Meh on that return for vegas

I'm not moving risto for a rental

Understood - but for a team that is $7.5M over the cap, shedding these two AND more will be necessary. Unless the Knights plan to send prospects/picks to other teams to take Reaves or Eakins off their hands, they have to be looking at dumping cap without any money coming back.

Truth is, as a Sabres fan, I'm more interested in Haula than I am in Miller. Miller seems an upgrade over Ristolainen but isn't the ideal 1st pairing partner they need for Dahlin.

Toffoli is the same age as Skinner, is also from the Toronto area and one of 13 players in the league to be as good in generating scoring chances for as he is in preventing scoring chances against. He'll help the 5x5 play, give Eichel a RW similar to Reinhart to boost the 1st line while Reinhart anchors the 2nd line and he adds much-needed leadership and experience from a championship-winner. I'd rate the odds high that he could have a bounce-back season and thrive with Eichel, Krueger and a team close to home in better market than southern California.....and that he'd want to re-sign. I don't think he'll explode offensively like Skinner did but if he contributes 25+ goals, 65-70+ points, that would be a boost and maybe lead to a new contract in the $6-7M range.

Ristolainen has proven what he is......he's not on a rollercoaster where he may magically improve next season into what everyone hoped he'd be. The longer the Sabres hold onto him, the lower his market value becomes as he gets older and his term shrinks. You may think Toffoli is a rental with an expiring contract but that also works in any team's favor if they go for him in that they would be buying low after an off-year. Ristolainen is a diminishing asset they need to cut bait on....and teams seem to be hesitating now on taking him on because they see him as what he is. My hope is that some GM like Benning, Waddell, Fletcher or Blake (remember, he chose Kovalchuk as his first UFA last year) are gullible enough to take Risto.

Okay, and we did not move a player as valuable as Risto to get Skinner, we literally gave Pu. Toffoli is no where near the player of Skinner. I repeat, Im not moving Risto for a rental.