Rumor: Sabres are willing to give Callahan 7 years at 42 million

[Sabre the Win]

http://nypost.com/2014/02/02/ryan-callahan-suitors-may-be-waiting-for-free-agency/

Beyond that, though Buffalo is believed willing to meet Callahan’s asking price of a seven-year deal worth at least $42 million that would probably come with the club captaincy — think of it as the reverse Chris Drury — the 30th-overall Sabres are not involved in the current trade talks."

I'm not sure why the Sabres do this, we will have to give up young talent to an injury prone player that will make the NY Rangers better in the future and do nothing to help our own future. I hope they mean if he makes it to the free agency they will spend the cash on him.

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[McCauleyChirps]

http://nypost.com/2014/02/02/ryan-callahan-suitors-may-be-waiting-for-free-agency/



I'm not sure why the Sabres do this, we will have to give up young talent to an injury prone player to make the NY Rangers better in the future and doing nothing to help our own future. I hope they mean if he makes it to the free agency they will spend the cash on him.

Read it again, says the Sabres are not in the current trade talks. I read it as, we'll give him 7/$42 in FA.

And there is a good chance that he doesn't even reach FA with teams allowed to talk to his agent prior to a potential trade.

 

[Zip15]

http://nypost.com/2014/02/02/ryan-callahan-suitors-may-be-waiting-for-free-agency/



I'm not sure why the Sabres do this, we will have to give up young talent to an injury prone player that will make the NY Rangers better in the future and do nothing to help our own future. I hope they mean if he makes it to the free agency they will spend the cash on him.

Re-read Brooks' sentence a few times. He's saying though we would give him that money, we're not involved with the Rangers in trade talks. Put simply, we'd pursue him in UFA but we're not going to trade for him.

 

[Sabre the Win]

Defiantly eases my mind.. I wouldn't mind Callahan here thru free agency, whats the chance he goes to play for a different team and then hits free agency and comes home to Rochester/Buffalo?

 

[Dex]

I would have no problem with picking up this player as a free agent. I would not be looking to trade for him outright or do a sign and trade - which appears to be the Sabres position as well.

 

[dire wolf]

I like Cally, but not on a 7-year deal. I know he has great character and plays the game "the right way." But that's way too big a contract, IMHO, for a 40-point forward. Would rather spend a little more for elite scoring talent, which we need more desperately. We can re-sign Ott much cheaper, and I feel like he and Girgensons provide what Callahan would.

Am I way off base with this?

 

[Chainshot]

It seems unlikely that any team that moves for his rights in-season would let him get away come UFA this summer.

 

[haseoke39]

I don't see the source or anything, seems like spitballing.

I would hesitantly take Callahan in UFA, provided he's a one-off move and not part of a broader strategy to make the team competitive in 2015. Shores up our problems on the wing, helps us meet the cap floor, doesn't add enough offense to seriously jeopardize the tank, and helps build the kind of culture we want.

At age 28, he won't be in his prime by the time our cup window rolls around. But he could be the type of leader who really helps the team develop the right identity, and does it while not putting up enough points to really buoy our anemic offense out of 30th.

That said, I don't think Callahan calls us back even with a $50M offer.

 

[Jame]

I have no problem massively overpaying for Callahan... the last time we had a player of his caliber of leadership in the lockerroom, we had a young team that developed very quickly.

Im not even remotely worried about the long term impact on the cap.

 

[Moskau]

I have no problem massively overpaying for Callahan... the last time we had a player of his caliber of leadership in the lockerroom, we had a young team that developed very quickly.

Im not even remotely worried about the long term impact on the cap.

Callahan is 1/3rd the player Drury was and shows up to 1/2 the games Drury did.

 

[Mit Yarrum]

I don't hate it.

 

[B U F F A L O]

Not a big fan of that kind of contract for Callahan even though I like him as a player

 

[EichHart]

He's half the player he once was. Will be a buyout candidate in a few years with that contract.

 

[BananaSquad]

Sick. Hope he makes it to free agency. Callahan would be a great add and you wouldnt have to give up anything to get him.

 

[enthusiast]

Wanna rock that '12 panthers flow

 

[Cirris]

I wouldn't be interested in a Callahan at this point in time.

We still need to fully rebuild a young core with the next two drafts. Until then getting someone like Callahan would be a waste for us; and it would cost us precious prospects and picks we need to build that core with.

However, If he were to hit free agency, I'd be all for going after him.

 

[stokes84]

I'll pass, thanks.

 

[dire wolf]

I have no problem massively overpaying for Callahan... the last time we had a player of his caliber of leadership in the lockerroom, we had a young team that developed very quickly.

Im not even remotely worried about the long term impact on the cap.

Even if Callahan were Drury (and he's not), look what happened to Drury when the Rangers signed him. To me, Callahan isn't worth 7 years or $6 million, let alone both. I don't mind over-paying him for 3 years, but a 7-year deal will come back to bite us in the nuts.

 

[La Cosa Nostra]

Terrible. 6 mil for Callahan is a joke.Misses games every season, turns 29 next month and has hit 50 points one time. Drury was far better offensively. Callahans intangibles and defensive play don't make up for his lack of offensive production to warrant 6 mil a season, higher cap or not.

 

[Zip15]

Part of management's job is cap foresight. If they believe that the cap is going to be over $80m by 2017, I don't think it's that big of a deal to give Cally $6m per, especially when much of the team is going to be cost-controlled for many of those years. Do I love paying $6m per year for a guy who'll be scoring 45-50 pts in his best years of that contract? Not especially. But he brings other things to the table, and I'm not deluded into thinking that better players are going to want to come to Buffalo even if we offer them superior money and term--a fact Pegula has already implicitly bemoaned.

If it's a crap contract for years 6 and 7, buy him out.

 

[Jame]

Even if Callahan were Drury (and he's not), look what happened to Drury when the Rangers signed him. To me, Callahan isn't worth 7 years or $6 million, let alone both. I don't mind over-paying him for 3 years, but a 7-year deal will come back to bite us in the nuts.

careers don't mirror individuals.

I point to what a veteran leader who was never an offensive force, can do for a team with a plethora of young talent. I don;t care if he misses 20 games a year, and only scores 45 pts a year... i really don't. I'm paying for something intangible... and it's fine if others don't believe in that sort of stuff. I do. And I can't think of a better way to spend money during a rebuild.

I also think there is this silly reflex regarding long term cap projecting... throw that **** in a spreadsheet and do some homework. The only issue would exist if ALL of our young players ALL reached their potential and required significant 2nd contracts... so, yea... oh no, we might be in a cap crunch in 5 years... because ALL of our talent became REALLY GOOD... oh no... im scared.

It's really ridiculous.

 

[dire wolf]

careers don't mirror individuals.

I point to what a veteran leader who was never an offensive force, can do for a team with a plethora of young talent. I don;t care if he misses 20 games a year, and only scores 45 pts a year... i really don't. I'm paying for something intangible... and it's fine if others don't believe in that sort of stuff. I do. And I can't think of a better way to spend money during a rebuild.

I also think there is this silly reflex regarding long term cap projecting... throw that **** in a spreadsheet and do some homework. The only issue would exist if ALL of our young players ALL reached their potential and required significant 2nd contracts... so, yea... oh no, we might be in a cap crunch in 5 years... because ALL of our talent became REALLY GOOD... oh no... im scared.

It's really ridiculous.

I don't think you really addressed my points.

I would spend a little more for elite scoring, which I feel is a bigger team need. I wouldn't do it right now. I'd wait until next year. But there is a limit to how many big, long contracts a team can have. It's important to maintain some cap flexibility so that when you become a contender, you still have some dry powder in reserve.

Also, I understand that what happened to Drury has no bearing on what will happen to Callahan. However, it is but one example of why I'm nervous about long-term deals. I only chose Drury because you drew the parallel. The real question is, how many 7-year deals turn out to be that great for the team? It's risky, and Callahan isn't enticing enough for me to take that risk.

I like intangibles, leadership, and grittiness as much as anyone, but I don't think that's going to be our real problem in the next 5 years. High-end scoring (and possibly goaltending depending on how things play out) will be the issues we need to be ready to address.

 

[Ruckus007]

I'm onboard with adding veteran pieces to aid in development during down times and contribute during the return to competitiveness, but that contract for a player like Callahan I think it just inviting disaster. I do worry about how valuable Callahan will be in 2-3 years and if he's really gone off the cliff then I think that'll be a problem. If they could get him for a shorter term, I'd be more amenable.

 

[CarlWinslow]

I would seriously consider take of a leave of absence as a fan if they paid him that. Nobody wins by paying third liners 7 million a year.

Good teams have elite players who get paid and they find third line character guys for 2 million a year or less.

 

[Jame]

I don't think you really addressed my points.

I would spend a little more for elite scoring, which I feel is a bigger team need. I wouldn't do it right now. I'd wait until next year. But there is a limit to how many big, long contracts a team can have. It's important to maintain some cap flexibility so that when you become a contender, you still have some dry powder in reserve.

I don't think you have much of a case. Prove it... show me the cap problems we will have...