That has been thoroughly debunked. With a moderate increase to the cap every year (lets say 3%), any issues are essentially washed away. You can give 7M deals long term to Byram, Quinn, and Peterka AND a 3M bridge to Levi, that puts you at ~89M cap with 17 players signed.
Move on from Krebs, puts you at 87.5 with the only trouble area is RHD for the 2nd pair, which is a problem we already have.
The real key is...don't try to lock down every player who smells success at an NHL level to a 7+ year deal and you have plenty of cash and flexibility.
Unless Quinn/Peterka put out real top line production, bridge them and be ready to move on if one of our younger cheaper wingers is ready.
Levi is a 10.2 RFA with no rights....bridge him to a 2 year deal at 1.5M. Byram isn't going to get elite PP time, so he's not going to get the numbers to demand a big deal in arb. Sign him to a smaller deal.
Projecting every player out needs a long term big ticket is silly. You already have 2 d-men signed to giant deals...its ok to walk Byram to UFA.
The only way we run into cap space problems is if Kevyn creates them by trying to lock down every player to long term deals if they sniff RFA.
How I see it...
In 2025
RFAs are Quinn, peterka, mcleod, byrum, levi
UFA Greeneay, NAK, Zucker
Assume 92M cap in 25/26. Sabres have about 30M in space. Targetting a 13f/7d/2g roster
Keep Greenway or a similar vet you sign for 3M for 3 yrs
NAK and Zucker replaced by ELCs=1M over the next 2 yrs
McLeod. Quinn, peterka signed would be 13F.
For D/G
Levi signed for 1.75 for 2 yrs replacing Reimer
Bryson/ vet signed for 1M as 7D for next 2 yrs
RyJo replaces Joker at 1.5M for 2 yrs in a top 6D
25/26 buffalo has about 21.5M in space for Peterka, Quinn, McLeod, and Byrum
If you sign Byrum for 6M per for 6 yrs
Quinn and Peterka for 2yr bridge at 5M
McLeod signs for 3.5M for say 4 yrs.
They are left with about $2M in space
The next summer in 26/27..
Clifton leaves and repkace by ELC RD at 1M
Tuch resigned for 6M for 4 yrs
Benson resigns for 5M ( same as quinn and jpp)
Krebs is replaced with a 1M elc/vet
Malenstyn is resigned for 2M
Lafferty is replaced by ELC/vet at 1M
The net effect is -2.33+1.25+4.1-.0.45+0.65-1=-3.78+5=1.25M
The cap increase covers mainly the higher cap penalty for skinner buy out.
If the cap is 95M buffalo will have about $1M in space
things will be very tight in 25/26 and 26/27 ,unless s big trade is made where buffalo moves out more as li ary than what comes in. Maybe you trade Peterka or benson for ELCs/ picks/ futures or trade Byrum or Power for a RD making less of about 4-5M
If you sign JPP/Quinn to something higher snf longer you will be handcuffing the team team later like benson being exposed to a $4M OS that buffalo cant match