Flashsabre

As far as a Skinner trade the only one that would seem to make sense would be Chicago. They need cap and scoring and the proximity is close enough to Toronto that he may consider it. Can’t see him being sold on Utah or SJ. Maybe Columbus. He may waive for Ottawa, Montreal or Detroit but Indont think those teams would be interested. Toronto has no cap space for it.

After SJ at #1 every pick is up for trade this year.😁 I think this is a case of players 2-15 are basically equal in teams books. Move down, get an additional premium asset and get a similar player later in the round.

The first tip off is that they didn’t have Lance quickly fire off a “sources close to the team have told me there in no truth to the Jeff Skinner buyout rumours”

Oh it was so much more than a 1st for Jeannot

This isn’t rocket science. If they buy him out its not because they need cap space, it’s because they don’t want him on the team any longer. Why is that?

You can believe whatever you want. But they changed their culture and have been a playoff team ever since he left while they weren’t one with him and the Sabres haven’t made the playoffs with him. It was the right move for them to change the culture. Let’s hope the Sabres do the same thing.

TB pretty much has to move Jeannot for cap purposes. He would be my number 1 target.

“The way Granato talks about Skinner now is quite the contrast to how the Hurricanes spoke about when he left. Rod Brind’Amour had been an assistant with the Hurricanes before taking over as head coach. When he took over, the Skinner trade quickly followed. Back then, he wasn’t shy about his thoughts. “I think it sends a message of what kind of Hurricane we’re looking for, what kind of player we want,” Brind’Amour had said. “Everybody’s available. You’ve got to produce, you’ve got to do the things we’re asking you to do, otherwise you’re not safe. So it was the right move. I think the guys understand you’ve got to come ready to play and do what we’re asking. Otherwise you’re not a Hurricane. We can’t have you.” At the time, general manager Don Waddell said the team wanted to make some changes, “culturally.” Let’s not pretend they wanted him to stay and loved him. They didn’t make the playoffs once with Skinner they have made it every year since he left.

Yep they think they can fix him when Columbus couldn’t, Winnipeg couldn’t and LA couldn’t. Imagine how much of a problem you have to be when a team trades a big package for you, signs you to an 8 year big money deal and gives you away after a single season after contemplating buying out the remaining 7 years of your deal.😳 Washington are grasping at straws because Ovi won’t let them rebuild.

Zub would be a nice pickup.

I wonder if it is Konechny heading back to the Ottawa region again.

I wonder if it something around Chychrun or Pinto

“Note: A no-movement clause means a player cannot be traded, placed on waivers or assigned to the minors without his consent.” Can’t send him down. So he either waives for a trade or you buy him out.

My God No. Jeannot is a cap dump for them. They have to shed him. Cirelli and Cernek are good players but they are not all stars. TB have $5 million in cap space to sign Stamkos and extend Hedman. They need to shed salary.

LA get out of one of the worst mistakes in the league and get a goalie out of it too.

Sharks claimed Goodrow off of waivers

And Calgary is retaining 30% salary on Markstrom

What indication is there that he is going to score 40 next season?

https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/craig-s-list-tij-iginla-cole-eiserman-rise-in-final-ranking-1.2136740

Both are great players but Iginla brings more of what they need and don’t have. I don’t think Iginla will be there at #11 and I don’t think the Sabres will make the pick. I think they are moving it

I said “IF” they think he is a cancer. I don’t think it is a case of he is a bad guy or not well liked. I think they don’t think he will commit defensively to the style of play Ruff will demand and if one of your vets isn’t doing it, it will trickle down to the younger players. He is also 32 and declining offensively. So $9.5 million a year for a declining scorer who won’t buy in defensively is a big problem for a team trying to get over the hump after 13 years of no playoffs. Im seeing some people saying “just retain $3 million and trade him” They could retain 50% and it won’t matter because Skinner has the final say in whether he waives or not. I think these are the reasons the Sabres are contemplating just buying him out. Rip the band aid off, use the money on pieces that fit exactly what Ruff is looking for.

Thanks to the guy on Reddit Sabres who typed this out. Here is Friedman on his podcast: “ On Tuesday on the radio show, you and I discussed the possibility of a Jeff Skinner buyout with the Buffalo Sabres. Do you care to expand? So this is something that has been floating around hockey circles for probably, at least it reached my ears about three or four days ago. And the tough thing is that the Sabres aren't saying anything. He's represented by Don Meehan. Don Meehan is keeping quiet about it. And what someone else said to me was that you have to be careful because the buyout window doesn't begin until 48 hours after the Stanley Cup is awarded. So things can always change. But I do think it was going to get out. It was something that more and more people were talking about. Now, someone said to me, why don't the Sabres ask him to wave his no move clause? And the thing is that if you're Jeff Skinner in this situation and you know the Sabres may want to move on from you, A, you want to control things. That's what you want to do. You want to be in control of the situation. So it's probably better for you unless you're absolutely convinced that Buffalo can trade you to a place you want to go. It's probably better for you to say no, just buy me out and let me go to a place that I want to go. And secondly, his contract is $9 million. If we go to a situation where he's an unrestricted free agent, he can take his buyout, which is two-thirds of $22 million over six years, and he can pick it at whatever salary he wants. Skinner has much more control over the situation as an unrestricted free agent getting to pick his destination at his salary. So I think that's why Buffalo is kind of in this position. The other interesting thing about it, there's a couple. Number one, for next year, his cap hit would be under $1.5 million using Capitals Friendly, and so it would give Buffalo an extra $7.5 million of cap room. And next year is a huge year for the Sabres. The other thing that kind of interested me about it too is that they're looking for, they're believed to be looking for a couple forwards. One, one of those edgier depth pieces that we've been talking about, but also a top six forward if they could. And you know Skinner, he had 24 goals last year. He scored 40 before, he scored 30 before. I know the big knock on him is, you know, he's played over a thousand games, he's never made the playoffs, but he can score. So it's a really, really interesting move by the Sabres that will give them a ton of flexibility for next year should it happen. But, you know, I always try to be careful with what I say unless I 100% know. So I can't say 100% it's going to happen, but it's definitely out there. And I think we're just waiting to see if Buffalo makes a final decision.”

Coincidence? A while ago someone on this board (maybe Tom Webster?) mentioned the Sabres were looking at Joel Erickson Ek and Danault. Well tonight a guy on the hockeybuzz Sabres chat who has broke a lot of things said the Sabres are talking with the Wild about JEE and that Danault is a backup plan. Take it with a grain of salt but that is the second time I have heard those two names from two people that seem to have connections.

We will know about Skinner soon. If they are not intending to buy him out they will have their mouth piece, Lance, putting out a tweet saying that it is false.