How Id do it from an outsider perspective

Forums/Armchair-GM

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Created by: Tyler_A10

Team: 2021-22 Buffalo Sabres

Initial Creation Date: May 7, 2021

Published: May 7, 2021

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

Description

Okay, for starters, I am not a Sabres fan, but I've been looking into this team recently and wanna give this a try. The big thing I think this team needs to go back to next year is Skinner on the first line with Eichel and Reinhart, just like he was when he had 40 goals (32 of them coming at even strength). The money was too much at the time and it looks even worse now, but Skinner didn't simply have a physical decline, he just didn't get the top line opportunity anymore. I think he can still hit at least 30 goals if you play him back with that star duo. The Sabres overpaid for complimentary scoring and then immediately took away the linemates that made said complimentary player great. Put him back in a role that fits his skillset and then see if he sucks. You can't simply give up on him right now, he's making too much against the cap to do so, you have to try everything to have a productive player in skinner. As for other things, I did a draft lottery simulation to try and represent who I think Buffalo can take. In this sim, Buffalo got pick 2 and Seattle moved up to #1. Seattle took Power and I took Brandt Clarke, who I see as a future top pair caliber offensive defenseman. Whether you plan to play him with or without Dahlin long term, having those guys in your top 4 is scary.
Seattle Protections:
Eichel
Olofsson
Mittlestadt
Reinhart
Thompson
Asplund
Bjork
(Skinner waives)
Dahlin
Graves
Joki
Ullmark
I am open to all criticism from Sabres fans, did I pay any of the RFAs/Ullmark too much or too little for what they'd ask for. Is the colorado deal fair and how would you change it. Is Jack Quinn ready to enter the lineup and which UFAs fit what this team needs.

Free Agent Signings

RFA	YEARS	CAP HIT
Reinhart, Sam	4	$7,000,000
Mittelstadt, Casey	3	$2,750,000
Dahlin, Rasmus	4	$4,500,000
Jokiharju, Henri	3	$2,500,000
Asplund, Rasmus	3	$1,350,000
Borgen, William	2	$850,000

UFA	YEARS	CAP HIT
Ullmark, Linus	3	$3,750,000
Brassard, Derick	1	$1,250,000
McCabe, Jake	2	$3,500,000

CREATED		YEARS	CAP HIT
Clarke, Brandt		3	$925,000

Trades

BUF

Graves, Ryan

Additional Details:

Avalanche get pick for player they wouldve lost in expansion draft, instead of giving up a pick to keep him, they get a pick as well as getting Risto, plus this gives the Avs a D core of
Toews-Makar
Girard-Timmins
Byram-Risto
This deal makes sense even if Risto is the player taken from Colorado by Seattle

COL

Ristolainen, Rasmus
2022 3rd round pick (BUF)

BUF

SEA

Eakin, Cody

Buyouts

Cody Hodgson: $791,667
Christian Ehrhoff: $0

Draft	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Round 7
2021
2022
2023

ROSTER

LONG-TERM OUTLOOK

EMBED

TEXT-EMBED

ROSTER SIZE	SALARY CAP	CAP HIT	OVERAGES	BONUSES	CAP SPACE
24	$81,500,000	$73,901,416	$113,916	$1,015,000	$7,598,584

Left Wing	Centre	Right Wing
Skinner, Jeff $9,000,000$9,000,000 LW, RW NMC UFA - 6	Eichel, Jack $10,000,000$10,000,000 C UFA - 5	Reinhart, Sam $7,000,000$7,000,000 RW UFA - 3
Olofsson, Victor $3,050,000$3,050,000 RW, LW UFA - 1	Mittelstadt, Casey $2,750,000$2,750,000 LW, C RFA - 3	Thompson, Tage $1,400,000$1,400,000 C UFA - 2
Asplund, Rasmus $1,350,000$1,350,000 LW, C RFA - 2	Cozens, Dylan $894,167$894,167 ($850,000$850K) C, LW UFA - 2	Bjork, Anders $1,600,000$1,600,000 LW, RW UFA - 2
	Ruotsalainen, Arttu $925,000$925,000 C, LW RFA - 1	Okposo, Kyle $6,000,000$6,000,000 RW M-NTC UFA - 2
Brassard, Derick $1,250,000$1,250,000 C, LW UFA - 1

Left Defense	Right Defense	Goaltender
Dahlin, Rasmus $4,500,000$4,500,000 LD/RD UFA - 3	Jokiharju, Henri $2,500,000$2,500,000 RD RFA - 3	Ullmark, Linus $3,750,000$3,750,000 G UFA - 4
Graves, Ryan $3,166,667$3,166,667 LD UFA - 2	Clarke, Brandt $925,000$925,000	Luukkonen, Ukko-Pekka $778,333$778,333 ($82,500$82K) G RFA - 1
	Miller, Colin $3,875,000$3,875,000 RD UFA - 1
McCabe, Jake $3,500,000$3,500,000 LD/RD UFA - 4

Scratches	Injured Reserve (IR)	Long Term IR (LTIR)
Weissbach, Linus $842,500$842,500 ($82,500$82K) LW, RW UFA - 2
Girgensons, Zemgus $2,200,000$2,200,000 LW, C UFA - 2
Borgen, William $850,000$850,000 RD UFA - 2
Bryson, Jacob $889,166$889,166 LD/RD RFA - 1

Taxi Squad
Tokarski, Dustin $725,000$725,000 ($0$0$0$0) G UFA - 1

May 7, 2021 at 5:43 p.m.

Leafs_and_Sens_Fan

Joined: Jan. 2020

Posts: 8,370

Likes: 2,275

Buffalo fans would be cheering on the streets if Seattle took Eakin's contract off the books. As Seattle I'd take Colin Miller.

I think Colorado can get more than that for Graves. Buffalo would probably have to retain 50% on Ristolainen or make the pick a 2nd to make them interested.

Some of these contracts are extremely team friendly. As Reinhart I'd go to QO get 6-7Mx1 from arb and become a free agent. Dahlin probably signs a 2 year deal to prove himself or Buffalo pays extra and pays a premium for extra years expecting Dahlin to improve.

Ullmark will be prized in UFA. I think Buffalo will need to give him more money.

Everything else looks pretty fair.

Tyler_A10 liked this.

May 7, 2021 at 5:44 p.m.

kclar

Joined: Jul. 2019

Posts: 497

Likes: 204

Not bad all around. Probably a bit too much for Mittlestadt but not a lot. Not sure on trade value there & Eakin seems like it will end in a buyout or they'll have to pay Seattle to take him

BuFfaLOFaN liked this.

May 7, 2021 at 5:58 p.m.

Tjm220

Sabres fan

Joined: Jul. 2020

Posts: 5,021

Likes: 3,101

A valiant effort from an outsiders perspective. The Graves trade is not a bad one, you have an extra roster player than is generally needed. I’m not sure any of the top picks in this draft are NHL ready right now, so if they did draft Clarke he probably does not make the team right away. He is definitely an option, although I would prefer Guenther or Beniers. I have every doubt that Seattle wants anything to do with Cody Eakin without being paid to take him. It is the general expectation that they would take Colin Miller, and most Sabres fans would be perfectly happy with that.

The third line of Mittelstadt, Thompson, and Apslund should stay together. Routsalainen is playing well as a winger, and Cozens would not be dropped out of the top six.

BuFfaLOFaN liked this.

May 7, 2021 at 6:03 p.m.

coga16

Joined: Jun. 2015

Posts: 20,030

Likes: 12,187

Avs can not take on cap so they decline

And the logic of avs don’t want to lose him for nothing is wrong. So now they expose Risto and lose him and have the same problem or Seattle takes donskoi and now are stuck with Risto higher cap hit

Avs have to lose a good player no matter what, so they will just let Seattle take their guy and move on, no point being cute with it

TJTwolf and JeffW liked this.

May 7, 2021 at 6:09 p.m.

TJTwolf

Joined: Jan. 2017

Posts: 9,693

Likes: 4,617

Avs decline easily. Anything less than a 2nd isn't going to move the meter. Pretty sure they're going to be content to just lose a good player in the draft and leave it at that. If we're saying Ristolainen instead of Graves then they want more than a third if that's all they're left with as they could trade him easily for a second straight up. Assuming EJ is back after this season then Risto isn't needed if he stays and adds into a log jam on D. In addition cap. You're retaining 50% to move Risto to the Avs (assuming Joe didn't just hang up) as they simply don't have the cap space. So on the trade you did terribly I'm afraid.

May 7, 2021 at 6:22 p.m.

BuFfaLOFaN

Joined: Jul. 2019

Posts: 9,507

Likes: 6,514

Quoting: Leafs_and_Sens_Fan

As a buffalo fan I'd like to say your pretty dead on, but I'd give them both Eakin and Miller as I don't want either of them.

Graves would be a great pickup, weirdly enough he's the perfect pair for the guy we traded for him, Risto. I'd be willing to trade picks for Graves of they needed to move him for cap.

Minimum contract for me would be the Werenski McAvoy deal 3x5. Which is probably the perfect deal, then you get Joker on the exact same term x 3 and pair them on the top pair for the next 3 years.

Ullmark might like buffalo if so this is fair, if not he's the best Goalie on the free market so...

Tyler_A10 liked this.

May 7, 2021 at 6:26 p.m.

BuFfaLOFaN

Joined: Jul. 2019

Posts: 9,507

Likes: 6,514

Quoting: Tjm220

Cozens shod be the 2C but I agree completely with all that u said above

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