Pu is a RW.

Centers w/ likely 3C potential in our system:
Asplund
E-Rod
Davidsson (2nd rder last year)
Oglevie (from college)
Estephan
Connor Hurley

Defensemen w/ likely top 4 potential in our system:
Dahlin
Risto
Guhle
McCabe

MAYBE: Nelson, Fitzgerald, Borgen.

Trading ROR to just add more people to these two lists is the exact opposite of needs.
- JVince11

Who says they don't move any of those other defensemen out for forward help?

Ryan O'Reilly isn't the only trade they can make.

You're right, no need to be a Richard. Sorry if I took it too far, but you're saying there's no benefit to that extra 667k in cap space, but I'm still not sure what you think the added benefit of buying him out versus letting him pick any minor league city in NA to play hockey that will accept him.

I don't think a hockey player is gonna hear that Matt Moulson is bought out and say "That was nice of the Sabres to do," nor should the Sabres be expected to do it
- jcragcrumple

I don’t think they should at all be EXPECTED to do it

But i do think it’s a nice gesture
And players talk about this kind of stuff
U really think if Moulson gets a tryout somewhere it wouldn’t come up?
Not that they’d debate it like we are,
but just in passing it would be a positive comment about the Sabres that we gave him the chance to move on

Wouldn’t you appreciate it if u were in his shoes?

Not that it would be a determining factor
But u hear enough little things like this,
and they’re at least more likely to think we could be a place worth considering

If i thought the .67mil hit would hurt us at all, then i wouldn’t be for it

In all honesty, I would not be surprised to see if a team wanting to get to the cap floor trading for Moulson. If we pay his $1m bonus, he is then only owed $2m in salary, but would have a $5m cap hit. A team could see what he did with the Reign (49 gp, 18g 28a 46pts) and believe he could help their AHL team if he can't keep up in the NHL anymore.
Even if it is a trade for future considerations, it could happen.
A buyout could happen and would not hurt us in anyway. That would allow Moulson the opportunity for a PTO or a chance to sign on with a team like the Reign. Either way it would not hurt us at all. This isn't about owing anyone anything.

Who says they don't move any of those other defensemen out for forward help?

Ryan O'Reilly isn't the only trade they can make.
- Powerslave

I’d be ecstatic if we could somehow get a top10 pick to snag Wahlstrom
LW sniper
Pretty much exactly what we need

Just don’t know if ROR, or whoever, can get us in position to get him

I don’t think they should at all be EXPECTED to do it

But i do think it’s a nice gesture
And players talk about this kind of stuff
U really think if Moulson gets a tryout somewhere it wouldn’t come up?
Not that they’d debate it like we are,
but just in passing it would be a positive comment about the Sabres that we gave him the chance to move on

Wouldn’t you appreciate it if u were in his shoes?

Not that it would be a determining factor
But u hear enough little things like this,
and they’re at least more likely to think we could be a place worth considering

If i thought the .67mil hit would hurt us at all, then i wouldn’t be for it
- jdfitz77

I guess that's where we disagree because there is a 0% chance Moulson ever plays in the league imo. He's gonna be 35 in November. Any faster kid on a rookie minimum deal is a far superior option. He doesn't play PK, he's a boat anchor at 5-on-5 and he's too slow to get to the spots near the net where he used to score. The dude is completely done

In all honesty, I would not be surprised to see if a team wanting to get to the cap floor trading for Moulson. If we pay his $1m bonus, he is then only owed $2m in salary, but would have a $5m cap hit. A team could see what he did with the Reign (49 gp, 18g 28a 46pts) and believe he could help their AHL team if he can't keep up in the NHL anymore.
Even if it is a trade for future considerations, it could happen.
A buyout could happen and would not hurt us in anyway. That would allow Moulson the opportunity for a PTO or a chance to sign on with a team like the Reign. Either way it would not hurt us at all. This isn't about owing anyone anything.
- adambuffalo

We’d probably still have to throw someone a pick to take him off our hands

I’d still just buy him out or bury him

I guess that's where we disagree because there is a 0% chance Moulson ever plays in the league imo. He's gonna be 35 in November. Any faster kid on a rookie minimum deal is a far superior option. He doesn't play PK, he's a boat anchor at 5-on-5 and he's too slow to get to the spots near the net where he used to score. The dude is completely done
- jcragcrumple

I doubt he plays in the NHL again too
But i wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a PTO
Is there a GM that thinks he can play on line4 & be a PP specialist?
Idk... maybe?

Also...
we disagree that the .67mil Cap hit could come back to haunt us

For me, the big thing is that
I just don’t see any downside to giving him a shot
As slim as it might be

The Sabres paid for his housing for him and his family in California. But yes buy him out to save $235K it makes zero sense from a financial standpoint as well as the human side. Why drag it out longer?

He’s getting $175,000 every two weeks from the Sabres organization as it is.

He hasn’t said one bad thing about the Sabres to the media and from everything my employee has said to me he hasn’t said anything bad about the Sabres to any of the boys in Ontario. Which is funny since that’s where Petersen is playing.
- Stripes77

I love that people cannot believe that there is an issue in the locker room with ROR and eichel, but believe buying oit moulson will bring good will to the sabres by outsiders.

I doubt he plays in the NHL again too
But i wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a PTO
Is there a GM that thinks he can play on line4 & be a PP specialist?
Idk... maybe?

Also...
we disagree that the .67mil Cap hit could come back to haunt us

For me, the big thing is that
I just don’t see any downside to giving him a shot
As slim as it might be
- jdfitz77

He couldn't do that on a 31st place team

He couldn't do that on a 31st place team
- jcragcrumple

Fair
But u know GMs love reclamation projects

I just don’t see any downside to it,
bc i don’t think that Cap hit will hurt us

And although T Pegs has plenty of $$$
I do believe it saves him like half a mil

Erik Englels was just on NHL Network radio and he said be prepared for buffalo to be major players in the trade market this year.

Said Botterill is making the most noise of any Gm that he wants to make moves.

Said there is a connection between Pacioretty and Buffalo, and if not Paciaoretty they will get someone this year.

Fair
But u know GMs love reclamation projects

I just don’t see any downside to it,
bc i don’t think that Cap hit will hurt us

And although T Pegs has plenty of $$$
I do believe it saves him like half a mil
- jdfitz77

There's really no upside in this scenario for Moulson. He's sacrificing $667k in real earnings for a chance to maybe earn a 1 year, $650,000k contract. More likely, he's gonna be in the minors anyway. It just doesn't make any sense from anyone's perspective to me

There's really no upside in this scenario for Moulson. He's sacrificing $667k in real earnings for a chance to maybe earn a 1 year, $650,000k contract. More likely, he's gonna be in the minors anyway. It just doesn't make any sense from anyone's perspective to me
- jcragcrumple

For Moulson,
It wouldn’t be about the $$$
It would be about getting one more shot in the bigs
(Cue Jake Taylor speech from Major League)

We are obviously at an impass though...

Back to O’Reilly trade talk? 😂😂😂

The Moulson talk needs to stop please. Pretty obvious he has no spot on the team. We will pay his salary next year and be done with it.

Fair
But u know GMs love reclamation projects

I just don’t see any downside to it,
bc i don’t think that Cap hit will hurt us

And although T Pegs has plenty of $$$
I do believe it saves him like half a mil
- jdfitz77

They do?

Bury Matt Moulson in Rochester

Botts should trade Ror for scraps

Make Nelson captain

Trade Girgs and Larsson for Grubauer

They do?

Bury Matt Moulson in Rochester

Botts should trade Ror for scrapes.

Make Nelson captain

Trade Girgs and Larsson for Grubauer
- washedup20

Ok, good talk

For Moulson,
It wouldn’t be about the $$$
It would be about getting one more shot in the bigs
(Cue Jake Taylor speech from Major League)

We are obviously at an impass though...

Back to O’Reilly trade talk? 😂😂😂
- jdfitz77

He is as good as gone.

Trust me.

The only Moulson i like talking about is the Molson I am consuming on a Friday night.

Ok, good talk
- jdfitz77

he made a good point about Nelson though.. you gotta admit that

So does this apply to trading players?

Should the Sabres give into the next guy who demands a trade, because it looks good on them to other players, to give a player what he wants? Even if it doesn't help us?

Or is it just the minor things?

I think that they matter but shouldn’t be the determining factor
- arousedpanda

ROR says faceoffs are overrated

Erik Englels was just on NHL Network radio and he said be prepared for buffalo to be major players in the trade market this year.

Said Botterill is making the most noise of any Gm that he wants to make moves.

Said there is a connection between Pacioretty and Buffalo, and if not Paciaoretty they will get someone this year.
- ImThatGuy

Would be super dumb if we get him

So does this apply to trading players?

Should the Sabres give into the next guy who demands a trade, because it looks good on them to other players, to give a player what he wants? Even if it doesn't help us?

Or is it just the minor things?
- sbroads24

i think the biggest thing that would attract UFA players to buffalo would be a winning record.. fix that and it helps a lot

He is as good as gone.

Trust me.
- ImThatGuy

I didn’t think he would be,
but it is starting to sound that way

My dream scenario would be something like:

To Buffalo:
#7 pick- Wahlstrom (LW)
Goldobin- middle6 LW
Gaudette- bottom6 2way center

To Vancouver:
O’Reilly
-add whatever else needed

19-20 looks something like:
Wahlstrom-Eichel-Olofsson
Goldobin-Mittelstadt-Reinhart
Rodrigues-Asplund-Nylander
Bailey-Gaudette-Baptiste

Package Okposo + for a good RH defenseman

What if they’re really good next year and make moves and put them against the cap?

It’s not like they’ve never been up against the cap before which prevented some call ups.

It’s dumb to waste cap space on someone you can be done with after this coming season.
- Stripes77

Jfitz isnt getting it.

You have over explained the situation in every way possible. And explained it well.

Sabres need to rid themselves of Matt moulson and anything owed to him, this season.

Next year we may need the cap relief