LabattBlue

There would only be a handful of cellar dwellars who could take on Sam this year, if the Sabres are interested in moving on from him. Not impossible, but seems to be unlikely. Keep him for one more year(1 year RFA arb ruling), and then try and move him next off-season.

I really wish Botts and his bosses had passed on Skinner at 9mil per, for that term. I have a feeling it is going to hurt A LOT going forward, and it makes it worst that they are stuck with KO for 3 more years at 6m per.

Cap hits... Eichel(6 years) 10m Skinner((7 years) 9m Sam(x years) 6-7m? KO(3 years) 6m Dahlin(x years) 6-9m? VO(x years) 4m? I think the Sabres would have to be very very careful before offering Hall a multi-year deal, and ending up in Cap Hell like the Leafs are currently.

I have a feeling Petro signs with the Bruins.

That is what I was referring to. Previous poster was asking about finding a goalie for Cincinnati. Houser seems to be their man.

Kind of what I figured after I typed the response. Sorry about that.

Keep in mind, the more of Sam's UFA years the new contract covers, the more the price goes up....I think.

Did you think the Sabres were going to sign him after signing Hall, and still needing to fix blueline and goalie issues?

Just a potential sad thought, Hall's tenure as a Sabre may not be seen by any fans in person. 😞 COVID vaccine, please hurry!

If Vegas signs Petro, and finds a way to move out MAF and other pieces, they are the masters of rebuilding their roster on the fly. Kudo's to McPhee and whomever is in the FO with him. A couple of years ago they traded for Tatar. He wasn't working out, and next thing you know, he is shipped off to Montreal...no regrets.

In a short term pinch, I would think JJ could fill in for a game or two, but if either Ullmark, or whomever 1B is going to be, goes down for any length of time, they would trade have to trade for someone, or risk wasting Hall's season with the Sabres.

What about this Houser guy mentioned in the Amerks thread?

I read it wrong. I was looking at the buyout cost, not the cap hit. NVM.

I'd still like to see some physical play/grit added to the bottom 6 forwards and 3rd blueline pairing. We were lacking there the last few years, and none of the off-season moves address this. Even if they are signed as the 13th forward and 7th defenseman.

It would be a major disappointment if UPL spent another year in the ECHL. I would think he is starting at least half of the games with the Amerks this year...assuming there is an AHL season.

With the cap space getting tighter, I think it's a good possibility KO gets bought out next summer. Would only be a cap hit of $1mil for each of the next 4 years. https://www.capfriendly.com/buyout-calculator/kyle-okposo

...and maybe there are teams that would prefer a 1 year stop gap on the blueline. 😉

Montour out, goalie in...even if it is two separate deals. 😉

I actually was thinking about Cozens being the guy on the 3rd line. Maybe it’s a bit of a stretch to consider him a top 6 forward going into the season.

This move bumps a good top 6 player to the 3rd line, and hopefully makes it a line that can contribute more often than not.

I love the signing and the term. I hope(with a small upgrade in goal and on LD) that this gets the Sabres into the playoffs. That being said, I hope the plan isn’t to attempt to sign him to a long term deal. We would be just like the Leafs with too much tied up in 3 forwards...except our situation would be worse in that two of the players would soon be on the wrong side of 30. We will see. In the meantime, fingers crossed that there is a 20-21 season, and the Sabres can get the stink of 10 years of losing, out of the locker room.

I’m guessing Miller or Montour.

What? If I had to guess possible moves made between now and the start of the season, this would not even be in the top 100. Wow! Just wow! 😱

So who out of Thompson, Mitts, KO, Girgs, Lazar, Eakins, etc... is Kahun not better than?

Kahun would be better than anyone currently penciled in for the bottom 6...and its not even close. This is very sad.