Jack spies with his little eye...

[Stoner]

There was some isolated chatter on the board recently about Eichel's desire to stay here beyond Year 3 (speculation, of course, as he has said nothing on the topic beyond the obligatory niceties about the city). Nearing the end of his second season, it got me to thinking about whether the experience here is good/bad/neutral for him and what this outsider kid sees when he looks at Buffalo and the Buffalo Sabres organ-eye-zation and envisions the rest of his career.

 

On the positive side, I think Jack spies a good hockey town where people care about the team and the sport, albeit to the point they are near clinically depressed about it. Which leads to a negative, an arena atmosphere that has to be brutal to play in at times. There's been a bit more life the last two seasons, almost all of it itself attributable to Jack.

 

Bylsma has to be a huge deterrrent to wanting to stay. Not to mention the rosacea-worsening winter winds off the lake.

 

Your turn.

[Radar]

One thing determines these things $$$$$$$$$$$$$

[Sabres Fan in NS]

JACK EICHEL WILL BE IS FINE!!

 

He likes it here.  He is not going anywhere.

Edited March 8, 2017 by Sabres Fan In NS

[That Aud Smell]

If he's offered a max deal at a market rate (and that's what should happen), he should be all good with staying here through until his late 20s.

 

I can't contemplate losing him to another team. So I won't.

[GASabresIUFAN]

We'll match any RFA offer.  He can't go anywhere.  

[dudacek]

He'll stay. He's grown very close to Evander.

[Thorner]

He'll stay. He's grown very close to Evander.

And Sam.

[Doohicksie]

We'll match any RFA offer.  He can't go anywhere.  

 

But if another team offers something ridiculous and we match it, does it mean we can't pay Reino?  Or get good D?

[WildCard]

But if another team offers something ridiculous and we match it, does it mean we can't pay Reino? Or get good D?

They wouldn't because then they'd be screwed too. It would take something like $16M for us to say, fine take him

[Derrico]

They wouldn't because then they'd be screwed too. It would take something like $16M for us to say, fine take him

I don't think even that.  The backlash this team would have would be too much.  As you and others have said, if they let Eichel walk at any point I'm done with this team.  I don't live and die through that tank for him to be gone within 6 years or so.  I spend enough money and energy on them that I can't imagine not following them but if management screwed that over I would find something else to do.

[TrueBlueGED]

But if another team offers something ridiculous and we match it, does it mean we can't pay Reino? Or get good D?

Wouldn't such a contract similarly hamstring the team signing it?

[Wyldnwoody44]

And wouldn't we get like 4 first round picks.... Ala.... Vanek

[Doohicksie]

Wouldn't such a contract similarly hamstring the team signing it?

 

But it could also be another team doing that just to spite us- maybe a team that has extra cap space and it wouldn't kill them, but they did it anticipating that we would match it.  (A risky game, but isn't that what Edmonton did to us with Vanek?)

[That Aud Smell]

Jack ain't going anywhere.

[Doohicksie]

We say that, but, i dunno.  :unsure:

 

Put it another way:  If he signs elsewhere and the compensation in return is something crazy like 4 first round draft picks.... do the Sabres take it and reboot the rebuild?  Could an argument be made that it would make sense to do that?

I don't think it would happen; I'm asking more from the standpoint of a thought experiment.

Different situation, but when Lindros held out, the Nordiques traded him to Philly in 1992 for a bunch of prospects and picks who won Cups in 1996 and 2001 as the Colorado Avalanche.

Edited March 9, 2017 by Doohickie

[TrueBlueGED]

But it could also be another team doing that just to spite us- maybe a team that has extra cap space and it wouldn't kill them, but they did it anticipating that we would match it. (A risky game, but isn't that what Edmonton did to us with Vanek?)

This just isn't how NHL GMs operate, though. They don't use offer sheets to improve their own team (hi Nikita Kucherov getting nothing), let alone to simply sabotage another team.

[Stoner]

Except for dudacek's and Thorny's comment on Kane and Reinhart, everyone else is avoiding the topic. What is on the ledger, left side and right side, in Jack's eyes?

 

How about ownership? He's a Pats fan. Do you think his observation of how the Pegulas run the Bills is a positive or a negative? Speaking of Kane, when Jack thinks about how Kane has been treated in Buffalo, is that a positive or a negative?

[TrueBlueGED]

Except for dudacek's and Thorny's comment on Kane and Reinhart, everyone else is avoiding the topic. What is on the ledger, left side and right side, in Jack's eyes?

 

How about ownership? He's a Pats fan. Do you think his observation of how the Pegulas run the Bills is a positive or a negative? Speaking of Kane, when Jack thinks about how Kane has been treated in Buffalo, is that a positive or a negative?

His girlfriend is from here and he wanted to be here before the draft lottery ever happened.

[That Aud Smell]

Except for dudacek's and Thorny's comment on Kane and Reinhart, everyone else is avoiding the topic. What is on the ledger, left side and right side, in Jack's eyes?

 

He seems pretty adaptable to making buds on whatever team he's on. Remember when McGinn was his bff? 

 

His girlfriend is from here and he wanted to be here before the draft lottery ever happened.

 

That's a factor that maybe has some downside to his fondness for Buffalo. What if they were to break up? Seems likely, if not inevitable.

[WildCard]

Except for dudacek's and Thorny's comment on Kane and Reinhart, everyone else is avoiding the topic. What is on the ledger, left side and right side, in Jack's eyes?

 

How about ownership? He's a Pats fan. Do you think his observation of how the Pegulas run the Bills is a positive or a negative? Speaking of Kane, when Jack thinks about how Kane has been treated in Buffalo, is that a positive or a negative?

Take a look at Stamkos. Players like this do not leave. Once they finally hit free agency, we've given them the keys to the city so they are the star and have spent their entire careers in a city they own, especially with Buffalo. Combine that with the fact that we will throw you money at him and again, he is never leaving Buffalo

We say that, but, i dunno. :unsure:

 

Put it another way: If he signs elsewhere and the compensation in return is something crazy like 4 first round draft picks.... do the Sabres take it and reboot the rebuild? Could an argument be made that it would make sense to do that?

 

I don't think it would happen; I'm asking more from the standpoint of a thought experiment.

 

Different situation, but when Lindros held out, the Nordiques traded him to Philly in 1992 for a bunch of prospects and picks who won Cups in 1996 and 2001 as the Colorado Avalanche.

No, we would not take the picks. Eichel would have to hold out like Lindros, but he won't. If anyone would, I don't know why McDavid wouldn't

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Eich will be richly compensated for playing a game he loves in a city that loves hockey.  Who could ask for anything more.  I believe he is and will continue to be doing everything possible to win a cup in Buffalo.

 

I do not think that he cares about the coach, the media and what is going on with ownership decisions and how Kane is treated in the media.  He has good friends here and he will want to stay.  I don't think he looks at anything else except his team-mates and the quest for the cup.

 

Eich will not be going anywhere.

 

I also believe that there really is a 'gentleman's agreement' in place concerning offer sheets.  I can't remember the last time one was offered ... was it Vanek, maybe Weber (and the league vetoed his, if I recall correctly).

[MattPie]

Eich will be richly compensated for playing a game he loves in a city that loves hockey.  Who could ask for anything more.  I believe he is and will continue to be doing everything possible to win a cup in Buffalo.

 

I do not think that he cares about the coach, the media and what is going on with ownership decisions and how Kane is treated in the media.  He has good friends here and he will want to stay.  I don't think he looks at anything else except his team-mates and the quest for the cup.

 

Eich will not be going anywhere.

 

I also believe that there really is a 'gentleman's agreement' in place concerning offer sheets.  I can't remember the last time one was offered ... was it Vanek, maybe Weber (and the league vetoed his, if I recall correctly).

 

Wasn't there an offer sheet and match involving the Flames and Avs? ROR maybe?

Hey, my memory isn't terrible!

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/ryan-o-reilly-signs-offer-sheet-flames-mercifully-230122860--nhl.html

 

That doesn't negate your statement though; some viewed that as a backroom "You get him to sign a sheet, we'll match. I won't forget it" deal with the GMs though.

Edited March 9, 2017 by MattPie

[GASabresIUFAN]

1) the nhl max contract is 20% of the cap or about 15 mill per season.

2) offer sheets are tricky business. You may try to screw a team, but it can comes back to bite you. If some team makes that kind of offer to Jack and he signs it, the offering team has to have the cap space and the 4 1st rd picks. That limits the suitors to mostly lousy teams. Right now any offer over 9.8 is 4 1st rd picks. Any offer 12 or less the Sabres likely match. Regardless the loss of that much cap space and picks for the acquiring team likely destroys that franchise because they'll have no top end talent coming up through their system and will have a harder time keeping their good players when their contracts expire. This then makes the picks even more valuable to us.

3) the Sabres might actually be able to let Jack walk. We'd move Sam to 2nd line center, leave ROR as 1st line center and we'd have money and picks to further enhance the team. Not a perfect scenario, but not the end of the world either.

 

I'd say the chances of this happening are nearly zero. Top end picks are just to valuable. In the last few 4-5 drafts we have seen Matthews, Laine, Marner, Eichel, McDavid, Reinhart, Barkov, even Forsberg enter the league. With the two excellent guys in this years draft and the guys projected next year, teams are better off getting their own stars then try to poach others.

 

As to what Jack needs? I think we have the player in Nylander long-term. He also needs the D to get the puck up quicker.

[That Aud Smell]

3) the Sabres might actually be able to let Jack walk. We'd move Sam to 2nd line center, leave ROR as 1st line center and we'd have money and picks to further enhance the team. Not a perfect scenario, but not the end of the world either.

 

[IKnowPhysics]

 

/thread