‘The decision with Bryson is related to the salary he could have been awarded if he filed for arbitration. His qualifying offer alone would have been worth $1.9 million, which is pricy for a possible seventh defenseman. The Sabres are trying to protect their cap space as General Manager Kevyn Adams attempts to improve his roster for next season. They completed the buyout of Jeff Skinner’s contract, creating $7.55 million in cap space for next season.’