LTS

They assume he is responsible for the beer? Stupid meddling owners..

Good points. I'm certainly not trying to insinuate it can't be done. I'm curious if a team will get handcuffed at some point. Agreed. Teams have jettisoned players they couldn't afford but it's usually done before they hit free agency. I don't know otherwise, but I would think the Ducks moved Bobby Ryan because they wanted Perry and Getzlaf locked up. So move Ryan because he'd demand a high salary as well and get back some pieces to work with. The Blackhawks have to move someone. They are over the cap right now. It has been rumored they are going to move Sharp. So, they would be giving up some talent at this point even though the Toews and Kane salaries don't hit the book until the year after. It really depends on the cap growth rate right? Before this recent change it used to grow about $5m/year. That is fair amount to sign a player. However, back then players upper salaries were $7-$8m. The $10M salary sets a new level and I think the more skilled players will be pushing for $6-7 ranges which could pose a problem if the cap only grows at a $5m/year pace.

Can we definitively say that at this point? Currently Kane a Toews make a respectable $6.3M but certainly not anything that will break the bank. The new contracts are incredibly rich. They've been able to achieve what you stated up to this point but I really wonder how they will do in the future. Frankly, I am waiting to see if teams like the Ducks and Blackhawks get handcuffed by these contracts. You don't expect players like Getzlaf, Perry, Kane, and Toews to decline too much but it's hard to say. Even then, can you afford enough talent around those two to make it work. You might get lucky with some of the young guys you bring in but eventually there won't be money available for them. It may be the cap keeps going up and eliminates that concern per se, but I'll be curious to see how it plays out before I call them a model. Up to this point I would definitely call them a model however.

still chuckling a few responses later... book me a seat on the charter.

Despite being called the armpit of America and all the other crap. There will still be Sabres season ticket holders who sell their tickets to Leafs fan. And that, my forum compatriots, is a real travesty. Imagine the joy of having the Leafs fans booing your player in his home rink loud enough to make a difference. Sigh.

It should be Arizona. Regier is there. You know he wants Roy back!

I feel like I had gone through this thread... but I can't recall us having a discussion on this. If the Sabres end up with 2 of the top 4 picks in the draft next year. Do they only use the highest of those picks and perhaps trade the other and get some immediate talent? I'm thinking that if I had 1/2 I would pick McDavid and then the sweepstakes for 2 would have to be awesome. There's little doubt the Sabres could get another team's first rounder as well as a couple of established roster players that would boost them up quickly. I know it's easy to say they could have McDavid and Eichel.. but do they need both?

Yea.. I was backing out of my driveway when I heard it on the radio. I shut the radio off. He objects to being called the voice of the Sabres as he believes that is reserved for Ted Darling. But ######.. he's voice 1a then. Get well RJ.. having you around to call even 1 game will make the season that much better.

Or is it they want to keep Hodgson and talk up Ennis hoping to deal him? Ennis needs a contract. Are they trying to move Hodgson to save money on signing Ennis (no, they don't NEED to do it, but are they trying to keep a low payroll this year) Would they move Hodgson because he's on a contract that they don't like and wasn't signed by Murray. All real possibilities.

After the insanity today it's amazing to think that the Islanders big moves amounted to the signing of TJ Brennan, Cory Conacher, and Chad Johnson. I'm beginning to wonder if there is a chemical leak on Long Island. They might be in a better position to hit rock bottom than the Sabres. One could only imagine the Sabres and Islanders finishing 29 and 30. That would be beyond ridiculous even if the Sabres DIDN'T win the lottery. Oi.

Yea. Although people will point to him being from here so that adds to it. They'll point to Gorges being linked to Gionta and discount his signing as well. I realize Moulson has family from the "area" but he wanted to come back here. So, I think between ALL of those we should be able to put it to bed.

Yup! Very nice.

Clearly every FA hates coming to Buffalo! He makes a huge statement. He's here for part of the year. Gets traded away and CHOOSES to come back to a team in the position of Buffalo. Huge... huge signing. Loving it!

Agreed. However 3 bodies are still 3 bodies and that isn't always easy to replace. So, seeing the rest of the signings for Dallas at this point you think that Spezza will be enticed to sign. However, if they are in the playoff hunt or at/near the top he's going to ride his contract to UFA status.

The Sabres can aim for the playoffs. they are going to fall short, have a shot a the top pick and still get the second pick overall from the Islanders (if they don't win it). So.. it's good! They replaced most of Ehrhoff's salary with this signing as well. Love the trade. a 2nd in 2016 for him? Awesome!

So far Dallas has really upped their team for this coming season. The Blues/Stars battle is going to be nice. Lots of entertaining signings. SportsNet tried really hard to get jgorges to slam Buffalo. So much so that they slammed Buffalo. It was pathetic.. And LeBrun just announced Gionta to BUFFALO!

The biggest problem I see with the Spezza trade is that he's a UFA next season. It's not much for him to accept the trade and hit play in that lineup and then hit the market next year. So, the Stars might only have him for 1 season. If they can lock him up then I think they'll be okay.

The KHL has some impressive training room space judging by those pictures. In all seriousness.. he's working hard. It can't be a bad thing. In even more seriousness I wish I could spend my days doing that.

Not many people can fit in his locker.

Dang.. not being much of a football fan I never really heard him give an interview. However, I do picture it being like Brett Favre smacking the ass of the defensive player who just crushed him into the turf. I always like that about Favre. Kind of an on the field, in the moment, display of appreciation on how the game should be played.

Meh. Just passing through... :) Enjoy!

Just make it a Sabres sweater with a "C" on it. Those are changed constantly.

The Stars know that it's not the right Karlsson right? I wouldn't give up that much for Spezza. Of course what do I know.

This is like my comment in the FA Frenzy thread. Most of the time you can't play into what any of them say. It's all hedged comments that can be spun any way they would like depending on what happens. What I would like to see is someone who isn't polished and just appreciates the game like a fan would. I'd love to see an athlete show real enthusiasm. I know it's bred out of them, but just once wouldn't it be cool to see someone say. "Man, this game was intense tonight. We had people slamming each other all over the place. Did you see the hit that Johnny X (opponent) laid on our guy? That is what the game is all about. Of course Joey Y (teammate) was all over the place tonight as well. That shot, in the third, was insane!" I mean.. it would be cool, right?

It's fairly safe to say that a solid portion of "news" that is "reported" is all hedged language. Our society has become so addicted to "breaking" news that people who run news operations feel like they have to put out anything just to seem relevant. This is why I don't get caught up in any of it. it's either some guy throwing stuff at the wall to see if he can salvage his career or it's another guy reporting the obvious. Throw in the guy who is the tool of an organization's brass (as in, hey, float unnamed sources saying this so we can see who responds) and you have it covered. There are only a few guys worth following at this point. Even they join the mass speculation ranks and play the games but at least they also get some real material once in awhile.