Kennedy Placed on Waivers (old Arbitration thread)

[thesportsbuff]

So he planned out the entire offseason so that when it came time to re-sign Tim Kennedy, they absolutely-positively could NOT pay more than $800,000.....for one year.....even though they're under the salary cap. They planned for this? This is all part of the plan?

 

I don't think letting Kennedy go was ever part of the plan. Because there is no plan. The Sabres are a team that scrambles to do *something* every year but rarely does anything of note. After declaring that they wanted to make changes after the first round implosion, they made a few cosmetic changes and now we're heading into the new season with basically the same team we had last year (and the two years before that).

 

They almost had the guy signed. So they wanted him. But then they couldn't sign him. Then he went to arbitration. Then he cost more than they wanted to pay. Then they decided they had no place for him on the team. So was he a part of the future or not? Regier and Quinn never miss a chance to tell us about their young players who are improving. Surely Kennedy was part of that, wasn't he?

 

If we've learned anything over the past five years, it's that the Sabres are an incompetent franchise. They don't know who they're building around, they don't know what type of team they're trying to build, and they don't know which players they need to acquire to build that team.

 

Here's what I make of the situation man. It's not as simple as Regier not wanting to pay $1 million for him. Buffalo qualified Tim Kennedy before free agency, possibly expecting to sign Lydman and Hank or somebody else notable. They got Leopold and weren't able to sign anybody else. At this point, retaining Kennedy is no longer a priority, but they expected him to be signed for much cheaper, even through arbitration. They expected him to be signed for a number (i don't know the exact number -- just going by the press conference) that was below the "buy out rights" level. They expected to have to honor the contract based on his low salary. Once he was awarded an arbitration award of $1 million, it wasn't about "I don't want to give him that much" -- it was that the higher number granted Buffalo the buy out rights to him, the cheapest contract of all the small forwards on the team. Hours after waiving him they signed Morrisonn, who might not be the difference maker we were hoping for, but I definitely think he's an improvement over Hank and Lydman. I'm at least excited for him, hoping that he will be better than them. The point is, whether it be that he doesn't want a 23-man roster or he had to stay within the internal budget, the move made sense on higher levels than just "I don't want to pay him an extra 200,000." He wasn't sending a message.

 

Just my opinion on the whole situation.

[jpgr909]

How this move looks to the majority of Sabre fans and to other players (players the DR keeps saying we can't attract) is the biggest issue with this move IMO. The move doesn't personally make sense to me, even after it sunk in, though I am with those who didn't see Kennedy as a future sniper or an elite two-way player. But he's solid, and he should improve. Worth $1mil? Maybe not yet, but worthy of a buy-out? I just don't see the point. Business is business, but perception matters and right now the perception from most who follow this sport is that Buffalo--the organization, not the city--is a place to avoid. Cheap, treat/deal with players very poorly, and not committed.

 

The saddest revelation for me in this whole thing is that assuming the DR was serious in his PC we now know for sure that there will be no moves (unless it's a salary wash--unlikely) this summer since they're apparently over some internally dictated budget (?) that is well below the league's cap. Many here, not without merit, went from hoping this was a sign of more moves to come to realizing that it was never at all about that. It's about maintaining a minuscule budget, not about winning. That is the killer. Not a shock to anyone, but disheartening nonetheless.

[FolignosJock]

I think our defence corp is alot more solid than last year which should give miller alot of help. I still dont unserstand how we are over five million under the cap, our powerplay is exactly the same and we didnt add any scoring to the roster??? Was 1 million really that much? I dont think Kennedy was that important a piece but i still liked his play behind the net and on the boards he was pretty creative with his play behind the net. I think we will win more games than last year though even wth the other teams in our division getting better. That is as long as miller puts together another vezina season. I also expect myers to go crazy this year with morrisonn as his partner. Mike green went off as soon as the two started playing together and i think that could happen here as well.

[Calvin]

Tim Kennedy does not help improve the PP.

 

Tim Kennedy does not help our lack of Center depth.

 

Tim Kennedy does not give us size, but did give us some grit.

 

The whole handling of the affair was ugly, but I doubt there was much chance of finding a better way to do it.

 

A lot of the above-mentioned points are magnified times ten because Kennedy is a Buffalo boy.

 

My three main issues with how we got dumped from the playoffs were: lack of toughness and leadership, lack of Center depth and faceoffs ability, lack of decent PP production. Only the first of the three issues has been addressed adequately.

 

Stop getting distracted by the sideshows, and focus on the real problems that are not getting handled!

[Marvelo]

So Kennedy was in the middle of a couple late-season "Man against boy" puck battles that he lost. But he also became a pain in the neck back of net presence which drove other teams crazy. His pre-playoff interview about Buffalo was illuminating. He's a homegrown product who gets Buffalo. I thought the kid has potential. He will mature. Not $1 million a year potential, but at least a small raise. Couldn't they have negotiated that? Oh yeah, I forgot. Darcy doesn't negotiate unless his back is against the wall.

[rbochan]

Tim Kennedy does not help improve the PP.

 

Tim Kennedy does not help our lack of Center depth.

 

Tim Kennedy does not give us size, but did give us some grit.

 

The whole handling of the affair was ugly, but I doubt there was much chance of finding a better way to do it.

 

A lot of the above-mentioned points are magnified times ten because Kennedy is a Buffalo boy...

 

 

I'd add to that:

 

if a dime-a-dozen player complains publicly about his pay when he is first promoted, and then goes to arbitration during his first opportunity, when he is basically nothing more then a glorified energy guy, it suggest a pattern. I have no doubt that he'll be playing this season, but I bet it'll be in the AHL.

[nobody]

I'd add to that:

 

if a dime-a-dozen player complains publicly about his pay when he is first promoted, and then goes to arbitration during his first opportunity, when he is basically nothing more then a glorified energy guy, it suggest a pattern. I have no doubt that he'll be playing this season, but I bet it'll be in the AHL.

 

 

And that is where Darcy was hoping to have him play this year as well. He wanted to sign him to a two-way contract where they would have ended up paying him maybe $150k this year.

[nobody]

The thing that burns me is in Tims short time on the Sabres he was a heart and soul kind of player that gave it every shift. Aren't those the kind of players this team is in need of? Regier has all this dead weight in the top 6 that aren't playing for their ice but rather are comfortable that they don't have to play for ice,they're guaranteed ice time, While guys that definately play for what they get are let go. Someone will get a hard working young player that now has something to prove and he'll develope into a good player in this league. We saw that potential last season.

 

 

A few, well many, years ago now the Sabres were known as the 'hardest working team on ice'. The fans loved them even if they didn't win all the time. That is the type of player Kennedy is.

[Patty16]

A few, well many, years ago now the Sabres were known as the 'hardest working team on ice'. The fans loved them even if they didn't win all the time. That is the type of player Kennedy is.

 

Yea i remember those teams that didnt win anything, we had a couple of fan favorite bruisers. Yet we always got beat by teams with better talent.

 

 

Sometimes i think some on this board want us to focus on bashing the guys through the boards. Looks at the teams who made the cup finals and ask if we have any forwards as good as theirs ? grit and toughness are needed but that's much more easy to find than scoring.

[Stoner]

So he planned out the entire offseason so that when it came time to re-sign Tim Kennedy, they absolutely-positively could NOT pay more than $800,000.....for one year.....even though they're under the salary cap. They planned for this? This is all part of the plan?

 

I don't think letting Kennedy go was ever part of the plan. Because there is no plan. The Sabres are a team that scrambles to do *something* every year but rarely does anything of note. After declaring that they wanted to make changes after the first round implosion, they made a few cosmetic changes and now we're heading into the new season with basically the same team we had last year (and the two years before that).

 

They almost had the guy signed. So they wanted him. But then they couldn't sign him. Then he went to arbitration. Then he cost more than they wanted to pay. Then they decided they had no place for him on the team. So was he a part of the future or not? Regier and Quinn never miss a chance to tell us about their young players who are improving. Surely Kennedy was part of that, wasn't he?

 

If we've learned anything over the past five years, it's that the Sabres are an incompetent franchise. They don't know who they're building around, they don't know what type of team they're trying to build, and they don't know which players they need to acquire to build that team.

 

Yes sir!

 

Bucky gets it too. Folks shouldn't miss his column. But, wow, the rest of the lackeys in the press stood there and took their medicine, didn't they? Bill's kind of tame when he's not wearing Internet muscles, eh?

 

Can you imagine the Montreal, Toronto, New York or Philly media in that situation?

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

Yea i remember those teams that didnt win anything, we had a couple of fan favorite bruisers. Yet we always got beat by teams with better talent.

 

 

Sometimes i think some on this board want us to focus on bashing the guys through the boards. Looks at the teams who made the cup finals and ask if we have any forwards as good as theirs ? grit and toughness are needed but that's much more easy to find than scoring.

 

Oh...you mean like not beating Ottawa in a playoff series with your backup goalie in?

 

Beat Ottawa

Win Playoff series

Backup goalie that can play

Team that plays with gonads

 

 

4 things I haven't seen since Dick Cheney was running the country.

[carpandean]

Not $1 million a year potential, but at least a small raise. Couldn't they have negotiated that? Oh yeah, I forgot. Darcy doesn't negotiate unless his back is against the wall.

:blink:

 

They were negotiating pre-arbitration and while the dollar amount for his NHL salary was probably debated, I'm guessing that the real sticking point was a one-way vs. two-way contract. The Sabres weren't convinced that they'd want Kennedy on the NHL roster this year and wanted the ability to pay him less should he be sent down (after clearing waivers, of course.) Reports, for what those are worth, were that the Sabres were at $800k in the 11th hour, but it was most likely a two-way contract.

 

Post-arbitration, the salary is locked in; there was no ability to negotiate. They had two options: accept his award ($1 million, one-way contract) or buyout him out immediately. They exercised the latter option.

 

I dislike Darcy quite a bit and feel that there were probably better ways to handle this, but your particular complaint doesn't hold water. Actually, if there is one bright spot to this, it's that Darcy actually made a move that showed he hadn't fallen in love with one of his players; though, since he didn't draft Tim, you could argue it was really one of his players.

[SwampD]

Yea i remember those teams that didnt win anything, we had a couple of fan favorite bruisers. Yet we always got beat by teams with better talent.

 

 

Sometimes i think some on this board want us to focus on bashing the guys through the boards. Looks at the teams who made the cup finals and ask if we have any forwards as good as theirs ? grit and toughness are needed but that's much more easy to find than scoring.

Isn't this the real reason we are upset? Another Summer of "fixing" the defense and 3rd/4th liners instead of addressing the real problem.

 

Wine and circuses.

[bunomatic]

What everyone seems to be missing from Darcys press conference is when he said we are not in need at the center ice position. How many of you feel the same way as the esteemed oracle we have as a G.M.?

[LabattBlue]

I'd add to that:

 

if a dime-a-dozen player complains publicly about his pay when he is first promoted, and then goes to arbitration during his first opportunity, when he is basically nothing more then a glorified energy guy, it suggest a pattern. I have no doubt that he'll be playing this season, but I bet it'll be in the AHL.

If he sucks so bad, how is is that he spent the entire 09-10 season as a Sabre? :blink:

[SwampD]

What everyone seems to be missing from Darcys press conference is when he said we are not in need at the center ice position. How many of you feel the same way as the esteemed oracle we have as a G.M.?

Didn't he also say that we had too many LWers? ESPN has 8 centers listed, 5 RWers, and 5 LWers (but one of them is Torres). :blink:

[static70]

If he sucks so bad, how is is that he spent the entire 09-10 season as a Sabre? :blink:

Because, its the Sabres. It isn't like we had any real talent to suplant in the line up over Kennedy.

Not that Kennedy was bad by any stretch, the kid played with real zeal, grit and heart. I won't question any of those.

I will say many on these boards, and elsewhere who have stated it are indeed, correct. Tim Kennedy was not going to make or break a successful team this season if he was or was not in the line up, it really doesn't matter.

But, I don't like the black eye Regier and Company keep giving this team, I am sure all of the players in the league see whats going on here. It does have an affect on the talent pool when decisions to come to Buffalo and play hang in the balance.

[ntjacks79]

BS. This might be true if Darcy hasn't been selling us "potential" for 13 years now. It's EXACTLY how he justified the current top sixes overinflated saleries.

+1... it's so obvious I can't understand the controversy - but I'm done trying to point it out.

[SHAAAUGHT!!!]

I don't understand why people are saying that TK wasn't worth $1MM for one year. As a rookie, he played on a checking line against the top guys on the other team, chips in 10 goals and 16 assists, has a motor that doesn't stop, showed more character in the playoffs that anyone besides Ennis and Grier, is from the B-lo (which does matter because it makes him even more accountable for his play), could fit in on the 2nd line as needed, and has potential to be a 15-20g scorer for several years on the 2nd and 3rd line. Would probably spend most of his career on the 3rd line but could chip in on the PP and PK. Darcy himself said TK was worth 800K, 200K is not a lot of money with a 60MM budget (3 tenths of 1%).

 

Remember, Regier traded for TK on draft day. Was that just a PR stunt? Even if it was, TK EARNED his spot last year on the Sabres, unlike the floaters that Darcy loves to overpay. Now Darcy is going to pay TK for not playing at all, and got nothing in return. Now that I think about it I shouldn't really be surprised by this move...

[Sabretooth]

What everyone seems to be missing from Darcys press conference is when he said we are not in need at the center ice position. How many of you feel the same way as the esteemed oracle we have as a G.M.?

 

The guillotine falls.

 

If we are not in need of centers, we are not in need of goal scores, and we are not in need of winning games. Does not make sense to me.

[rbochan]

I don't understand why people are saying that TK wasn't worth $1MM for one year. As a rookie, he played on a checking line against the top guys on the other team, chips in 10 goals and 16 assists, has a motor that doesn't stop, showed more character in the playoffs that anyone besides Ennis and Grier, is from the B-lo (which does matter because it makes him even more accountable for his play), could fit in on the 2nd line as needed, and has potential to be a 15-20g scorer for several years on the 2nd and 3rd line. Would probably spend most of his career on the 3rd line but could chip in on the PP and PK. Darcy himself said TK was worth 800K, 200K is not a lot of money with a 60MM budget (3 tenths of 1%)...

 

Perhaps it's because he complained publicly about his pay when he was first promoted, and then went to arbitration during his first opportunity, when he's basically nothing more then a glorified energy guy. It suggest a pattern - and not a good one. A player with one NHL season under his belt and 10 goals shouldn't get almost double his pay, and obviously the rest of the league thought that it was too much money as well.

 

Kennedy wanted more $$ than Kaleta, and just shy of Grier. That's madness.

[SwampD]

Perhaps it's because he complained publicly about his pay when he was first promoted, and then went to arbitration during his first opportunity, when he's basically nothing more then a glorified energy guy. It suggest a pattern - and not a good one. A player with one NHL season under his belt and 10 goals shouldn't get almost double his pay, and obviously the rest of the league thought that it was too much money as well.

 

Kennedy wanted more $$ than Kaleta, and just shy of Grier. That's madness.

I hate to burst your bubble, but Kennedy is better than Kaleta.

[ECHL]

I hate to burst your bubble, but Kennedy is better than Kaleta.

I hate to burst yours. NO WAY Kaleta clears waivers.

[ntjacks79]

I don't understand why people are saying that TK wasn't worth $1MM for one year. As a rookie, he played on a checking line against the top guys on the other team, chips in 10 goals and 16 assists, has a motor that doesn't stop, showed more character in the playoffs that anyone besides Ennis and Grier, is from the B-lo (which does matter because it makes him even more accountable for his play), could fit in on the 2nd line as needed, and has potential to be a 15-20g scorer for several years on the 2nd and 3rd line. Would probably spend most of his career on the 3rd line but could chip in on the PP and PK. Darcy himself said TK was worth 800K, 200K is not a lot of money with a 60MM budget (3 tenths of 1%).

 

Remember, Regier traded for TK on draft day. Was that just a PR stunt? Even if it was, TK EARNED his spot last year on the Sabres, unlike the floaters that Darcy loves to overpay. Now Darcy is going to pay TK for not playing at all, and got nothing in return. Now that I think about it I shouldn't really be surprised by this move...

I tend to agree with you. But the reason I said Kennedy wasn't worth the $1M is simply because no other team picked him up at that price either.

[ntjacks79]

DR has most guys on even salary contracts and the players have stayed at that level or improved. Goose and Stafford r my only contract issues.

 

FTR I'd be willing to switch GM's but sometimes devil u know...

You and I clearly differ by a wide margin on the "big picture" here, that was illustrated by the Kennedy fiasco, but focusing on the "small picture" for a minute... did you mean to say above that you are "OK with the Connolly contract"? I take it that way by omission. I consider that an absolutely shocking statement if so (that you feel I should "get over" the Kennedy thing and there is no issue or hypocrisy shown with the Connolly deal). Could you explain?