Which is plenty

Unless you want to overspend on your bottom 3 forwards and bottom pair D

Pay the good players. Don’t pay the bad ones
- sbroads24

C'mon, you can't spend 25 mill on the bottom 15 of your roster. There has to be a middle class. In that model there is no middle class. Any roster will have to have some players making 3 - 5 mill a year. Also, you then have no room to make trades at the deadline.

If you toss Oloffson aside that gives you 55 for 7 players. Not ideal but more workable.

Now do jeff skinner , alex tuch and owen power.
Dare I say 2/3's of the 4th line.
They love it here

Logan couture is a known Bills mafia, maybe they talk in the lockerroom?
- Boss34

What's there to do? Drafted by the Sabres, traded to the Sabres, overpaid by the Sabres.

You know the difficulties they've had attracting UFA's. There's no conversation here.

I also don’t see Dahlin getting 11.

I can see a deal very similar to Makar.
- ImThatGuy

You're letting Dahlin get away in 6 years as opposed to 8 years?

That strategy sucks.

Makar 6 years 9 per.....

Dahlins getting eichel $ minimum

Timo +3 million > pylonssons
- Boss34

Timo plus better D game -110 hit game- better set up game- better gritty game.

I also don’t see Dahlin getting 11.

I can see a deal very similar to Makar.
- ImThatGuy

The worst contracts in the league aren’t the superstars making big money.

It’s the 4-6 mil guys who provide replacement level or worse results

Pay the stars. Have everyone else on low/elc deals

C'mon, you can't spend 25 mill on the bottom 15 of your roster. There has to be a middle class. In that model there is no middle class. Any roster will have to have some players making 3 - 5 mill a year. Also, you then have no room to make trades at the deadline.

If you toss Oloffson aside that gives you 55 for 7 players. Not ideal but more workable.
- Slump Buster

The “middle class” is the most overpaid class of contracts in the league

You absolutely do not need them

I meant to say that he scores at almost a 30 goal a season pace, based on hockey-reference.com (they have him at an average of 27 per 82).
- Slump Buster

That's using this year as well where he's shooting an insane 20.5% a full 8 points over his career average. Before this year his goals per 82 was just shy of 24. Neither of which is "at least 30". He is what he is, an incredibly streaky goal scorer who doesn't play defense. If anything he's playing worse defensively relative to his teammates this year than any year in his career.

None of that equals $7M a year.

The “middle class” is the most overpaid class of contracts in the league

You absolutely do not need them
- sbroads24

This

What's there to do? Drafted by the Sabres, traded to the Sabres, overpaid by the Sabres.

You know the difficulties they've had attracting UFA's. There's no conversation here.
- Lunaion

Your not boxing me out that quickly....

Times have changed , winning is very important.
Sabres look poised to win for the foreseeable future.

Timo plus better D game -110 hit game- better set up game- better gritty game.
- Buff36

Adding timo, were gonna need to subtract.

Everyone is playing games with the roster and how to fit his salary in.

Still a budget team.

The “middle class” is the most overpaid class of contracts in the league

You absolutely do not need them
- sbroads24

This is where your logic fails you. Yes, there is a problem with over-paying guys that should be your middle class. Same can be said of any class - it isn't limited to that level. But what you are saying is that anyone in the middle class is overpaid and of course that isn't true.

If you have 25 mill to spend on your bottom 15, that's nothing. You can't pay the next round of kids. You can't keep a guy like Mitts (commence snickering). That means that on any given night half of your skaters are either the next set of kids (ready for it or not) or the David Legwands of the world. You also have no ability to pivot.

The worst contracts in the league aren’t the superstars making big money.

It’s the 4-6 mil guys who provide replacement level or worse results

Pay the stars. Have everyone else on low/elc deals
- sbroads24

Skinner had the worst contract in the league for a couple years. 9 million per 14 goals or something like that.

Your not boxing me out that quickly....

Times have changed , winning is very important.
Sabres look poised to win for the foreseeable future.
- Boss34

I am.

That's using this year as well where he's shooting an insane 20.5% a full 8 points over his career average. Before this year his goals per 82 was just shy of 24. Neither of which is "at least 30". He is what he is, an incredibly streaky goal scorer who doesn't play defense. If anything he's playing worse defensively relative to his teammates this year than any year in his career.

None of that equals $7M a year.
- Wetbandit1

The dude is on pace to score close to 40 and has a yearly average of just under 30 goals per 82. You're not getting him for peanuts. Don't get me wrong - he is far from my favorite player. But all that stuff does mean something.

And I know we all hate to admit this but he and Mitts have been really good since they added Jost.

Great blog. Long time since I watched an All Star game. It is the only thing I hate more than the outdoor stadium games.

There are many of great young players. Most of them will not be at the All Star game. Glad to say I won't be there for any part of it.

Skinner had the worst contract in the league for a couple years. 9 million per 14 goals or something like that.
- Boss34

And if we are being honest it still isn't a great contract. It just isn't among the league leaders for the first time in a long time.

And I know we all hate to admit this but he and Mitts have been really good since they added Jost.
- Slump Buster

Took them a month to learn you have to skate like Jost in this league to be consistently successful

I am.
- Lunaion

Losers lose

Took them a month to learn you have to skate like Jost in this league to be consistently successful
- DirtyDan

(shrug) I think he is just the kind of player that makes the guys around him better. He did it for the others as well. They aren't a play driving duo but it works when Jost is around.

(In other words, he is the perfect example of a middle-class player)

Adding timo, were gonna need to subtract.

Everyone is playing games with the roster and how to fit his salary in.

Still a budget team.
- Boss34

Yes, sooner or later the Sabres will need to make decisions. You can't keep signing the Olofsson Mitts Girgensons Okposo's to contract extensions without blocking some of your future. Sabres will need to make room or you will have a influx of prospects in Rochester blocking each other because they are being blocked by young players on the Big club with fresh long term contracts. The Botton 6 will be the purge, it's just when and how fast Adams does it.

This is where your logic fails you. Yes, there is a problem with over-paying guys that should be your middle class. Same can be said of any class - it isn't limited to that level. But what you are saying is that anyone in the middle class is overpaid and of course that isn't true.

If you have 25 mill to spend on your bottom 15, that's nothing. You can't pay the next round of kids. You can't keep a guy like Mitts (commence snickering). That means that on any given night half of your skaters are either the next set of kids (ready for it or not) or the David Legwands of the world. You also have no ability to pivot.
- Slump Buster

That’s not what I said at all. I said you don’t need them, and in the Sabres case, they already have middle class contracts in Tuch, Samuelsson

You're letting Dahlin get away in 6 years as opposed to 8 years?

That strategy sucks.

Makar 6 years 9 per.....

Dahlins getting eichel $ minimum
- Boss34

6x9 is good for me.

Hear this…….If the Sabres are good………….he shouldn’t want to leave.

But hey apparently every player you give a short term contract to is going to bolt the second they get.

Which is a kick in the face of people saying UFAs will want to sign here……

Adding timo, were gonna need to subtract.

Everyone is playing games with the roster and how to fit his salary in.

Still a budget team.
- Boss34

Okposos money + Ben bishops = 10 mill

Maybe?

Sabres aren't a budget team.

That’s not what I said at all. I said you don’t need them, and in the Sabres case, they already have middle class contracts in Tuch, Samuelsson
- sbroads24

So 8 players are the upper class (I am including Tuch here ). On any given game day that means that you're having 10 skaters on the ice making 1 - 2 million per. You don't see a problem there? You're having two whole forward lines and half your D making peanuts.

How is that going to go for us on the road when the other team has the last change? We saw this movie when the injuries hit a couple of months ago. We got murdered when our stars weren't on the ice.

The worst contracts in the league aren’t the superstars making big money.

It’s the 4-6 mil guys who provide replacement level or worse results

Pay the stars. Have everyone else on low/elc deals
- sbroads24

I agree with this. Kyle Okposo contract is a great example

Skinner is still racking up points