I think in all honesty we bring in a defenceman better than Bogosian and McCabe this off season.

Risto, Player X. Then it's up to him to decide 1 of 3 things.

Does he
A. Leave Bogosian open to being taken because he realizes that cap with that many years left isn't benefiting the team.
B. Keep Bogosian and trade McCabe for whatever he can get so he doesn't lose him for nothing.
C. Offer to Vegas a deal where they don't take either if we give you a certain package of picks/players.

I also don't think Murray would lose Ennis for nothing either.
- bluengold12

I expect him to be gone before the expansions draft. Just my thoughts.

Sabres need to expose 25% of their salary to the expansion draft. That might be the hardest part of getting this thing going, especially if we go for a big free agent or two. Moulson would be an easy 5M but you might want to give a few lower guys big 1-2 year contracts to expose. Give your 3rd or 4th liners 3M each for a year and expose all 3 and you have 9M in exposed money. Just an example.

If we don't have to protect Eichel & Reinhart, I can't see any way that Ennis doesn't get protected

O'Reilly, Kane, Ennis, Girgensons
And that's only if we protect 4 forwards & 4 defensemen
If we protect 7 forwards then idk what forwards we'd even have that a team might scoop up... Deslauriers? Schaller? Carrier?
- jdfitz77

Plus it means Fasching doesn't require a protected spot too.

Why would he be?
If the draft is after next season, Ullmark doesn't need protection
And we prob wouldn't have to worry about Ullmark being taken anyways...
Goalies like Subban, Fucale, and quite a few others I can think of would be taken way ahead of Ullmark
- jdfitz77

would they get to protect another skater if they don't protect lehner?

seattle is not ready


that leaves vegas, portland, kansas city, oklahoma city, houston and quebec on short list


who goes to the west if they go vegas and quebec?
- homiedclown

That could be a big reason that Quebec will get a relocated team
Also, $500mil for a new Canadian team is a crazy amount of $$$ the way the dollar is up there
Hopefully one of those western cities u mention can get their poop together quickly
It's prob better for the NHL to bring 2 teams in at once

I expect him to be gone before the expansions draft. Just my thoughts.

Sabres need to expose 25% of their salary to the expansion draft. That might be the hardest part of getting this thing going, especially if we go for a big free agent or two. Moulson would be an easy 5M but you might want to give a few lower guys big 1-2 year contracts to expose. Give your 3rd or 4th liners 3M each for a year and expose all 3 and you have 9M in exposed money. Just an example.
- Zschalberg

Moulson, Larsson, Bogosian (If he's no movement and we add better players on defense this off season)

If we don't have to protect Eichel & Reinhart, I can't see any way that Ennis doesn't get protected

O'Reilly, Kane, Ennis, Girgensons
And that's only if we protect 4 forwards & 4 defensemen
If we protect 7 forwards then idk what forwards we'd even have that a team might scoop up... Deslauriers? Schaller? Carrier?
- jdfitz77

Might need to be unprotected since he has a big contract. Gotta get under that 25%. If we have ~60M we'll need to expose 15M. Hard to get to that with guys who only make 2 each.

seattle is not ready


that leaves vegas, portland, kansas city, oklahoma city, houston and quebec on short list


who goes to the west if they go vegas and quebec?
- homiedclown

Move Detroit back...screw em.

They'll probably do something dumber though and move a west team east if Quebec gets a team (Columbos or Nashville are "close"), making it 18/14.

That could be a big reason that Quebec will get a relocated team
Also, $500mil for a new Canadian team is a crazy amount of $$$ the way the dollar is up there
Hopefully one of those western cities u mention can get their poop together quickly
It's prob better for the NHL to bring 2 teams in at once
- jdfitz77

I agree 32 teams makes more sense than 31. But I don't like it for the sake of having to lose two players. Unless those two players are Moulson and someone like him...

I'd much rather they relocate someone like Florida, Arizona or Carolina

would they get to protect another skater if they don't protect lehner?
- homiedclown

Nope
The 2 options are:

7f/3d/1g
Or
Any 8 skaters, & 1g

would they get to protect another skater if they don't protect lehner?
- homiedclown

Everything has said 7F 3D or 8 of any non-goalie

I agree 32 teams makes more sense than 31. But I don't like it for the sake of having to lose two players. Unless those two players are Moulson and someone like him...

I'd much rather they relocate someone like Florida, Arizona or Carolina
- bluengold12

32 is going to happen
Just a matter of when
There's no way the owners would stick with 31 & lose out on the $500mil they'd split up from a 32nd team

Move Detroit back...screw em.

They'll probably do something dumber though and move a west team east if Quebec gets a team (Columbos or Nashville are "close"), making it 18/14.
- stashu

that may be your best post ever

Moulson, Larsson, Bogosian (If he's no movement and we add better players on defense this off season)
- bluengold12

If Bogo can't/won't it could make it harder. Let's just get this show on the road and do it this season

that may be your best post ever
- homiedclown

I plagiarized your Denzel last night

I agree 32 teams makes more sense than 31. But I don't like it for the sake of having to lose two players. Unless those two players are Moulson and someone like him...

I'd much rather they relocate someone like Florida, Arizona or Carolina
- bluengold12

Can we trade with Vegas to get them to take Moulson?

If Bogo can't/won't it could make it harder. Let's just get this show on the road and do it this season


- Zschalberg[/img]

Need a full league year.

Might need to be unprotected since he has a big contract. Gotta get under that 25%. If we have ~60M we'll need to expose 15M. Hard to get to that with guys who only make 2 each.
- Zschalberg

Shouldn't actually be all that hard...
Moulson & Gorges account for over half of that 15mil
Then you've got 6 other forwards, 3 other defensemen, a goalie, and a bunch of Rochester guys that are all like 1mil each

If Bogo can't/won't it could make it harder. Let's just get this show on the road and do it this season


- Zschalberg

101 weeks til the new predator movie

I plagiarized your Denzel last night
- stashu

boom
I drank the vodka

or my man



I miss that guy

Shouldn't actually be all that hard...
Moulson & Gorges account for over half of that 15mil
Then you've got 6 other forwards, 3 other defensemen, a goalie, and a bunch of Rochester guys that are all like 1mil each
- jdfitz77

Didn't even think of Gorges. Good call. Thing that would make it harder is if we got some guy that happened to raise our salary by something like 12M or something like that.

if the draft is next summer, and the sabres are a bottom 8 team, we may have a different GM protected our assets though
- homiedclown

Good point. The team has improved greatly from last season.

Need a full league year.
- bluengold12

I just wanted to use the predator pic lol.

Can we trade with Vegas to get them to take Moulson?
- Zschalberg

There hasn't been a decision yet on whether or not teams will be allowed to make side deals or not

An expansion team could potentially take Moulson from us & we could agree to throw in draft picks which would be valuable to them...
They could value extra picks more than say taking Pysyk or Foligno from us

Didn't even think of Gorges. Good call. Thing that would make it harder is if we got some guy that happened to raise our salary by something like 12M or something like that.
- Zschalberg

sabres get lindholm and yandle


due to restrictions, and guaranteed contracts they have to expose 2 of these guys


risto, yandle, lindholm



that's enough to make me sick

Good point. The team has improved greatly from last season.
- cabin

yeah and if they take a step back, someone with glasses is on the hot seat IMO