What value in a contract for Skinner?

[mjd1001]

How much will it take to get him signed, or are the Sabres not interested in what it will cost?

[sabills]

If my math is right thats about 8.3 per. My bet is something more like 7.5 - 8 per. But not too far off. I'm also thinking 7 years, so would they pay a little more to hack a year off? Would Skinner want that?

Actually the Sabres can offer 8 years, I wonder if they don't do that and make it more like. 7-7.5.

[mjd1001]

15 minutes ago, sabills said:

If my math is right thats about 8.3 per. My bet is something more like 7.5 - 8 per. But not too far off. I'm also thinking 7 years, so would they pay a little more to hack a year off? Would Skinner want that?

Actually the Sabres can offer 8 years, I wonder if they don't do that and make it more like. 7-7.5.

You are right, I forgot the Sabres were able to offer 8 years now..I still thought 7 was the max.

[sabills]

5 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

You are right, I forgot the Sabres were able to offer 8 years now..I still thought 7 was the max.

There's some rule with it. Generally a player can be signed to an 8 year extension, but only a 7 year new contract, I think.

[...]

I would be very happy with $7.5 million per.

[bob_sauve28]

Has there been any news reports that they are even talking? 

[nfreeman]

He’s not going to take a 6-year deal.  7 is the minimum.  

[mjd1001]

5 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

He’s not going to take a 6-year deal.  7 is the minimum.  

In that case, the poll would probably be 7 years at $58 or 8 at $66.

[Randall Flagg]

I'd give him Kane's deal. I hope he'd take Kane's deal. I'm not sure he'd take Kane's deal. I'm not sure how much higher in cap hit I'd go than that yet.

[dudacek]

Any MBA would tell you it is bad investing to pay full price for an asset almost certainly at its peak value.

[Weave]

8 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Any MBA would tell you it is bad investing to pay full price for an asset almost certainly at its peak value.

An MBA isn’t interested in fan entertainment or winning playoff games.

You are going to have contracts that overpay in their later years if you want to keep some of the highest skilled players in the league.  The trick is making sure those contracts aren’t paid to guys that aren’t difference makers.  I think Skinner is a difference maker.  I don’t care if he’s here 2 seasons too long if he’s getting me out of my seat for the first 5.

[erickompositör72]

Even if Skinner loses his legs down the road, he'll always be shifty and always have his hands/shot.

17 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Any MBA would tell you it is bad investing to pay full price for an asset almost certainly at its peak value.

It depends how an MBA would value a potential cup in 2-4 years vs a not-ideal cap situation in 6-8 years

[dudacek]

17 minutes ago, Weave said:

An MBA isn’t interested in fan entertainment or winning playoff games.

I would hope our MBA GM is interested in both those things.

I would also hope his valuation of Skinner is weighted more toward the 30 goal, 55 point player he has been over the past five years than the career year he seems destined to put up this year.

He’s young enough and skates well enough that, depending on the cap hit, a long-term deal is not a huge risk

[Tondas]

I like the deal.  I'm not a fan of contracts into the mid 30's so 6 years feels good.  To get a player to sign with a shorter term (less than 8 years), I think you have to overpay a little bit and I'm OK with that.

[SHAAAUGHT!!!]

1 hour ago, Randall Flagg said:

I'd give him Kane's deal. I hope he'd take Kane's deal. I'm not sure he'd take Kane's deal. I'm not sure how much higher in cap hit I'd go than that yet.

7x7 would be a good deal for both parties, but I wouldn’t blink an eye if they added an 8th year or another 500-750k a season.  Skinner is a gamer and the type of player everyone wants on their team.  If he signs, it gives Skinner one of the elite playmakers in the game feeding him the puck through the prime of his career, and Eichel and consistent 30-40goal winger for the next 5-8 years.  Yes please.  

[erickompositör72]

If you offer up Kane's deal as a comp, Skinner is clearly the more effective player. He could use the Kane deal as leverage to get more.

[That Aud Smell]

I'm not sure what choice I wound up taking -- I picked one, realized I misunderstood the term and amount, chose another, but didn't quite like it.

At the rate he's going, he's gonna command ~$8M+ per year. Fingers crossed, I guess.

[Thorny]

3 hours ago, dudacek said:

I would hope our MBA GM is interested in both those things.

I would also hope his valuation of Skinner is weighted more toward the 30 goal, 55 point player he has been over the past five years than the career year he seems destined to put up this year.

He’s young enough and skates well enough that, depending on the cap hit, a long-term deal is not a huge risk

I wouldn't have a problem with the valuation placing a fair bit of weight on his totals this season (assuming they continue roughly) if only because, playing with Jack, they'd appear to be sustainable. 

I know Botterill would believe that and even expect it, due to his belief in Jack Eichel, evidenced by how that MBA GM signed him right off the hop to an 80 million dollar deal a year early. The same guy who had no problem playing a level of hardball with Reinhart. 

[Thorny]

It's interesting that 50% of voters said no to 8.33m. Where's the line for a guy who's an integral part of our offensive output who's still at a relatively young age and helps bring out the best value in our franchise centre?

If you'd say yes at 7.5 but no at 8.33, $830 000 per year is enough to cut bait on such a valuable asset?

The Sabres need to pay for Skinner, and by that I mean a contract that risks an overpay. Skinner is good enough, valuable enough, and young/quick enough that even as a depreciating asset in the final years of his deal, the Sabres from now on are in a much better place with him than without. 

Even if it ends up costing someone like Reinhart. There's more than enough $ to make this happen. My only fear is that Skinner is adamant on testing the open market. 

[Hoss]

I think this team needs to sign him to whatever he wants within reason. It’d be a very bad turn of events if they made a huge improvement just to see their second best forward walk at age 27.

I imagine he’s obviously going to ride the big start and ask for upwards of $9 million which is a bit steep. My hope is they get him down to around $7.5-8M.

The 6 years at $50M mentioned isn’t crazy. If he prioritizes term that’s fine. Go 7 for $54M or 8 for $60M and tell him to pick. Going above those numbers gets tricky but it’d be worth the slight overpay. He’s 26 going on 27. Chances are he’s got another six seasons at a high level at least.

[Hoss]

Worth mentioning he can’t sign an eight-year deal until after the trade deadline due to dumb CBA rules.

[...]

How good was Briere in his latter years as a player?

[Hoss]

2 minutes ago, ... said:

How good was Briere in his latter years as a player?

At 33 (as Skinner would turn during the sixth year of his next contract) he was 33-34-67 for Philly which is obviously good. Dropped off immediately after that with only 16-33-49 at age 34 which I would take if he performs at a high level for the rest of that deal.

[Randall Flagg]

Yep, Briere was a legit good NHL top 6 until 33, was a fine player at 34, and then was fairly mediocre to bad as his final 3 seasons played out after that.

[Taro T]

2 hours ago, Hoss said:

Worth mentioning he can’t sign an eight-year deal until after the trade deadline due to dumb CBA rules.

True, he can't sign until then but he could negotiate a deal before then.

My guessis he gets offered a 7/$56 deal or 8/$62 (maybe only $60 over 8), w/ 7 years being more likely.  He should be good for at least 5 years & still reasonable for another year or 2.  

Having 2/3 of the top line locked up for that would help them keep the other pieces they'll need to be elite as the cap will continue to go up (at least until the next lockout which'll be coming soon, would guess the next CBA won't be too different than this one when all's said & done) & those deals will seem to be bargains by their ends.