UPDATE: Buyout — Roster review: #19 Cody Hodgson

[SwampD]

I think he was just in on the tank and is going to light it up this year. It was a secret deal he had with GMTM. 

 

GMTM, "Look, Cody, come in out of shape, and play like crap so we get 1/2 pick. You'll have to take some heat, but it'll be worth it. I'll send you to fat camp over in Europe next summer and you'll get to play on McEichel's wing. Sweet, huh?"

[LTS]

So.. I was reading that Claude Lemieux is Hodgson's agent?

 

I wonder if Tim Murray just hates that family now.

[MattPie]

He's the new Drew Stafford. All of these guys play for the love of the game. All of them play for the money, but once some of them get that big pay day they lose that extra 5-10% of what makes them awesome. Cody got his pay day 

 

 

I don't think Cody is a victim of circumstances  at all.  He wore out his welcome in Van and he' done so here. 

 

A guy who doesn't look like he's competing on the ice and isn't well liked in the room  and came into camp out of shape? its a recipe for being removed from the team. 

 

Why keep a guy like that around?  

 

As someone else stated, we already have a guy who isn't a great skater taking up a center spot next year. 

 

Get out from this horrible contract and move on. 

 

 

I think he was just in on the tank and is going to light it up this year. It was a secret deal he had with GMTM. 

 

GMTM, "Look, Cody, come in out of shape, and play like crap so we get 1/2 pick. You'll have to take some heat, but it'll be worth it. I'll send you to fat camp over in Europe next summer and you'll get to play on McEichel's wing. Sweet, huh?"

 

Even without the tank conspiracy, is it so hard to believe that some of the players weren't motivated to kick ass based on the situation last year? I'm no professional athelete but I know it'd be tough for me work hard and keep motivated last season.

 

In any case, I'd lean towards keeping him (especailly if the penalty is only $800000 like someone mentioned) in hopes that he'll go back to leading the team in points like two years ago.

[Kruppstahl]

Hodgson is one of those guys who commits a lot of time to all the ancillary stuff that you hope your best players are doing, but he's missing something at the core of his game that makes all of that other stuff useless.

You mean like not knowing what "defense" means?

 

If Murray can't spin him into a trade package (his FMV is close to zero now) he'll be bought out.  Just a question of when and how Murray wants to work that.  The cost of dumping him beyond this summer will go up a lot next year.

[dudacek]

You mean like not knowing what "defense" means?

 

If Murray can't spin him into a trade package (his FMV is close to zero now) he'll be bought out.  Just a question of when and how Murray wants to work that.  The cost of dumping him beyond this summer will go up a lot next year.

 

As a cap hit, the difference is about $800,000.

[WildCard]

As a cap hit, the difference is about $800,000.

If that's true then I see no benefit in trading him this year, none. 

[Kruppstahl]

As a cap hit, the difference is about $800,000.

It's actually more like $700K.

 

The hit goes from $708K to $1.4M.

 

I am already thinking about the cap hit crunch we are going to see in a few years and hate the idea of using cap money on this guy for the next freaking 8 years....if we dump him now.

[TrueBlueGED]

I think I'm in the minority, but I don't think the cap hit from buying him out now is trivial. Ask LA and Chicago if they'd like to have an extra $785k to play with this offseason. If we buy him out now, he'll be eating that cap space right ad the team is in its prime and is likely to be in a similar cap bind. It may matter. Heck, I think I'd rather retain salary in a trade to get it off the books in 4 years than be strapped with a lesser amount for twice as long.

[Rasmus_]

Bye Cody, nice seeing you.  The answer is as obvious as "water is wet", he'll be bought out faster than Jiminy Cricket on crack.  

[BfloBrad]

I voted for a buyout, but I have mixed thoughts about it.   It's likely that we won't have any cap issues during the term of his contract, but double the term with a buyout and that's the period when we will be resigning our core to their big money deals.

 

I guess I'd consider keeping him and either play him, trade him, or maybe even send him to Rochester.

[Kruppstahl]

I think I'm in the minority, but I don't think the cap hit from buying him out now is trivial. Ask LA and Chicago if they'd like to have an extra $785k to play with this offseason. If we buy him out now, he'll be eating that cap space right ad the team is in its prime and is likely to be in a similar cap bind. It may matter. Heck, I think I'd rather retain salary in a trade to get it off the books in 4 years than be strapped with a lesser amount for twice as long.

You may be in the minority, but I'm right there with you on this one!

 

We are going to have a Cap Crisis well within 5 years....and we are going to need every last nickel and dime to help when that time comes.  

[WildCard]

I voted for a buyout, but I have mixed thoughts about it.   It's likely that we won't have any cap issues during the term of his contract, but double the term with a buyout and that's the period when we will be resigning our core to their big money deals.

 

I guess I'd consider keeping him and either play him, trade him, or maybe even send him to Rochester.

Good first post, and welcome  :beer:

 

Hodgson is an enigma to me as well. I wouldn't send him to Rochester, and I'm not against buying him out, but I lean towards giving him another season and then trading him. There's no way he doesn't put up better numbers this year, and even if we can land, at worst, a 3rd or a middling prospect for him while getting him off the books at the deadline, then it's better than the minimal cap hit and no return we suffer if we buy him out now. 

[Jsixspd]

Get rid of the slug, unless his gutlessness and lackadaisical play was simply him secretly helping the tank.  His points per minute of ice time ratio in 2014-15 was worse than Leino's the previous year, and no one shed any tears to see him go.  

Edited June 13, 2015 by Jsixspd

[Hoss]

If there really is potential for Hodgson being bought out I might give LA a call to see if they're interested in a Hodgson-Richards swap if LA throws in a solid prospect or pick.

[nfreeman]

If there really is potential for Hodgson being bought out I might give LA a call to see if they're interested in a Hodgson-Richards swap if LA throws in a solid prospect or pick.

But if LA needs to cut salary, why would they take Hodgson?

[Hoss]

But if LA needs to cut salary, why would they take Hodgson?

Cheaper buyout option that will hit the cap far less than buying out Richards would.

[dudacek]

If there really is potential for Hodgson being bought out I might give LA a call to see if they're interested in a Hodgson-Richards swap if LA throws in a solid prospect or pick.

 

Even if LA has no interest in Hodgson, the difference between buying him out and Richards is nearly $5 million in cap space.

That's a good second-line winger or second-pair defenceman.

 

If I'm Lombardi, I'd trade 13 for 21 to make that deal and I might do 13 for 31 as well.

Not sure if Buffalo would, but I hope and expect Murray has looked at it closely.

[Hoss]

Even if LA has no interest in Hodgson, the difference between buying him out and Richards is nearly $5 million in cap space.

That's a good second-line winger or second-pair defenceman.

 

If I'm Lombardi, I'd trade 13 for 21 to make that deal and I might do 13 for 31 as well.

Not sure if Buffalo would, but I hope and expect Murray has looked at it closely.

Thanks for pulling in the numbers there. I knew the buyout difference would be significant as far as cap hits go.

[nfreeman]

In looking at Richards' contract (5 more years at $5.75MM), I don't see why the Sabres would take that on.  Eating the cap hit on a Hodgson buyout this year would be a fraction of Richards' cap hit.  Am I missing something?

[Hoss]

In looking at Richards' contract (5 more years at $5.75MM), I don't see why the Sabres would take that on.  Eating the cap hit on a Hodgson buyout this year would be a fraction of Richards' cap hit.  Am I missing something?

The incentive would be acquiring the pick/prospect that would come in any potential deal involving Richards. According to multiple reports, several teams have considered acquiring Richards for that very reason.

[nfreeman]

The incentive would be acquiring the pick/prospect that would come in any potential deal involving Richards. According to multiple reports, several teams have considered acquiring Richards for that very reason.

But by definition it would have to be a pick or prospect that is worth $5.75 million per year in cap space for five years. What pick or prospect that LA has, and that they would be willing to give up to unload Richards, could possibly be worth that much?

[Hoss]

But by definition it would have to be a pick or prospect that is worth $5.75 million per year in cap space for five years. What pick or prospect that LA has, and that they would be willing to give up to unload Richards, could possibly be worth that much?

If you're keeping him then it's the difference of what you value his veteran presence as and the $5.75M over 5. If you buy him out it's something like $1.9M over 10 years.

 

The most likely result, in my opinion, would be to keep Richards for 2-3 years and then buy him out.

Edited June 15, 2015 by Hoss

[Tondas]

Is the buy out decision date for Hodgson's reduced cap hit (1/3 vs 2/3) June 30, 2015.  GMTM can't wait till September to make the reduced buy out decision, correct?

[dudacek]

Is the buy out decision date for Hodgson's reduced cap hit (1/3 vs 2/3) June 30, 2015.  GMTM can't wait till September to make the reduced buy out decision, correct?

 

That's my understanding of it.

[MattPie]

Is the buy out decision date for Hodgson's reduced cap hit (1/3 vs 2/3) June 30, 2015.  GMTM can't wait till September to make the reduced buy out decision, correct?

 

Other posters have implied that the difference is $800k. While not pennies, it's not a ton of money either.