Impressive.

Sabres aren't giving Ottawa free cap

Yeah, i don't really care. Maybe it's another team out of division, maybe the pick is higher. Not that hung up on it.

Cap is 82.5 mill, so youre 1 mill over cap, zaitsev is another 3.5 after 1 mill retention so your 4.5 over cap. No team is taking him for free, so it kinda breaks the entire roster

It’s a pretty marginal deal. I chose BUF because they’re lowest on the cap rn. Maybe the pick going your way is higher, It also doesn’t have to be BUF, the point is dumping Zaitsev even with some retention.

You’re taking back Armia if you want to dump white on us

Oooof as much as I like Fiala, at 8.2 I think the sens would be better off taking a stab at signing Giroux or trading for Eberle/Nyquist as a stop gap 2nd liner and drafting one of Nazar, Kemmel, Lambert.

I sent him to MTL because there was apparently interest in him from MTL this year.

This ACGM is for 2023-24, where the cap will be $83,500,000

It will also be last Zaitsev year so with 1 M$, a small dump.

I read the title not the team year, my bad, but even then, less incentive for Buffalo to be involved

Zaitsev at 3.5 AAV for 1 year isn't crippling whatsoever but will the Sabres even have a need for a bottom pairing RD who can fill fill Top-4 RD in case of injury?

Zaitsev at 50% of his AAV and playing 3rd pairing minutes would have a much better "reputation" than he has now. He has been over-used the last few years. He was decent last season but pretty bad this season in general.

I don't know, Sabres are still rebuilding, he could be a 1 year gap. Could also find a cheaper veteran on the UFA market too.

The Sabres are at the same level as Ottawa, if Ottawa cant use him, I dont know why the Sabres would. Especially by next year I would assume they had already picked up a couple of RD, whether they resign Pysyk or pick up someone esle in free agency, they then have Fitzgerald as their 7th dman, and will probably take someone like Casey in the draft

That these 2 teams are at the same level or not, it doesn't change the question here.

Will Buffalo need a veteran RD for the 2023-24 season?

Like Ottawa needed Nick Holden this season, or maybe Travis Hamonic next season. You need stop gaps while you rebuild so you don't rush your young players and bring them in progressively (one of the very few things Ottawa has done correctly)

Sorry I worded it weird, I would assume Pysyk and Fitzgerald would be the stop gap. Dahlin - Jokiharju - Pysyk (or UFA) - Fitzgerald, and they would be signing them this year, so by next year i dont think theyll need anyone