I feel like you're mixing two scenarios together.

If Dahlin doesn't want to sign for longer then 2 years, so be it.

If all the Sabres offer is a 2 year deal, there's a chance Dahlin would be wondering regarding the Sabres commitment.
- kingcong39

While possible, and I believe highly unlikely, he could simply hold out and wait for more years, if he so chooses. I am going to assume and hope that this franchise learned something from dycking around with Reinhart.

ummm...what exactly is this "winning" thing you speak of?
- Michael Pachla

Good Post, fun to watch Levi and Portillo hopefully play this year and grow. Like mhp said could be some very good competition in a few years.
- Buff36

I am definitely watching NE and M this year.

I'm not sure if it's gotten any play here but Kyle Okposo said he's been skating with Eichel.

Maybe that doesn't mean anything, maybe it does
- Hank Balling

Yeah they were at that thing in Montreal together, said they have had some good convo.

I am definitely watching NE and M this year.
- TheSabresTaco

I will be to.

Yeah they were at that thing in Montreal together, said they have had some good convo.
- Buff36

Which is kind of odd because it was reported that Eichel wouldn't be partaking in on-ice activities

That's a very fair post. Appreciate the opinion.

I think they give dahlin the max 8 year length, based partially on the "buffalo " factor.
He's gonna want out sooner than later, so the longer the contract, the better the return? Maybe?
* as long as we do not overpay too much.

I'd say also, no movement clauses vs. More money should play into the Sabres favor.

Hit the cap floor by paying a bit more , to have the freedom of moving him when/ where unconditionally
- Boss34

Definitely possible for 8. He is, or will be, a premium defenseman. Evolving Hockey gives him a 35% chance (highest of them all) to sign a 6x6. 10% chance at 6.8x8. I wouldn't discount any scenario. My gut says it'll be 6+ as the best chance, followed by 2.

I'm not sure if it's gotten any play here but Kyle Okposo said he's been skating with Eichel.

Maybe that doesn't mean anything, maybe it does
- Hank Balling

i find it interesting

Which is kind of odd because it was reported that Eichel wouldn't be partaking in on-ice activities
- Hank Balling

are we getting the impression that the neck thing might have been a tad overblown?

are we getting the impression that the neck thing might have been a tad overblown?
- Michael Pachla

I legitimately don't know what is going on, but if he were cleared by doctors to start camp it wouldn't surprise me. The whole thing has been odd, why stop stop the strangeness now?

Remember during the season the Sabres kept saying "we expect Eichel back at some point"

are we getting the impression that the neck thing might have been a tad overblown?
- Michael Pachla

Definitely possible for 8. He is, or will be, a premium defenseman. Evolving Hockey gives him a 35% chance (highest of them all) to sign a 6x6. 10% chance at 6.8x8. I wouldn't discount any scenario. My gut says it'll be 6+ as the best chance, followed by 2.
- TheSabresTaco

I don't have their numbers, but it sounds like pretty close to 50/50 long term vs short term.

My gut says the recent D signings have pushed the market up and there's too big of gap to agree on a long term deal. Also, KA just hasn't been aggressive on long term deals and seems to love 3 year bridges.

- homiedclown

for petes sake!

I don't have their numbers, but it sounds like pretty close to 50/50 long term vs short term.

My gut says the recent D signings have pushed the market up and there's too big of gap to agree on a long term deal. Also, KA just hasn't been aggressive on long term deals and seems to love 3 year bridges.
- Lunaion

kagm rightfully needs to be cautious right now...he's had but one year to watch this team through a gm's prism and i'd presume he's still getting a lot of input from his new agm, karmanos, as well

Which is kind of odd because it was reported that Eichel wouldn't be partaking in on-ice activities
- Hank Balling

He didn't play in any of the scrimmages, but I guess he was out there for some of the drills they were running.

I'm not sure if it's gotten any play here but Kyle Okposo said he's been skating with Eichel.

Maybe that doesn't mean anything, maybe it does
- Hank Balling

It's anybody's guess at this point. Is Brisson steering him toward some sort of reconciliation with the Sabres? Probably still a lot going on behind the scenes and who knows what the end result will be. My stab at it tells me he won't get traded till next summer.

He didn't play in any of the scrimmages, but I guess he was out there for some of the drills they were running.
- Buff36

not sure that the sabres are good with him on the ice at all, considering his neck problems

kagm rightfully needs to be cautious right now...he's had but one year to watch this team through a gm's prism and i'd presume he's still getting a lot of input from his new agm, karmanos, as well
- Michael Pachla

He butchered last summer. Only way things get worse now is a Dahlin offer sheet.

not sure that the sabres are good with him on the ice at all, considering his neck problems
- Michael Pachla

https://buffalonews.com/s...ec-b724-070dbf205153.html
Can't find the other Article, but definitely some weird stuff going on.

not sure that the sabres are good with him on the ice at all, considering his neck problems
- Michael Pachla

Okposo is seemingly very tight with the organization - he lives in Buffalo year round and he is often the person the team makes available for press stuff, jersey releases, etc.

The fact that he is skating with Eichel is interesting to me

Absolutely.

Dahlin - power has the ridiculous effect.....
Top nhl pairing on paper ( maybe ever)
2 #1OA'S - pretty rare

Theres 1/2 the game. including important minutes. Probably go cheaper and younger for the rest of the defense.

Johnson and Bryson appear more offensively talented to me. Probably a little more time needed to really evaluate?
- Boss34

If I were GM of this team, my plan would be
-focus the '22 & '23 Drafts on Forwads, specifically C and RW in rounds 1 and 2
-'23 sign a good defensive RhD to be Dahlin's partner, like Savard as an example.
-use Johnson and Bryson as trade chips to Cap strapped teams to fill holes elsewhere

Eventually the D-pairs would look like:

Dahlin - UFA; playing 25 minutes with 1st PP for Dahlin, 1st PK for UFA
Power - Joker; playing 20 minutes with 2nd PP and 2nd PK
Samuelson - FA/Laaksonen playing 15 minutes with Samuelson 1st PK

I will say that this whole Eichel situation has been a Sh!t show. IMO if it comes out that he doesn't need Surgery at this point and passes a physical I will be even more pissed at how much he F@cked the Sabres. And that Colorado Doctor will be made a fool of for what he said and I will start to wonder how much Jack and Fish lined his pockets with to do that interview.

He butchered last summer. Only way things get worse now is a Dahlin offer sheet.
- Lunaion

exactly what's to be expected from a rookie gm with no front office experience who went into a situation where, arguably, he wasn't really in control

Okposo is seemingly very tight with the organization - he lives in Buffalo year round and he is often the person the team makes available for press stuff, jersey releases, etc.

The fact that he is skating with Eichel is interesting to me
- Hank Balling

Been saying it all along...Jack will play for us this year.

I don't have their numbers, but it sounds like pretty close to 50/50 long term vs short term.

My gut says the recent D signings have pushed the market up and there's too big of gap to agree on a long term deal. Also, KA just hasn't been aggressive on long term deals and seems to love 3 year bridges.
- Lunaion

Evolving Hockey has it at a 78% chance combined from a 5 year to an 8 year deal.

A 3 year deal for Dahlin would be a very bad idea, and I hope Adams would know better then to offer that to Dahlin.