Why I think we can sign a UFA Defenseman

[Barnabov]

Sentiment on the board seems to be that we'll be lucky just to get our RFAs resigned much less going after any UFAs.

 

I disagree based on the fact that Darcy tried to sign some Defenseman last year - Adrian Aucoin is one player who comes to mind and I think the Buff News articles mentioned some others.

 

Granted, we didn't get any of the "top" UFAs for a variety of reasons - mainly the amount of money we were offerring versus say a Chicago and the feeling that Buffalo wasn't a good place to play (remember that series of articles) because we were a cheap club who didn't treat it's players right (bet Aucoin wishes now he'd "suffered" an almost Stanley Cup season here instead of playing for a loser dysfunctional club - money isn't everything!).

 

Anyway, all y'all might say the above proves we won't get anyone this year except the likes of Teppo/Lydman acquisitions (which worked out pretty darn well). That's not my point - what I'm saying is that if the club was willing to pursue UFAs last year coming off a lockout without a clue as to how we'd perform and what the economics would look like, then I say for sure, they will at least try to do the same this year and who knows, with Buffalo's winning reputation and knowledge that our young core bodes many coming successful years, maybe some UFAs will decide that the absolute top dollar isn't the most important factor.

 

On another point, aren't some teams tapped out agains the cap even with the raised limit? How can Philly / NJ / Rangers, Detroit, etc. possibly have any money to spend? Last year they were able to buy out contracts and create cap space but someone more knowledgeable on the subject, please explain how it'll work this year? I think they are on the hook for those big contracts and will be limited in being able to sign UFAs - plus the stupid contracts will make it harder to trade those players away (who wants Derian Hatcher for example).

 

Finally, this $600,000 pre playoff profit that keeps getting mentioned and $4,000,000 after playoff profit - who knows how this is figured? It sounds kind of low to me and I wonder how much of that is being applied to existing debt / old liabilities, etc. I guess it's the true net profit subject to taxes - the lowest profit figure possible to cite by ownership. I would have to think that the operating profits (how much we made this season before interest payments on debt and taxes) was higher and thus they should know that there is money to reinvest in the product (e.g. signing players).

Golisano is a great businessman and I wouldn't doubt that the this proclamation on their profit is a negotiating technique. Anyway, as they say on Wall Street "Statistics don't lie but liars use statistics". Not calling ownership liars but there are more ways to define a business profit than for a Hurricane to fake a penalty. GO OILERS - send Peter LaViolin home crying!

[ddaryl]

Sorry bro if we sign a UFA D-Man it will only be because we lost a good chunk of our own players.

 

We're a piss poor team finacially, who can't even spend to the cap limit, and only makes a small profit if it can host playoff games. No playoffs spells compolete disaster for this team in its future.

 

 

I love the Sabres, and there is no other team for me, but IMO the bitter truth is the Sabres will never be able to maintain a winning club for long, and will never be in a position to truly just add the 1 or 2 missng players. The only way we can do this is to let other players walk, we just do not have the cash to maintain.

 

What is the point of a salary cap if teams still don't have the means to spend to the cap limit. The new NHL still gives a financial advantage to the big market clubs, and the Sabres will forever be outbid.

 

it doesn't mean these high spending big market teams will be successful, but it does mean they can take prized FA's off the market that could be the difference maker for a team like the Sabres.

[bob_sauve28]

The only way I see a good player coming her in free agency is if all the other good teams don't have money to sign a guy who waited to long to pick a tem and he comes here relatively cheap. Or maybe Detroit or someone cuts a good player late for cap reasons. But we are not going to throw even 3.5 million at a player to come here.