Friedman: Jeff Skinner Buyout is a possibility.

[Irie]

I’d recommend you do some research on No Movement Clauses so you can answer your own question

I do not believe the NMC absolutely means Skinner wouldn't waive.

If the Sabres offered him a choice of waiving vs being bought out, he might waive for more teams than just Toronto. If he waives the NMC, he earns 10M this season. , if he is bought out, he earns 2.4M and has to try to find a prove it deal somewhere, likely on the cheap.

Of course, Skinner would have to approve the trade destination, but I don't think the NMC is as ironclad as everyone believes.

 

[WhereAreTheCookies]

I do not believe the NMC absolutely means Skinner wouldn't waive.

If the Sabres offered him a choice of waiving vs being bought out, he might waive for more teams than just Toronto. If he waives the NMC, he earns 10M this season. , if he is bought out, he earns 2.4M and has to try to find a prove it deal somewhere, likely on the cheap.

Of course, Skinner would have to approve the trade destination, but I don't think the NMC is as ironclad as everyone believes.

I'm not sure he needs to find a prove it deal. He's scored 92 goals over the past 3 seasons. He won't get 9 Million, but I could see a team giving him 3x5m or something like that. Outside of those 2 terrible Krueger years, he's been a pretty consistent goal scorer over the past decade.

 

[Team_Spirit]

Jeff Skinner hat trick;

1000gp 0 playoff gp and a buy-out.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

Signing Jeff Skinner to that contract was a mistake. Jeff Skinner is a 1 dimensional 5v5 goal scorer. He has virtually zero use if he is not scoring. He is getting slower by the day. His speed was embarrassingly bad by the end of last season. Only way Jeff Skinner is net positive player going forward is in a sheltered role. That's just the on ice problem. In the locker room you have the longest tenured player who absolutely refuses to listen to any coaching on the youngest team in the league. He needs to be gone. This is not an emotional take. It's a make the roster better going forward take.

You are being kind saying mistake. The dollar value was absurd. You get the cap hit down to $7.5 M, where it should have been based on an eight-year length, and this conversation is so much different. But Sabres going to be the Sabres under the Pegula ownership where decisions make no sense. Often it's just small ones. But they have added up to 13 years of no playoffs. It's not one but many through multiple inexperienced GMs.

Is this the same locker room where O'Reilly was a cancer, Eichel was selfish, Reinhart a problem child, and Montour couldn't succeed? List goes on. But Okposo was the glue that needed to play 14 minutes a night and get over one minute of PP time a game. And handed $2.5 M no one in their right mind would have paid him. Zero logic to some moves in Buffalo and too much emotion.

I get Skinner is idiotic at a $9 million price tag, but the cure cannot be worse than what you already have. Skinner's game wasn't great last year but if you look at some of his peak speeds, he can still skate when motivated. The guy just stopped playing at both ends of the ice, not just D zone, which really made him useless in those last dozen games. He can play third-line minutes in 2024-25 -- not to mention be benched and just sit in the stands if he doesn't skate.

The flip side to buying him out is a bad cap situation for pretty much five of the next six years. I guess if Pegula is not going to spend anywhere near $88 million (a real possibility based on the last four years of spending), you can buy him out.

If we are going to be 10% to 15% under the cap, it probably doesn't matter. But the team is not going to be better without Skinner. He did score 24 goals, had 22 assists and was a -2. People are cherry-picking the last dozen games. His advanced stats are not terrible either even strength, no doubt boosted by O-zone starts.

I'm against buying him out, not because I love Skinner; I just don't think it does much for Buffalo at all. Plus, you can lock down him signing in Toronto for a low salary and getting 30+ goals and 30+ assists on Toronto's offensive machine for a $2 M to $3 M cap hat. Book that.

I believe Ruff should get one year with him or we should trade him with retention, if he will allow it, even to Toronto. I would say we eat $3 M, and both teams throw in a kicker to a third team to get Skinner down to $3 M annually, which is a very good price for what he could bring for three years. (Isek Rosen would be someone I would let go and maybe a 2nd). And he will waive for Toronto. Everybody knows that. I would be happy to see Tavares come back the other way but he's not waiving. We could also take some crap back like Ryan Reaves.

None of this will happen with Toronto because of this inane idea you can't trade within your division but it should. It is the logical solution. And if we get him off the roster and save $6 M in cap next three years (and use the money wisely) instead of six years of pain, no one will care if he scores 30 in Toronto. Or at least they will care less.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

I do not believe the NMC absolutely means Skinner wouldn't waive.

If the Sabres offered him a choice of waiving vs being bought out, he might waive for more teams than just Toronto. If he waives the NMC, he earns 10M this season. , if he is bought out, he earns 2.4M and has to try to find a prove it deal somewhere, likely on the cheap.

It seems obvious Sabres are trying to play this card, threatening to buy him out. It is actually smart and good to see them play some hardball. They have been scared to do this for far too long.

 

[TehDoak]

I do not believe the NMC absolutely means Skinner wouldn't waive.

If the Sabres offered him a choice of waiving vs being bought out, he might waive for more teams than just Toronto. If he waives the NMC, he earns 10M this season. , if he is bought out, he earns 2.4M and has to try to find a prove it deal somewhere, likely on the cheap.

Of course, Skinner would have to approve the trade destination, but I don't think the NMC is as ironclad as everyone believes.

First off, I'm reasonably sure a buyout means he gets 2/3rd of the remainder of his contract immediately in cash. The amortization over twice the remaining years is just for cap purposes. And even if his buyout is spread out, he's earned 76M over his career so far. So he (and his agent) will look at total compensation. He has higher earning potential to take the buyout and then get to chose where he goes and what he makes. My guess is he'll get something like 4-5M a year on a 1 or two year deal if he's a UFA. Either way, he'll have plenty of opportunity to out earn the what he's losing in a buyout.

I am reasonably sure most agents would advise he not waive his NMC at all and go to market this summer.

It seems obvious Sabres are trying to play this card, threatening to buy him out. It is actually smart and good to see them play some hardball. They have been scared to do this for far too long

I think you are assuming a level of competence they have never shown.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

First off, I'm reasonably sure a buyout means he gets 2/3rd of the remainder of his contract immediately in cash.

I think you are assuming a level of competence they have never shown.

Good point about competence. One can hope. Your point about the money from the buyout being cash is important, too. That $14.666,667 is the present value. So he gets a few hundred grand more in real dollars because of the current cost of money. He could come out very close to or ahead overall. It's not a perfect bluff.

 

[dirtydanglez]

First off, I'm reasonably sure a buyout means he gets 2/3rd of the remainder of his contract immediately in cash. The amortization over twice the remaining years is just for cap purposes. And even if his buyout is spread out, he's earned 76M over his career so far. So he (and his agent) will look at total compensation. He has higher earning potential to take the buyout and then get to chose where he goes and what he makes. My guess is he'll get something like 4-5M a year on a 1 or two year deal if he's a UFA. Either way, he'll have plenty of opportunity to out earn the what he's losing in a buyout.

I am reasonably sure most agents would advise he not waive his NMC at all and go to market this summer.



I think you are assuming a level of competence they have never shown.

i dont think thats right. the buy-out is paid in semi monthly installments over twice the remaining years.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

First off, I'm reasonably sure a buyout means he gets 2/3rd of the remainder of his contract immediately in cash. The amortization over twice the remaining years is just for cap purposes. And even if his buyout is spread out, he's earned 76M over his career so far. So he (and his agent) will look at total compensation. He has higher earning potential to take the buyout and then get to chose where he goes and what he makes. My guess is he'll get something like 4-5M a year on a 1 or two year deal if he's a UFA. Either way, he'll have plenty of opportunity to out earn the what he's losing in a buyout.

I am reasonably sure most agents would advise he not waive his NMC at all and go to market this summer.



I think you are assuming a level of competence they have never shown.

This is why I hate this rumor and think it’d only set us back further- I’m admittedly a Skinner fan, but regardless- until the wheels clearly fall off in 2-3 years you have a 2nd line winger who can score buckets in the right situation. Yes, he’s overpaid, he’s an older version of what we have a lot of, and in theory we’re replacing him with a cheaper, grindier player. Great. Can’t wait for Berglund and Sobotka to come on in.

That’s a bit hyperbolic, the bigger concern is I simply don’t trust Pegula to spend money. Everything these past few years has been about spending less, I’d love for that to change but I think Terry is just cutting down costs so he can sell in a few years.

Skinner had a bad second half, fans have fish brains and switch back to wanting him gone again after 6 months, and management is behind the scenes like emperor palpatine going “good, good, let the hate flow through you.” Am I saying Jeff Skinner is Luke Skywalker? Yes, which does not help my case, but if they buy him out I guarantee we sign some table scraps and then say “gee, the market was just so tough this year.” His contract doesn’t doom us, it’s not even a significant barrier to building a better team, we had the cap space for that last year and did jack shit with it, what makes people think losing Skinner is what’s gonna make us suddenly spend significantly more than the cap floor? Man, this how the rich bilk folks.

 

[TehDoak]

This is why I hate this rumor and think it’d only set us back further- I’m admittedly a Skinner fan, but regardless- until the wheels clearly fall off in 2-3 years you have a 2nd line winger who can score buckets in the right situation. Yes, he’s overpaid, he’s an older version of what we have a lot of, and in theory we’re replacing him with a cheaper, grindier player. Great. Can’t wait for Berglund and Sobotka to come on in.

That’s a bit hyperbolic, the bigger concern is I simply don’t trust Pegula to spend money. Everything these past few years has been about spending less, I’d love for that to change but I think Terry is just cutting down costs so he can sell in a few years.

Skinner had a bad second half, fans have fish brains and switch back to wanting him gone again after 6 months, and management is behind the scenes like emperor palpatine going “good, good, let the hate flow through you.” Am I saying Jeff Skinner is Luke Skywalker? Yes, which does not help my case, but if they buy him out I guarantee we sign some table scraps and then say “gee, the market was just so tough this year.” His contract doesn’t doom us, it’s not even a significant barrier to building a better team, we had the cap space for that last year and did jack shit with it, what makes people think losing Skinner is what’s gonna make us suddenly spend significantly more than the cap floor? Man, this how the rich bilk folks.

The problem with Skinner is he hasn't shown he can play down the lineup. His success is predicated on a very specific set of circumstances (which are typically afforded to elite level players)

1. As little time at or near the defensive zone as possible. He isn't going to backcheck, period.
2. Players on his line that can create room for him, either by being physical or drawing attention away from him. He cannot create the space needed for him to succeed on his own. He is unable to drive his own line

Essentially, he's elite within a few feet in front of the net in terms of rebounds and wrist shots.

But, when he isnt setup to succeed, he's a complete waste of a lineup spot. He isn't good on the power play, he isn't good on defense, he's not good on transition, he's not good on the PK He's good at scoring goals. His ideal fit is a team that cares more about scoring goals than winning games. I.e. a team with little expectation in terms of success but want to crank out entertaining games. There is a reason he's never been in the playoffs, and its not bad luck. His play doesn't translate to sound, winning hockey and he doesn't have the utility to his game that would allow him to play a lessor role on a better team.

 

[bleedgreen]

Skinner moved up in his draft because he scored 20 goals in 20 playoff games his last season of junior. It’s ironic he has the rep that he has because early on there was talk about looking forward to what he could do in the playoffs. He doesn’t hurt the team he’s on if the team is solid two ways generally. Most negativity he gets is just low hanging fruit. He’s a goal scorer so by nature is streaky. He’s actually pretty good at finding space with the puck, he’s just too loose with it in the nuetral zone so it’s best to feed him as he hits the line. He’s still a great skater and is still very elusive. He can find an open teammate and can put the puck on the net in almost any situation.

He has value. He would definitely find a home next year if this happened, and I hope it’s a good team. I think they’re just better off keeping him around next year, they have time to buy him out and I don’t think he’s really interfering with off season plans. They have space to make moves.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

The problem with Skinner is he hasn't shown he can play down the lineup. His success is predicated on a very specific set of circumstances (which are typically afforded to elite level players)

1. As little time at or near the defensive zone as possible. He isn't going to backcheck, period.
2. Players on his line that can create room for him, either by being physical or drawing attention away from him. He cannot create the space needed for him to succeed on his own. He is unable to drive his own line

Essentially, he's elite within a few feet in front of the net in terms of rebounds and wrist shots.

But, when he isnt setup to succeed, he's a complete waste of a lineup spot. He isn't good on the power play, he isn't good on defense, he's not good on transition, he's not good on the PK He's good at scoring goals. His ideal fit is a team that cares more about scoring goals than winning games. I.e. a team with little expectation in terms of success but want to crank out entertaining games. There is a reason he's never been in the playoffs, and its not bad luck. His play doesn't translate to sound, winning hockey and he doesn't have the utility to his game that would allow him to play a lessor role on a better team.

I get all that, he’s a flawed player. I’m cynical, and simply don’t think they’ll properly replace him. I see a team like the Canes take a swing on Kuznetsov, who I trust far less than Skinner, and it works alright because the team is there. Our team isn’t there, and it feels like we’re scapegoating a dude a bit. Yes, he’s the worst of what ails us, but again- do you actually trust management to make moves this offseason? I don’t, I don’t trust Pegula to spend, so I’m not gonna support losing a roster player.

 

[Irie]

First off, I'm reasonably sure a buyout means he gets 2/3rd of the remainder of his contract immediately in cash.

2/3rds is the actual amount of the remaining contract a bought out player will receive in total(less signing bonuses) and NHL buyouts are paid over the life of the buyout. There is zero lump-sum up front cash prize for being bought out. A buyout becomes part of a teams payroll and a bought out player is on the payroll schedule just like regular players.

Skinner will be paid 2.4M over the course of the upcoming season if he is bought out on Wednesday when the buyout window opens.

 

[chi777]

I'm not sure he needs to find a prove it deal. He's scored 92 goals over the past 3 seasons. He won't get 9 Million, but I could see a team giving him 3x5m or something like that. Outside of those 2 terrible Krueger years, he's been a pretty consistent goal scorer over the past decade.

I'm not so sure. How many teams are going to want to announce to their teams: "GOOD NEWS!!!! We know you're hungry for a Stanley Cup so we've signed the player that holds the world record for 'Most Games Played without ever making the Playoffs!!!'".

I am willing to bet there are a fair number of teams that will be reluctant to sign him for that very reason. And with good reason. He's a one dimensional player in every sense. He only produces in a top 6, 5 on 5 role. The list of things he can't, or won't, do is much, much longer than the list of stuff he does do.

 

[Irie]

And even if his buyout is spread out, he's earned 76M over his career so far. So he (and his agent) will look at total compensation. He has higher earning potential to take the buyout and then get to chose where he goes and what he makes. My guess is he'll get something like 4-5M a year on a 1 or two year deal if he's a UFA. Either way, he'll have plenty of opportunity to out earn the what he's losing in a buyout. .

I will also add that 76M career earnings is going to be less than half that in take home pay.

Annually the players have 10% of their contracts go to the league as escrow as part of the revenue sharing CBA clause (some years this is higher, especially recently with the COVID situation). Then the feds take 37% of his earnings. Then New York takes, what, ~9%ish? Then there are agent fees and all the stuff us regular folks have to pay out as well. So in reality, Skinner has taken home less than 44% of 76 million - somewhere in the 30-32M range.

This season he earns 10M, which would be 4.5M take home, which would likely be 15% if his total career earnings.

If skinner is bought out, no GM is giving him a multi year deal and no GM is giving him 4+ million. He has the reputation as a one dimensional wing, who is 32 years old and who showed signs of decline this past season. He'd be super lucky to get the 1 year 3M contract Duchene got last summer after being bought out, but as a winger with his reputation, he will be extremely lucky if he gets 2M on a one year deal, imo.

 

[Steddy33]

You are being kind saying mistake. The dollar value was absurd. You get the cap hit down to $7.5 M, where it should have been based on an eight-year length, and this conversation is so much different. But Sabres going to be the Sabres under the Pegula ownership where decisions make no sense. Often it's just small ones. But they have added up to 13 years of no playoffs. It's not one but many through multiple inexperienced GMs.

Is this the same locker room where O'Reilly was a cancer, Eichel was selfish, Reinhart a problem child, and Montour couldn't succeed? List goes on. But Okposo was the glue that needed to play 14 minutes a night and get over one minute of PP time a game. And handed $2.5 M no one in their right mind would have paid him. Zero logic to some moves in Buffalo and too much emotion.

I get Skinner is idiotic at a $9 million price tag, but the cure cannot be worse than what you already have. Skinner's game wasn't great last year but if you look at some of his peak speeds, he can still skate when motivated. The guy just stopped playing at both ends of the ice, not just D zone, which really made him useless in those last dozen games. He can play third-line minutes in 2024-25 -- not to mention be benched and just sit in the stands if he doesn't skate.

The flip side to buying him out is a bad cap situation for pretty much five of the next six years. I guess if Pegula is not going to spend anywhere near $88 million (a real possibility based on the last four years of spending), you can buy him out.

If we are going to be 10% to 15% under the cap, it probably doesn't matter. But the team is not going to be better without Skinner. He did score 24 goals, had 22 assists and was a -2. People are cherry-picking the last dozen games. His advanced stats are not terrible either even strength, no doubt boosted by O-zone starts.

I'm against buying him out, not because I love Skinner; I just don't think it does much for Buffalo at all. Plus, you can lock down him signing in Toronto for a low salary and getting 30+ goals and 30+ assists on Toronto's offensive machine for a $2 M to $3 M cap hat. Book that.

I believe Ruff should get one year with him or we should trade him with retention, if he will allow it, even to Toronto. I would say we eat $3 M, and both teams throw in a kicker to a third team to get Skinner down to $3 M annually, which is a very good price for what he could bring for three years. (Isek Rosen would be someone I would let go and maybe a 2nd). And he will waive for Toronto. Everybody knows that. I would be happy to see Tavares come back the other way but he's not waiving. We could also take some crap back like Ryan Reaves.

None of this will happen with Toronto because of this inane idea you can't trade within your division but it should. It is the logical solution. And if we get him off the roster and save $6 M in cap next three years (and use the money wisely) instead of six years of pain, no one will care if he scores 30 in Toronto. Or at least they will care less.

Obviously I would prefer he was traded. We both know that isn't happening. Buying him out isn't optimal money wise but it seems like the only option at this point. He is on the decline and that decline will continue to accel. Do you actually Jeff Skinner will start to play a team game under a new coach? The standard for playing the right way on this team needs to start yesterday. Teams like Boston with subpar talent win because a standard is set. Do you really think Jeff Skinner would fly in that organization? I seriously hope Toronto signs him. It's more of the same for that organization that doesn't have a clue how to build a team that wins in the playoffs.

 

[Djp]

Signing Jeff Skinner to that contract was a mistake. Jeff Skinner is a 1 dimensional 5v5 goal scorer. He has virtually zero use if he is not scoring. He is getting slower by the day. His speed was embarrassingly bad by the end of last season. Only way Jeff Skinner is net positive player going forward is in a sheltered role. That's just the on ice problem. In the locker room you have the longest tenured player who absolutely refuses to listen to any coaching on the youngest team in the league. He needs to be gone. This is not an emotional take. It's a make the roster better going forward take.

>>90% of contracts signed thry their 33+ ages are usually not good.

I didnt like the contract when it go signed. I would have preferred a 5 yr contract.

I do not believe the NMC absolutely means Skinner wouldn't waive.

If the Sabres offered him a choice of waiving vs being bought out, he might waive for more teams than just Toronto. If he waives the NMC, he earns 10M this season. , if he is bought out, he earns 2.4M and has to try to find a prove it deal somewhere, likely on the cheap.

Of course, Skinner would have to approve the trade destination, but I don't think the NMC is as ironclad as everyone believes.

From Skinners perspective....

Hr get 2/3 of what owed which is $22M of the $72M in the contract.

2/3 of $22M is around $14.67M

If hes bought out, can he get $7.33M over the next 3 yrs. That's about $2.5M per which he would get at a 25+ goal scorer from around the league.

It benefits buffalo if they could trade him at say $4.5M. The other teams know it probably costs them $2M more.

Buffalo has arbitration cases which could give them a second buyout window which hurts Skinner on the market finding money next year so waive the Nmc and allow him to get traded.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

Obviously I would prefer he was traded. We both know that isn't happening. Buying him out isn't optimal money wise but it seems like the only option at this point. He is on the decline and that decline will continue to accel. Do you actually Jeff Skinner will start to play a team game under a new coach? The standard for playing the right way on this team needs to start yesterday. Teams like Boston with subpar talent win because a standard is set. Do you really think Jeff Skinner would fly in that organization? I seriously hope Toronto signs him. It's more of the same for that organization that doesn't have a clue how to build a team that wins in the playoffs.

I hate the Leafs but they have had a lot of bad playoff bounces. Losing Matthews and Nylander might the worst of them all. That said, it was ridiculous they lost to Columbus and Montreal teams. Those were the chokes. But they have made it eight straight years. Let's see Buffalo make it one year.

The Bruins do have talent. Just ridiculous to suggest otherwise. They have had two all-star goalies. (We had one and waited until the last minute to lock him down, and he walked. More Sabres management brilliance.) We do not have anyone close to Pastrnak today. Sorry, one Tage Thompson season don't cut it. No one in Marchand's class. Before he retired, I would take Bergeron over any one of our centres. I might still take him. Dahlin is elite but it's not like McAvoy wasn't close. I will take Lindholm today over Power too.

You want to talk about the potential in Buffal0. 100%, there is some serious pedigree in the lineup, and there should be with all the picks we have had.

But I look back on 2023-24 -- and the whole season and not the last dozen games -- and Skinner is hardly their issue, His season was pretty much the same as Cozens.

If Skinner was making $4.5 M, we wouldn't even be having these conversations. I believe. That means the argument should be, can we get someone better for cap difference (presuming Pegula spends to cap, and that's a big if)? The answer is yes for 2024-25 and likely no for 2025-26 and for sure no in 2026-27. And then you add three years of $2.444 M in cap.

I just don't want to hear any more about the room and all that crap and whether Skinner is this or that. No one knows. I was told crap players like Okposo and Girgensons are key for the room. It's all nonsense. You need talent. Skinner still has some. Can Ruff coax more out of him. Maybe. It's worth another year because of the severe penalty.

It's sort of ludicrous for the Sabres to go all in on trying to make the playoffs in 2024-25 and eating Skinner's contract as part of that. This means they will probably do it. Because this team has no proper management just the guy who ran the Harbour Center and some guy who knows about fracking oil and zero about hockey.

Lindy Ruff is the only real hope for this team. Probably hired for all the wrong reasons but he may have something left. If Ruff told me we could really make a run in 2024-25, maybe I might buy because I respect him. He is the only guy I trust on a decision on Skinner.

 

[leafsfan2point0]

There would definitely be a market for him if bought out on a cheap 1 year bounce back type deal.

 

[TehDoak]

But I look back on 2023-24 -- and the whole season and not the last dozen games -- and Skinner is hardly their issue, His season was pretty much the same as Cozens.

If Skinner was making $4.5 M, we wouldn't even be having these conversations. I believe. That means the argument should be, can we get someone better for cap difference (presuming Pegula spends to cap, and that's a big if)? The answer is yes for 2024-25 and likely no for 2025-26 and for sure no in 2026-27. And then you add three years of $2.444 M in cap.

Skinner is 31. Cozens is 23.

Yes, Cozens has a meh season and has to bounce back, but that is almost to be expected 1st year after a your big contract post ELC. Skinner is 31 and sucked for 2/3rds of the year. And it's not the 1st time in his career he's disappeared for big stretches of time, if not seasons at a time, if he doesn't want to show up. Cozens also contributes elsewhere on the ice other than the score sheet.

4.5M for a guy that will score either 35 goals or 30 total pts depending on how he's feeling is a pretty big gamble.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

I guess we will find out between Wednesday and Saturday.

I can't believe we have hit game 7 but we have the next 10-14 days are going to be crazy, then we get the Olympics.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

There would definitely be a market for him if bought out on a cheap 1 year bounce back type deal.

I don't know that he ends up with a bounce back deal.

The man scored 24 goals last year he's still a legitimate goal scorer.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

Skinner is 31. Cozens is 23.

Yes, Cozens has a meh season and has to bounce back, but that is almost to be expected 1st year after a your big contract post ELC. Skinner is 31 and sucked for 2/3rds of the year. And it's not the 1st time in his career he's disappeared for big stretches of time, if not seasons at a time, if he doesn't want to show up. Cozens also contributes elsewhere on the ice other than the score sheet.

4.5M for a guy that will score either 35 goals or 30 total pts depending on how he's feeling is a pretty big gamble.

Skinner has seasons of 33 goals, 30 assists, 35, goals 47 assists and 24 goals and 22 assists last three. His crap years were under Krueger. Yeah, Cozens has more upside but the argument with Skinner is what will we get for the difference in value. One year seems like a slam dunk. And the three years added on end are just dumb. His $9 M contract is blinding people. If it was the NFL, dump him. The NHL has. hard cap with specific buyout roles. Those rules are the reality.

 

[periferal]

I assume I'm missing something here, but why would the Sabres buy Skinner out? Of course he's overpaid relative to what his production is, but they don't need cap space...Unless they're planning on signing Stamkos and Reinhart this offseason (which of course they won't). Most of their core is already signed long term so they can handle Skinner's cap hit through the remainder of the deal.

And while he has a NMC I can't imagine he wouldn't waive it to go to a contender in a year or two with the Sabres retaining 50% (which they can afford).

And not that the Sabres are well run, but they need offense and who can they realistically sign/trade for that will produce 20+ goals like Skinner can still do?

And...If Skinner gets injured again they just put him on LTIR and recoup some cap space this way.

And if they buy him out they'll save about 7M this year, but then it drops to about 4.5M and then 2.5M in the last year of his deal.

Add it all up and don't see much of a benefit to pay a guy a lot of money not to produce offense for them (and maybe get something back in a trade in 1-2 years).

 

[Irie]

I assume I'm missing something here, but why would the Sabres buy Skinner out? Of course he's overpaid relative to what his production is, but they don't need cap space...Unless they're planning on signing Stamkos and Reinhart this offseason (which of course they won't). Most of their core is already signed long term so they can handle Skinner's cap hit through the remainder of the deal.

And while he has a NMC I can't imagine he wouldn't waive it to go to a contender in a year or two with the Sabres retaining 50% (which they can afford).

And not that the Sabres are well run, but they need offense and who can they realistically sign/trade for that will produce 20+ goals like Skinner can still do?

And...If Skinner gets injured again they just put him on LTIR and recoup some cap space this way.

And if they buy him out they'll save about 7M this year, but then it drops to about 4.5M and then 2.5M in the last year of his deal.

Add it all up and don't see much of a benefit to pay a guy a lot of money not to produce offense for them (and maybe get something back in a trade in 1-2 years).

They are likely going to need his cap space next offseason to sign all of their RFAs, so the writing is on the wall.

A lot of posters feel that if Skinner is not in the top 6, he shouldn't be in the lineup, and he leaves a lot to be desired on the defensive side of the puck (all legitimate concerns). GM Kevyn Adams is talking about adding a top 6 talent, and with Tuch, Thompson, Pertka, Quinn and Cozens already here, Skinner would be the odd man out (He was demoted to finish the season this past year, so it feels like the natural decision.) Add that his cap hit is so high, a buy out now starts to make some sense.