Time to start backfilling?

[Djp]

Also from Chicago, Bickell seems like a piece they could land simply enough and slotted correctly, he's a solid player. Oh Capgeek, how I miss thee... would love to look over the Kings body of contracts to see what sort of leverage move would work there.

The kings have some issues because they don't have much people in the middle...the $2M-$4M players to move. It's mostly kids or long contract vets. The higher contract players are ones they will not trade or nobody wants to take (Richards, to lesser extent Brown )

Nhlnumbers seems decent enough but cap gerk was still better.

With Chicago I'd be more interested in sharp than Bickell

As for the OP....

Buffalo will be near the contract limit if the deal us made now. It could just wait till the summer when buffalo drops a few contracts.

What buffalo actually needs are ELC contract Dmen fir next year Only McCabe andone other player ( blanking in his name--Zads teammate) are on ELCs. I don't see their other two D prospects in Florentino and Martin coming till 16/17.

Next year with forwards they could have enough competition if Fasching and Compher turn pro.

 

[dotcommunism]

27 under contract for next year.

The following could, in theory, slide next year:
Reinhart
Ullmark
Baptiste (would be overage, so it's unlikely)
Bailey


Right now, we're at 46 contracts.

Reinhart, Bailey, Baptiste, Dupuy and Ullmark are all sliding.

The only guy we might have to sign is Possler, everyone else from 2013 is NCAA (Hurley, Petersen, Florentino, Malone).


So contract-wise, we look to be in solid shape.

Reinhart is the only one of those players you list whose contract could slide next year. Neither Ullmark nor Dupuy have contracts that can slide this year. Bailey and Baptiste are not eligible for another slide year after this season. Carrier is another guy who could have his contract slide this season, but not next.

Anyway, as far as counting against the contract limit, it's not strictly based on contract sliding. A player also needs to be playing in Juniors (vs Europe, or the AHL like Carrier) to not count towards the 50 contract limit. Furthermore, it's possible for a player to not be eligible to have his ELC slide, but still be exempt from the contract limit, if I'm reading it correctly. (A player who signs his ELC as a 19 year old has his birthday between September 15 and December 31, he is not eligible to have his contract slide, although he could still be a 19 year old returned to Juniors who has played fewer than 11 NHL games, and still not count against the 50 contract limit).

Furthermore, Possler does not need to be signed this year. Under the current CBA (which was in effect when Possler was drafted), a team retains exclusive rights to players drafted out of Europe as 18 or 19 year olds for 4 years. So, the Sabres retain their exclusive rights to Possler through June of 2017.

 

[hattrick3518]

Nothing like undrafted overagers to build the franchise!