Brawndo

No, Kane should come in at 3x6million. Forsberg is 27 and Fiala is 25, meaning they will be higher AAV with longer term. Besides Kane’s Actual Salary the His Contract’s Last Three Years was 7 Million, 6.9 Million and 6.9 Million.

Forsberg and Fiala have similar stats and Evolving Wild projects them both on max deals north of 9 Million AAV

Nothing earth shattering here

DeBrincat would be a great add, the problem is His Qualifying Offer next July would be 9 Million per season. With Tage, Cozens, Mittlestadt, Power and Dahlin all needing new deals in the next two off seasons, that would be hard to fit under the cap. Plus Skinner has an additional five years left at 9 Million, paying two wingers 18 Million would hamper Adams Ability to make other moves.

And I saw the Sabres Future 4th Line Center winning a battle against one of Anaheim’s Future Top 2 Centers

When Subban was moved down the lineup, His Metrics rebounded dramatically, as you mentioned He would be a great fit for the Sabres as a 4/5 D-Man.

Make that Two GWGs in a row for Nadeau.

Eliminating or at least reducing The Number of Your Counterparts Positions is key to any negotiations Ullmark’s Camp kept moving the goalposts in negotiations, something to keep in mind. The Sabres will have to pay a bad team tax and pay more in AAV and/or term with desirable UFAs. (See Andrew Copp and Jack Campbell). As a result there will be times when the team might have to exceed their perceived value. Bringing in contracts such as Bishop’s to get to the cap floor doesn’t preclude other moves as has been discussed at great length. It also lessens the number of UFAs brought in that will possibly block younger players. Adding a veteran forward with playoff experience such as Palat who will probably require 4x5 Million or Copp 6x7 Million would be a smart play. This and adding one or two defenseman along with two credible NHL goalies would make the team better and keep with the stated goal of not blocking younger players. Sure they could do both, but My Reasoning for not trading for Kane this year is right after the phrase you bolded. I’m not trading a first or quality prospect for a player that will be an UFA next July 1st and that’s exactly what Chicago will want for Kane. The starting point will the Giroux Return which was a First and Owen Tippett. If Olofsson and Johnson or Portillo could get the deal done I would pull the trigger in a heartbeat, it’s not going to be enough though. Things could change, but there are indications are that Levi will sign with the Sabres when Northeastern completes the 2022-23 Season so I’m less apprehensive about moving on from Portillo particularly if He wants to test FA

Have you noticed quite a few coaching positions in the NHL are filled by former players? Part of His qualifications also include the fact that the Young Players on the team look up to Him, He has provided leadership throughout the past year when the team has desperately needed it. Adams had this to say about KO Adams echoed that sentiment, saying Okposo is “right at the top of the list of impressive leaders that I’ve looked up to and respected.” Adams was a teammate of NHL captains such as Mats Sundin, Wendel Clark, Scott Mellanby, Ron Francis, Rod Brind’Amour, Doug Weight, Shane Doan and Martin Lapointe. I see a few coaches and front office executives on that list. He would probably be offered a special assistant to the GM position or a role similar to what Dan Girardi has with the coaching staff. It’s probably a moot point as the article stated that the Okposo’s are building a new home in Minnesota, so I imagine when His Playing Career is over with Buffalo, the family moves back to Minnesota.

As You know the GM isn’t going to make His Whole Offseason Plan Public by any stretch. In terms of blocking younger players adding another veteran, they do need to add some more playoff experience to the group and I believe that Adams realizes this as well. I would rather they sign Andrew Copp or Palat TBH. I would not trade any 1st Round Picks or Top Prospects for Kane especially when they could sign Him for Free in 373 Days. The List of Players I would move includes Olofsson, Portillo and Johnson. Add on top of that the rumor Kane was told by Blackhawks Management that He is to avoid Buffalo during the Offseason after the two separate incidents, although He most likely has grown since then. I’ll add that it decreases the opportunity for agents to use the negotiation tactic of You need to pay My Client more to reach the cap floor.

As Aud points out His actual salary this year is 6.9 Million, of which 4 Million is due as a signing bonus on July 1st. If a trade happens after that date, the Sabres would only be responsible for 2.9 Million for the remainder of the season which fits well into their rumored budget.

Matt Bove answers 10 questions from Twitter Followers from time to time and He numbers each question as He answers it.

On the Marek Show there has been rumblings that Marco Kasper is moving into the Top Ten. I could see Detroit grabbing Him.

Baders model is all over the place here is a comparison between Clarke and Power.

If he wants to remain a Buffalo Sabre beyond next season, His next contact will need to be in line with the Team’s Salary Cap Plan.

He is the only Sabre that lives in Buffalo Year Round. Sign Him to team friendly one year extensions and have a Front Office or Coaching Position waiting for Kyle when He decides to retire.

The shade

Lance Lysowski mentioned on the Maintenance Day Podcast that’s one of the reasons why Sam Ventura left Pittsburgh for Buffalo was the chance to be more involved in Draft Decision Making

And if a Team acquires Johnson in a trade and He still chooses to sign as an UFA with another organization, the team that hold His Rights when they expire on August 15, 2023 would still get the 62nd Pick in the 2024

One important thing to remember about Ryan Johnson, His Value right now is the equivalent of the 2024 62nd Overall Pick, the Sabres Compensation if He doesn’t sign