LGR4GM

Been beating this drum for a month. Andrew Brunette is a good coach.

Im sorry but this is short sighted and doesn't view the cap ramifications over time. In 2026-2027 the cap hit for Jeff is 6.4 million and then it is 2.44million for 3 years after that if you buy him out this offseason. You do get a savings this offseason, but who cares? This is the least important offseason to have that cap savings as the Sabres A. already have the space to bring in a higher end player (which they wont) and B. don't have to worry about Quinn and JJP next contract, so having that space is superfluous. Meanwhile if you simply wait until next offseason, you save 2.4million in 2029/30. You save 445k every single other year and still save 5million on the cap for year 1 of the new Quinn/JJP deal. It makes far more logical sense to wait one year, especially when as I noted it gives you depth. Jeff Skinner isn't a bad player, he just isn't worth 9million. Buy him out next year and spend this year trying to trade him. You can always use him on lines 1-3 and he is almost guaranteed to be better under Ruff and have a bounce back year.

Nathan MacKinnon 51g, 140pts Connor McDavid 32g, 132pts Nikita Kucherov 44g, 144pts Auston Matthews 69g, 107pts

Group thought reigns supreme within this team.

At least ik who the hc will be in 2 years

The salary cap and his caphits. We can afford him this year without issues. Once Quinn and JJP need payment we won't be able to afford Skinner. It gives you depth this year for the top 6 and gives all the other prospects another yr development. Ik he's not in favor here, but he's a 20+ goal scorer getting you 60pts so until you have that in someone else, just buying him out seems premature. With all that in mind, next summer. 4 years of caphits that are about 500k less than this years buyout with a full extra year of dead cap at the end eliminated by waiting.

Adams has failed. This team isn't even a playoff team let alone a contender. He's been complacent and slow to react, preferring loyalty to his players over building a winning franchise. Until he proves otherwise, I expect him to continue his safe and soft handling of the team.

I'd love to get out from Skinners contract because they need someone more dynamic. But Pegula and Botterill f-d us there. He can decline any trade. I think text summer you buy him out.

How's he a liability?

It clearly is rocket science to you. You're advocating waiving a top 4 defender. He'd have what? 28 teams put in waiver claims.

Yea, you're just wrong. You don't waive an easily tradable and valuable asset. It's just dumb to suggest we should.

Oh God you're doubling down on waiving Samuelsson. This just is an unserious post. You don't waive top 4 defenders on good contracts, it's just dumb.

Cuz it's a stupid waste of assets.

Jeff Skinner is something like 5th in the NHL since 2020 in 5v5 goals. Also, saying we should waive Mattias Samuelsson basically makes you lose all credibility.

It's hard for me to really remember how Briere played shift to shift.

I'll say one more thing. Silayev is harder to get video of. It's very possible because of that my opinion on him is wrong.

Savoie going deep in the WHL playoffs is good.

Fully agree. Adams needs to add NHL vets, not 20yr old kids.

I have a deep fear about Power and this isn't helping.

He's also 8 months younger than Eichel so in terms of age, he's better than Eichel. No idea. No one has traded out of 1 in the cap era.

He's got some soft hands, can be physical, and skates pretty good. I think with his size and those tools, others see shades of Chara. I don't but I've seen that tossed out. My issue is the production isn't there. It wasn't there in the MHL when he had only 8pts in 41 games and this year he had 11pts in 63 khl games. I mean, Novikov produced more in the MHL and is just below that pace in the khl (he was a yr older). That to me doesn't scream top 5 pick. Ik he's a defender, I get that. He closes plays down in his end well and will ride you into the boards because he can. But the NHL is based on quick breakouts, getting the puck up ice and either producing offense on the rush, or using the rush to get setup and cycle. Can Silayev contribute to that and if he can, how come at lower levels there's no production? He'll be an NHL defender, but are we talking first pair, second pair, or even third pair? Do you gamble on him or just take Dickinson who's 2nd pair or better?