Proposal: Tavares to the Sabres (Summer)

[Ianturnedbull]

It buys Toronto $11MM in cap space and adds a 2C to list of players they need to address. It's very enticing to Toronto and the GM would accept ANY Taveres deal in a nanosecond if made in a vacunm. But he's got the full NTC so this is all pointless conjecture.

Some of you seem to think Tavares will come back in 2025-26 on some sweetheart one year deal at say... $2.5MM to be the 3C for Toronto.

And maybe they are right.

No matter what, Toronto will have to allocate $11MM of cap space to Tavares next season and I assume he'll be in the line-up. One year older and one year slower.


It would cost at least a 1st and it's a silly thought exercise since Tavares has a NMC and he's the captain. He's not going anywhere.

He'll be back on your team next year. Let that settle in and build around his $11MM cap hit.

Just as silly as creating a trade proposal on a website in which people act out the role of NHL GM.

Everything else you can take the leap, but on this one you can't?

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

I know

There is this GM in the NBA named Sam Presti. He is the GM of the Oklahoma City team. He's probably the best GM in all of sports. He plays a long game and has been acquiring future unprotected picks for years. Picks that are 5+ years out. From teams that are currently good, but may be crap in 2031.

I think the Habs have a pretty good GM. I think Pitt doesn't. Can you imagine if the Habs GM went to Dubas and said..

I'll trade you Newhook for your 2030 1st unprotected. Or even better, I'll trade you Matheson 50% retained for your 2031 1st round pick unprotected. Could be any team or any player. Hughes owns the Flames 2025 1st rounder and that looks very juicy today... except for some conditions on it that could shift it to the Panthers pick. But the idea was there when the Habs took on Monahan and took pretty delayed compensation.

The possibilities are fascinating if the NHL goes the NBA route and future picks deep into the future become curren

There is this GM in the NBA named Sam Presti. He is the GM of the Oklahoma City team. He's probably the best GM in all of sports. He plays a long game and has been acquiring future unprotected picks for years. Picks that are 5+ years out. From teams that are currently good, but may be crap in 2031.

I think the Habs have a pretty good GM. I think Pitt doesn't. Can you imagine if the Habs GM went to Dubas and said..

I'll trade you Newhook for your 2030 1st unprotected. Or even better, I'll trade you Matheson 50% retained for your 2031 1st round pick unprotected. Could be any team or any player. Hughes owns the Flames 2025 1st rounder and that looks very juicy today... except for some conditions on it that could shift it to the Panthers pick. But the idea was there when the Habs took on Monahan and took pretty delayed compensation.

The possibilities are fascinating if the NHL goes the NBA route and future picks deep into the future become currency.

I know all about Sam Presti, and I agree I think Kent Hughes would be the type of GM to offer a trade like that and it would be VERY smart.

I don't know that Dubas would take it though I think he knows the Pens are going to suck by 2031, and not like they do now, they are going to REALLY suck, although he's already made 1 catastrophic mistake with the Karlsson trade it's either going to be around 11 overall this year or an unprotected 1st next year.

Couple that with his Guntzle trade and my god is he doing a bad job, thank god we have Treliving now at least he's not trading away top 10 picks.

But I digress I don't think Dubas would take that trade because I think he knows Pittsburgh is about to be ass, and when they turn ass, they are going to be TRULY ass, like they might threaten Buffalo playoff drought record, so I don't think Dubas would take it but somebody would for sure.

 

[Double Dion]

I know




I know all about Sam Presti, and I agree I think Kent Hughes would be the type of GM to offer a trade like that and it would be VERY smart.

I don't know that Dubas would take it though I think he knows the Pens are going to suck by 2031, and not like they do now, they are going to REALLY suck, although he's already made 1 catastrophic mistake with the Karlsson trade it's either going to be around 11 overall this year or an unprotected 1st next year.

Couple that with his Guntzle trade and my god is he doing a bad job, thank god we have Treliving now at least he's not trading away top 10 picks.

But I digress I don't think Dubas would take that trade because I think he knows Pittsburgh is about to be ass, and when they turn ass, they are going to be TRULY ass, like they might threaten Buffalo playoff drought record, so I don't think Dubas would take it but somebody would for sure.

Sure until they draft Gavin McKenna and Landon Dupont in 2026 and 2027...

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Sure until they draft Gavin McKenna and Landon Dupont in 2026 and 2027...

Isn't Gavin Mckenna 2025? a pick they might not have.

Even if they did get him look at Bedard in Chicago 1 dude Isn't enough

 

[Double Dion]

Isn't Gavin Mckenna 2025? a pick they might not have.

Even if they did get him look at Bedard in Chicago 1 dude Isn't enough

McKenna is 2026. He just turned 16 in December. McKenna is a lot better than Bedard was at the same age in terms of all around play. He's in the conversation for best player his age ever with Lemieux, Gretzky, Crosby and Lindros. Same deal with Landon Dupont. He's 14 and would be one of the best players in the WHL now.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

McKenna is 2026. He just turned 16 in December. McKenna is a lot better than Bedard was at the same age in terms of all around play. He's in the conversation for best player his age ever with Lemieux, Gretzky, Crosby and Lindros. Same deal with Landon Dupont. He's 14 and would be one of the best players in the WHL now.

So who is 2025 then? because I thought Mckenna was 2025

 

[Double Dion]

So who is 2025 then? because I thought Mckenna was 2025

I wouldn't say there's a clear cut #1 in 2025. There's 5 or 6 guys who could go 1. The top WHL guy (McQueen) certainly isn't a #1 quality player like McKenna or Dupont will be.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

I don't know if he has positive value without significant retention.

He has zero positive value. At 50% cap retention, we might offer a 4th.

 

[Asymmetric Solution]

In your dreams. Tavares only has 1 year after the offseason and will only be owed 900 k after July 1st. We can also get 70 points out of him next year. Not saying he's valuable, but it's not that big of a problem for 1 year. Skinner on the other hand is a boat anchor for many years to come.

How about Skinner and Jokiharju for Tavares and Toronto’s 2026 unprotected 1st?

 

[AcerComputer]

How about Skinner and Jokiharju for Tavares and Toronto’s 2026 unprotected 1st?

1st round pick is going the wrong way. Even then I think I'd pass. He has 1 more year on his contract, so I don't see why the Leafs would pay to take on the worse contract. Probably would have to be Skinner (50% retention) for Tavares (no retention).

 

[Divine]

Would Arizona not be interested in Tavares?

700K salary (starting July 1st) for an 11M cap hit. It's better than trading for an injured player because Tavares can still put up 50+ poiints.

Arizona is losing 15M+ in LTIR players this offseason so they need some cheap alternatives to get to the floor. If anything, he's a valuable asset to Arizona.

I just don't think he waives so likely the Leafs ride him out until his contract expires next summer.

 

[McJedi]

Just as silly as creating a trade proposal on a website in which people act out the role of NHL GM.

Everything else you can take the leap, but on this one you can't?

You said you didn’t want to hear the truth. That Tavares has no value at his AAV.

So who can’t handle the facts?

 

[AcerComputer]

Would Arizona not be interested in Tavares?

700K salary (starting July 1st) for an 11M cap hit. It's better than trading for an injured player because Tavares can still put up 50+ poiints.

Arizona is losing 15M+ in LTIR players this offseason so they need some cheap alternatives to get to the floor. If anything, he's a valuable asset to Arizona.

I just don't think he waives so likely the Leafs ride him out until his contract expires next summer.

Fairly good point. Better than acquiring a player on LTIR from that perspective. At the same time he has a NMC and would have to agree. I don't think he would go to a bottom feeder and would look to try and win a cup as his window shrinks. Unless he was promised to be moved at the TDL to the team of his choice.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

You said you didn’t want to hear the truth. That Tavares has no value at his AAV.

So who can’t handle the facts?

You can't state opinion as fact.

 

[Knies iT]

You said you didn’t want to hear the truth. That Tavares has no value at his AAV.

So who can’t handle the facts?

You're the same who said Lafferty had a negative value contract and the Leafs needed to attach assets to dump him lol.

Your schtick sucks. Clueless opinions.

 

[Sniper99]

We're HF Posters, of course we dont know what it means to waive a NTC

 

[Sniper99]

I just don't think he waives so likely the Leafs ride him out until his contract expires next summer.

Even if they do wait it out, I wouldnt be surprised at all if this management offers him another contract, obvously not 11 mill/year but all bets are off with this management when they were dumb enough to give Nylander 11 mill. Guys, he isnt waiving his NTC to goto Buffalo or any other places mentioned.

 

[Divine]

Even if they do wait it out, I wouldnt be surprised at all if this management offers him another contract, obvously not 11 mill/year but all bets are off with this management when they were dumb enough to give Nylander 11 mill. Guys, he isnt waiving his NTC to goto Buffalo or any other places mentioned.

I'm not opposed to re-signing him at the right price, nether should the front office.

A 50+ point centre has value in this league. If he comes to you and says I'll take 2M, you re-sign him no questions asked. Replacing Tavares also won't be easy as there's not many 50+ point centres around freely available for teams to sign.

In that aspect it's better to keep him for next season. Play out the last year of his deal. He has a house, a family, and kids all raised in Toronto. When the next contract comes, tell him we just paid you 77M and would need you to take a discount if you want to stay. He likely accepts given he seems to want to raise his family and kids in Toronto as both he and his wife are from there and moved back here.

Tavares himself is not a problem. He's still a regular NHL player on every team in the league. The problem is the 11M. Even at 5.5M right now he'd be good value.

 

[McJedi]

You're the same who said Lafferty had a negative value contract and the Leafs needed to attach assets to dump him lol.

Your schtick sucks. Clueless opinions.

Lafferty is a bottom six guy making bottom six dollars. Those guys can’t really have negative value.

Tavares at $11mm is very much negative value. That’s a player making a lot more than he’s worth. That’s elite 1C money for a pack average 2C who is on the decline physically.

But retain 50% and now you have a solid 2C making 2C money. And he’d have trade value. Simple as that. Of course bring the reality of his NMC into play and it’s a time suck again.

 

[Junohockeyfan]

Lafferty is a bottom six guy making bottom six dollars. Those guys can’t really have negative value.

Tavares at $11mm is very much negative value. That’s a player making a lot more than he’s worth. That’s 1C money for a 2C.

More like "elite 1C" money for an average / below average 2C / winger.

 

[JimmyApples]

It’s funny reading back on Leafs fans when they signed Tavares. So much gloating, claiming they are winning the Cup. Instead, years and failures later, they have a contract with negative value and are all desperate to get rid of him.

 

[Maple Leaf]

It's like arguing about a trade like you are the GM but you are poster on a hockey forum

 

[John Mandalorian]

Do Buffalo Sabres pajamas even exist?

 

[Fatass]

It's like arguing about a trade like you are the GM but you are poster on a hockey forum

And arguing about a trade that a player that has a full NMC. JT isn’t going anywhere.

 

[Divine]

It’s funny reading back on Leafs fans when they signed Tavares. So much gloating, claiming they are winning the Cup. Instead, years and failures later, they have a contract with negative value and are all desperate to get rid of him.

I mean did anyone expect year 6 & 7 to be good value.

I don't think Senators fans thought they'd still be bottom of the league and never made the playoffs 6 years into Tavares contract either.