Confirmed with Link: Jeff Skinner -- Bought Out 6/29/24

[Doug Prishpreed]

The thing I don't like about the Skinner buyout talk is that if Adams doesn't use the space it opens immediately, I'm mentally ready to give up on this team, because buying out Skinner is 100% short term benefit, and creates long term issues when our window is really supposed to be open.

Imagine all of the hope they’ll give us fans with a Skinner buyout - for them to just let the cap space sit there unused will not only wipe out that hope, but will wipe out any positive fan sentiment that remains.

I remain positive that they’d use that cap space though. That is one dark timeline where they buyout Skinner and stay $7.5m under cap.

 

[Dubi Doo]

Has fat lady sung?

Seems like she's sippen some hot tea and working on her pitch range. Just waiting on the curtains to open at this point.

 

[Fjordy]

View attachment 884763

To this point, we have, on record, 3 trades in 4 years that have directly impacted their NHL roster.

Eichel trade (Tuch, Krebs)
Greenway
Byram


The rest is either futures to be determined, stuff for free (future considerations, which he's does 6 times!) or ahl/minor asset shuffling.

He has no track record of making big, important NHL roster trades, so until does, I'm skeptical that a Skinner buyout wouldn't just be 'well, I failed to complete a trade once again, guess we'll hope Kulich,Rosen,Savoie are ready...', which is what he did last year when Quinn got hurt.

I disagree, because Adams was then quietly developing the team and was in no hurry. Now he is in a hot seat, as Marek said, it's the playoffs or bust for Sabres. Now Lindy has arrived, he has Karmanos and Ventura, he has more experience now, he has assets. I think he will act both in trades and in UFA.

 

[Gabrielor]

Imagine all of the hope they’ll give us fans with a Skinner buyout - for them to just let the cap space sit there unused will not only wipe out that hope, but will wipe out any positive fan sentiment that remains.

I remain positive that they’d use that cap space though. That is one dark timeline where they buyout Skinner and stay $7.5m under cap.

I'll fold. You won't see me around here/twitter talking Sabres next year if that happens. They better be within 2-4 million of the cap, minimum.

I disagree, because Adams was then quietly developing the team and was in no hurry. Now he is in a hot seat, as Marek said, it's the playoffs or bust for Sabres. Now Lindy has arrived, he has Karmanos and Ventura, he has more experience now, he has assets. I think he will act both in trades and in UFA.

You actually agree. Things have changed, but he has yet to make a move, so we have no evidence.

 

[Fjordy]

You actually agree. Things have changed, but he has yet to make a move, so we have no evidence.

Well, we'll see, my opinion is that he will be active and add the necessary parts to the team.

 

[TehDoak]

From the dollars behind the Leino, Moulson, and Okposo deals, comes the Skinner UFA contract!

It's bigger!

It's badder!

And boooooooy are we gonna hate it in 3 years!

Come one, come all, see the spectacle of the Pegula's literally lighting money on fire!

Dearest Pegula Family,

If you would have consulted me 5 years ago, I would have saved you nearly 65M dollars.

My "slap a boomer billionaire burning bunches of bucks LLC" consulting agency is available. For a fee of 1M dollars a year, I will slap the phone out of your hand before you agree to any deals such as this. For an extra 1M dollars (plus expenses), I will fly to Buffalo and slap the GM for suggesting contracts such as this.

This is my resume, a firm open hand slap from my hand to your cell phone would have saved you 65M dollars! Let my consultancy slap the idiot away, today.

TehDoak
Founder and President
Slap A Boomer Billionaire Burning Bunches of Bucks, LLC (SLBBBoB)

 

[Dubi Doo]

I cant deny, I feel similar, and I know the strong majority disagree. I hope I'm wrong. I like Skinner's attitude, but he disappears for long stretches. Hopefully a better team will bring out the best in him.

Yeah. I wasn't a fan of this contract from day 1. Pretty bummed to be proven right. I still like Skinner's attitude. After the buyout, maybe he'll have a chance to sign with a playoff team. Heck, maybe we'll make the playoffs. Let's destroy two streaks!

Perhaps buying Skinner out will be like the Mayans sacrificing a human to their gods. Here's our sacrifice to you...almighty hockey gods. Now, let us be free of this dreadful Buffalo curse!

 

[truthbluth]

Wait a minute…

I think the apocalypse is coming.

Hear me out.

Unstoppable force meets immovable object.

Jeff Skinner cannot make the playoffs.

Everybody makes the playoffs after leaving the Sabres.

We can’t buy him out. He has to retire a Sabre. The universe depends on it.

 

[Dingo44]

Based on Adams' response today, they've definitely thought about it and they have definitely talked to Jeff and his agent about it - and that also means they've talked to Pegula.

How far along they are, I'm still not sure - but it's very possible. Trade would be better even with retention because we're done in three years instead of six.

 

[OkimLom]

Well, we'll see, my opinion is that he will be active and add the necessary parts to the team.

You mean those necessary parts to the team that the team has needed for the past 4+ years? Those necessary parts he decided to not go after, and instead double down from a non-playoff team to fill by bringing pretty much everybody back?

What has Adams done to earn such a "benefit of the doubt" from so many fans?

 

[Fjordy]

You mean those necessary parts to the team that the team has needed for the past 4+ years? Those necessary parts he decided to not go after, and instead double down from a non-playoff team to fill by bringing pretty much everybody back?

What has Adams done to earn such a "benefit of the doubt" from so many fans?

I mean, the situation has changed a lot, so he will change tactics. Let's wait a few weeks and we will see.

 

[joshjull]

 

[5 Minute Major]

Imagine all of the hope they’ll give us fans with a Skinner buyout - for them to just let the cap space sit there unused will not only wipe out that hope, but will wipe out any positive fan sentiment that remains.

I remain positive that they’d use that cap space though. That is one dark timeline where they buyout Skinner and stay $7.5m under cap.

I get what you are saying but maybe the Sabres look at it as Jeff Skinner is a detriment to the team and subtracting him would be an addition, regardless of what cap space it does or doesn’t create. I don’t think they necessarily have to use that money just for the hell of it. You can’t spend your way out of What the Sabres have created for themselves.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I get his point but it’s not all or nothing. There’s no doubt the Sabres have a ton of young players and prospects that will play a big role over the next five years. Trading some away doesn’t change that

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

I get what you are saying but maybe the Sabres look at it as Jeff Skinner is a detriment to the team and subtracting him would be an addition, regardless of what cap space it does or doesn’t create. I don’t think they necessarily have to use that money just for the hell of it. You can’t spend your way out of What the Sabres have created for themselves.

If you can't spend your way out of being a bad team, then you're a bad owner and bad GM. You absolutely can make your team better by spending more if you are halfway decent at your job.

You can't be competitive in this league when you aren't spending to the cap. There is no excuse for not doing it.

 

[Zman5778]

If you can't spend your way out of being a bad team, then you're a bad owner and bad GM. You absolutely can make your team better by spending more if you are halfway decent at your job.

You can't be competitive in this league when you aren't spending to the cap. There is no excuse for not doing it.

Competitive how? We missed the playoffs by a point last year while being significantly under the cap.

Seattle made the playoffs their first year while being like $10M under the cap.

 

[Dingo44]

If you can't spend your way out of being a bad team, then you're a bad owner and bad GM. You absolutely can make your team better by spending more if you are halfway decent at your job.

You can't be competitive in this league when you aren't spending to the cap. There is no excuse for not doing it.

Like Ottawa.

 

[CaliSabresfan24]

Summary of the presser today

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Competitive how? We missed the playoffs by a point last year while being significantly under the cap.

Seattle made the playoffs their first year while being like $10M under the cap.

Yes, and neither team is competitive, and neither is taken seriously. Thank you for proving my point.

Like Ottawa.

They had a horrible owner -- exactly my point.

 

[Dingo44]

Yes, and neither team is competitive, and neither is taken seriously. Thank you for proving my point.


They had a horrible owner -- exactly my point.

Your point is lunacy. It's like saying if you spend enough money you can change the weather. Spending to the cap every year just to do it guarantees nothing other than you'll run yourself into problems quickly and have to start selling off good assets and move draft picks to just hold your head above water.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Your point is lunacy. It's like saying if you spend enough money you can change the weather. Spending to the cap every year just to do it guarantees nothing other than you'll run yourself into problems quickly and have to start selling off good assets and move draft picks to just hold your head above water.

You are completely misunderstanding my post -- I didn't say you automatically win the cup if you spend to the cap. I said if you don't spend close to the cap, you have no chance to win in this league. You always want to leave a little space for bonuses and deadline acquisitions, but you need to spend close to the cap to be competitive.

There are literally no teams who are good and not doing that. And by "good" I mean actually good, not making the playoffs by a point every few years and immediately losing. Teams that are perennially good always spend as much as they can. In fact, the best teams spend above the cap by using the LITR loophole.

 

[Dingo44]

You are completely misunderstanding my post -- I didn't say you automatically win the cup if you spend to the cap. I said if you don't spend close to the cap, you have no chance to win in this league. You always want to leave a little space for bonuses and deadline acquisitions, but you need to spend close to the cap to be competitive.

There are literally no teams who are good and not doing that. And by "good" I mean actually good, not making the playoffs by a point every few years and immediately losing. Teams that are perennially good always spend as much as they can. In fact, the best teams spend above the cap by using the LITR loophole.

We aren't close to being in the same class as those teams. When we're a perennial Stanley Cup contender and we have a Mark Stone or a Landeskog or a Kucherov to put on LTIR then let's talk.

Adams will be spending a lot more in free agency this year but hopefully it's for the right players and not so much we end up regretting it before we win anything.

 

[OkimLom]

I mean, the situation has changed a lot, so he will change tactics. Let's wait a few weeks and we will see.

The situation didn't change, it was the length of the leash that changed.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

We aren't close to being in the same class as those teams. When we're a perennial Stanley Cup contender and we have a Mark Stone or a Landeskog or a Kucherov to put on LTIR then let's talk.

Adams will be spending a lot more in free agency this year but hopefully it's for the right players and not so much we end up regretting it before we win anything.

If we buyout Jeff Skinner and still have $7m in cap space going into the season, I think you'll see Buffalo become the least desirable team in the league by far, and you'll lose most of your hardcore fans.

Several loyal, dedicated fans have already said on here that they're completely done with this team if that happens and I don't blame them. It means that winning doesn't matter as much as upgrades to the leather on the seats on your yacht..

 

[TageGod]

Buyout Skinner, go get a 2 year player to replace him. Year 3 that player leaves and the cap balances out. Elevate players to save salary year 3 then go spend it again year 4. You can buyout Skinner and win all around (except year 3).