Bogosian Signs a 1.3 Million Dollar Deal with Tampa

[dudacek]

Vogl with a good breakdown of the move (paywall warning)

https://theathletic.com/1616820/2020/02/21/how-the-sabres-standoff-with-zach-bogosian-finally-came-to-an-end/

"Why didn’t Bogosian report to Rochester?

For the same reasons he requested a trade after getting scratched: pride and, to be frank, an overvaluation of his skills.

When the Sabres sat Bogosian for the initial time in December, he said it was the first healthy scratch of his 12-year career. It stung. Though Buffalo was carrying eight defensemen and had recently scratched Colin Miller and alternate captain Jake McCabe, Bogosian felt he was above a sit-down, especially during a contract year."

 

[LGR4GM]

Good riddance. 

[Zamboni]

He’ll catch on to another team. I think he has two maybe three years left before he’s useless as an NHLer. Some can be mean and hard on him all they want. He’ll get an opportunity on an NHL team. I have no doubt. But, frankly, I’m glad it won’t be with the Sabres... whew!

[Brawndo]

 

[Brawndo]

Bogosian clears waivers as expected.

He contract is now terminated.

 

[woods-racer]

Wouldn't it be something if we see him this afternoon in Pittsburgh?

[Taro T]

Apologies.  Hadn't considered that Bogosian would agree to having his contract terminated nor that the league wouldn't consider it cap circumvention (which it is).  Without his approval, the termination for cause would've gone to arbitration.

Apparently, the Sabres didn't consider that either or they wouldn't have gone through the steps of waiving him twice with a 1 week wait between putting him through waivers the 1st and 2nd times.  

[triumph_communes]

8 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Apologies.  Hadn't considered that Bogosian would agree to having his contract terminated nor that the league wouldn't consider it cap circumvention (which it is).  Without his approval, the termination for cause would've gone to arbitration.

Apparently, the Sabres didn't consider that either or they wouldn't have gone through the steps of waiving him twice with a 1 week wait between putting him through waivers the 1st and 2nd times.  

It’s only circumvention if we turn around and pay him millions for a desk job

[SwampD]

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you your 2020 Conn Smythe winner.

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, Let's Go B-Lo said:

They had to waive him the first time for him to be able to not report so they could waive him the second time to terminate the contract. I believe they waived him in hopes that they could work out a deal for him but when that didn't happen the backup plan was for BOGO to not report so it could end this way and I believe all parties were aware of this plan from the start. If they were waiving to terminate with any animosity (meaning if BOGO didn't report unexpectedly) they'd have waited until after the deadline to do it.

This way everyone is happy. The Sabres get cap relief and move an unhappy player. The player gets 2 days to negotiate with whoever he wants to try to catch on with another team for the playoffs.

What I don't know is if someone signs him to an NHL deal and assigns him to the A, does he have to clear waivers again to come up. I know they did away with re entry waivers to the same team but I don't know if this being an entirely new contract with an entirely new team resets the waiver clearance thing.

So what you are saying is if we paid him millions of dollars to not play hockey? We've been circumventing the cap all along! Clever! 

No way did it need to take over a week for them to get this finalized if the plan all along was to simply cut him outright if he didn't get claimed the 1st time.

[Scottysabres]

1 hour ago, SwampD said:

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you your 2020 Conn Smythe winner.

Would be so our luck ?

[Curt]

55 minutes ago, Taro T said:

No way did it need to take over a week for them to get this finalized if the plan all along was to simply cut him outright if he didn't get claimed the 1st time.

It’s a termination of a multi-million dollar legally binding contract.  Come on, it’s a process that might take a few days to complete.  It’s not a change of address form at the post office.

Edited February 23, 2020 by Curt

[GASabresIUFAN]

I assume if he cleared waivers today, It's over, he is officially terminated and he is a UFA as on now.  

Edited February 23, 2020 by GASabresIUFAN

[Taro T]

3 hours ago, Curt said:

It’s a termination of a multi-million dollar legally binding contract.  Come on, it’s a process that might take a few days to complete.  It’s not a change of address form at the post office.

No, they waived him with intention to send him to the Amerks (and with hopeful expectation that somebody would claim him).  If they had PLANNED to terminate his contract prior to sending him down, it wouldn't have taken a week after he cleared for that to happen.

He hasn't played in a game since the 4th.  They really couldn't have had this worked out with him and his agent back by the 14th when he was waived the 1st time if that was the plan?

[Taro T]

2 hours ago, Let's Go B-Lo said:

They sat for a week hoping to work out a trade with Bogo in the AHL at a discounted cap hit.  Nobody bit.

That makes no sense whatsoever.  The entirety of his "discounted" cap hit is ~$1.2MM and that is ONLY if the next team keeps him in the AHL.  WTF wants a $4MM+ AHLer?

[Curt]

13 minutes ago, Taro T said:

No, they waived him with intention to send him to the Amerks (and with hopeful expectation that somebody would claim him).  If they had PLANNED to terminate his contract prior to sending him down, it wouldn't have taken a week after he cleared for that to happen.

He hasn't played in a game since the 4th.  They really couldn't have had this worked out with him and his agent back by the 14th when he was waived the 1st time if that was the plan?

Bogo was not going to agree to a contract termination until he was certain that no one would claim him.  Can teams claim a player when they are waived for purposes of contract termination?

Regardless, his cap came off the books when he was suspended anyway, not when the contract termination was finalized.

[Taro T]

19 minutes ago, Curt said:

Bogo was not going to agree to a contract termination until he was certain that no one would claim him.  Can teams claim a player when they are waived for purposes of contract termination?

Regardless, his cap came off the books when he was suspended anyway, not when the contract termination was finalized.

Of course teams can do it.  But if they didn't claim him a week ago, why would they?

And, though the cap did come off when he was suspended, had he challenged it and the NHLPA filed a grievance, that money could've come back onto the books.  And considering that process can take up to 90 days, had he decided to be (or decides to be) vindictive and pursue a grievance, the Sabres COULD end up with ~$1.8MM in cap hit next year to put that money he'd be owed back on the books.

And are you really going to continue to argue that the Sabres and Bogosian couldn't have agreed to this course of action in the 10 days between his last game and his getting waived the 1st time?  Why waste another week?  Or did Bogo somehow expect somebody to put a waiver claim in AFTER the first 24 hour waiver claim period had expired?

[PerreaultForever]

Rumor on HNIC was Pittsburgh is interested in signing him although Winnipeg is also apparently interested. If either does, you have to ask why JBot did not offer to eat salary and get something from either for him? Perhaps money bags Pegula isn't all that interested in dumping more money into this team to make it better? It'd be weird if Bogo goes on to any playoff success this year but he just might. 

[Taro T]

4 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Rumor on HNIC was Pittsburgh is interested in signing him although Winnipeg is also apparently interested. If either does, you have to ask why JBot did not offer to eat salary and get something from either for him? Perhaps money bags Pegula isn't all that interested in dumping more money into this team to make it better? It'd be weird if Bogo goes on to any playoff success this year but he just might. 

Well, remember that only 50% of a player's salary can be retained.  If he signs for less than that, then there really wasn't anything more Botterill could do shy of giving up a draft pick or marginal prospect for someone to take his contract on.  Considering they're now apparently completely out of his contract and cap hit, it's very reasonable that they didn't give up assets to be void of him.

[PerreaultForever]

40 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Well, remember that only 50% of a player's salary can be retained.  If he signs for less than that, then there really wasn't anything more Botterill could do shy of giving up a draft pick or marginal prospect for someone to take his contract on.  Considering they're now apparently completely out of his contract and cap hit, it's very reasonable that they didn't give up assets to be void of him.

I didn't realize you could only retain 50%. Guess that's different then. 

[Curt]

1 hour ago, PerreaultForever said:

Rumor on HNIC was Pittsburgh is interested in signing him although Winnipeg is also apparently interested. If either does, you have to ask why JBot did not offer to eat salary and get something from either for him? Perhaps money bags Pegula isn't all that interested in dumping more money into this team to make it better? It'd be weird if Bogo goes on to any playoff success this year but he just might. 

If Buffalo can clear enough salary towards the end of this season, they will have enough to cover Olofsson and Dahlin’s performance bonuses.  Otherwise, part of those bonuses will roll over into next year and affect the Sabres 2020-21 cap.

Thats one probably reason that Buffalo will be reluctant to retain salary on any player moved this deadline.

[Brawndo]

 

[LGR4GM]

How many games until he gets injured or starts looking like crap again? 10?

[Curt]

1 minute ago, LGR4GM said:

How many games until he gets injured or starts looking like crap again? 10?

Injured- who knows

Looking like crap- probably 0

Also, I don’t care anymore

[Curt]

9 hours ago, Taro T said:

Of course teams can do it.  But if they didn't claim him a week ago, why would they?

And, though the cap did come off when he was suspended, had he challenged it and the NHLPA filed a grievance, that money could've come back onto the books.  And considering that process can take up to 90 days, had he decided to be (or decides to be) vindictive and pursue a grievance, the Sabres COULD end up with ~$1.8MM in cap hit next year to put that money he'd be owed back on the books.

And are you really going to continue to argue that the Sabres and Bogosian couldn't have agreed to this course of action in the 10 days between his last game and his getting waived the 1st time?  Why waste another week?  Or did Bogo somehow expect somebody to put a waiver claim in AFTER the first 24 hour waiver claim period had expired?

I don’t know if he expected it, but there was a lot of money on the line, so I’m sure he thought it was worth a shot.