Proposal: Florida gets out of the Bob Contract while Landing the Big Fish

[Ratsreign]

The Sabres.

I mean seriously??? Take back a goalie who is washed up AND has a contract that makes the Skinner one look like a bargain for some prospects and a late first?

LoL, FL hangs up. Bob’s contract is really bad, but he’s not washed up. And they’re gonna give back Denisenko, Tippett, AND Lundell, plus the picks involved? Granted for a top flight center, but one who would probably chafe at being the #2 center behind Barkov. No thanks.

 

[Empoleon8771]

The only trade featuring these teams including bad contracts would be Bob for Skinner.

JE for Bob and 2 1st’s is funny.

Why are you ignoring the 3 borderline A level prospects?

Sabres fans are insane for thinking they can get better than this for Eichel, even with Bob's contract.

 

[thrillermiller89]

Take out Bob and the value of the trade vastly improves

 

[tgo0]

Is it? Technically Florida wouldn’t be doing anything wrong legally. I’m sure there are loop holes around tampering to pay a player to leave. Maybe shares of the panthers franchise or gifting real estate?

You’re suggesting a team literally give away part of their franchise to get rid of a bad contract?

That is actually the most insane thing I’ve ever seen proposed here.

To answer the question yes it technically not allowed and if it were it wouldn’t be done anyways because it’s insane. If it wasn’t done to acquire Gretzky it’s not being done to offload Sergei Bobrovsky.

 

[WingsMJN2965]

I'm starting to think Unbiased Fan is bern when he gets shitfaced.

Buffalo would hang up, but Bobo would never waive to go there anyways.

 

[DingDongCharlie]

You can get anyone to waive. Would it be considered tampering if let’s say Florida payed lets say a fashion company let’s say 50 million dollars to set up a Buffalo Sabres themed photo shoot that’d pay him 40 million?

That's the definition of tampering and cap circumvention. Honestly if it's that far out in left field but was actually feasible, do you think an HF poster would first break this great idea before 31 organizations had?

 

[DingDongCharlie]

Even if Bob would waive, I don’t see Buffalo doing it. You’re spending 1/4 of your cap on Skinner and Bob for the next 5 years, so you’re basically committing to a scorched earth 5+ year rebuild.

Yeah but the goal is to compete in 2037 so who cares about the present or the near future.

 

[Pyrophorus]

The Sabres should ask for Barkov-straight up

 

[DingDongCharlie]

People have really got to stop saying stuff like this. Off the top of my head, I can name five+ centers who are better than Eichel last year: McDavid, Draisaitl, Crosby, MacKinnon, Marchand, and Matthews. That's six who are clearly above Eichel, there's probably a couple I'm forgetting, and that's not even getting into the large group of players who are in the debate with Eichel for that 7th spot, like Stamkos, Barkov, Point, Giroux, Malkin, Kopitar, Barzal, Tavares, Marner, etc. Eichel last year was in the debate as a top 10 center, but anyone looking at it realistically can see he's fighting for spot 10. He's more accurately described as the 10th or 11th best center in the league with a consistent and ongoing set of injury concerns. At no point has he been a top 5 center, and being (barely) a 10th or 11th ranked center doesn't really mean much when A- you cost 10 mil against the cap and B-miss a huge chunk of games every year.

Marchand? Marner? Neither are even centers. Why not include Hedman, he's a center too right? Eichel is in the 5-10 spot easily.

 

[flashsabre]

And you honestly think that Sergei Bobrovsky is waiving his NMC for that joke of an organization? Doubt Lundell and Tippett are going anywhere. As it sounds like now Eichel, Reinhart, Ristolainen, McCabe and Ullmark all want out of Buffalo. So why would Bobrovsky waive for a team in turmoil? Yeah not happening and to even suggest that Bobrovsky would waive to Buffalo is laughable.

“Joke of an organization”. Your team is in just as bad of shape. He wouldn’t be waiving for Detroit either.

 

[VijayPatel11]

This is pretty miserable for Florida lol
3 of our best prospects (I guess 2 since Tippett is an NHLer now), including a top 10 or 5 prospect in hockey, and 2 1sts? To get rid of Bob and add another huge contract, and having him play #2 C? I'd rather keep all of those picks and players, and wait for Lundell to develop into Barkov lite to become the #2C

 

[Guttersniped]

The idea of this is Flordia uses the market to get rid of the worst contract in the NHL to land the biggest prize on the Market in Jack Eichel as they have a similar contract. Now obviously Bob has to waive. Which I’m sure he would with threats of being sent to the press box maybe a friend of the owner “donates” x millions to his family if he moves to Buffalo. Anyway...Excuse my spelling of foreign names.

Florida: Sergei Bobrovsky, Grigori Denisenko, Owen Tippet, Anton Lundell, 1st 2021 and 1st 2022

Buffalo: Jack Eichel

Florida replaces a terrible Bobrovsky contract with a franchise C to compete with Barkov and Buffalo gets the best package available for a player who wants out.

who declines?

Bob declines.

 

[Guttersniped]

You can get anyone to waive. Would it be considered tampering if let’s say Florida payed lets say a fashion company let’s say 50 million dollars to set up a Buffalo Sabres themed photo shoot that’d pay him 40 million?

I mean, the Federal Government might look into that, it sounds like money laundering.

 

[WingsMJN2965]

That's the definition of tampering and cap circumvention. Honestly if it's that far out in left field but was actually feasible, do you think an HF poster would first break this great idea before 31 organizations had?

Better question is, do you honestly think the Panthers organization makes enough money to pay somebody 10s of millions under the table just to leave.

 

[Beezeral]

And yeah I am comparatively low on all three of the pieces. Especially Tippett. Lundell to me doesn't have realistic #1 potential and Denisenko is decent but also far from a lock to turn into a great player. Thats not a package the Sabres should accept for their franchise player. Especially if it somehow involves them taking on the abomination that is Bobrovskys contract...#

Lundell was touted as a #2 C ceiling player when drafted. Then he went out and led Liiga in scoring at 19 years old in his D+1 year until covid shut down his teams season.

 

[Beezeral]

The Sabres should ask for Barkov-straight up

they’d get laughed at.

Bob waiving isn’t realistic.
Lundell
Tippett/Denisenko
Knight
21 first
Stralman as a dump

that’s likely what the panthers could/would realistically offer.

 

[smoneil]

Huh? At least Stamkos and Giroux were once centres, even if they mostly play wing now. Marchand and Marner are undeniably pure wingers.

Marchand? Marner? Neither are even centers. Why not include Hedman, he's a center too right? Eichel is in the 5-10 spot easily.

As I said, I was working from memory and listing players who I remembered playing C at least some of the time. Even if you take out Marchand and Marner, I still listed 5 centers who are clearly better than Eichel and 8 more who are--at worst--comparable. The point you are both dodging with your nit-pickery is that:

Eichel is not and never has been a top 5 center (and if you want to disagree, be prepared to identify which of Crosby, McDavid, Draisaitl, MacKinnon, or Matthews you would remove from that list in favor of Eichel).

It is debatable that he is a top 10 center, though even then, I think any ranking over 9th or 10th is being far too generous.

He is clearly a top 15 center when healthy.

All this nonsense about how he is "easily" or "definitely" in the top 10 is just ignoring all of the players who are better. And before claims of being a homer get tossed in--I didn't list a single Ranger above Eichel or at his level, and I don't want the Rangers to trade for him either way, as I don't think it would work with the cap long term the way the roster is constructed (it made a lot of sense to push for Eichel before Kakko. It made some sense to push for Eichel before Laf. But now? This is a team that will be defined by absurd depth on both wings and the blueline--we can't afford multiple high price centers).

 

[FinlandPanther]

The Sabres should ask for Barkov-straight up

LOL.

 

[DingDongCharlie]

As I said, I was working from memory and listing players who I remembered playing C at least some of the time. Even if you take out Marchand and Marner, I still listed 5 centers who are clearly better than Eichel and 8 more who are--at worst--comparable. The point you are both dodging with your nit-pickery is that:

Eichel is not and never has been a top 5 center (and if you want to disagree, be prepared to identify which of Crosby, McDavid, Draisaitl, MacKinnon, or Matthews you would remove from that list in favor of Eichel).

It is debatable that he is a top 10 center, though even then, I think any ranking over 9th or 10th is being far too generous.

He is clearly a top 15 center when healthy.

All this nonsense about how he is "easily" or "definitely" in the top 10 is just ignoring all of the players who are better. And before claims of being a homer get tossed in--I didn't list a single Ranger above Eichel or at his level, and I don't want the Rangers to trade for him either way, as I don't think it would work with the cap long term the way the roster is constructed (it made a lot of sense to push for Eichel before Kakko. It made some sense to push for Eichel before Laf. But now? This is a team that will be defined by absurd depth on both wings and the blueline--we can't afford multiple high price centers).

Nit picking as you clearly don’t even know which positions the players played?

What point am I dodging again? I said 5-10 spot so I don’t need to say which 1-5 guy he’s better than as I never placed him in that bracket to begin with. keep digging on that he isn’t a top 5 guy which I never said either and a big LOL saying Tavares is debatable. Just take your L and move along

 

[smoneil]

Nit picking as you clearly don’t even know which positions the players played?

Nit picking as in focusing on a minor error that doesn't negate the point that I was making. Half the W's in this league have played C and vice versa. My sincere apologies that--off the top of my head--I didn't have the position history of every player memorized for teams I don't regularly follow. I just looked and notice that ESPN and a couple of other sites have Marchand listed as a C as well. Why don't you go tilt at that windmill?

What point am I dodging again? I said 5-10 spot so I don’t need to say which 1-5 guy he’s better than as I never placed him in that bracket to begin with. keep digging on that he isn’t a top 5 guy which I never said either and a big LOL saying Tavares is debatable. Just take your L and move along

The post I was responding to was claiming that Eichel, last season, was a top 5 C. If you're going to jump in on that response, I can only assume that you are picking up on that poster's argument. I had no problem with ranking Eichel in the 6-10 range, but I think that is more debatable. I can easily see lists with him in and out of that range. To me, again, responding to the initial poster, the only ranking where Eichel clearly, without debate, belongs, is in the 11-15 range. Any lower than that, and I think people are underrating him. Any higher than 6 and I think people are wildly over-rating him. People tend to do the latter far more often than the former.

Oh, and you can laugh all you want about Tavares, too, but are you aware that Tavares has had 4x the number of 80+ point seasons as Eichel? Or that Tavares has two top 10 finishes (2nd and tied for 7th) compared to Eichel's one (tied for 10th)? Or that Tavares has outscored Eichel in 5 of the 6 seasons where they've both been in the league? I don't think that the discussion is a slam dunk by any measure--it comes down to ability vs. durability. Eichel has more talent than Tavares. But Tavares has consistently been on the ice rather than the IR. Which is more valuable? The durable top center or the fragile elite center? So yeah. Debatable. Take your own advice on what you can do with that L.

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

“Joke of an organization”. Your team is in just as bad of shape. He wouldn’t be waiving for Detroit either.

Good we wouldn't want him, For his age he's grossly overpaid. And at least we don't have players asking to get out. If Eichel wasn't happy with the team he'd no business signing a long term deal. he dug his grave and he can lay in it.

 

[FrolikFan67]

In fact its so bad its probably the only reason Barkov doesn't re-sign with them. If he wants to chase cups having 10 mill tied up for a backup goalie makes it much harder. For the record I am still betting he resigns but it has to be on his mind.

Bob has 5yrs left but will only play 3 more years here at the most before he’s rid of one way or another. And Barkov has one more year left. There’s nothing about bob and his contract that would prevent Barkov from re-signing

 

[FrolikFan67]

-bob would never waive to go to Buffalo
-I don’t see zito acquiring a big contract like that
-we just got Bennett and have Lundell developing, now obviously yeah if they could get rid of bob then sure but it’s a moot point since he wouldn’t waive to go there. Zito will continue to make smaller yet smart pickups and build a deep team.

 

[Unbiased Fan]

The only trade featuring these teams including bad contracts would be Bob for Skinner.

JE for Bob and 2 1st’s is funny.

You mean 5 1sts

 

[Unbiased Fan]

I'm starting to think Unbiased Fan is bern when he gets shitfaced.

Buffalo would hang up, but Bobo would never waive to go there anyways.

That’s offensive but the thought of him posting on here drunk is hilarious