I think they have a cheap rep for "everything else" and also having been a cap floor team for some time now. I don't think individual players really care why or if rebuild #1 or #2 justified it. They just see a cap floor team for the last 5+ years, same for agents and I wouldn't be surprised if GMs think the same.
Talk about revisionist history. Buffalo was up to the cap until the Eichel trade season, as they had dumped Reinhart and Risto in the off-season before moving Eichel. The season before that in Kreuger's last they loaded up with Hall and Staal
I'm not trying to be revisionist. I really don't know exactly how many years they've been near the cap floor. I checked out around the Eichel trade and Ullmark walking. It's been at least three.
You proclaimed they've been at the cap floor for 5+ years and their reputation is as being cheap. The last few years they've shown they're willing to spend giving out long-term contracts to their players
And you have how those things line up with revenues being negatively impacted by the pandemic.
| 23-24 | 22-23 | 21-22 | 20-21 | |
| Sabres spend | $72,745,656 | $65,265,598 | $65,994,622 | $72,678,411 |
| Cap | $83,500,000 | $82,500,000 | $81,500,000 | $81,500,000 |
| Floor | $61,790,000 | $61,000,000 | $60,200,000 | $60,200,000 |
| % Cap | 87.12% | 79.11% | 80.97% | 89.18% |
| % Floor | 117.73% | 106.99% | 109.63% | 120.73% |
They handed out some contracts and still stay well below the ceiling. I might not have been right saying 5+ years, but I don't think anyone is going to argue the organization DOESN'T have a cheap rep.
I get tired of the "Pegula's fire everyone during the pandemic" narrative. The pegula's didn't do anything that a dozen other clubs didn't do. They were just one of the first, so the media really ran with it, throwing fuel on the fire. And did nothing to walk any of it back when Boston, Arizona, Oilers, Flames, etc. did the same thing.
I am just saying that spending during the pandemic was something that they scaled back on. I am not saying it is a problem, but that is a reality of the situation.
I feel like if we had an owner who wasn't willing to loosen the purse strings, we wouldn't have a D man making 11m next year.
I am inclined to agree with you. I don't see the pegula's as cheapskates like a lot of others do. Their issue isn't cash, it's meddling. Pick your poison, i guess. I think Adams has intentionally kept closer to the cap floor so when the time is right he can trade assets to bring in higher end talent without balking at the price tag. Just my opinion.
