Sadly, Jarmo's offseason gameplan.

[elijah]

Prior to this season I thought Krebs would be a 3x$2.75M guy, and then he played half the season and the playoffs on the first line and has held his own. I’d say if we can make the numbers work and he’ll take a hometown discount here, maybe 3x$3.5M but he’s plenty capable of getting 4x$4.25M on the open market. 

Same idea with Benson, prior to the playoffs I thought we were looking at bridging him for 2x$5M to keep the number low in order to keep Tuch, or Doan’s (8x6.95M?) contract if we went long term. With the playoff performance so far I’m not sure how viable a bridge is and he might be sneaking up into 8x$8M territory. 

Malenstyn I think you can probably welcome back at 3x$2.25M if you still have the leftover space after figuring out Krebs, Tuch and Benson.

EDIT: One scenario I could see with Benson, which as Benson I would not do and as Benson’s agent I would not advise, but I could see a hard sell on a hometown discount at 1x$5M and a handshake that as soon as Skinner’s big buyout number is gone we’ll lock you up long term

Edited May 14 by elijah

[tom webster]

20 minutes ago, Taro T said:

@tom webster, can the Sabres keep all these ones at these salaries without punting Norris for futures?  Hope so.

You usually have good options for them keeping everybody important.  Please work your magic again.  

I’ll go over it but at first blush, they won’t be able to keep Malenstyn, Greenway, Zucker and Stanley. FWIW, if you want to keep all the kids, the aforementioned players can’t stay anyway.
 

Projections at this point are kind of fruitless endeavors because of all the money that’s going to be available.  I’ve seen Stanley projected at $5M for five years at three different publications.

[nfreeman]

On 5/11/2026 at 2:18 PM, GASabresIUFAN said:

Anyone still not ok with moving on from Zucker in favor of Östlund?  

I will be very surprised if Zucker isn't back.  He's a good, tough, productive vet who's been a good Sabre and only has 1 year left on his contract.

I also don't think Zucker is the guy whose spot might be taken by Östlund.  It's Norris, who has a big cap hit for 4 more years and who can't stay healthy (btw Östlund also gets hurt pretty frequently).

 

35 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

Evolving Hockey released their contract projections for this offseason 

 

Those all look pretty reasonable except for Beck -- I don't think anyone is giving him a 4-year deal.

 

30 minutes ago, BullBuchanan said:

Rumour has it the blues already wanted him this year. Someone will definitely take him. We should sign 2-3 players instead of Tuch and upgrade Norris instead and we'll be in a better spot than if we keep an old Tuch and a weak Norris.

I don't think anyone will take Norris without the Sabres essentially paying to unload him -- but I think the Sabres should do so.  He can't stay healthy and he has a big cap hit.

 

8 minutes ago, tom webster said:

I’ll go over it but at first blush, they won’t be able to keep Malenstyn, Greenway, Zucker and Stanley. FWIW, if you want to keep all the kids, the aforementioned players can’t stay anyway.
 

Projections at this point are kind of fruitless endeavors because of all the money that’s going to be available.  I’ve seen Stanley projected at $5M for five years at three different publications.

I've been thinking of Stanley as a rental since they acquired him.  I like having him but not enough to pay him what his market value will be.

They need to unload Greenway.

I would rather get rid of Norris and keep Malenstyn and Zucker.

 

[tom webster]

1 minute ago, nfreeman said:

I will be very surprised if Zucker isn't back.  He's a good, tough, productive vet who's been a good Sabre and only has 1 year left on his contract.

I also don't think Zucker is the guy whose spot might be taken by Östlund.  It's Norris, who has a big cap hit for 4 more years and who can't stay healthy (btw Östlund also gets hurt pretty frequently).

 

Those all look pretty reasonable except for Beck -- I don't think anyone is giving him a 4-year deal.

 

I don't think anyone will take Norris without the Sabres essentially paying to unload him -- but I think the Sabres should do so.  He can't stay healthy and he has a big cap hit.

 

I've been thinking of Stanley as a rental since they acquired him.  I like having him but not enough to pay him what his market value will be.

They need to unload Greenway.

I would rather get rid of Norris and keep Malenstyn and Zucker.

 

Zucker is an interesting test case for a couple of reasons;

1) He is blocking a spot for the kids that a lot of people seem to have given spots to

2) He looks like he should be the ideal "grizzled" veteran for the season and especially for the playoffs but the fact is he has been a terrible playoff performer for all his career.

[elijah]

43 minutes ago, Taro T said:

@tom webster, can the Sabres keep all these ones at these salaries without punting Norris for futures?  Hope so.

You usually have good options for them keeping everybody important.  Please work your magic again.  

With those projected numbers it’d be hard, you’ve got $12.9M in cap space and those projections add up to $24.7M before even considering resigning Kesselring or Stanley. 

If you’re expecting Östlund, Kulich and Helenius to all be a part of the big club next year you’ll need some roster reconstruction anyways though. 

Right now under contract for 2026-27 you’ve got 

Forwards (13)

Norris ($7.95M), Tage ($7.14M), Doan ($6.95M), McLeod ($5.0M), Zucker ($4.75M), Greenway ($4M), Quinn ($3.375M), Danforth ($1.8M), Carrick ($1.0M), Östlund ($886K), Kulich ($886K), Helenius ($886K), Kozak ($875K)

Defense (6)

Dahlin ($11M), Power ($8.35M), Byram ($6.25M), Samuelsson ($4.285M), Timmins ($2.2M), Metsa ($850K)

Goalie (3)

UPL ($4.75M), Lyon ($1.5M), Ellis ($850K)

 

So theoretically, if you want all of Östlund, Kulich and Helenius playing in Buffalo next year then you’ve got to clear some forwards out anyways. Danforth would be an easy answer to clear $1.8M, and if you can get someone to eat Greenway’s contract (even if it means sending a pick with him, I think this is a necessity this off-season) then you’ve can clear another $4M. That brings you up to $18.7M and still leaves you about $6M short of the projected forwards numbers. 

 

Östlund - Tage - Tuch

Quinn - McLeod - Zucker

Benson - Norris - Doan

Krebs - Carrick - Malenstyn

Kulich, Helenius

 

Dahlin - Muel

Power - Byram

Timmins - Metsa

 

UPL

Lyon

 

That lineup there would be $6M over the cap and still isn’t fitting in Kulich or Helenius. I think you may have to unfortunately let Krebs walk and bring in a 4th liner in free agency (or keep Danforth), that would get you to $4M over the cap. After that it’s just Jarmo’s decision on trading one of Norris, McLeod or Zucker to make the cap work and sliding one of Kulich/Helenius into the lineup in a more permanent role. 

Personally I would make Norris part of the Robert Thomas trade and attach Kulich and attach whatever other prospects/picks they ask for. I also don’t think you can afford to pay Kesselring, and unfortunately he didn’t perform as we would expect either so I think he is a trade asset this offseason, regardless of return. And lastly, while most have lost faith in McLeod, I think he still has something to offer and may just be battling injury in the playoffs which leaves just Zucker to trade out to clear up the remaining space. While wishing we could keep Krebs, I’m just not sure that the money is there for him either. My cap compliant lineup next year would look like: 

 

Östlund - Tage - Tuch

Quinn - McLeod - Helenius

Benson - Thomas - Doan

Danforth/FA - Carrick - Malenstyn

Kozak

 

Dahlin - Muel

Byram - Power

Timmins - Metsa 

 

UPL 

Lyon

[inkman]

1 hour ago, tom webster said:

I’ll go over it but at first blush, they won’t be able to keep Malenstyn, Greenway, Zucker and Stanley. FWIW, if you want to keep all the kids, the aforementioned players can’t stay anyway.
 

Projections at this point are kind of fruitless endeavors because of all the money that’s going to be available.  I’ve seen Stanley projected at $5M for five years at three different publications.

Seeing as Stanley is a third pairing dman that was just benched in a playoff game, I'd be a little surprised the Sabres decide to keep him at that $$$. They can find another bottom pair dman that can be a physical presence for much less.  

[inkman]

51 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

I will be very surprised if Zucker isn't back.  He's a good, tough, productive vet who's been a good Sabre and only has 1 year left on his contract.

I also don't think Zucker is the guy whose spot might be taken by Östlund.  It's Norris, who has a big cap hit for 4 more years and who can't stay healthy (btw Östlund also gets hurt pretty frequently).

 

Those all look pretty reasonable except for Beck -- I don't think anyone is giving him a 4-year deal.

 

I don't think anyone will take Norris without the Sabres essentially paying to unload him -- but I think the Sabres should do so.  He can't stay healthy and he has a big cap hit.

 

I've been thinking of Stanley as a rental since they acquired him.  I like having him but not enough to pay him what his market value will be.

They need to unload Greenway.

I would rather get rid of Norris and keep Malenstyn and Zucker.

 

I don't want to be too critical of Jarmo this early into his tenure but holding out Norris as the key cog in a potential Robert Thomas trade is a near fire worthy offense. We could have gotten rid of that albatross AND acquired a top line center in the process? WTF was he thinking? 

[Taro T]

1 minute ago, inkman said:

I don't want to be too critical of Jarmo this early into his tenure but holding out Norris as the key cog in a potential Robert Thomas trade is a near fire worthy offense. We could have gotten rid of that albatross AND acquired a top line center in the process? WTF was he thinking? 

Well, if that Thomas deal is still there in the off-season, it isn't that outrageous that he didn't remove Norris from the lineup this spring.

The idea in the spring is to ADD for the playoff run; not reshuffle for it.  Reshuffling deals are available at the draft.

[FLfiremedic]

The NHL salary cap is expected to rise from 95.5 to  123 million in 2029-2030. With a small increase next year. The time to lock up players long term even if it’s for above current AAV is now. There is going to be a spending spree and market readjustment as new deals hit for McDavid, Matthew’s, etc. Along with the increase in future salary cap added space. 
 

Basically tack on a million for bottom 6 forwards and 6th defensemen. Tack on 2-3 for top 6 forwards and top 4 defensemen. 
 

The Tuch contract needs to get done because if he hits the open market teams may pay 12.5 knowing it will be easier to eat later costs offset by increase in salary cap. These being your win now at all costs teams who don’t care about mortgaging the future. 
 

Pay Benson Doan money now. You bridge him and he consistently plays around 70PPG on the low side and you are looking at Tuch money post bridge. We can justify paying Doan money because it’s what is allowed under current salary cap restriction and we gamble slightly on increased production. I feel comfortable going 7-8 at 7-8mil.

Krebs is your ultimate roster utility knife. À la Jochen Hecht. I would lock him up 3-5 years at 4-5.5mil. 
 

Beck I would offer 2-3 at 2 mil. 
 

Quinn I would use as trade bait to get someone into taking on additional contracts. I like Quinn but I value other roster players in limited roles more than him. Jeff Skinners buyout after next season drops by 4 million.  

 

In summation

trade Quinn offload Greenway and/or Norris. Added 7.5-16 in cap space. No Zucker 21. With cap increase it goes to 29 available for next year. Insert Kulich, Östlund, Helenius. 

Byram 8.25     6-7 years. Increase of only 2 million from previous year.

Tuch 10.5    6-7 years. Increase of 5.5ish.

Benson 6.95-8.5   6-8 years. 

Krebs 3.5-5     2-4 years

Beck 2-3      1-3 years

Next year offer Östlund or Helenius a long term Doan/Benny deal depending on who you want and bridge the other. Wait for cap to come up and pay for the other. 

 

Essentially if we can lock up every top 6 for Tuch or less long term we can have 4 top elite pairing defensemen locked up long term, have a very talented, young, frugal top 6/9 locked up long term, and have money to pick up quality bottom 6 depth pieces for an absolute powerhouse for the next 10-12 years. But we have to pull the trigger on the big contracts this year and next. 

[Pimlach]

On 5/11/2026 at 1:18 PM, GASabresIUFAN said:

Anyone still not ok with moving on from Zucker in favor of Östlund?  

I am fine with Östlund getting a roster spot assuming he earns it next camp, which he most likely will.  

Moving on from Zucker?  Maybe and probably.  Depends on what other moves are made and how much cap room there is.   

Hard to definitively know until we see how Tuch is handled first.  

 

[Brawndo]

Here is Stanley 

[GASabresIUFAN]

On 5/7/2026 at 11:51 AM, GASabresIUFAN said:

These 3 guys were all excellent in the regular season in their roles and all have continued that excellent play in the playoffs so far with Benny becoming a dynamic playoff force.  So what are your thoughts on their next contracts as I fully expect all 3 to be back next season?

My gut tells me Beck is 3 years at 3, Benson is either 2 @ 4.5 or 7 @ 6.5 and Krebs 3 @ 4.25.  

 

2 hours ago, Brawndo said:

Evolving Hockey released their contract projections for this offseason 

With Benson blowing up in the playoffs, I’d make that offer, I think they are low on Krebs, and spot on Beck.  I’m inclined to move on from Tuch at number but it’s not to different from what @Doohickie suggested.  I’d give Tuch that deal is I can get rid of Norris.

[nfreeman]

2 hours ago, inkman said:

I don't want to be too critical of Jarmo this early into his tenure but holding out Norris as the key cog in a potential Robert Thomas trade is a near fire worthy offense. We could have gotten rid of that albatross AND acquired a top line center in the process? WTF was he thinking? 

I’m kinda skeptical about that rumor.  It doesn’t make sense that STL would want Norris as the centerpiece of a trade for Thomas, who is a very high-value asset.  

[GASabresIUFAN]

1 hour ago, Brawndo said:

Here is Stanley 

Do we re-sign him for that amount? I’m not sure he plays with the pace we need.  I don’t know if their relationship with Kesselring is broken beyond repair, but I might be inclined to re-sign him for a year and see if he’ll rebound.

[FLfiremedic]

We are watching an in real time rapid ascension of a player in Benson who had some of the best underlying metrics when it comes to playmaking and passing outside of McDavid since they started recording the stats. His defense and motor were never in question. They have always been elite and on the top end of the development curve. If we bridge him I have a feeling we are looking at a top 10 defensive forward in the league who routinely finishes in the top 25 in scoring for the rest of his career. Down year being slightly below PPG. Top out at 110 points. Average 90-92. 
 

You couple that total package and you are looking at 12-14 mil open market in 4 years. Even if he is a 55-65 pt player and never progresses from last year. With his defense and motor he is worth Doan money right now. 

[Brawndo]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Do we re-sign him for that amount? I’m not sure he plays with the pace we need.  I don’t know if their relationship with Kesselring is broken beyond repair, but I might be inclined to re-sign him for a year and see if he’ll rebound.

Agreed I would go qualifying offer for Kesselring and see how he does

[Taro T]

45 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

Agreed I would go qualifying offer for Kesselring and see how he does

Yep.  Low riskl reasonable reward scenario.

[mjd1001]

I think if you do a bridge deal with Benson you are looking at close to $10 million per season for all three of them combined. Want to go long-term with Benson? I think you're looking at $12m per season combined for all three of them.

I would much rather do that for those three... Then to give Tuch anything over 8 million per year for anything more than 5 years.

[bg17]

 

[bg17]

 

[#freejame]

1 minute ago, bg17 said:

 

Byram, Kulich, Östlund, Quinn bridge, and Benson long term are all moves I make without hesitation. Salaries are rising but many of these seem high. 

[PerreaultForever]

There's a lot of overpays suggested there. You definitely cannot extend Byram with that number and also Tuch with his number. That would be disastrous. 

All those deadline pick ups can go. Kesselring can be traded. Krebs should be less. Dunne league minimum. Give Benson a contract similar to Doan. 

[GoPuckYourself]

I would not bring back Timmins or Lyon, I'm not sure why Kesselring fell so far out of favor here. No way am I paying Tuch 10M

[GASabresIUFAN]

With a very heavy heart I've updated this thread name to reflect that this thread has moved beyond the original intent and has become more of an offseason gameplan thread.  Thus I've renamed the thread to reflect that change.

As to what Jarmo needs to do, I'd start with moving on from Tuch and using the savings on acquiring Robert Thomas and re-sign Benson long-term.  Östlund and Helenius are off the table in a Thomas trade.  I'm also working on a Byram extension.

[Wyldnwoody44]

Timmins... Meh

Tuch, meh

Lyon and UPL.... Super Meh 

Thompson... Signed, lucky for him 

Kids have hope. 

Appert... Ugh. 

Greenway... Nope 

Krebs.... No way on the top. FN LINE.