Buffalo Sabres and the NHL: 2025 - 2026. Changes are needed. Don't we say that every year?

[AlCowlingsTaxiService]

6 hours ago, That's No Moon said:

The taint on this franchise right now is so bad that there is no way to remove it with current ownership

Why not? I’m sure current ownership has enough money to hire the proper surgeon for taint removal 🤪

[BillsFan4]

8 hours ago, That's No Moon said:

While I'm at it, why on Earth is anyone even contemplating giving Alex Tuch 10 million dollars a year for any kind of term? That's the stupid kind of fanboy crap that put them in this sort of hole to start with. Trading him at the deadline? Why wait? Do it right now. If those are the options, 10M x 8 or trade him? He's got to go in that scenario.

 

No, what they'll do instead is wait for all the other moves to be made and they'll then move him for a 2nd round pick two years from now and whine about how there weren't that many buyers. Either that or Team USA will take him and he'll pick up an injury in Italy that makes him untradeable.

 

I'm very much looking forward to 12/3 when I can go lose my voice booing this turd factory. Fat lot of good it will do me but catharsis is all that's left to hope for.

Tuch is one of their 2 best forwards among a group already lacking talent with Tuch here. If he walks, this forward group looks even worse.

 

I’d rather pay him $10M/yr than watch him leave and have lots of success elsewhere while the Sabres don’t use the cap space they saved. Who cares about an extra $1-2M/yr on his deal when this team is never going to spend to the cap anyway (especially with the cap about to skyrocket the next 2 years…). 

 

They need to sign/keep their best players. I feel like we are in this never-ending cycle of watching our best players leave and never adequately replacing them.

 

 

what are they even going to get if they trade him as a pending UFA? A late 1st and a B prospect?

Edited 9 hours ago by BillsFan4

[Walking Tall]

55 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

Tuch is one of their 2 best forwards among a group already lacking talent with Tuch here. If he walks, this forward group looks even worse.

 

I’d rather pay him $10M/yr than watch him leave and have lots of success elsewhere while the Sabres don’t use the cap space they saved. Who cares about an extra $1-2M/yr on his deal when this team is never going to spend to the cap anyway (especially with the cap about to skyrocket the next 2 years…). 

 

They need to sign/keep their best players. I feel like we are in this never-ending cycle of watching our best players leave and never adequately replacing them.

 

 

what are they even going to get if they trade him as a pending UFA? A late 1st and a B prospect?

if he is only worth a late 1st and a B prospect, even as a rental, he sure isn’t worth 10 million a year.

[QCity]

Future cap projections have it rising by over $25M in the next 3 years, so there's going to be a lot of inflated contracts coming up. Teams are going to have money to spend.

 

Tuch's a vet that can pot 35G a year, the odds of getting someone like that to come here in free agency for $10M/yr are very low. His replacement plan would likely be waiting for one of the kids to grow and hopefully match his production in the next 2-3 years. But then that player will want out and the cycle will repeat. 

 

IMO it's less about money for him, and it's possible he wants to hear a coherent plan from management so he doesn't waste his career on a perennial loser.

[May Day 10]

Immediately, the contract makes sense for the sabres at whatever price...

 

Tuch will be considered old soon and it would likely locking him in until he is 38.

 

Also, when is this team supposed to compete?  

[BillsFan4]

6 hours ago, Walking Tall said:

if he is only worth a late 1st and a B prospect, even as a rental, he sure isn’t worth 10 million a year.

I was just throwing out a general price of a top deadline rental. Maybe they can get a bit more if there’s a bidding war, and there might be because his contract is so team friendly that more teams could fit him under their cap. He would also likely be the top player available at the deadline.

 

But pending UFA’s just usually aren’t worth crazy prices and you are going to get future pieces, which is not what the Sabres need anyway. 

 

The only way you have any chance of getting back Tuch’s true value in a trade at this point is if he’s willing to sign a new contract as part of the deal. But why would he do that if the Sabres are trading him over a million or two per year, especially if what he says about wanting to be here long term is true. 

[Jauronimo]

He's back!

 

 

 

[Mike in Horseheads]

2 hours ago, QCity said:

Future cap projections have it rising by over $25M in the next 3 years, so there's going to be a lot of inflated contracts coming up. Teams are going to have money to spend.

 

Tuch's a vet that can pot 35G a year, the odds of getting someone like that to come here in free agency for $10M/yr are very low. His replacement plan would likely be waiting for one of the kids to grow and hopefully match his production in the next 2-3 years. But then that player will want out and the cycle will repeat. 

 

IMO it's less about money for him, and it's possible he wants to hear a coherent plan from management so he doesn't waste his career on a perennial loser.

the famous wait for one of the kids to grow up and replace Tuch has been tried and failed for the last 20 years here. I'd rather just pay the man