Speculation: Summer buyout candidates

[HogtownSabresfan]

Jeff skinner should be on this list. Doubt anyone’s taking him on for three more years even at 50% retained

He is never being bought out this year. He still contributes and while he's not worth $9 M and never was, you can't get a player like him for $5 M so just keep him

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

There are quite a few Sabres fans clamoring for this, but I just don't see it this year. I can't see us buying him out this offseason and eating a ~2.5M cap hit for 3 years after he's gone.

He's battled injury this year, and he has a history of bouncing back from poor-ish years.

If we're going to buy him out.......it'll be NEXT summer, not this one.

It's just dumb to buyout Skinner for emotional reasons. He's a decent five on five player (his D is never as bad as people claim) and even in the years with cap savings, we are not getting a better player for next year for $1.4 M. The following year we would save $4.4 M. Sorry, not getting a better player for that. The last year is $6.4 M. Maybe that's the year. You don't buy him out to make your team worse.

 

[Chainshot]

It's just dumb to buyout Skinner for emotional reasons. He's a decent five on five player (his D is never as bad as people claim) and even in the years with cap savings, we are not getting a better player for next year for $1.4 M. The following year we would save $4.4 M. Sorry, not getting a better player for that. The last year is $6.4 M. Maybe that's the year. You don't buy him out to make your team worse.

9 goals and 6 assists over his final 40 games of the season points to a player who is spent.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

9 goals and 6 assists over his final 40 games of the season points to a player who is spent.

He's not spent at all. If I saw it in his skating, I would agree. His speed looks okay. He looks disinterested this year. Skinner runs streaky. He can steal, play good hockey 5 on 5, and we are getting nobody better with cap savings, plus you take on the penalty down the line. There is zero logic to buying him out. You get nothing out of it

 

[Chainshot]

He's not spent at all. If I saw it in his skating, I would agree. His speed looks okay. He looks disinterested this year. Skinner runs streaky. He can steal, play good hockey 5 on 5, and we are getting nobody better with cap savings, plus you take on the penalty down the line. There is zero logic to buying him out. You get nothing out of it

He's cooked, there is no fit for a one-way slowing veteran offensive specialist who doesn't give two shits about playing in his own zone. That the Edge metrics put him as one of the slowest skaters on the team is kind of telling.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

He's cooked, there is no fit for a one-way slowing veteran offensive specialist who doesn't give two shits about playing in his own zone. That the Edge metrics put him as one of the slowest skaters on the team is kind of telling.

He was -2. There is zero evidence he is slowing. He was coming off a year where he scored 35 goals and 47 assists for 82 points and was a +15. He's also just over 30.


More importantly, the cap penalty is absurd. Sure, just a $1.4 M penalty next year, but then $4.4 M and $6.4 M plus the three years of $2.4 m. Skinner is never being bought out this off-season. Less than 1% chance.

The only move he would tolerate would be Toronto. Honestly, move him to Leafs for Tavares (who can take a draw but is even more overapaid) and maybe we could work something out. But Tavares would have to agree to move too and Buffalo would need to take more junk off Leafs roster.

Skinner might get bought out of a final year of the deal, and that's it.

I also looked it up, he's about league average for skating speed. He did a of floating this year under Granato like a lot of the team. Skinner's top speed is faster than Benson's. Buy out Benson! He's washed!

 

[Chainshot]

He was -2. There is zero evidence he is slowing. He was coming off a year where he scored 35 goals and 47 assists for 82 points and was a +15. He's also just over 30.


More importantly, the cap penalty is absurd. Sure, just a $1.4 M penalty next year, but then $4.4 M and $6.4 M plus the three years of $2.4 m. Skinner is never being bought out this off-season. Less than 1% chance.

The only move he would tolerate would be Toronto. Honestly, move him to Leafs for Tavares (who can take a draw but is even more overapaid) and maybe we could work something out. But Tavares would have to agree to move too and Buffalo would need to take more junk off Leafs roster.

Skinner might get bought out of a final year of the deal, and that's it.

His defensive metrics for shots and chances against are worse than any other regular forward on the Sabres. If we include Jost's 43-games around his demotion to Rochester, he "improves" to second worst. He had the most favorable deployment by % of any Sabre forward (66%) and yet still only managed to stumble his way to 9 goals in his final 40 games. He was the drag on the lines he was on.

Bite the bullet, eat the hit and move on.

 

[ottawa]

Habs would be stupid to buy anyone out...they have no one to re-sign other than Xhejak and Ylonen this summer.

They also have 2.5m in dead cap (Edmundson retained salary and Alzner buyout) coming back, that alone should be more than enough to extent X. Then you have Pearson and Wideman coming off the books for another 4m.

Let guys like Armia & Dvo (2025) and Anderson & Gallagher (2028) expire naturally.

 

[Mike Jones]

Let guys like Armia & Dvo (2025) and Anderson & Gallagher (2028) expire naturally.

Given current life expectancy that won't happen until they're - like - 75 or something.

 

[blankall]

9 goals and 6 assists over his final 40 games of the season points to a player who is spent.

The Sabres, generally, weren't especially good through that last half. Skinner has had huge ups and downs his entire career. Not sure how you conclude this is the time he is definitely spent.

 

[Zman5778]

The Sabres, generally, weren't especially good through that last half. Skinner has had huge ups and downs his entire career. Not sure how you conclude this is the time he is definitely spent.

Ummmmmmm what now?

Through our last 42 games, we were 24-16-2. 98 point pace on the whole season.

It's our first half that killed us.

And Skinner was invisible through our best stretches

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

His defensive metrics for shots and chances against are worse than any other regular forward on the Sabres. If we include Jost's 43-games around his demotion to Rochester, he "improves" to second worst. He had the most favorable deployment by % of any Sabre forward (66%) and yet still only managed to stumble his way to 9 goals in his final 40 games. He was the drag on the lines he was on.

Bite the bullet, eat the hit and move on.

I would let Ruff have at him and if he stinks send him to the stands and sit.

 

[CrazyDuck4u]

Gibson

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

Holl
Fabbri
Matta

In that order

 

[YP44]

At full salary? Who'd do that?

at 50% it would save Columbus the extra years of cap hit, would save them money, and hell even a 6th round pick is a lotto ticket

 

[Junohockeyfan]

Habs would be stupid to buy anyone out...they have no one to re-sign other than Xhejak and Ylonen this summer.

They also have 2.5m in dead cap (Edmundson retained salary and Alzner buyout) coming back, that alone should be more than enough to extent X. Then you have Pearson and Wideman coming off the books for another 4m.

Let guys like Armia & Dvo (2025) and Anderson & Gallagher (2028) expire naturally.

100%. Habs have no need to buy anyone out during a rebuilding period. They won't be maxing out the cap in the next 2 to 3 years.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

I'd be very curious if Skinner (Buffalo) is willing to waive his NMC.

His sporadic production is would be much more acceptable at 4.5M than it is at 9M.

I think a buyout makes a good bit of sense though. Only one BAD year of it (25-26) and the three trailing years we'll be at 100M+ salary cap.

It makes almost no sense to buy him out. He doesn't cut it, send him to the stands. He'll waive that NMC, if he is not playing. But Buffalo needs to learn to play hardball. That is not something they have been willing to do with players

 

[Bruce Granville]

Habs would be stupid to buy anyone out...they have no one to re-sign other than Xhejak and Ylonen this summer.

They also have 2.5m in dead cap (Edmundson retained salary and Alzner buyout) coming back, that alone should be more than enough to extent X. Then you have Pearson and Wideman coming off the books for another 4m.

Let guys like Armia & Dvo (2025) and Anderson & Gallagher (2028) expire naturally.

If Armia keeps playing like this year, he might return a pick with his expiring contract.

 

[Mike Jones]

If Armia keeps playing like this year, he might return a pick with his expiring contract.

The guy has rebounded a bit.

 

[GKJ]

His defensive metrics for shots and chances against are worse than any other regular forward on the Sabres. If we include Jost's 43-games around his demotion to Rochester, he "improves" to second worst. He had the most favorable deployment by % of any Sabre forward (66%) and yet still only managed to stumble his way to 9 goals in his final 40 games. He was the drag on the lines he was on.

Bite the bullet, eat the hit and move on.

I listen to the 32 Thoughts podcast, and one of the terms they have used is that there are guys who get you there, and guys who get you through.

The Sabres are not trying to get through, they are trying to get there. And if you’re this management braintrust, they have to get there next year. While it’s not all his fault, there’s 1000 games coupled with a huge contract and other personal achievements that’s never shown to be a guy who gets you there. If fact his previous team had a similar run of futility that he was a central piece on, and then immediately become a contender upon moving him out.

Maybe he is as a guy who doesn’t have to be counted on so much, but he’s been a constant during a term of extended failure. He’s bounced up and down the lineup. It’s another unknown with a new coach (at least for him). If you’re a team with expectations and accountability, you can’t keep doing this, so it’s time to go. Let him ride someone else’s coattails to the playoffs. The cap penalty will suck, but there are very specific goals that need to be met, and you have to be focused on having the right players in the right roles.

 

[57special]

Enough Skinner talk, it's making me giddy!

 

[Curufinwe]

Sounds like the Flyers will buy out Atkinson. He had 28 points in 70 games, but scored zero in his last 23 games.

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