Value of: Ryan McLeod to half the league at 2025 TDL

[StlBigFly]

I think if Buffalo were considering offers on this skater that half the league would be on standby, waiting to see if their offer was the victor.

It feels like half the league is on standby.

We’re a few major deals behind the usual pace. No centers have moved. This may be your reason.

I’d guess Buffalo would get to consider offers potentially including guys like Zegras, Bolduc, Berggren, Rossi. Prob a huge list. Probably doesn’t include Byfield but I could see why somebody may want that.

Does your team want to make an offer?

Any guess at a trade if it occurred?

Any guess at the value?

I don’t think my blues have what it takes.

Are there interesting nhl caliber forwards out there that make sense for the Sabres?

If Buffalo does not want to sign McLeod into the future they will risk him walking to UFA as his next season is his 26 year old season. He previously filed for arbitration with Edmonton. He’s one arb from ufa and can do that this offseason. I certainly do not know the Sabres intentions, purely speculating based on contract status and historic action. For all I know he extends today or this offseason. If I had to guess, this is what’s holding everything up; one high stakes center that could draw interest from a huge number of clubs, tying up a lot of moving pieces until it resolves. Even if the Sabres had little desire to commit to a move, I feel you’d get so much attention you’d have to go through the process.

Click to read more...

 

[Djp]

He is an RFA , not a UFA.

He was drafted in 2018 which makes 25/26 his 25 yr old season since 18/19 was his 18 yr old season

He should have 3 yrs left of team control after this year

I dont see buffalo trading him unless it's part of a package deal for a better center

 

[My Cozen Dylan]

There's no reason we'd trade a cost-controlled two-way center when we lack centers and we gave up a top prospect to get him.

 

[SundherDome]

I can't imagine he is remotely available. He is young and under team control while being defensively responsible and putting up a career high in points this year.

 

[StlBigFly]

There's no reason we'd trade a cost-controlled two-way center when we lack centers and we gave up a top prospect to get him.

If you don’t trade him

And he doesn’t sign

He’s a ufa after next year. He’ll be way cheaper for us to acquire then. I’m all for it tbh?

You may not prefer that timeline in some circumstances. Especially if another timeline includes a big prize basket of hockey players in exchange.

 

[Vitto79]

I doubt he’s on the block

 

[My Cozen Dylan]

If you don’t trade him

And he doesn’t sign

He’s a ufa after next year

You may not prefer that timeline in some circumstances.

The worst case scenario is a two-year arb award and we can revisit it in a year. NO reason to move him now.

 

[StlBigFly]

I can't imagine he is remotely available. He is young and under team control while being defensively responsible and putting up a career high in points this year.

He’s 25.

Next year he’s 26.

If he requests arbitration, which he has previously, any award makes him a free agent. This is not how teams usually define “controlled player”.

 

[StlBigFly]

The worst case scenario is a two-year arb award and we can revisit it in a year. NO reason to move him now.

Would be kind of wild to see an arbitrator take away a year of ufa, especially if the player is requesting 1 year. From the players perspective he can point at his time in service. What reason would the Sabres have to argue he doesn’t get ufa at 27? That he has to wait another year?. I’ll have to have my guru dig and see if that is a thing. I don’t think it’s a likely outcome at all, let alone the worst case scenario.

An expected 1 year award would be the expected outcome and players request. He hasn’t missed time or otherwise done anything to justify a Sabres preferred 2 years. I don’t believe the arbitration process is viable way to control players beyond the age of 27. I would most highly doubt an arbitrator would take away a young centers first ufa year because the team didn’t want to trade or sign their player.

 

[SundherDome]

He’s 25.

Next year he’s 26.

If he requests arbitration, which he has previously, any award makes him a free agent. This is not how teams usually define “controlled player”.

By definition, he is a team controlled player. He cannot leave the team in the off-season. There is no reason for us to move on from him, when we need exactly what he brings.

 

[StlBigFly]

By definition, he is a team controlled player. He cannot leave the team in the off-season. There is no reason for us to move on from him, when we need exactly what he brings.

he certainly could leave in the offseason. He has no contract which places him in the exclusive group of “guys who are more likely than others to be traded because they don’t have a deal for the upcoming season and it’s the trade deadline”.

After he’s qualified any team can talk to him via an offer sheet. In that scenario the return is a pile of picks. Probably not the ideal outcome if movement is inevitable. Although if the players wants to ufa then they won’t sign offer sheets, so that part kinda helps, but it also means they probably aren’t signing contracts either.

Can always get the rental price of a first and B+ prospect next year. Value wise that seems worse than the offseason offer sheet pile of picks, which seems worse than any deal prior to qualifying the skater. I’d suggest as an unbiased observer that the Sabres best return probably comes before the player is a pending ufa and from getting like half the teams to bid and patiently waiting for something that they want, using the deals against each other to get one grand worthwhile reward. I’m speculating that exactly this is happening right now. But maybe they won’t do that. Who knows. Maybes it’s the hurricanes holding up the market. Buncha jerks.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

If you don’t trade him

And he doesn’t sign

He’s a ufa after next year. He’ll be way cheaper for us to acquire then. I’m all for it tbh?

You may not prefer that timeline in some circumstances. Especially if another timeline includes a big prize basket of hockey players in exchange.

I doubt they're concerned about this scenario.

 

[Fjordsen]

Not interested in trading him at all, he's been our best center after Tage this season, he doesn't get PP time but he scores decently and is solid defensively, perfect 3C for us, can even play top 6 at times if he gets injured and not screw it up.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

He's a really nice depth, character piece something Buffalo needs.

Why are they trading him?

They also paid what was seen as a expensive price to acquire the player.

 

[Satanphonehome]

Where is the Tage Thompson thread?

I think McLeod means HFBoards has just Tage left to have worked its way through the entire Sabres top 9.

Vultures circling a dying wildebeest.

 

[Chainshot]

If you don’t trade him

And he doesn’t sign

He’s a ufa after next year. He’ll be way cheaper for us to acquire then. I’m all for it tbh?

You may not prefer that timeline in some circumstances. Especially if another timeline includes a big prize basket of hockey players in exchange.

Then he would demand rental pricing at the deadline in two years. Which for a puck transition player who can play a middle 6 role is going to be tidy at that time. In the meantime, they need him and it won't behove them to deal him for picks and prospects. The thought that they will is a stupid idea.

 

[My Cozen Dylan]

Would be kind of wild to see an arbitrator take away a year of ufa, especially if the player is requesting 1 year. From the players perspective he can point at his time in service. What reason would the Sabres have to argue he doesn’t get ufa at 27? That he has to wait another year?. I’ll have to have my guru dig and see if that is a thing. I don’t think it’s a likely outcome at all, let alone the worst case scenario.

An expected 1 year award would be the expected outcome and players request. He hasn’t missed time or otherwise done anything to justify a Sabres preferred 2 years. I don’t believe the arbitration process is viable way to control players beyond the age of 27. I would most highly doubt an arbitrator would take away a young centers first ufa year because the team didn’t want to trade or sign their player.

If the player elects arbitration, the team selects the term. He's not eligible for UFA in 2026 so the team would logically elect a two-year arb award.

 

[StlBigFly]

If the player elects arbitration, the team selects the term. He's not eligible for UFA in 2026 so the team would logically elect a two-year arb award.

Puckpedia says his ufa season is 2025-26.

That should make a 2 year arb award not possible? He would be awarded 2024-25? They can’t take a ufa year away as an arb award. I’ll get the cba print later.

 

[JoeSakic13]

The kid is solid, but I don’t think he can handle the workload of playing for 16 teams.

 

[My Cozen Dylan]

Puckpedia says his ufa year is 2025-26.

That should make a 2 year arb award not possible? They can’t take a ufa year away as an arb award. I’ll get the cba print later.

https://puckpedia.com/salary-cap/arbitration

The arbitrator can only award a 1 or 2 year contract. The party that did not elect the arbitration selects the term (if the player selected arbitration, the team selects 1 or 2 year term). Players that are only 1 year away from being a UFA can only have a 1 year contract awarded.