This would be the second consecutive season we will have lost our second best player. That worked out so well for us last season. And let's say we let Jeff go over him wanting (just picking a number that he probably won't get) $9 million a year. Please tell me who we can realistically get in RFA for that money that would even equal the value of Jeff as a player (and we won't even consider if those guys would have any interest in coming here)?
Duchene?
Different position, but same style in terms of size skating combo.
I chuckled at the idea that it would be a "mistake" to sign Andres Lee (which is a complete fantasy because there is zero chance he leaves the island unless Lou does something incredibly stupid) when his bread and butter is getting in front of the net, which as you may be aware is something our team lacks the way Dracula lacks a suntan.
If they sign Duchene, all of the talk about O'Reilly's attitude and aging out becomes the clear cut bull**** that it looked like at the time.
Okposo was literally an all star before suffering a freak injury that nearly killed him and wrecked his career. That doesn't happen he would still be a valuable player.Right - but every player has a point where the potential cap hit vs what they bring becomes too much. Or when the contract length vs what that player projects to being towards the end of said contract is too long.
Can't believe some people still don't grasp this... Proba ly the same people who were happy with the Okposo signing initially - and yes there were plenty here who were.
Sabres aren't signing Duchene....
I don't think we'll get him, but if it comes out we offered him 8.5-9 million or something I'm going to blow a gasket tbhReputable hockey media have said there is interest there. Never say never.
Ottawa and the word money..... nope not ringing a bellMoney talks
Yep, generally viewed as mutually exclusive until Melnyk is gone...Ottawa and the word money..... nope not ringing a bell
Yep, generally viewed as mutually exclusive until Melnyk is gone...
If Skinner walks, it will be for the money. And if I'm the Sabres I wouldn't pay it unless he can also talk and chew gum at the same time.
I politely disagree. His style of game just doesn't fit the way the game is played today. He thrived in a slower league. That's not to say the injury didn't change his game. I do think he plays/reacts a bit slower, and his hands and feet are not where they were pre-injury. But I believe we would've seen a similar decline, just maybe at a slightly slower rate.Okposo was literally an all star before suffering a freak injury that nearly killed him and wrecked his career. That doesn't happen he would still be a valuable player.
I agree with your assessments and opinions, but don't feel as though a buyout is required this offseason. There's enough other deadweight which needs to be replaced (Sobotka, Pominville) before Okposo is in the gunsights. Wilson can be sent down essentially free. There's room for Nylander, etc. If Okposo is getting 4th line minutes with Larsson / Girgs (or their replacements - but I believe both will be re-signed) and PP time, while Girgs / Larsson (or replacements) are getting PK time in addition to 4th line time, I don't see where youngsters would get reduced minutes / opportunity.I politely disagree. His style of game just doesn't fit the way the game is played today. He thrived in a slower league. That's not to say the injury didn't change his game. I do think he plays/reacts a bit slower, and his hands and feet are not where they were pre-injury. But I believe we would've seen a similar decline, just maybe at a slightly slower rate.
He's gone from a consistent 60 point guy, to a 30 point guy very quickly and a lot of that is PP production. I believe his play at even strength since he got here has been a major problem, and likely hurt ROR's ES production the last couple of years. But no matter what, he very likely was on his way out of having Top 6 skills/talent, by virtue of the normal declines that hit around 30 years old.
I waver back and forth on whether they should just buy him out this off-season and be done with it. I like the idea of a young, cheap and hungry player getting those 4th line minutes, while making us a quicker/less plodding team. He did manage 14 goals, but still seems inefficient with his ice time. I know we can do better, but is it worth that buy-out cap hit? I will give Phil credit, he actually used Okposo correctly by and large. If he stays on the 4th line, I'm cool with it. What I don't want is him blocking a guy like Nylander from getting PP minutes.
That's fair as well. Like I said, I'm torn and not sure how I would proceed if I were GM. Part of my motivation to buy him out would just be to get a different look as a team. We need to make some fairly wholesale changes to the Bottom 6 and get better players in there. There is certainly other dead-weight that needs to move out sooner. I'd move on from Sobotka by any means necessary and Girgs in a change of scenery trade or by simply cutting bait. We need less replacement level (or worse) players, which Okposo falls under, unfortunately. Depending on what happens with Skinner, I'd consider moving on from Sheary as well.I agree with your assessments and opinions, but don't feel as though a buyout is required this offseason. There's enough other deadweight which needs to be replaced (Sobotka, Pominville) before Okposo is in the gunsights. Wilson can be sent down essentially free. There's room for Nylander, etc. If Okposo is getting 4th line minutes with Larsson / Girgs (or their replacements - but I believe both will be re-signed) and PP time, while Girgs / Larsson (or replacements) are getting PK time in addition to 4th line time, I don't see where youngsters would get reduced minutes / opportunity.
Ask me again in 10 weeks, but if things don't change, I'd hang onto Okposo until expansion draft or the CBA expiration with it's expected new/additional compliance buyouts.
Okposo was literally an all star before suffering a freak injury that nearly killed him and wrecked his career. That doesn't happen he would still be a valuable player.
Ok that made me laugh lolOttawa and the word money..... nope not ringing a bell
Firstly you can't compare the ROR / Skinner situations.
It's a not so thinly veiled attack on the idea that we should let a 40 goal scorer walk over money when we barely have any NHL quality forwards and getting anything coming anywhere close to the value of Skinner in UFA or trade is pretty much a fantasy. You are standing on a trap door to a pit filled with alligators and if you answer the question wrong it opens and you fall in: would not having Jeff on our team make our team considerably worse? And for everyone droning on about contracts the Okposo albatross will be disappeared before the 20-21 season with an amnesty that is guaranteed to be in a new CBA because it's literally the one thing both sides are in complete agreement on.Injury didn't help but it was always a bad contrast from the second it was handed out.
I didn't want to make this about Okposo - you could substitute in just about any other recently signed big name UFA.
But if you think players are worth whatever some stupid gm is willing to pay in a cap era then go right ahead & believe that because you're wrong.
Sadly I get the feeling you are fully aware of this but your initial post was just another thinly veiled attack on Botterill.
Trade the low 1st to the Pens for Kessel (with $1m retained). 3 years remaining on his contract is perfect and his salary would be less than any other UFA that can score 25 goals.What should the Sabres backup plan be in the event that Jeff Skinner doesn’t sign an extension?
It's a not so thinly veiled attack on the idea that we should let a 40 goal scorer walk over money when we barely have any NHL quality forwards and getting anything coming anywhere close to the value of Skinner in UFA or trade is pretty much a fantasy. You are standing on a trap door to a pit filled with alligators and if you answer the question wrong it opens and you fall in: would not having Jeff on our team make our team considerably worse? And for everyone droning on about contracts the Okposo albatross will be disappeared before the 20-21 season with an amnesty that is guaranteed to be in a new CBA because it's literally the one thing both sides are in complete agreement on.