Buff is likely on a re-build & AR is NOT in the plan.
Have to do picks/prospects...

Underpay for all

They shed salary and get a guy who brings intensity and a veteran presence. Miller hasn't worked out. Both are only have a yr left. No one is giving picks or prospects for Miller.

I used Barzal as a comparable for Petey. As far as Haula and Coleman go you might be right. There is still 3 mil in cap space to sign them.

Leafs aren't doing that

Pelech is gonna get more - both in terms of trade value and contract value.

How much do you think?

I would rather let Miller go to Seattle than take on Roussel, especially considering we have to lose somebody to them. I would rather it be someone I don’t care about.

Nyi won't move Pelech for anything short of massive over pay.
4th is good value for Holl but he is overrated, Muzzin makes him look good. Keep the 4th and sign a UFA

I don't think Seattle will be too interested either given his cap hit and his level of play. This is just a lateral move by both teams. Canucks take the bigger salary to try and fill an organizational need. And it kind is a good fit for Buffalo too given how young their roster is likely to be.

After letting Toews go for not much of a return would imagine it’d take an overpay - nhl level dman, high level prospect and a first. Not saying he’s worth that or I would pay that but think bc of what happened last season they’ll be super cautious.

He is a stud. The problem for them is they are in just as bad a cap situation as last yr. It may come down to them having to deal players they like for less than they want.

As far as return they can't take salary back. It basically has to be entry level, prospects or picks.

What got them into trouble? I don’t follow them super closely and haven’t done an AGM on them before but on the surface it doesn’t seem like they have any truly bad contracts outside of Ladd which I would think is LTIR? What am I missing?

Ladd is buried hes not LTIR because hes not injured. Boychuk is another one. But ya it is kind of weird when you look at their lineup they just kind of have a few too many big deals.

The expectation is that Seattle is very comfortable taking Colin Miller, and buffalo will incentivize them doing so if necessary to protect their young forwards. Your opinion is certainly in the minority.

Well its pure speculation. I don't think Buffalo would waste an asset trying to ensure Seattle take MIller. They may take him but they may take any number of garbage players, none of which is a loss to Buffalo.

I think you and I have a different definition of what constitutes a garbage player. The list of players I wouldn’t mind losing to Seattle for nothing isn’t as long as yours I’m sure. I’d be thrilled if they took Okposo or Eakin, and I’d be fine with them taking Miller. It would upset me to lose useful players like Apslund, Thompson, Bjork, Borgen, Mittelstadt, or Girgensons. I don’t see any reason why they would select one of the pending UFAs like McCabe, Ullmark, Reider, or Sheahan when they can just be the highest bidder a week later.

Due respect none of those players really move the needle a great deal. I haven't gone through the protected list but could they not protect some of those players? Pretty sure they can protect Thompson, Middlestadt.

Why would Seattle take Okposo? Also why would Buffalo give up assets to shed salary? the cap is not an issue for them.

Not sure how the UFA thing works. But ya I don't think Seattle would select anyone who was an upcoming UFA.

Then you're not getting him.
Buff doesn't need to clean-up Jim B's messes

The UFA thing is simple. In the days before the expansion draft Seattle gets negotiating rates with all pending UFAs ahead of free agency, but if they sign one of them that player counts as the player they select in the expansion draft from his former team.

Naturally one or two of the players I mentioned guys I wouldn’t want to lose can be protected, but the rest won’t. Mittelstadt, Thompson, and Apslund formed an exceptionally effective third line, and one of the Buffalo’s most consistent units last season. Each guy had almost 10 goals, in Mittelstadt’s case more than 10. Having played only 2/3 of a full season those numbers work out to 15 or so goals in a full season, better than acceptable numbers for a third line unit.

Nobody expects Seattle to even consider taking Cody Eakin or Okposo without being bribed to do so. That’s why it would be such a thrill if they actually did. Girgensons is a significantly better player than both of them, but coming off of the significant injury that he is I doubt Seattle would take the risk on him when they can have a perfectly capable second or third pairing defender in Colin Miller instead. I expect they might want Borgen, and I would consider protecting him over Risto and possibly trading Risto away before the expansion draft.

Miller has been an abject failure by all accounts. Why are you so attached to him?

I'm not attached.
You're missing the point.
The point is: BUFF Needs a Re-build and in fact neither player is wanted...

However, if VAN wants CM that's great you can have him 100% BUT the return is along the lines of PICK(S) &/or PROSPECT(S) &/or a YOUNG B-RATED NHLer or the phone does not get answered...

I think as a fan you are right but as a GM who has to build a team and respect spending it could actually be a good move. Buffalo fans will love Roussel. Moving a bad contract for a less bad contract isn't a bad move.

Course it has some benefits.

But BUFF like VAN is @ >50yrs of futility and in BUFF town they are a raging-dumpster-fire; VAN not so much.

Roussel add is like moving the deck-chairs on the Titanic - the good ship BUFFALO is still going down.

Add to that, the BILLS have started a new era of relevance and the SABRES better know they MUST start the re-build w/ no delay.

So, make it a 3rd/4th rounder for CM & then you can package AR to a top-ten playoff team that needs a playoff mucker (COL, TML, PIT, FLA...)

The point is just that Miller isn't worth much. He has been not great for 2 yrs. Was never that good to begin with but not many teams would even want him, let alone give up a draft pick.