DarthEbriate

Florida subbed Lomberg in for the wrong player. Okposo's penalty led to 1 goal and his slow feet allowed McDavid to walk in unmolested and go for the bank shot goal of Bobrovsky.

Keep 7 rounds. My preference is to enforce drafts for all league entry. You didn't get drafted at 18 but then went to college and now you're worthy of a 2nd-round selection? Great. Get drafted. Don't want to sign with the team that drafted you at 18? Great. Re-enter the draft. Always give the crap teams a chance for hope. But then, for balance and to placate the Players Association, allow UFA earlier. Finish your ELC, 1 season max of RFA, and UFA is yours. It'd mess with goalies and other long-developing players... but they could also weave their way through the minors and still be a cheap 2nd contract before they figure it out.

Goodrow. Hmmmm. He's pricier than Okposo was last season, but if you can get a Zemgus replacement (who is willing to fighter, or... because it's the Sabres... re-sign Zemgus under $2M), then the only real hunting to be done is for a veteran 3C. Other bottom 6 moves would become niceties. Only 33 at the end of the contract, which isn't terrible.

So we're on the same page, here is the reasoning for buying out this summer or next. You save cash no matter what, but there's less percentage of the cap available (even if its rising) in that final 2026-27 season of the contract, right when they might be looking to re-sign Tuch, while all the youngsters are already on their next contract. Thanks, Capfriendly! Buy out this summer: SEASON INITIAL CAP HIT SAVINGS CAP HIT (BUF) 2024-25 $9,000,000 $7,555,555 $1,444,445 2025-26 $9,000,000 $4,555,555 $4,444,445 2026-27 $9,000,000 $2,555,555 $6,444,445 2027-28 $0 -$2,444,445 $2,444,445 2028-29 $0 -$2,444,445 $2,444,445 2029-30 $0 -$2,444,445 $2,444,445 Buy out next summer: SEASON INITIAL CAP HIT SAVINGS CAP HIT (BUF) 2025-26 $9,000,000 $5,000,000 $4,000,000 2026-27 $9,000,000 $3,000,000 $6,000,000 2027-28 $0 -$2,000,000 $2,000,000 2028-29 $0 -$2,000,000 $2,000,000 From <https://www.capfriendly.com/buyout-calculator/jeff-skinner>

Patience.... So far: Kulich 1 GP, 0 pts, -1, 1 SOG, 1 hit Levi 30 GP, 0 pts, 10-8-2, .901 sv%, 3.06 GAA Reinhart 242GP, 243 pts, +42, 646 shots (18.7 sh%), 185 hits. + playoffs 52GP, 32 pts, -2, 147 shots (13.6 sh%), 102 hits, & two OT GWG 1 President's Trophy, and win 1 of 3 for the first Stanley Cup in franchise history... yup, no regrets there.

Someone might just give him a Foligno-style 4x$4M... and regret that contract happily ever after. The Jay Beagle Special. (And I like the player. I'd gladly do a Zemgus-style 2x$2.5M and then replace Zemgus with a lesser deal.)

I think 11 is too high him, but I think Brandsegg-Nygård is a sleeper in that high IQ/play fast JJP/Quinn category.

He's got 1 year left on a team with oodles of cap room and just about everyone already signed. Also a M-NTC. That's a steep overpay for a 40-55 point rental. Similar situation to Skinner, except Skinner was a much more consistent goal-scorer and two years younger than Mangiapane is now. That was a 2nd, Pu (not a top prospect by any stretch), and some filler picks.

Looking at players that could still be on the board at 11 and their Star Wars names: Zeev Buium (D) - Rebel snowspeeder pilot. Zeev and Zev. Brandsegg-Nygård (RW) - A shipyards best known for producing light frigates and transports that support your fleet. Zayne Parekh (D) - The Galactic Senate now recognizes Senator Zayne of the Parekh system. Dickinson (D) - Boring Earthy name. Move along. Greentree (RW) - Probably a translation of Ewokese. An Ewok. Berkly Catton (F) - Rebel pilot. Very Lucasian. Beckett (RW) - Beckett from Solo. Crime syndicate-hired thief/bounty hunter type. Konsta Helenius (C/RW) - Denizen of your local cantina Trevor Connelly (LW) - So boring Earthy. Move along, move along. Tij Iginla (F) - Rebel pilot, but probably in a bomber. Y-wing, B-wing, tail-gunner in a Resistance bomber thingy. Wears a cool-looking helmet and a jumpsuit. Cole Eiserman (LW) - An icy, uptight Imperial Officer who gets his comeuppance. Artyom Levshunov (D) - Sullustian pod racer Anton Silayev (D) - Captain of an Imperial Star Destroyer Carter Yakemchuk (D) - Yakemchuk is an Ugnaught whose respect is hard-earned, but whose friendship proves invaluable Basha (F) - A Gigorian bodyguard to the Graf family https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Basha Past Star Wars players and their outcomes for your reference: 2019 Byram -- Rebel pilot Cozens -- Imperial officer Krebs -- An Ewok  2020 Quinn -- sounds like a smuggler 2021 Owen Power – Unnnnnlimmited Owen Power! 2022 Savoie C - Force-sensitive human who is seduced by the dark side of the Concept. Kulich C -- An asteroid belt in the Inner Rim Östlund C -- Imperial officer. 2 Osteds are Imperial navy officers! Amazing. Alater and Wermis! https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Osted_Alater ; https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Osted_Wermis 2023 Benson -- "I don't know anyone named Ben Son, but Old Ben…is kind of a strange old hermit."

I love hypotheticals like these. For consistency, lets undo ALL GM Sheevyn's trades, instead RFAing folks he had under team control. Draft standing/season outcomes remain the same. Granato is the coach and we're still operating under EEE principles from up top. Adams never traded MoJo for Staal (MoJo leaves in UFA) = no Josh Bloom, Riley Stillman, or Viljami Marjala. Jonas Johansson never traded for the pick that became Novikov. Brandon Montour re-signed but UFA this summer (no Sardarian). Hall and Lazar leave in UFA (no Kisakov, Bjork, or Gicewicz acquired). Rasmus Ristolainen re-signed (no Hagg, Rosen, Wahlberg, or Gustav Karlsson). Sam Reinhart extended but UFA this season (no Levi, Kulich). No Future Considerations for Will Butcher (leaves in UFA) (no Vsevolod Komarov). Jack Eichel still captain (no Tuch, Krebs, Östlund, or Greenway). Erik Portillo signs 3-year ELC (no McCarthy). Rasmus Asplund extended (no pick that became Eric Robinson). Lyubsushkin is a UFA this summer. Cederqvist is in Rochester. Casey Mittelstadt, Kyle Okposo, and Erik Johnson are UFA* this summer (no Byram). The Sabres still have the potential for Rastricks if Asplund stays in the NHL. Stronger center spine, but still operating Sheevyn-level goalie batteries. The Amerks... have... nothing. The trades have completely re-stocked the farm: Novikov, Rosen, Wahlberg, Levi, Kulich, Östlund, Komarov... The lines going into 2023-24 would have been: Buffalo Skinner - Eichel - Reinhart* Peterka - Thompson - Quinn Benson - Mittelstadt* - Cozens Girgensons* - Jost - Okposo* (Olofsson*) Dahlin - Montour* Power - Jokiharju Samuelsson - Clifton/Ristolainen (Lyubushkin*, E. Johnson*) Can only sign one of Clifton/E.Johnson last summer Luukkonen Comrie* Rochester Murray - Biro - Rousek Weissbach - Asplund - Mersch Neuchev - Jobst - Cederqvist Warren - Kozak - Giroux (Nadeau, Richards) Bryson - R.Johnson Clague - Prow Cecconi - Metsa (Davies, Jandric) Portillo Johansson Tokarski

I made it back to my real computer where I track this sort of silliness. A better Ruffian example of line construction is at the end of the 2011-12 season (yes, I know it's not a playoff team, it's a heroic run to 9th lineup with hot-baby-Foligno). PP time is what got the offensive players the extra minutes -- Tropp was on Vanek's line but not getting PP time. Girgensons could move around a Ruff team. (I'm still not advocating re-signing Z, but with the new old coach I can easily see a spot for him.) Leino - Roy - Pominville Vanek - Hodgson - Tropp Foligno - Ennis - Stafford Gerbe - McCormick - Kaleta (scr: Boyes)

The Wild are not trading Eriksson Ek. They're only in cap hell for one more season; his contract is perfect for a 2C who can float to 1C like he's done the past two years for them and it's got plenty of term through his prime for when their next wave of kids is ready. He also has a M-NTC/NMC. The contracts they would look to shed first would be Fleury, Hartman, and Foligno.

Bow wow wow yippy oh yippy ay; bow wow wow yippy Benson.

Clock: killed.

I thought it was funny. But... joking about a team 35 years ago in another sport in another country... it was a pretty deep pull.

Wow. Timeout? Goalie pull? Barkov is still underrated. But he loves Reinhart on his wing because Reino makes life easier.

Florida getting their legs under them now. So vicious on the forecheck.

You know who would've been a good veteran overpay single-season rental for the middle 6 while Quinn was out? Tarasenko.

Florida respects McDavid and his speed. But they simply aren't afraid of him.

It needs an accent color. And a dull (temporary) name. Dull, Utah.

And naturally, if you’re paying a 4th liner what Z has made, it’s because they’re elite at something. Physicality. Selke votes. Former 1st liner with a Cup. Face off expert. Good player, but Girgensons is not elite at anything. Now… veteran minimum salary? Sure.

I always maintain that a good team (i.e., playoff veteran team) can handle one rookie at each position at a time. And you can do two in a season if they’re spaced out— one from camp, new add at the trade deadline. The Sabres should not consider themselves a good team, but one rookie forward is possible to start the season if the rest are NHL-caliber vets.

And that’s just it. That’s the on-ice game. There’s also the off-ice game of the league that cap friendly and other sites provide. Roster construction, identifying the players who match your video and strategy research, determining their cost of acquisition (or time costs to train to proficiency), and keeping all the information on that of all players around the league. They’re all different facets of fandom, none subjectively better than the other.

On the plus side, he does have an awesome name and nickname. With Ruff as coach, don’t be surprised to see Zemgus (if re-signed) higher in the lineup than expected. Or rather, with linemates you might qualify as 2nd liners. Ruff sometimes rolls an all-4th line, but he also mixes and matches based on role, not scoring. Think back to Gaustad on Drury’s line.

So... is leaving your feet to make a check no longer a penalty? Good on Rodrigues to make them pay. But gnarly for Florida if they lose Barkov to a leaping elbow to the jaw.