Gorges + Bogosian + Moulson + Ennis = Failure.

[JohnRobertEichel]

These 4 players will cost the Sabres about $18 million next season. The 2017-18 salary cap is expected to be about $76 million. So basically, our brilliant GM has managed to allocate 25% of the team's cap space on 4 terrible excuses for hockey professionals who make this team worse every time they step onto the ice.

 

This, folks, is why we can't have nice things. By nice things, I mean a team that makes the playoffs and entertains us. Remember this thread when they try to explain why we couldn't keep all three of Eichel, Reinhart, and Kane.

 

As far as I'm concerned, it's time to give Murray the same level of scrutiny that we've been giving Bylsma for months.

 

What a disgraceful franchise. Sick of this .

[Huckleberry]

The only contract that worries me is Bogo, he really needs to play better because we are not getting rid of that one.

 

Gorges is just one more year, Ennis isn't that bad either, and the moulson buy out is pretty cheap.

[North Buffalo]

Ennis finally found his legs at end... I say keep... Buy out Moulson... send Gorges down or 7th man D... Bogo agreed is a problem....

 

 

But to do this Sabres need to find replacements.

[Sabre fan]

funny cause some of the best moves the leafs made were not additions...they were able to unload terrible contracts and if only GMTM would find a suitor to take Bogo and Moulson we 'd be a mile better off...I think we can all live with Ennis who is just so darn likable and a lot better then we've seen this past year

[PotentPowerPlay22]

These 4 players will cost the Sabres about $18 million next season. The 2017-18 salary cap is expected to be about $76 million. So basically, our brilliant GM has managed to allocate 25% of the team's cap space on 4 terrible excuses for hockey professionals who make this team worse every time they step onto the ice.

 

This, folks, is why we can't have nice things. By nice things, I mean a team that makes the playoffs and entertains us. Remember this thread when they try to explain why we couldn't keep all three of Eichel, Reinhart, and Kane.

 

As far as I'm concerned, it's time to give Murray the same level of scrutiny that we've been giving Bylsma for months.

 

What a ###### disgraceful franchise. Sick of this ###### ######.

Bogosian, Kulikov, Franson and Gorges cost about $16.7 million. 

 

Holy crap! Is it any wonder the team stunk. How can this be the foundation of a good team? Thank you Tim Murray for acquiring these gems!

[Drunkard]

These 4 players will cost the Sabres about $18 million next season. The 2017-18 salary cap is expected to be about $76 million. So basically, our brilliant GM has managed to allocate 25% of the team's cap space on 4 terrible excuses for hockey professionals who make this team worse every time they step onto the ice.

 

This, folks, is why we can't have nice things. By nice things, I mean a team that makes the playoffs and entertains us. Remember this thread when they try to explain why we couldn't keep all three of Eichel, Reinhart, and Kane.

 

As far as I'm concerned, it's time to give Murray the same level of scrutiny that we've been giving Bylsma for months.

 

What a ###### disgraceful franchise. Sick of this ###### ######.

 

Seeing it laid out like this is definitely frustrating. If Vegas doesn't take any of these clowns we need to put them on waivers and send at least 2 of them down to Rochester. I know it only saves about $1 million against the cap and that basically gets eaten up by whomever the replacement call up is but you need to do it just on principle, plus the hope that somebody like Vegas or a cap floor team claims them (at least Ennis and Moulson both have cap hits that are higher than salary owed for the remainder of their deals).

[spndnchz]

One thing Murray is good at, is getting rid of stuff he doesn't want.

[Sabre fan]

One thing Murray is good at, is getting rid of stuff he doesn't want.

if that's the case then maybe he can unload these big contracts which would be a plus by subtraction...

[JJFIVEOH]

The team isn't in cap trouble. I don't see the issue. 

[Sabre fan]

anytime you have four guys taking up a huge chunk of your cap and not producing that ain't good...free up some space to sign Kane or a free agent defenceman would be obviously a good move at this point

[Billznut]

The team isn't in cap trouble. I don't see the issue.

Do you see an issue with the product that has been out on the ice the past three years? If the cap hits don't bother you, this sure as hell should. This team is a disaster.

[Sabre fan]

Do you see an issue with the ###### product that has been out on the ice the past three years? If the cap hits don't bother you, this sure as hell should. This team is a disaster.

sad thing is we are close to the cap and will have to re-sign Jack Sam etc...and losing Kane to free agency would be a real bummer...we need to free up space and sign him our top goal scorer or trade him this summer instead of losing him we did Danny and Drury for nothing

[Billznut]

This team has been the worst or second worst team in the eastern conference for four straight seasons now. Of course they won't make many changes. Why should they? Losing is what this franchise does best. GMTM has one more year to get this team in the playoffs or he should be gone. I've lost almost all faith in him. To hear today that Blysma is coming back is no shock but doesn't give me any hope for next year either.

[JJFIVEOH]

Do you see an issue with the ###### product that has been out on the ice the past three years? If the cap hits don't bother you, this sure as hell should. This team is a disaster.

 

Absolutely. But that isn't the point of this thread. 

 

Murray couldn't foresee Ennis getting concussions. Murray didn't give Gorges a contract and he was more worth it when he was traded here. 

 

Their total cap hit has nothing to do with how this team finished. 

[ddaryl]

Moulson and Gorges were vets used who kept us at the cap floor for a few years.

 

They were always going to be future purges, and that was planned.

 

 

Cap hit doesn't even phase me because I actually knew why the contract were given to them in the 1st place

 

Maybe I'm missing something but we are no where near cap troubles. (We have $25 million open this offseason. )  . And Gorges and Moulson will be long gone before any other   young players get their next contracts

 

 

http://www.spotrac.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/cap/2017/

 

 

why do fans get their panties all in a know over absolutely nothign at all. 

Edited April 10, 2017 by ddaryl

[Guest]

Actually we were near the cap this season after signing KO and acquiring Kulkov, and it was one of the main reasons GMTM didn't acquire adequate D depth. He simply didn't have the cap space

 

However it's also a symptom of a greater problem. Besides Jack and Lehner no Sabres player gave value over their contract price. Most, like all the vet D, Moulson and Ennis delivered value to 50% or less of what they are getting paid. Every team has a few such players but the Sabres had more then just about anyone else. GMTM either gave or acquired all these bad contracts and has saddled this team with so much dead weight, the team died under the strain.

 

The only cure is to drain this swamp, don't make the same mistake twice (that means don't re-sign any of the UFAs), find a way out from 2-3 of the bad contracts, get a 4th line who wins draws to rest ROR some, get a 2nd PP QB/top 3 D to spell Risto and get 2 reliable (not slow) vet D to add D depth. Then and only then will this team move forward.

 

Can GMTM accomplish this feat? No, I doubt it, but hope spring eternal.

[Jacque Richard]

Keep ennis because he got his legs. Lol!!

[JJFIVEOH]

And say what you want about Moulson, but he was the #1 power play guy on the team and if it weren't for the power play and goaltending this year the team would have been eliminated from playoff contention a month sooner.

Actually we were near the cap this season after signing KO and acquiring Kulkov, and it was one of the main reasons GMTM didn't acquire adequate D depth. He simply didn't have the cap space

 

However it's also a symptom of a greater problem. Besides Jack and Lehner no Sabres player gave value over their contract price. Most, like all the vet D, Moulson and Ennis delivered value to 50% or less of what they are getting paid. Every team has a few such players but the Sabres had more then just about anyone else. GMTM either gave or acquired all these bad contracts and has saddled this team with so much dead weight, the team died under the strain.

 

The only cure is to drain this swamp, don't make the same mistake twice (that means don't re-sign any of the UFAs), find a way out from 2-3 of the bad contracts, get a 4th line who wins draws to rest ROR some, get a 2nd PP QB/top 3 D to spell Risto and get 2 reliable (not slow) vet D to add D depth. Then and only then will this team move forward.

 

Can GMTM accomplish this feat? No, I doubt it, but hope spring eternal.

Kane didn't play up to his contract level? Ristolainen? Okposo? O'Reilly? McCabe?

 

You need to look around because most teams have as many bad contracts as the Sabres do. If not more. I'm as upset as the next fan, but you let your agenda really cloud your judgement in many threads.

 

There was nothing more Murray could have done that cap space prevented him from doing during last off-season. It's a moot point.

[JohnRobertEichel]

First of all, let's make this clear: Murray is definitely responsible for the contracts of all 4 players I called out. He gave Ennis his contract extension, and the other 3 were brought to the Sabres on Murray's watch. MAYBE I will cut Murray some slack for Moulson (who has provided some production this season, compared to last) and Ennis (2 straight horrible seasons is a long time, but who am I to judge how long he needs to recover from the Ovechkin-induced concussion?), but the contracts for Gorges and Bogosian are as inexcusable as their on-ice performances.

 

Next, to say we're not in cap trouble is myopic. I'm looking at next summer as much as this one. Kane, Reinhart, and Eichel all need to be kept, and Murray will need to re-sign Kane this summer if he plans on keeping him. But we also need to add 3 quality defenseman and another top 6 winger to this roster...and 1-2 of these 4 needs will probably have to be young vets via free agency/trade who will be beyond their entry-level contracts.

 

Finally, if you don't think the current on-ice product has any connection with the general manager's allocation of the team's financial resources, then I don't what else to tell you. Hopefully you can reason that shifting cap money to some areas of the roster prevents a GM from addressing other areas of the roster. The Sabres were at the cap ceiling this season, and it limited what Murray could do to address the horrific defense.

 

Yes, my panties are in a knot. Deal with it.

[Guest]

I didnt say play to their contract value. I said provide value over their contract value. Aka we're bargains. Essentially we got no bang for our buck. With a cap hit of nearly 72 mill and salary at 81 mill, yet we had the 5th worst record in the NHL. This isn't agenda. Just fact. There are 6 teams that paid more out in actual salary then the Sabres. They are the NYR, Chi (barely), Mon, Pit, Tor, and LA. Besides aging 2 time cup winning LA, the rest are veteran playoff teams. Tor makes the list because of buried contracts, but they still made the playoffs. What's our excuse with the 4th youngest team?

 

Here are more frightening cap stats. According to NHLnumbres.com we have the second largest cap hit for forwards at nearly 48 million but the 24th best offense. We also have the 10th most expensive D group, but only finished 19th in goals against. We were only as good as 19th because of our bargain goaltenders (29th).

[JJFIVEOH]

I didnt say play to their contract value. I said provide value over their contract value. Aka we're bargains. Essentially we got no bang for our buck. With a cap hit of nearly 72 mill and salary at 81 mill, yet we had the 5th worst record in the NHL. This isn't agenda. Just fact. There are 6 teams that paid more out in actual salary then the Sabres. They are the NYR, Chi (barely), Mon, Pit, Tor, and LA. Besides aging 2 time cup winning LA, the rest are veteran playoff teams. Tor makes the list because of buried contracts, but they still made the playoffs. What's our excuse with the 4th youngest team?

 

Here are more frightening cap stats. According to NHLnumbres.com we have the second largest cap hit for forwards at nearly 48 million but the 24th best offense. We also have the 10th most expensive D group, but only finished 19th in goals against. We were only as good as 19th because of our bargain goaltenders (29th).

Semantics....... Your point was the same so my reply stands.

 

And in this day and age where teams overpay in off years and take on salary, and top teams over play their stars and hope their bargain ayers can keep up........ Comparing cap space by team vs their record is useless.

Edited April 10, 2017 by JJFIVEOH

[NNYSABRESMAN]

funny cause some of the best moves the leafs made were not additions...they were able to unload terrible contracts and if only GMTM would find a suitor to take Bogo and Moulson we 'd be a mile better offwh...I think we can all live with Ennis o is just so darn likable and a lot better then we've seen this past year

 

No not really; Ennis is one hit away from the retirement home!

[Sabre fan]

mind you at the time signing Gorges was actually deemed a good signing and the leafs among other teams wanted him too...he sure looked better in Montreal then he has here...couldn;t be coaching could it??I also see the Bogo trade as him for Myers and isn't Tyler making a big amount of coin too? I thought he signed some big crazy contract or am I mistaken? not sure on that one

Edited April 10, 2017 by Sabre fan

[JJFIVEOH]

mind you at the time signing Gorges was actually deemed a good signing and the leafs among other teams wanted him too...he sure looked better in Montreal then he has here...couldn;t be coaching could it??I also see the Bogo trade as him for Myers and isn't Tyler making a big amount of coin too? I thought he signed some big crazy contract or am I mistaken? not sure on that one

When he got here he was just as good as he was in Montreal. Fans are just more critical of their team's players when they don't fill this exaggerated mold they had of them before they got here.

[dudacek]

And say what you want about Moulson, but he was the #1 power play guy on the team and if it weren't for the power play and goaltending this year the team would have been eliminated from playoff contention a month sooner.

 

Kane didn't play up to his contract level? Ristolainen? Okposo? O'Reilly? McCabe?

You need to look around because most teams have as many bad contracts as the Sabres do. If not more. I'm as upset as the next fan, but you let your agenda really cloud your judgement in many threads.

There was nothing more Murray could have done that cap space prevented him from doing during last off-season. It's a moot point.

Far be it from me to agree with Yse on something, but his central point is a good one: regardless of the reasons, the bad contracts on the Sabres far outweigh the bargain contracts. Reinhart and Eichel are determined by the CBA, not anything else.

 

To succeed in the cap age, Murray needs to turn it around. He's not in cap trouble, and I think he is aware, but the lack of production versus pay for the four players named in this thread is a huge reason why we are not in the playoffs.

Edited April 10, 2017 by dudacek