the wheel to put sam at C

Chris Brown says that Zay Jones' attitude is 'much more serious this year'.

He'll need that.

Also, decent write up on Josh Allen and how the Bills are continuing to expand his role through practice.
- TheSabresTaco

Ok, Gerbe.

Guarantee you at least 40% of those games will simply be simulcast by the local Comcast affiliate, just like the past few years. Same goes for Washington, Philadelphia, and San Jose.
- buffalofan19

The NHL is nothing if not extremely cheap/greedy.

Well at least we aren’t fighting about ROR, Kane, how much Sam is worth, etc

Feel free to interject with a topic for discussion
- jdfitz77

Collective farming, perhaps?

I meant for the following seasons.

Doesn't Ottawa have to wait until post January to trade Stone?
- sbroads24

I thought that was only for arb awards?

It's a pipe dream anyway.

I thought that was only for arb awards?

It's a pipe dream anyway.
- Wetbandit1

Okposo, Scandella and a 1st for Gaborik, Stone, a 4th
Okposo would never waive to go to Ottawa

I thought that was only for arb awards?

It's a pipe dream anyway.
- Wetbandit1

Oh I didn’t realize they signed before arbitration

I’m looking at Stone as being an integral piece going forward

So if what i have to do is move out Scandella & Hunwick,
then i play Guhle & Pilut for the year
Guhle is ready anyways
And some think Pilut is too

Basically...
I’m willing to sacrifice a bit this season if it means we add a player like Stone
- jdfitz77

This is exactly what got the hawks into trouble except we don’t have three cups to soften the blow, the Sabres are not ready for a move like this.
You tie to much of the cap in the top six, if get stone skinner is probably gone and it gets hard to fill out the defence and give raises to those comming of their elc

Okposo would never waive to go to Ottawa
- jcragcrumple

Thats a problem. What playoff team has the cap space to take him?
What non playoff team would he waive to go to?
I like Okposo, but the juice aint worth the squeeze when you look at his numbers.
Sure, we need leaders, blah blah blah, but i feel like that money could be spent better elsewhere, even if he hits his best point totals for one season. I think from a cap perspective, Botts doesn't want to deal with any of Murrays contracts, regardless of how much he likes the player personally. He's kind of like ROR....doesnt fit the timeline and Botts' plan.

Thats a problem. What playoff team has the cap space to take him?
What non playoff team would he waive to go to?
I like Okposo, but the juice aint worth the squeeze when you look at his numbers.
Sure, we need leaders, blah blah blah, but i feel like that money could be spent better elsewhere, even if he hits his best point totals for one season. I think from a cap perspective, Botts doesn't want to deal with any of Murrays contracts, regardless of how much he likes the player personally. He's kind of like ROR....doesnt fit the timeline and Botts' plan.
- seedy

Nor does he have the speed. He was the wrong guy at the wrong time. If Botterill can get out of the contract without buying him out, he'll do well.

I definitely think Okposo can have a good season btw, but he's paid until he's 35. It's gonna be a problem in 2 years

Nor does he have the speed. He was the wrong guy at the wrong time. If Botterill can get out of the contract without buying him out, he'll do well.

I definitely think Okposo can have a good season btw, but he's paid until he's 35. It's gonna be a problem in 2 years
- jcragcrumple

I know, and I want the guy to succeed and not feel like the next Moulson. But he could very well be the next Moulson.
The more time I have to look at GMTM's moves, the more I realize how he had no idea what he was doing.

The NHL is nothing if not extremely cheap/greedy.
- Wetbandit1

That's on the networks. They pay the production fees. It's why the NHL went to NBC over ESPN in the first place. ESPN wanted the league to pay its production fees, which was unprecedented for a major sport.

I know, and I want the guy to succeed and not feel like the next Moulson. But he could very well be the next Moulson.
The more time I have to look at GMTM's moves, the more I realize how he had no idea what he was doing.
- seedy

He was just RAW. But wasn't afraid to make a DEAL

He was just RAW. But wasn't afraid to make a DEAL
- sbroads24

Truly, it is we who will pay the PRICE

He was just RAW. But wasn't afraid to make a DEAL
- sbroads24

Okay.

I know, and I want the guy to succeed and not feel like the next Moulson. But he could very well be the next Moulson.
The more time I have to look at GMTM's moves, the more I realize how he had no idea what he was doing.
- seedy

Okmoulson?

Okpoulson?

I can't decide