pi2000

this says otherwise

^^^ need to bring back those thirds (just realized this is also a countdown to when I change my avatar :))

understood. frankly, i just want this to be over with so we can move on.

Really? Interesting.... < 200 games played for a 21 year-old defenseman is all you need to see? While I like his chances to develop into a top pairing guy, I still think his career could go in any direction

That second line of Ennis-Girgensons-Foligno... wasn't that the #1 line just a few years ago?

Wouldn't you consider it a bargain if a guy puts up 60-80 points on an ELC? I certainly would.

So is Risto a Josi, or a Myers/Bogosian? I don't think anybody truly knows the answer to that... but I do know this. If you give him 8-years, you're pushing all your chips into the middle of the table... pre-flop. If you give him a shorter deal, even a bridge, you're simply calling the big blind to see the flop... and there's no reason you can't still go all-in on the river. I'd say Risto is comparable to suited connectors or a small pocket pair... yes, those are nice starting hands, but you don't go all-in pre-flop unless you're heads up and down to a few big blinds. The Sabres are not at that point yet, they're just warming up their seat at the table... with (hopefully) many hands to play, let them see a few flops and build a nice chip stack before pushing all-in.

I'm prepared to pay him whatever he is worth in 2020. If you sign him to a 5 year deal and he improves by leaps and bounds the next 2-3 years, you can begin negotiations on an extension that fits within the teams cap situation. The money to pay a top-2 defenseman will be there, and from all we've seen and heard, he wants to be in Buffalo. If I'm Risto, and I believe strongly in my ability, I don't accept anything less than $6.5-7mil for a long term deal at this point in time. There is no way GMTM is offering that much money, nor should he. Why would Risto accept anything less than $6mil/yr for an 8-year deal when he could be earning $8mil/yr as soon as 3 years from now? A 5-year deal is a compromise between 8 and a bridge, which works nicely for both parties involved... stop getting your panties in a bunch about him gaining UFA status after the deal... it won't ever get to that point unless he regresses.

Let me put it this way. Which contract would he be more likely to continue his upward trend.... - 8 yrs / $56mil - 3 yrs / $15mil ...I don't see any circumstance where an 8-year deal could help his development vs a shorter deal.

Not entirely, but to pretend it will have no impact whatsoever is simply being naive.

For the record, with the right deal in place, I expect him to continue to develop into a legit top 4 guy... I'd give him a 33% chance of becoming a true top pairing guy within 4-5 years.

Good point, a 5-6 year deal carries with it a risk of him becoming complacent, but much less so than an 8 year deal would IMO... a 5-6 year deal becomes tradeable in years 3-4 if the guy doesn't live up to it. In 3-4 years I expect the Sabres to be contenders... I don't want them saddled by Risto's overpriced 8-year contract which you wouldn't be able to move for another 3-4 years at that point if he doesn't develop. I don't get why everyone is so concerned that he would leave as a UFA after a 5 year deal expired. The premise there is that he develops into a top defenseman in the NHL. Well... if that's the case, I'd expect BUF to be Cup contenders at that point... so if that's the case, why would he leave? Even if he could get a little more money elsewhere, I would expect him to stay That said, if Risto doesn't develop into the player we expect, then I don't think BUF is a contender, and then who cares if he walks away? ..and you really think GMTM would allow that to happen without getting any return?

Risto's defensive play contributed to them being one of the worst NHL teams of all time. He was 19,20 years old, most young defenseman will struggle in that situation. That doesn't mean he's a good player or a bad player, it just makes it more difficult to evaluate him, which is why I would look elsewhere if building a team. ...or agree to a reasonable extension before the deal expires... which is likely to happen if the team is winning and he's having success. Hell, he's skating in camp without a contract! Doesn't sound like the guy will bolt first chance he gets. ..or overpay him now and overpay him later by giving him a lucrative contract he never lives up to.. he feels the pressure to the #1 guy and never gets there, sticking the Sabres with an 8 year untradeable contract for a minus player who struggles in his own end. I'd rather hedge my bets by signing him to a reasonable 5-6 year deal, or a 3 year bridge. Let's find out what type of player he develops into before committing a large % of the salary cap to him for the next decade.

GMTM likely hasn't gotten to the point of offering a bridge deal yet. That's a last resort type of deal that would get done quickly a day before game 1. I'm not tge least bit worried about it. In the meantime he's hoping he'll agree to a 5 or 6 year deal at $4.5mil.

He scored +30g 3 years in a row on the Island. You want that kind of production out of him, don't put him in the bottom 6. I think he'll do better with O'Reilly and Okposo than Ennis or Kane would. Him and Okposo have chemistry, maybe even Eichel in the middle would work too. We'll find ou shortly.

No. But I'd look closely at that number when picking a #1 defenseman.

They're paying Moulson too much to let him rot away in the bottom six. He'll get every opportunity on the top 6, I think he'll produce with O'Reilly and Okposo. Put Ennis on the 3rd line with Foligno and Girgensons.

Ha! He'll have more free time now to properly address his cocaine habit...CONFIRMED.

If he had better advanced stats and +\- I would be more willing to give him a longer richer deal. I know I know, plus minus has no meaning and plays against good players all the time on a team. However, that doesn't make him a good player, all it does is raises question marks which makes me less inclined to offer him a rich contract. Let's see how he measures up on a good team before making such a big commitment.

Biggest issue is they just don't know what they have yet. Is he Tyler Myers or Brian Campbell? He's only 21, just not a long enough resume yet.

It's a camp injury, likely of a very minor variety.

The longer this drags on, the more likely we see a 2-3 year bridge deal... Which is probably what GMTM wants, and he likely already knows this is the likely outcome but he's probably waiting until the last minute to make that offer wth hopes he signs a cheaper per year 6 year deal. It will only cost more in a few years if he reaches elite level... Which I think he can reach if he has the monetary motivation to do so.

bingo