Sabres Sign Victor Olofsson to a 2 year 3.05 Million AAV Deal

[Taro T]

Just now, dudacek said:

Looking at the breakdown it really doesn’t make any sense this summer.

You’re still absorbing a $4 million cap hit and you have to pay someone (likely someone worse) $1 million to replace him.

It might make more sense next summer.

 

They might need to buy him out next year or in his last year to fit all the other pieces together, but it doesn't make sense this year unless they have a line on a high end LHD or the LT solution in net.  Doubt either of those trades are in the works, so would be surprised to see a buy out.

[Shootica]

26 minutes ago, Taro T said:

They might need to buy him out next year or in his last year to fit all the other pieces together, but it doesn't make sense this year unless they have a line on a high end LHD or the LT solution in net.  Doubt either of those trades are in the works, so would be surprised to see a buy out.

Wouldn't be next year.  He'd have a $5M cap hit next year even if we do but him out, so with the cost of a replacement it could easily raise our cap spendings.

The only way I see us getting out of his contract is retirement or LTIR, and that's not something I really want to root for given his history.

[Brawndo]

Here’s Okposo’s Buyout Details 

 

 

[Curt]

5 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

Here’s Okposo’s Buyout Details 

 

 

Yeah, it doesn’t make much sense this offseason.  If I recall correctly, it starts to look like a plausible idea next offseason.

[Taro T]

40 minutes ago, Shootica said:

Wouldn't be next year.  He'd have a $5M cap hit next year even if we do but him out, so with the cost of a replacement it could easily raise our cap spendings.

The only way I see us getting out of his contract is retirement or LTIR, and that's not something I really want to root for given his history.

Doubt it would be next year either, but that $1MM in cap space COULD be integral in fitting all the pieces into the stew pot.

That replacement player costing close to $1MM himself only matters on days they decide to carry all 23 players.  W/ Ra-cha-cha being only 90 minutes away, they'd only really need the security blanket of that 23rd player for a couple of long road trips.  Teams tight to the cap skimp on carrying a max roster and Buffalo COULD find itself there next year.  So, they would actually get that $1MM in savings if necessary.

Actually, have long stated would be surprised he ever gets bought out, but it possibly could happen next year or the following.

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

He's going to need to leave SOME money available to cover the inevitable ST injuries that cause a player to be unavailable to play but still count against the cap.  Am expecting the $'s he has to play with to get a GT upgrade are 1 of the RHD's cap hits plus whatever Hutton is making minus the ~$1.025MM that stays on the books should he be in Ra-cha-cha.

Expecting when all is said and done, the final move they make is bringing in a goalie upgrade.  Leaving ~$2-3MM in cap available to cover contingencies throughout the year but that most of it will be burned on STIR players & guys picked up at the trade deadline.  Also expecting we will see a bonus overage this season as Dahlin will almost definitely earn his entire bonus ~$2.875MM and Jokiharju & Cozens (or whatever guy on an ELC that beats him out) qualify for some bonuses as well.  Expecting that will end up @ $2-4MM off next year's cap.  And it'll be a good thing because he spent on an improved roster this year & having those bonuses will have meant the kids were contributors rather than passengers.

I'm going to make a prediction that is going to rile you up and the rest of the smart gang that resides here. I'm not saying what I think is going to happen with the goalie position simply to be a contrarian. While the overwhelming sentiment is to replace Hutton as the backup I don't think that is what is going to happen. My sense of the situation is that the organization is going to stick with Hutton as the backup and rely on Ullmark as the heavy duty #1 goalie. Even with a compressed schedule I see Ullmark as being the workhorse goaltender with Hutton sparingly used as a starter, maybe once every three or four games. 

I have a lot of respect for Marty Biron's ability to evaluate goalies. He believes that Hutton has a tendency to fade when he gets overused. Marty also believes that worrying about Hutton's play is an overblown issue. It should also be noted that Hutton has a mentoring relationship with Ullmark and is very supportive of him. They clearly work will together. Assuming Hutton's eye issue is resolved I trust Biron's judgment on this issue. 

 

[Broken Ankles]

9 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I'm going to make a prediction that is going to rile you up and the rest of the smart gang that resides here. I'm not saying what I think is going to happen with the goalie position simply to be a contrarian. While the overwhelming sentiment is to replace Hutton as the backup I don't think that is what is going to happen. My sense of the situation is that the organization is going to stick with Hutton as the backup and rely on Ullmark as the heavy duty #1 goalie. Even with a compressed schedule I see Ullmark as being the workhorse goaltender with Hutton sparingly used as a starter, maybe once every three or four games. 

I have a lot of respect for Marty Biron's ability to evaluate goalies. He believes that Hutton has a tendency to fade when he gets overused. Marty also believes that worrying about Hutton's play is an overblown issue. It should also be noted that Hutton has a mentoring relationship with Ullmark and is very supportive of him. They clearly work will together. Assuming Hutton's eye issue is resolved I trust Biron's judgment on this issue. 

 

   I trust Marty too, but as he is tied to Sabres financially, his take on players within the organization must be questioned.  Is it a true analysis or towing the party line?  A hint of taint.  

[Taro T]

5 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I'm going to make a prediction that is going to rile you up and the rest of the smart gang that resides here. I'm not saying what I think is going to happen with the goalie position simply to be a contrarian. While the overwhelming sentiment is to replace Hutton as the backup I don't think that is what is going to happen. My sense of the situation is that the organization is going to stick with Hutton as the backup and rely on Ullmark as the heavy duty #1 goalie. Even with a compressed schedule I see Ullmark as being the workhorse goaltender with Hutton sparingly used as a starter, maybe once every three or four games. 

I have a lot of respect for Marty Biron's ability to evaluate goalies. He believes that Hutton has a tendency to fade when he gets overused. Marty also believes that worrying about Hutton's play is an overblown issue. It should also be noted that Hutton has a mentoring relationship with Ullmark and is very supportive of him. They clearly work will together. Assuming Hutton's eye issue is resolved I trust Biron's judgment on this issue. 

 

2 things: 

1.  If the AHL teams end up in the bubble cities with the parent clubs and that is at minimum a possibility if not probably what happens, should Linus in his 4th essentially full time year in the NHL need a mentor (which at this point would be a bad look IMHO), Hutton will be right there with him, just practicing an hour later.

2.  My guess is Hutton doesn't get released &/or traded but is given an opportunity to beat out 1 of the other 2 goalies.  Don't expect he'll do it, which is why my expectation is he's an Amerk.  Whether he's the 1, 2, or 3; w/ a compressed schedule ALL teams need 3 reasonably reliable guys.  The Sabres don't have that 3rd guy at present.  (Truthfully, they're lacking either the 1 or the 2. But we'll say it's the 3 for now to be nice to a team 1st guy. 😉 )

And, not as germaine, but Hutton ended up horribly tailing off after injury each of the last 2 seasons.  Being a year older & not having competed in at minimum 8-1/2 months, can't see any way he doesn't get injured again taking on even 1/3 the NHL starts.  

[I-90 W]

Just waking up and seeing this now (work nights), very happy! So how much cap room do we have left? 

[dudacek]

16 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I'm going to make a prediction that is going to rile you up and the rest of the smart gang that resides here. I'm not saying what I think is going to happen with the goalie position simply to be a contrarian. While the overwhelming sentiment is to replace Hutton as the backup I don't think that is what is going to happen. My sense of the situation is that the organization is going to stick with Hutton as the backup and rely on Ullmark as the heavy duty #1 goalie. Even with a compressed schedule I see Ullmark as being the workhorse goaltender with Hutton sparingly used as a starter, maybe once every three or four games. 

I have a lot of respect for Marty Biron's ability to evaluate goalies. He believes that Hutton has a tendency to fade when he gets overused. Marty also believes that worrying about Hutton's play is an overblown issue. It should also be noted that Hutton has a mentoring relationship with Ullmark and is very supportive of him. They clearly work will together. Assuming Hutton's eye issue is resolved I trust Biron's judgment on this issue. 

 

Maybe I’m not one of the smart gang, but this doesn’t rile me up.

While I disagree it is the right decision, or that it’s a decision that has been made, I can certainly see the Sabres saying Ullmark is ready, and Hutton will be better. There are reasons supporting both those positions.

And I suspect the Sabres have decided they will not overpay for a goalie because of those reasons.

But I also think that the Sabres have invested heavily in being good this year, and there are too many questions tied to their current tandem not to try for an upgrade. If they can make a trade, they will.

[JohnC]

5 minutes ago, Broken Ankles said:

   I trust Marty too, but as he is tied to Sabres financially, his take on players within the organization must be questioned.  Is it a true analysis or towing the party line?  A hint of taint.  

I don't smell the taint that you are getting a sniff of. He is giving his opinion without any reservations. That's what people in the opinion business do.  Rob Ray also works for the Sabres as an analyst and he isn't afraid to give his unfettered opinion on WGR. Habitual cynicism can be a contaminant.

[I-90 W]

25 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I'm going to make a prediction that is going to rile you up and the rest of the smart gang that resides here. I'm not saying what I think is going to happen with the goalie position simply to be a contrarian. While the overwhelming sentiment is to replace Hutton as the backup I don't think that is what is going to happen. My sense of the situation is that the organization is going to stick with Hutton as the backup and rely on Ullmark as the heavy duty #1 goalie. Even with a compressed schedule I see Ullmark as being the workhorse goaltender with Hutton sparingly used as a starter, maybe once every three or four games. 

I have a lot of respect for Marty Biron's ability to evaluate goalies. He believes that Hutton has a tendency to fade when he gets overused. Marty also believes that worrying about Hutton's play is an overblown issue. It should also be noted that Hutton has a mentoring relationship with Ullmark and is very supportive of him. They clearly work will together. Assuming Hutton's eye issue is resolved I trust Biron's judgment on this issue. 

 

Biron also said that he doesn’t think the Sabres will make a change in net. 

[JohnC]

16 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Maybe I’m not one of the smart gang, but this doesn’t rile me up.

While I disagree it is the right decision, or that it’s a decision that has been made, I can certainly see the Sabres saying Ullmark is ready, and Hutton will be better. There are reasons supporting both those positions.

And I suspect the Sabres have decided they will not overpay for a goalie because of those reasons.

But I also think that the Sabres have invested heavily in being good this year, and there are too many questions tied to their current tandem not to try for an upgrade. If they can make a trade, they will.

I agree with you that money can be (is) a factor in upgrading the backup position. But the issue is does the staff believe that Hutton can be a reliable backup if judiciously used? I think they do. Is it a gamble? Yes. But it seems to me (opinion) that the organization is comfortable with Ullmark as the dominant starter. Because of that I believe that they are willing to have Hutton as their backup. We shall see how this plays out. 

12 minutes ago, I-90 W said:

 

(Marty has been consistent is saying for a long time that he doesn't feel that there should be a change. That is not to say that he hasn't ever said the opposite.) 

That's exactly what I said in my post. 

Edited October 29, 2020 by JohnC

[JohnC]

13 minutes ago, I-90 W said:

Biron also said that he doesn’t think the Sabres will make a change in net. 

He has for a long time repeatedly say that he doesn't believe that the Sabres should make a change in net. That is not to say that he hasn't ever said the opposite. 

[I-90 W]

2 minutes ago, JohnC said:

He has for a long time repeatedly say that he doesn't believe that the Sabres should make a change in net. That is not to say that he hasn't ever said the opposite. 

I said he doesn’t think the Sabres will make a change, that’s different than whether he himself thinks they should or not. 
 

One is what he thinks the team will do, the other is what he thinks they should do. Two different things. 

[MattPie]

19 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I don't smell the taint that you are getting a sniff of. He is giving his opinion without any reservations. That's what people in the opinion business do.  Rob Ray also works for the Sabres as an analyst and he isn't afraid to give his unfettered opinion on WGR. Habitual cynicism can be a contaminant.

FWIW, Ray does "tell it like it is" at times, but I bet that's not his full unfettered opinion. Just as much as he figures he can get away with.

[JohnC]

1 minute ago, I-90 W said:

I said he doesn’t think the Sabres will make a change, that’s different than whether he himself thinks they should or not. 
 

One is what he thinks the team will do, the other is what he thinks they should do. Two different things. 

Marty has repeatedly stated that he didn't believe it should be a priority for the team to change their goaltending staffing this offseason. He felt that Hutton was an acceptable backup if he wasn't overused. And he has repeatedly stated last season and this offseason the priority should be to upgrade the offense with more goal scorers. And that is exactly what the organization focused on this offseason. 

4 minutes ago, MattPie said:

FWIW, Ray does "tell it like it is" at times, but I bet that's not his full unfettered opinion. Just as much as he figures he can get away with.

Rob Ray is smart enough to use the edit button in his head and avoid the trouble he knows he can get himself into. 

[I-90 W]

2 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Marty has repeatedly stated that he didn't believe it should be a priority for the team to change their goaltending staffing this offseason. He felt that Hutton was an acceptable backup if he wasn't overused. And he has repeatedly stated last season and this offseason the priority should be to upgrade the offense with more goal scorers. And that is exactly what the organization focused on this offseason. 

Again, there is a difference  between what he thinks they WILL do and what he thinks they SHOULD do. One is his inside opinion on the GM, the other is his hockey opinion.

This is a weird thing to argue about, not sure why you can’t see the distinction here. 

[Shootica]

I don't mind the idea of bringing in a third goalie to challenge Hutton for the number 2 spot.  I'd rather just flat out replace him, but that isn't a bad option either.

There is a reasonable chance that Hutton comes in with his eye problems fixed and performs like the career .910 backup goalie he's been.  It's just not a chance I'd like to gamble on with a compressed schedule.  We've already seen an Ullmark injury completely derail the season once, I'd prefer not to roll those dice again.

[JohnC]

Just now, I-90 W said:

Again, there is a difference  between what he thinks they WILL do and what he thinks they SHOULD do. One is his inside opinion on the GM, the other is his hockey opinion.

This is a weird thing to argue about, not sure why you can’t see the distinction here. 

We are talking past one another. The point I am making is that he has on a number of occasions stated that he didn't recommend changing the goalie situation with the tandem of Ullmark as the starter and Hutton as the backup. He felt that Hutton was overused as a backup. His position is that he is an acceptable backup if used more sparingly. Those are his thoughts. I'm not asking you to agree with him but what I am noting is what he has stated and recommended. 

Hopefully, this will clarify the issue.

[Shootica]

3 minutes ago, JohnC said:

We are talking past one another. The point I am making is that he has on a number of occasions stated that he didn't recommend changing the goalie situation with the tandem of Ullmark as the starter and Hutton as the backup. He felt that Hutton was overused as a backup. His position is that he is an acceptable backup if used more sparingly. Those are his thoughts. I'm not asking you to agree with him but what I am noting is what he has stated and recommended. 

Hopefully, this will clarify the issue.

Of course, in a compressed season the backup is likely going to get more use, not less.

I understand what Marty's saying, but it's a real big question mark.

[JohnC]

1 minute ago, Shootica said:

Of course, in a compressed season the backup is likely going to get more use, not less.

I understand what Marty's saying, but it's a real big question mark.

My sense is that Ullmark is going to be used a workhorse starting goalie even in a compressed schedule. If the season is configured within a bubble type of arrangement with less traveling that might make it easier for him to carry a heavy load. Will there be need to replace Hutton prior to the season or during the season based on performance? Maybe. My sense (opinion) is that the organization is going to start of with Ullmark as the #1 and Hutton as the #2. Of course it is subject to change. I'm sure the organization is aware that there needs to be a backup plan just in case.  

 

[miles]

i wonder how samson feels since he kept getting 1 year bridge deals

[dudacek]

4 minutes ago, miles said:

i wonder how samson feels since he kept getting 1 year bridge deals

To be fair the contract is very similar to Sami’s second contract as well.

And Sam pretty clearly stated this morning he wants a long-term contract that keeps him here for a long time.

[DarthEbriate]

Now serving Order 24.

I like the numbers on this deal. He's going to score goals wherever he lines up, and balance PP1 with Eichel.