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Wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of guys signing this year that might've waited a year or 2 to do so to get their ELCs set up under the current CBA/MOU rather than the next one. Need to look at it closer, and maybe misread it (didn't have time to look thoroughly at it) but it looks like the days of being able to earn an extra $3MM in ELC bonuses is coming to an end. (Again, might've totally misread that; went over it quickly, but it looks like they're scaling back performance bonuses on ELCs.)

Conor Timmins has played more than 40 NHL games in a season once in his career, and averaged less than 16 minutes a night for his career. His career underlyings are solid, but in a bottom-of-the-roster kinda way. I doubt he will get to arbitration because I can't imagine his agent thinking he's got a good case. He made $1.1M last year and i'm not sure how he justifies a raise. I'm kinda expecting the Sabres to buy a year free agency and he signs for 2 years at a $1.5M AAV. .

Didn't read the entire document. (Have real work to do today.) But 2 items that did catch my eye. 1st - contracts can still have money retained 2 times - so a club can end up only having to pay 25% of a player's nominal salary by being the 2nd team to get the player with retention included in the trade. BUT there is a 75 day waiting period before a player's contract can be traded with salary retained from a prior trade. So, the Anaheims of this world will no longer be able to be 3rd party intermediaries on contracts unless all 3 teams are willing to play a "long game" and have the player stick with that intermediary for about 40% of the season. So, looks like the Sabres missed their chance to be an intermediary team in a 3 party trade used to cut a guy's salary down 75% to the team ultimately ending up with him. 2nd - the emergency goalie will be a player that never made the NHL and has at most 3 years professional experience. He also must be available for all home AND away games. So, look for the EG to be someone working for the team in some sort of capacity that it makes sense for them to be travelling with the team to perform their day job.

lol - i was just sorta chirping Inkie - saying that the new middle 6 forward and the new power play coach were not the inventions of WGR or other Sabres media (but were instead things that educated fans have been calling for).

If Timmins gets to the arbitrator I doubt it

Because excitement. When January rolls around, and Jordan is returning from spending 15 days on IR, Ruff is going to return him to the lineup on the first line. And everyone is going to get revved up about the concept of Greenway. He'll then play 3 shifts, get injured again, and the fans will have to put their Greenway enthusiasm on hold until March.

He really has a ton of potential if he is developed right, but he so much needs to be developed right.

Canadian kids don't have to take 5 years they can graduate in 4. It's super common, and basically the norm these days. American students have the same options with prep schools as well. The USHL and CHL only exist in the way they do today because there wasn't enough college investment like other sports. And now that it seems there is some increased college investment people are clutching their pearls that the junior leagues might suffer. I think there is an important place for juniors. But I think it's demoted. The potential ceiling for development and conglomeration of skill is way higher at the NCAA than the NA junior leagues. That doesn't mean I love everything about NCAA football and basketball. And frankly I don't think that's a concen for hockey (at the moment). If the NCAA can get the best 18-24 year olds in the world playing together, working at real facilities, with professional full-time trainers before they are drafted and not living on shirty greyhound buses, playing in empty arenas then I am all for it.

To me, all the noise about Byram was just that: noise. Adams didn't really want to trade him. Byram didn't really want to be traded Byram's agent worked the system real hard to create a market for a big, long-term deal for him somewhere. it didn't work.mostly because he hasn't earned it — the contract, or the acquisition price — in the eyes of NHL GMs. So he took option B, which was getting him to UFA as quickly as possible for another shot at a big payday. Nothing to really see here except an agent doing his job.

Speaking of Greenway... he's basically JAG and idk why they gave him 2 years unless he's one of the vet leaders in that locker room. He gives you no offense really and just a minor level of defense.

I have never wanted to see a 1st round pick spend 1 more year2 in jrs and then at least 2 years in the AHL so bad in my life. They need to let him develop over a long period of time so he can really turn into a good player. I think his development is behind because of the role he had in Czechia and that he needs lots of coaching and development at lower leagues to build up all those flashes of skills he has.

If Jacob Bryson is your 2nd most games played on defense, you done ***** up.

They gave Greenway 2million more than he's worth, gave Samuelsson 2mil more than he's worth, gave UPL 2mil more than he's worth, and gave Quinn about 1mil more than he's worth. There's about 7million in overpayment. Oh yea and the 4.44 for Skinner this year. 6.4mil is next year.

I like the signing. I like watching Byram play. I think he is going to improve going forward. One thing keeps crossing my mind. Now that Power has his RHD to play with what if he is the same guy as last year? I hope he is not but if we off loaded Byram and we are still disappointed with Powers play what would our next move be? With Byram we still have the option of trading Power if it came to that. At least we have another year or so to find out unless a great trade comes along.

And somebody had said here about a week ago that Byram's agent is pretty notorious for getting his players to UFA status at the earliest date possible. Add that into the mix and the deal looks better from the Sabres perspective.

Yup , and I got heat in another thread for saying Owen Power was better, advanced stats showed that long time ago. Isn't Skinner on the books for like 6 mill this year ?

Not sure if he necessarily wants to be the #1 D-man or just wants to be paid like one. Because unless his play improves quite a bit, he's not going to be the #1 on many teams, and it's doubtful any of them would be true contenders (because those teams don't have a really good D-man already) though they might have a fantastic goalie or stacked F's. Suppose he could be the #1 guy on a team like the Loafs which are at least on paper contenders; but they spend their money so heavily on F's they aren't actual contenders and likely wouldn't pay him like a true #1 D because they tie so much up on their F's. He does already have his name on a SC, so that might not be as burning a desire for him as it might be for some others. So, maybe there is more of a drive to be "the man." But personally, believe it's more of a case of him wanting to get paid.

How are we in the middle of the pack for cap space remaining? Our roster is not representative of a team with only 7.39 million left (which won't be used anyway). Make it make sense. I know you can't but I'm losing it man!

Per Sabres PR

??? Did NOT say they need to trade Byram to bring that F in. There are still a few guys in FA that might fit the bill, though their price tags may be too steep for the Sabres at this point without an ancillary move such as trading Samuelsson happening. Or they could trade prospects and picks to a team looking to be in the McKenna derby such as the Pens for a guy that still has some hockey left such as Rust. Had they traded Byram for a F, the post would've stated that they still need to bring a veteran D-man into the fold.

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It is a 3yr weighted average. Byram was bad in Colorado when we traded for him and not great until getting with Dahlin. That said, if he plays great with Dahlin, none of the rest of it matters.

@dudacek some context? (but not really.)