Stoner Posted September 18, 2006 Report Posted September 18, 2006 Well the first preseason game is tonight, so I think it's time for me to settle up with Tommy G., the man who reuses the coffee grounds a minimum of four times. I said I would be happy if he committed $36 million to the team and doubted that he would. I thought increasing the payroll only a few million would be suicide, and he listened! Instead, he has spent well over 40, approaching the cap. I don't think any fan could ask for anything more. I applaud and thank the owner of the Buffalo Sabres! He did what had to be done, and the fans have responded. For the first time in a long time, I feel really confident about the future of this franchise, on and off the ice. But I still wonder why the guy collects those little soaps from hotel rooms. Weird.
LabattBlue Posted September 18, 2006 Report Posted September 18, 2006 I'll second that. Never in my wildest dreams did I anticipate the Sabres running up against the cap. Maybe Tommy G. made more money with the Sabres last year than has been previously stated. :o Either way, I am glad it played out this way and hopefully the players will repay him in a big way this year.
USMCBillsFan Posted September 18, 2006 Report Posted September 18, 2006 I agree and am happy about the direction he's taken this team. Kudos for that. Now if he could only get the jersey right....
Quickdraw Posted September 18, 2006 Report Posted September 18, 2006 I agree and am happy about the direction he's taken this team. Kudos for that. Now if he could only get the jersey right.... Can we go 1 flippin' thread without someone derailing it with jersey/slug talk?
slapshot1619 Posted September 18, 2006 Report Posted September 18, 2006 not to deflect much deserved thanks to Tom G.... technically, He's only paying 37 mil this season. remember that the cap hit and the actual salary are 2 different things. I figured the sabres would spend in the 35 - 38 million dollar range this season, but we are committing alot of $$$ for future seasons, So don't be surprised if either Drury or Briere are let go after this season as both will command upwards of atleast 4mil or more. My gut feeling is that drury will be allowed to roam free after this season unless he's willing to take a back loaded deal.
shrader Posted September 18, 2006 Report Posted September 18, 2006 not to deflect much deserved thanks to Tom G.... technically, He's only paying 37 mil this season. That's not entirely true. He's also paying salaries for guys in Rochester. Sure, it probably doesn't add too much, but there's probably around an extra million there (I'm too lazy to do the math).
Taro T Posted September 18, 2006 Report Posted September 18, 2006 I'll second that. Never in my wildest dreams did I anticipate the Sabres running up against the cap. Maybe Tommy G. made more money with the Sabres last year than has been previously stated. :o Either way, I am glad it played out this way and hopefully the players will repay him in a big way this year. Although on paper the Sabres actual salary this season will be ~$40MM prior to additional $'s spent while injury replacements are on the roster and prior to a still possible trade of Marty, since the leaguewide actual payrolls are shaping up to give the players more than 54% of the revenue pie, the Sabres actual opening day payroll will realistically be more like $36-$38MM. With the regular season essentially selling out, I'd be very surprised if the team's revenues don't allow them to at minimum break even by making the 2nd round of the playoffs. They will probably break even or show a small profit by making the playoffs. I definitely agreed with your comments prior to looking closely at the CBA and estimating last season's and future revenues. Heck, my original prediction back when the playoffs were still ongoing was the Sabres salary would probably come in around $32-34MM and I was hoping for $35MM. The more I look at the CBA and the salary cap, the more I think that it really does benefit the Sabres even more than it looks on the surface. That's because arbitration and the fear of arbitration will lead most teams to be spending near the salary cap each season. I expect to see more teams come close to the salary cap each season. There were 11 teams that started last season near the cap (based off of actual salary, not average annual salary - I don't have average annual salary data for enough players to use that basis), my gut feel is that there will be 15-18 teams that will be close to the cap this year. The more teams that are close to the cap, the more players' share of revenues will exceed 54%, and the bigger rebate that teams get back next summer. The only reason the players didn't give back money last year was the league had absolutely no idea what revenues would actually be last year because they had no idea how bad fan backlash would be. Pretty much, there was no appreciable fan backlash (although ESPN and other media outlets threw temper tantrums) so revenues ended up comparable to those from '03-'04 and not 15% lower as was expected to be a conservative estimate of the lost revenues. The consensus view seemed to be that actual revenue decreases would be in the 20-25% range and that the salary cap this season would be lowered, not raised. Although on paper the salary cap is $44MM this season, after escrow forfeiture by the players, the ACTUAL salary cap will very likely end up somewhere between $39-41.5MM. The Sabres targeting a real actual payroll somewhere between $36-38MM only puts them 3-14% below the biggest spenders in the league. The Sabres definitely ARE on an even footing with other teams on the matter of payroll. They likely aren't on even footing when it comes to front office / scouting budgets, but hopefully they can be innovative enough that they can overcome the disparities. In baseball, the Expos and the A's always had tremendous scouting departments. They managed to replace the superstars that other teams stole from them. If they could do it, hopefully the Sabres can do it as well. (That's not totally apples to apples, as the Yankees and Bo Sox probably don't significantly outspend the small market teams on scouting as they have already far outspent the small guys on players, so they don't necessarily have significantly more $'s to spend on scouting.) And I will 2nd (or 3rd or whatever), PA's sentiment. Overall, I have been very happy w/ Tommy as the owner.
SabresForCup Posted September 18, 2006 Report Posted September 18, 2006 Thanks Tom. You've brought hockey back stronger than ever in Buffalo!
jwrak Posted September 19, 2006 Report Posted September 19, 2006 Its good to see a franchise owner have as much passion for the team as the fans do. All I can say is Thank You Tom!
Barnabov Posted September 19, 2006 Report Posted September 19, 2006 dave_B, When you're not posting on hockey business, would you mind explaining the national budget or tax code to us laymen. Seriously, your analysis is always spot on & highly appreciated! I hope you make your living in the same line of work because you have a talent for it. And yes, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU MR. GOLISANO! I like to think of him as potentially becoming the George Steinbrenner of the NHL but maybe some of you don't love the Yankees as much as I do (& as much as I love the Sabres) so that might not be a positive compliment in everyone's eyes.
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