Stafford, Dennis and Card back to Rochester

[Two or less]

http://www.amerks.com/FeatureStories.aspx?news_id=956

 

(Rochester, NY)? Rochester Americans General Manager Jody Gage announced today that four players have been re-assigned to the Amerks. Forward Drew Stafford, defenseman Mike Card and goalie Adam Dennis were sent back from the Buffalo Sabres, while forward Drew Larman has been returned from the Florida Panthers.

 

Prolly nothing but a cost cutting move. Just wondering, when their send back to save money, can they be put in a hotel in Buffalo and rest up for the game tomorrow night or do they have to report to Amerks camp and participate in work-outs? I'm asking this cuz it must really suck for these guys to be driving up and down and playing in these days... haha.

 

But this could possibily mean Lydman and Max are ready to go... we shall see.

[shrader]

They have to make the trip.

[inkman]

They have to make the trip.

 

Are you sure?

[shrader]

Are you sure?

 

I know I've read it somewhere, but this is all I could find.

 

"You'd prefer to have them here," he said. "Our system down there tries to mirror our system up here, which makes it easier. To get used to the pace of the game and the pace of practice, it'd obviously be easier if [practice] was here, but it's not."

 

That quote implies that they actually have to report to the team. I'd scan through the CBA, but I have no clue where to look.

[inkman]

How does anyone monitor it anyway? If the players don't practice with the Sabres, does it matter anyway? I also think it would benefit the players to at least be able to skate somewhere.

[shrader]

How does anyone monitor it anyway? If the players don't practice with the Sabres, does it matter anyway? I also think it would benefit the players to at least be able to skate somewhere.

 

I know the players themselves can monitor it. The team is supposed to cover their transportation costs when they're called up or sent down. If that doesn't happen, they can file a grievance.

 

As for ice time. They do get to skate somewhere... with the Amerks.

[Corp000085]

if they're sent down, and we have a game tomorrow, it stands to reason that max, lydman and miller are ready to go, or at least are ready as of today and we'll see tomorrow morning. I'm rather excited over this move. if the sabres had 6 days off, this would be a cost cutting maneuver, however, with the game tomorrow night, it appears that our big guns will be ready to go.

[Taro T]

if they're sent down, and we have a game tomorrow, it stands to reason that max, lydman and miller are ready to go, or at least are ready as of today and we'll see tomorrow morning. I'm rather excited over this move. if the sabres had 6 days off, this would be a cost cutting maneuver, however, with the game tomorrow night, it appears that our big guns will be ready to go.

The game tomorrow is in Buffalo and you can be at HSBC from downtown Ra-cha-cha in 90 minutes tops. The team is VERY tight to the cap. This IS a cost cutting measure (but that doesn't mean that someone isn't ready to come back, it just doesn't mean that they are).

 

In the past, you've had players play for Buffalo and Ra-cha-cha on the same day when Buffalo had an afternoon game and the Amerks had a night game.

 

Anyone called up on Wed. will be back in Ra-cha-cha on Thursday and probably in Buffalo on Friday. They'll be doing that all season long when dealing with the injury bug.

[Orange Seats]

I wonder if they fly (via Prior Aviation or Jet Blue) or have to do the thruway drive.

[wjag]

My guess is they drive. Wasn't Lindy a frequent driver during the lockout to Ra Cha Cha and back?

[Corp000085]

dude, it would take you longer to clear airport security and baggage claim (they were on a 2 or 3 game roadie) than it would to just drive from buffalo to rochester.

[mphs mike]

Dave - if I understand correctly what the Sabres gain (or save) by shuttling players back and forth between game days is the actual NHL salary savings on two way contracts. Since Connelly is on injured reserve the Sabres are allowed to exceed the cap by the amount of his salary. If I am wrong please explain how the Rochester shutlle saves cap space in addition to saving actual payroll.

[Taro T]

Dave - if I understand correctly what the Sabres gain (or save) by shuttling players back and forth between game days is the actual NHL salary savings on two way contracts. Since Connelly is on injured reserve the Sabres are allowed to exceed the cap by the amount of his salary. If I am wrong please explain how the Rochester shutlle saves cap space in addition to saving actual payroll.

It is kind of convolutued. When the Sabres payroll (including Timmy) is below the Salary Cap, the team is banking salary for use later in the season.

 

Timmy is on BLTI-IR so the Sabres can exceed the cap. But when players are brought up, prior to using Timmy's space, it appears that those players burn up that banked cap space before they eat into the cap space freed up by Timmy's IR status.

 

Until recently, I didn't believe that the team burns cap space that would not have been used w/ Timmy healthy (because that would put the team on pace to be over the salary cap and the CBA is pretty clear that under normal circumstances that isn't allowed). The Sabres actions seem to support the view that the Sabres are losing a small amount of future cap space (up to the ~$100k they were below the cap), so that is why I am leaning toward that being the correct interpretation.

 

This issue (what happens to banked cap space while players on BLTI-IR are replaced with players that bring the total salary above the salary cap) is the grayest area that I have seen in the CBA. Prior to hearing some interviews with Darcy, I was going back and forth as to how the issue works. I am relatively confident (90%) that I understand what happens to banked cap space (it goes away).

 

I am less confident (75%) that non-banked (or more accurately space that would be banked in the future) cap space also goes away. I know that over the course of the season, the team could only exceed the salary cap by how much Timmy's salary at the time of him being placed on BLTI-IR would allow them to exceed it; but as stated, I don't know the timing of that exceedance.

 

I'm not certain that I worded that to make any sense, so let me try an example. The Sabres would be ~$100k under the salary cap if Timmy were healthy or no Amerks were up on the roster. The team went about 15% of the way into the season before they started bringing Amerks up and had banked about $15k by putting ~$500/day in the bank (with another $85k to be banked over the course of the season). Each day an Amerk is up on the Sabres roster, it costs the Sabres ~$2.5k. Having 3 Amerks up would eat up that $15k in 2 games. I don't know if the Sabres are eating through only the $500 that they don't bank before transferring into Timmy's cap space or if they are eating through $2.5k. My original reading of the CBA is that only the $500 of cap space is lost each day the players are up, but the more I look at it, it appears that the full $2,500 is lost each day effectively lowering the Sabres salary cap for this season (if Timmy returns) down as low as $43.9MM.

 

Anything else you don't want explained? :unsure:

[Allan in MD]

How many times can a player be optioned before he has to clear waivers? I'm concerned about some of these guys winding up in a Pominville situation, i.e. out of options and having to clear waivers. We luckily ducked a major bullet on that one.

[shrader]

How many times can a player be optioned before he has to clear waivers? I'm concerned about some of these guys winding up in a Pominville situation, i.e. out of options and having to clear waivers. We luckily ducked a major bullet on that one.

 

There's no limit on options like there is in baseball. Players can be moved freely back and forth until they hit either a certain number of seasons as a pro or a certain number of games played in the NHL. There are different cutoffs depending on age.