Confirmed with Link: Sabres re-sign D Henri Jokiharju. 1 year, $3.1M

[brian_griffin]

Would have liked an upgrade but whatever its 1 year. As mentioned, he had a better year last season but I still don't see him as a top 4 d man

Now he can be traded as a rental

Still a tradable asset. Still.

Hes played then trade chip mid season/ deadline and they call up RyJo if they need to.

Hr still can get traded without an unknown arbitration hearing

I don’t like how he thinks the game and that’s pretty fundamental

I was surprised they walked him to u. free agency. But it seems like with the cap next year (Skinner, Quinn, JJP) they plan to replace him with a cheaper option (Johnson or ELC?: Komorov, Novikov)

Everyone who sees signing him for 1 year as an acceptable no big deal move got it right. He is the insurance policy in case of injury to any of Dahlin, Sammy, Power, Byram, Clifton, (Gilbert?) etc., and allows a buffer to Johnson / Bryson.

The Sabres avoided arbitration so controlled the price. No reason to buy UFA years.

He can be traded mid-season or held to the deadline, or, if the Sabres make the playoffs, kept as depth.

I fail to see downside given the circumstances.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

Everyone who sees signing him for 1 year as an acceptable no big deal move got it right. He is the insurance policy in case of injury to any of Dahlin, Sammy, Power, Byram, Clifton, (Gilbert?) etc., and allows a buffer to Johnson / Bryson.

The Sabres avoided arbitration so controlled the price. No reason to buy UFA years.

He can be traded mid-season or held to the deadline, or, if the Sabres make the playoffs, kept as depth.

I fail to see downside given the circumstances.

I like the signing. He might flourish a bit under a better Ruff structure. Trading him creates value, too, but I'm guessing cap retention will be off the table again at the deadline, as it has been. Cap retention would him him very attractive at $1.55 M.

 

[Sabreality]

You have to believe he can play a lot of second-pair minutes. Jokiharju is only 25, and most of the time, you would say he is what he is, but the coaching and deployment in Buffalo have just been so bad for years that I wonder whether he will hit another level elsewhere. So be it, if he does. It will be the latest example of incompetence if it happens.

Montour left Buffalo at 26, but his use by the Sabres was plane idiotic, including playing him on the wrong side. I don't think we will see a repeat, but my bet is on the right team, Jokiharju will be even better.

yeah the funny thing is a lot of people were clamoring to trade for a very similar guy in Marino, now 27. Ruff helped 'fix' him in a sense, he had his warts coming up in PIT.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

yeah the funny thing is a lot of people were clamoring to trade for a very similar guy in Marino, now 27. Ruff helped 'fix' him in a sense, he had his warts coming up in PIT.

Yes, the grass is always greener. Montour's seven-year contract at $50 M is insane for what he brings. Good luck to Seattle. They paid for his 2022-23 year. But that's why it is so key to identify your talent, lock down contracts and then deploy correctly. Then you let them fly away at 30-32 and maybe keep a couple of guys. It's 100% a gamble locking guys down but that's why management gets paid to do, figure it out.

 

[brian_griffin]

I like the signing. He might flourish a bit under a better Ruff structure. Trading him creates value, too, but I'm guessing cap retention will be off the table again at the deadline, as it has been. Cap retention would him him very attractive at $1.55 M.

Since cap space accrues during the season, it's not hard for a team to build a $3.1M cap space (or 1.55M incremental space) by the deadline. Your point stands, however.

Example: $1.55M in incremental cap, assuming no retention, would mean any team which starts the season $1.55M/186 days multiplied by number of days into season before trade could acquire Joker. Let's assume for simple math the trade deadline date is 31 days before the end of the season (it will likely be a couple weeks earlier). That means a team could start the season with only $10,000 in cap space and still acquire him at the deadline, if any/all roster moves don't net-net alter that $10k daily cap accrual from day 1 of the season until the deadline.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

Since cap space accrues during the season, it's not hard for a team to build a $3.1M cap space (or 1.55M incremental space) by the deadline. Your point stands, however.

Example: $1.55M in incremental cap, assuming no retention, would mean any team which starts the season $1.55M/186 days multiplied by number of days into season before trade could acquire Joker. Let's assume for simple math the trade deadline date is 31 days before the end of the season (it will likely be a couple weeks earlier). That means a team could start the season with only $10,000 in cap space and still acquire him at the deadline, if any/all roster moves don't net-net alter that $10k daily cap accrual from day 1 of the season until the deadline.

Every year, it seems like there are so many contenders with zero cap space at the deadline. Retentions doesn't always matter but it's a nice tool at times. Moot point.