That Hall contract is Horrible. He is worth 5 mill max IMO

Recency bias is a hell of a drug, ain't it?

He doesn't need a 10% shooting percentage, but anything resembling a regression back to his typical numbers equals a bona-fide top six winger. Something within $6M is absolutely acceptable.

Zero chance Buf takes Neal contract. Better off taking a slightly smaller return then a useless player

I completely disagree. Who's signing in Buffalo beyond fringe NHL guys trying to make a career for themselves? Eichel's all but out. Reinhart's all but out. They have an obligation to hit the cap ceiling next year and aren't going to be icing a competitive team. They're getting a strong haul here: Broberg is an asset now and next year's draft was already supposed to be one of the strongest since the 2015 draft.

They'll absolutely take this deal. I'm giving too much.

They have enough dead weight, they aren’t taking more. I’m well aware who Broberg is, and he’s solid. Cap floor? They don’t need Neals terrible contract to hit that. Why do they have an “obligation to hit the cap ceiling” that doesn’t make sense. Imo you are having Broberg in place to take Neal. Then a 2&3 for an extended Hall. Like I said, rather Buf get a 2/3 without taking Neal. He’s really bad.

Edmonton is not trading away Broberg for that! He could become a legit top 2 d. Edmonton gets fleeced in this one

Who is really bad? Hall or Neal?

1000000% It is a gross overpay right now.

I guess either. If I’m Buffalo I’m not taking any bad contracts period, past this year.

If I am Buffalo that is exactly what I am doing. take bad contracts and get as many picks as you can. Unless you want to go the UFA route again like last year.

It's becoming incredibly unlikely at this point, and more importantly, it's not going to happen fast enough to matter. Edmonton needs to win now period. It also needs to sustain that winning over the next 5 years. If it can do that, Draisaitl and McDavid have more than enough incentive to stay.

Broberg is not guaranteed be a top-2 defender within 5 years: he's getting either another year in Sweden or a year in the AHL, will likely see Jones-esque treatment and not be a regular in the lineup the year after, and might emerge as a top-4 option by the third or fourth year into this thought experiment. He can either stagnate in his development at this point or find that extra gear, but we're already at that ever-so crucial 5th year.

What gives Edmonton the best opportunity to win the cup now, next year, and the following three years after that? Do we hang onto a piece slated for the bottom end of our roster over this period, or do we make a move to acquire one of the genuine top talents in the league, shed nearly $6M in ineffective cap, and use the resulting $4M next year to upgrade in net and thus guarantee long-term success of this roster?

I like Broberg, and I very much want to see him succeed, but keeping him at all costs makes little sense from the business aspect of "this team exists to win Stanley Cups, not playoff berths". Edmonton has a vast majority of the pieces it needs now to sustain a decade-plus of winning: now's the time to capitalize on it. There is no clearer path to a semifinal appearance than now. The Leafs are great, but shaky, and are going into these playoffs with an indescribable amount of pressure.

If I’m Buffalo, I’m trying to make the team better, not dive. If you are selling Eichel sure I totally get it. Another top pick this year and hopefully turns around. Not to a mention pick in the late 50s and 80s is hardly tantalizing and I feel you can get a better return for Hall if he’s extended without taking the bad contract. As I’ve thought about it more, perhaps this is something I would do, but initial look depends on if your going scorched earth or salvage some of the roster. Honestly, probably better to tear it all down, but it’s been too long and the fan in me wants a kind of quicker return to at least competing for a playoff spot

Sorry yes, Cap Floor thanks for correcting that. Brain moves too fast for my fingers sometimes.

Neal's contract - and I'm not sure if you're aware of this - only has two seasons left on it after the conclusion of this year. He's not going to immediately block any of the Buffalo prospects and lacks a NMC. He can be stuck in Rochester if Adams desires. Neal could be bought out if ultimately desired, and his dead cap still expires by the time the wave of fresh ELCs are due to require paydays.

Buffalo doesn't get a better deal than this, even if Neal isn't what he used to be: they get the picks they wanted for Hall, a live body for next season, and a top defensive prospect to play in behind Dahlin in a season or two. I'm absolutely baffled as to why a team destined to be a basement team for the next 3 years wouldn't make a deal to bolster the group it has coming up. Do you lack clarity regarding the Sabres' short- and long-term futures?

And I'll be fair given the context of this reply: I operate almost exclusively under the assumption that the Sabres' only option is a total teardown. You build around Cozens and Dahlin and don't look back. The Sabres lack too many of the complimentary pieces to have anything resembling a competitive roster over the next couple seasons.

If Eichel - for what can only be described as insanity - opts to give Adams time to turn this around, then yeah this deal makes a bit less sense unless Edmonton retains like $2M.

As for your last point, tbf you really don’t know much about the Sabres org or you would know that the last thing they need would be more LHD in the system or defense for that matter. What they truly lack and have for 5+ years is scoring. They have Dahlin, Samuelson, Johnson, Laaksonen, with a couple more as well as Bryson and Borgen already playing. I guess if it’s me, and there’s a forward prospect similar to Broberg it would be more appealing. Perhaps that’s what I was initially ehh about it.

People say that every year and it’s false. Buffalo always gets free agents.

Certainly a number 1 pick is not going to help your team next year. Look at Laf on the Rangers. It will take a few years and the 2nd and 3rd round picks will be 3-5 years. No way possible are you going to turn around this team in the next 3 years. You are looking at 5 years PERIOD

Not every year is as disastrously bad as this year. The Sabres are in a reality where they're also looking at losing every key piece their roster has on it today. What's the incentive to play for this team beyond trying to make a name for yourself as a depth name?

The only players that will be coming to Buffalo's training camp next season are players under contract that haven't been moved, the fringe guys trying to show they can hack it in this league, acquired cap dumps, and players that completely bombed this season and want a second chance. That's it. They're completely without direction. The Pegulas don't appear interested in addressing anything to make it better. Why would you play in Buffalo, lose the vast majority of your games, and possibly risk it being the last stop on your career?

That’s certainly possible. It’s also possible that it’s not five years as that’s a long time. Col finished worse then Buf is trending now then made the playoffs the next year. Eichel healthy, another year of Cozens and Dahlin development, w/ supporting pieces in Joki and mitts/asplund finally looking like NHL players and they aren’t a dead last team. Honestly, Krueger killed and stifled so many players it was ridiculous.

They are really not a bad team at all. Injuries killed them. If Ullmark stayed healthy they would have a season like the Rangers right now. The worst thing they can do is overreact over this season and completely blow the team up, which they won’t because Adams has already said that they aren’t rebuilding.

Every name beyond Dahlin that you just listed is currently a tier behind Broberg.

I may not have an intimate understanding of the Sabres' system, but as a fan of one of those infinibuild teams I've been able to verse myself on the league's prospects as a whole. I'm very comfortable recognizing that Broberg would be the second best LHD in the Sabres' long-term plans in this thought experiment.

That Avalanche season whas anomalous; they already had a playoff-calibre team that year but ran into some incredibly poor luck and injury troubles. Look at some of the trades Sakic made from that roster to the one he has today. They were a good team that drafted well and won some very important trades.

Comparing them to the Sabres is intellectually dishonest and borderline ridiculous. The Sabres haven't been good in effectively a decade. They don't draft well at all. The haven't won a trade in recent memory.

Yeah idk about that. You might want to read up on Johnson and Samuelson a little more. And like I said, if it was a forward prospect that would make more sense for Buf to even out their prospect pool

Great, but look at what the Sabres are returning to next year given the context of "what could have been" this year. The supporting cast behind Eichel remains virtually nonexistent. This was supposed to be the year they actually fought for a playoff spot, because it sure as hell wasn't happening once the divisions went back to normal.

The Sabres, ignoring for injuries, are not competing with the likes of the Bruins, Canadiens, Leafs, Lightning, or Panthers. The Senators are catching up blisteringly quick. How long is that roster expected to remain in Limbo until the Bruins or Lightning age out?

I have. Johnson was overdrafted and isn't even a lock to sign with the Sabres once he's done in college. Sammuelsson is an NHL option absolutely, but is already lagging behind Broberg in terms of skillset and ceiling. Broberg matched Sammy's numbers in a substantially harder league, played more minutes, and has performed better than Mattias at every level.