Curt

No fun. We have more interesting discussions when we disagree. Yeah, I think the team needs to make a change too. They could theoretically pull off a pretty big trade without shipping out any top-9 or top-4 type players. Part of me thinks it might actually send the team a wake up call if they see a member of the young guys cohort get shipped out though. On the other hand, I kind of think the team is just young. It’s hard to blame them for not showing the consistency and resilience of a group of hardened veterans. I know people get sick of hearing it, but it’s just true that they are very young. I think they need a couple more significant veteran additions. I’m a bit concerned that they will try to add a couple more rookies (Kulich, Rosen) to the lineup next season.

Hey @Thorny! Why you thumbs down me?

His coaching jobs have lasted 7yrs, 5yrs, 1yr, 6yrs, and now he is in year 2 in Philadelphia. Not many coaches keep a job for 5 years.

Not sure how much truth there even is to the shelf life stuff. I think he is just a very good coach.

Not quite at Nylander or Reinhart level. They received 8.7 and 8.0% of the cap on their contracts when they signed. Also, keep in mind that they signed their contracts a few years ago, and in Nylander’s case he had a lot more RFA years remaining, which lowers the salary. 8% would be about $7M AAV based on next season’s cap ceiling. 8.7% would be $7.6M. I’m thinking something close to $6M for Mitts. Depends how the rest of this season goes though. He had 59 points last year. He is currently on pace for 60 points this year. Does he fall off or get injured and have a drop off from last season? Does he surge and end the season with 70 points? How he finishes this season could have a big impact on what type of salary figures are realistic for him. Discussions can be had about what type of players the Sabres should spend money on, but as things stand right now, a salary in the $6-6.5M range seems very reasonable for what Mittelstadt has done these past two seasons.

No. Sabres are $15M above the cap floor.

Everyone has their opinion, but I just don’t think it’s anywhere near realistic. When they signed those deals, neither player had had a season of more than 36 points. Mittelstadt will be coming off back to back 50+ point seasons. I know points aren’t everything, but there are vast differences in production there.

I value him a bit higher than that. I’m curious though, could you give an example of a deal that would value him as an average 3rd line center?

No, not really, but Greenway shouldn’t be a primary top-6 forward. He is a good bottom-6 guy.

With that in mind, what would you like to see the team do with Mittelstadt? He needs a new contract.

I honestly believe that they can sign Mitts to a $6M+ long term contract, and make the money work. If 2-3 years into the contract, you need to do something like buy out the last year of Skinner’s deal, or trade someone (even Mitts himself, it’s not like he will get trade protection) you can cross that bridge when you come to it. I don’t see the reason to move out a good player before it’s absolutely necessary.

Yeah, I’m projecting something in the $6-7M range on a 4+ year deal.

I don’t think that would really be a team’s decision. They are employees, not indentured servants.

Never heard this usage before. Seems weird. I’ve only ever heard it used in the context of paying out money in some way or another.

Supporting evidence. A compilation of final rankings from the 2014 draft https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2014/06/24/bob-mckenzies-2014-nhl-draft-rankings/

Because that’s literally what they are doing. Kulich’s contract is with the Buffalo Sabres, not Rochester. The Sabres loan his contract to Rochester.

Unless it’s what the player wants. Kane may have preferred a 1 yr deal. It gives him more flexibility.

True true. My bad.

I think I’d take Elias Lindholm if I had the choice of any UFA forward.

Different CBA. Different rules.

But that’s not what they are doing. He has been out 3 and a half weeks and just started skating again 3-4 days ago. They are probably applying the LTIR retroactively and maybe he’ll be out a little longer

Awesome. I was skeptical that they would do it. It’s probably the right move.

Why is it better in the Detroit area?

Interesting. So probably either no real contender wanted him or would pay him a comparable amount. I know he is a big name and has had a great career, so it’s newsworthy, but I’m pretty skeptical that he is going to make a difference. Maybe he can help a power play, but I doubt he is helpful at even strength.

Not sure what was meant by debunked. My understanding is that it’s not as significant a difference as a normal person, because road games are taxed at the rate of the area they are played in. It’s still a relatively large amount of savings if you play for a team in a no tax state. For someone like Reinhart, he will be saving something in the range of 250k-500k per year by playing in Florida versus Canada. This a very rough explanation as I’ve forgotten the details and am not willing to look them up right now.