Training Camp Cuts: 10/2/21
It should be another busy day on the training camp cut front as teams continue to whittle down their rosters in advance of opening night. We’ll keep track of the cuts here.
Boston Bruins (via team release)
G Callum Booth (to Providence, AHL)
G Jeremy Brodeur (to Providence, AHL)
D Jack Dougherty (to Providence, AHL)
F Ian McKinnon (to Providence, AHL)
D Andrew Peski (to Providence, AHL)
F Eduards Tralmaks (to Providence, AHL)
F Alex-Olivier Voyer (to Providence, AHL)
Buffalo Sabres (via team Twitter)
D Nick Boka (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
D Matthew Cairns (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
D Mitch Eliot (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
F Dominic Franco (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
G Michael Houser (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
F Mason Jobst (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
F Michael Mersch (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
G Mat Robson (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
F Ryan Scarfo (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
D Josh Teves (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
D Peter Tischke (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
F Brendan Warren (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (via team release)
F Dominik Bokk (to Chicago, AHL)
F David Cotton (to Chicago, AHL)
F Stelio Mattheos (to Chicago, AHL)
F Blake Murray (to Chicago, AHL)
D Jesper Sellgren (to Chicago, AHL)
G Eetu Makiniemi (to Chicago, AHL)
G Beck Warm (to Chicago, AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (via Mark Lazerus of The Athletic)
G Tom Aubrun (to Rockford, AHL)
F D.J. Busdeker (to Rockford, AHL)
F Liam Folkes (to Rockford, AHL)
F Carson Gicewicz (to Rockford, AHL)
F Kale Howarth (to Rockford, AHL)
F Riley McKay (to Rockford, AHL)
F Dylan McLaughlin (to Rockford, AHL)
F Garrett Mitchell (to Rockford, AHL)
G Cale Morris (to Rockford, AHL)
D Ryan Stanton (released from PTO, to Rockford, AHL)
F Chris Wilkie (to Rockford, AHL)
F Chad Yetman (to Rockford, AHL)
Dallas Stars (via team release)
F Jeremy Gregoire (released from PTO, to Texas, AHL)
F Anthony Louis (released from PTO, to Texas, AHL)
D Max Martin (released from PTO, to Texas, AHL)
F Curtis McKenzie (released from PTO, to Texas, AHL)
F Josh Melnick (released from PTO, to Texas, AHL)
G Colton Point (to Texas, AHL)
G Adam Scheel (to Texas, AHL)
Edmonton Oilers (via team release)
F Adam Cracknell (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Vincent Desharnais (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Luke Esposito (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F James Hamblin (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Philip Kemp (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Michael Kesselring (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Brad Malone (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Markus Niemelainen (to Bakersfield, AHL)
G Olivier Rodrigue (to Bakersfield, AHL)
Florida Panthers (via team release)
F Karen Bachman (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Henry Bowlby (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Grigori Denisenko (to Charlotte, AHL)
G Evan Fitzpatrick (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Max Gildon (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Aleksi Heponiemi (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Logan Hutsko (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Justin Nachbaur (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Serron Noel (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Cole Schwindt (to Charlotte, AHL)
Los Angeles Kings (via team release)
F Jaret Anderson-Dolan (to Ontario, AHL)
*F Brayden Burke (to Ontario, AHL)
*D Kale Clague (to Ontario, AHL)
F Jacob Doty (released from PTO, to Ontario, AHL)
F Aidan Dudas (to Ontario, AHL)
D Sean Durzi (to Ontario, AHL)
F Samuel Fagemo (to Ontario, AHL)
*F Martin Frk (to Ontario, AHL)
D Cameron Gaunce (released from PTO to Ontario, AHL)
D Helge Grans (to Ontario, AHL)
G Jacob Ingham (to Ontario, AHL)
F Adam Johnson (released from PTO, to Ontario, AHL)
F Arthur Kaliyev (to Ontario, AHL)
F Brett Kemp (released from ATO, to Ontario, AHL)
F Rasmus Kupari (to Ontario, AHL)
G John Lethemon (released from PTO, to Ontario, AHL)
F Tyler Madden (to Ontario, AHL)
*D Jacob Moverare (to Ontario, AHL)
G Lukas Parik (to Ontario, AHL)
F Nikita Pavlychev (released from PTO, to Ontario, AHL)
D Markus Phillips (to Ontario, AHL)
F Johan Sodergran (to Ontario, AHL)
*G Garret Sparks (to Ontario, AHL)
D Jordan Spence (to Ontario, AHL)
*F Brett Sutter (released from PTO, to Ontario, AHL)
F Alex Turcotte (to Ontario, AHL)
*F T.J. Tynan (to Ontario, AHL)
G Matt Villalta (to Ontario, AHL)
Montreal Canadiens (via team Twitter)
F Danick Martel (released from PTO, to Laval, AHL)
G Kevin Poulin (released from PTO, to Laval, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (via team release)
D Jeremy Groleau (to Utica, AHL)
G Mareks Mitens (to Utica, AHL)
F Ryan Schmelzer (to Utica, AHL)
D Michael Vukojevic (to Utica, AHL)
New York Rangers (via The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello)
*D Mason Geertsen (to Hartford, AHL)
Ottawa Senators (via team Twitter)
D Xavier Bernard (to Belleville, AHL)
F Philippe Daoust (to Belleville, AHL)
F Tyrell Goulbourne (to Belleville, AHL)
F Roby Jarventie (to Belleville, AHL)
D Zac Leslie (to Belleville, AHL)
D Vincent Sevigny (to Belleville, AHL)
G Mads Sogaard (to Belleville, AHL)
F Matthew Wedman (to Belleville, AHL)
D Colby Williams (to Belleville, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (via Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia)
D Quinn Schmiemann (released from ATO, to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Kirill Ustimenko (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Jackson van de Leest (released from ATO, to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
Pittsburgh Penguins (via team release)
D Niclas Almari (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Raivis Ansons (to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
D Matt Bartkowski (released from PTO)
F Jordy Bellerive (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Taylor Fedun (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Jonathan Gruden (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Cam Lee (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
G Filip Lindberg (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Kyle Olson (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Valtteri Puustinen (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Will Reilly (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Mitch Reinke (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Felix Robert (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
San Jose Sharks (via team release)
F Joel Kellman (to San Jose, AHL)
D Artemi Kniazev (to San Jose, AHL)
F John Leonard (to San Jose, AHL)
F Jayden Halbgewachs (to San Jose, AHL)
D Jaycob Megna (to San Jose, AHL)
G Alexei Melnichuk (to San Jose, AHL)
F Nicholas Merkley (to San Jose, AHL)
D Montana Onyebuchi (to San Jose, AHL)
D Brinson Pasichnuk (to San Jose, AHL)
Seattle Kraken (via team release)
*G Antoine Bibeau (SEA)
*D Connor Carrick (SEA)
*D Cale Fleury (SEA)
F Luke Henman (to Charlotte, AHL)
*D Gustav Olofsson (SEA)
F Scott Wilson (released from PTO)
St. Louis Blues (via team release)
F Zach Bolduc (to Quebec, QMJHL)
G Will Cranley (to Ottawa, OHL)
D Tyson Galloway (to Calgary, WHL)
*F Tanner Kaspick (to Springfield, AHL)
F Mathias Laferriere (to Springfield, AHL)
D Griffin Luce (to Springfield, AHL)
F Hugh McGing (to Springfield, AHL)
*F Matthew Peca (to Springfield, AHL)
*F Nolan Stevens (to Springfield, AHL)
F Nathan Todd (to Springfield, AHL)
F Alexei Toropchenko (to Springfield, AHL)
F Keean Washkurak (to Springfield, AHL)
D Josh Wesley (to Springfield, AHL)
Vegas Golden Knights (via team release)
F Paul Cotter (to Henderson, AHL)
F Daniel D’Amato (to Henderson, AHL)
D Peter DiLiberatore (to Henderson, AHL)
F Pavel Dorofeyev (to Henderson, AHL)
F Jack Dugan (to Henderson, AHL)
F Lucas Elvenes (to Henderson, AHL)
G Dylan Ferguson (to Henderson, AHL)
D Zack Hayes (to Henderson, AHL)
F Ben Jones (to Henderson, AHL)
D Kaedan Korczak (to Henderson, AHL)
F Jake Leschyshyn (to Henderson, AHL)
F Jermaine Loewen (to Henderson, AHL)
F Maxim Marushev (to Henderson, AHL)
F Lynden McCallum (to Henderson, AHL)
D Ian McCoshen (released from PTO, to Henderson, AHL)
D Daniil Miromanov (to Henderson, AHL)
D Brayden Pachal (to Henderson, AHL)
G Jiri Patera (to Henderson, AHL)
D Derrick Pouliot (to Henderson, AHL)
F Mason Primeau (to Henderson, AHL)
F Jonas Rondbjerg (to Henderson, AHL)
F Ben Thomson (to Henderson, AHL)
Washington Capitals (via team Twitter)
F Kody Clark (to Hershey, AHL)
*D Cody Franson (to Hershey, AHL)
*F Shane Gersich (to Hershey, AHL)
D Lucas Johansen (to Hershey, AHL)
F Kale Kessy (to Hershey, AHL)
*D Dylan McIlrath (to Hershey, AHL)
F Mason Morelli (to Hershey, AHL)
G Hunter Shepard (to Hershey, AHL)
F Riley Sutter (to Hershey, AHL)
D Eddie Wittchow (to Hershey, AHL)
*-pending the player clearing waivers
Sabres Now Sharing Jack Eichel's Medical Reports With Interested Teams
For the majority of the prolonged Jack Eichel trade negotiations, the Sabres hadn’t been sharing medical information with other teams. However, as TSN’s Darren Dreger noted in the latest TSN Insider Trading segment, that has now changed and interested teams are now receiving Eichel’s medical information as it’s collected. It’s a small step as the stalemate continues with Eichel’s camp wanting artificial disc replacement surgery with Buffalo insisting on fusion surgery and the Sabres have the final say on the matter. It’s unknown if the exchanging of medical info will make other teams suddenly increase their offers for the disgruntled center but at least they’ll have updated information to work off of.
Latest On Jack Eichel
The Jack Eichel situation continues to drag on with no resolution one way or the other. The injured forward failed his physical last week and was stripped of the Buffalo Sabres captaincy, but he’s still not moving forward on either surgery that would potentially get him playing again at some point this season. There has been almost no information coming out of the Sabres camp on what they intend to do with Eichel (other than move him to injured reserve, where he is now listed), but Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet believes enough is enough. On his latest 31 Thoughts podcast, Friedman suggests it is time for the league to step in:
I think the NHL has to step in, I do. I understand that the NHL wants to protect the rules of the CBA, I get that. But at the end of the day I don’t think that it is a good look for your league when you have a star player like this and a team that can’t agree on this. This player, who is a star player who can drive a franchise, is in some way held back from playing because they can’t agree on a surgery.
I think this is one thing that the NHL can do. If Jack Eichel agrees–and I think Jack Eichel would agree–everyone should be able to see his medicals. St. Louis and Tarasenko, anyone could have seen the medicals. If anyone has seen [Eichel’s] medicals aside from the Sabres, I don’t know it.
Friedman, like other reporters who have been following this story, can’t confidently confirm that no other team has seen any of Eichel’s medicals, but the shroud surrounding them is still making this an extremely difficult situation to resolve. It’s hard to trade a player making $10MM even when healthy, but the lack of information certainly makes this one seem impossible. Co-host Jeff Marek suggests that with opening day coming in short order, we could already be approaching a lost season for Eichel given the impasse the two sides have reached.
One other thing that Friedman mentions is the possibility of a tolled contract, meaning that this year wouldn’t count if Eichel sits out the year under a team suspension. It would mean his contract would be extended through the 2026-27 season, though that outcome does not seem likely at this point.
A few days ago, Nick Kypreos of Line Movement tweeted that Eichel had made it clear he would go anywhere, though he doesn’t have control over that anyway. His no-movement clause does not come into play until the fifth year of his contract. Kypreos added that at least one of the interested teams would want the Sabres to add conditions to any draft picks involved, based on his games played and scoring totals after surgery.
The Sabres start the regular season on October 14, and it is not at all clear whether this situation will be resolved by then.
Jack Eichel Fails Physical, Stripped Of Captaincy
As expected, the Buffalo Sabres have announced that Jack Eichel did not pass his physical yesterday and will not be with the team in training camp as he continues to deal with a neck injury. Less expected was what Sabres GM Kevyn Adams said next:
I spoke to Jack two days ago, I spoke to the team yesterday and addressed this, Jack Eichel is no longer the captain of the Buffalo Sabres. From our perspective, the captain is your heartbeat of your team, and we are in a situation where we felt we needed to make that decision.
Eichel was named Sabres captain in October 2018 after a strong sophomore season. At the time, he called it “humbling” a “huge honor” and noted how it showed “how invested [he was] in this city and excited for the future.” Three years later and Eichel isn’t expected to play for the Sabres again.
Adams confirmed that Eichel is not willing to move forward with what the Sabres medical team is suggesting and the two sides will continue to work toward a solution. That solution, it seems, is one of the more difficult trades he’ll ever have to pull off. Eichel is a star player with a huge contract that is set on having a neck surgery that has never been done on an NHL player. The young forward and his team are reportedly pursuing a disk replacement procedure, while the team wants to do a fusion surgery that has been performed on many other NHL players.
At the very least, the Sabres players now have some clarity. Eichel is no longer their captain and won’t be on the ice to help them during training camp.
Buffalo Sabres Sign Rasmus Dahlin
The Buffalo Sabres have agreed to terms with star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin on a three-year contract that will carry an average annual value of $6MM. The young defenseman was a restricted free agent but was listed on the Sabres’ training camp roster yesterday, suggesting a deal was coming soon. CapFriendly has the full breakdown:
- 2021-22: $3.0MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus
- 2022-23: $5.8MM salary
- 2023-24: $7.2MM salary
Dahlin, 21, certainly hasn’t been a disappointment since being selected first overall in 2018, but he also hasn’t been the franchise-changing savior that many Sabres fans were hoping for. The young defenseman stepped directly into the NHL and showed his offensive chops, recording 44 points in his rookie season and finishing third in the Calder Race, but has been dragged down–whether by his teammates or his own inconsistent defensive play–in his own end.
There’s no doubt that Dahlin is one of the most dynamic puck-movers in the NHL, but even that offensive output dropped this season as the Sabres collapsed into a league bottom-feeder once again. A contract like this, which ties Dahlin for the 30th highest cap hit among defensemen this season, certainly doesn’t leave room for a ton of surplus value unless he really gets back to the player he showed early on.
With no Rasmus Ristolainen in the fold now, Dahlin should take on even more responsibility for the Sabres. He heads into this season leading a defense corps that is made up almost entirely of pieces acquired through trade, some of them just cap dumps, and may have another difficult season as he waits for the help of Owen Power, the team’s latest top pick. When he gets him, which by all accounts should be at the end of the upcoming season, Dahlin and the 2021 first-overall pick should form a dynamic duo for the Sabres to build around, each logging big minutes on the left side.
Even though this contract may actually be a bit on the expensive side–Zach Werenski, with comparable if not better numbers, signed a similar bridge deal that was worth just $15MM over three years in 2019–it’s not really an issue for the Sabres who are fighting just to get to the cap floor. The team can certainly afford to pay Dahlin a little bit more to keep him in the fold while they go through another rebuild.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
East Notes: Eichel, Chara, Hallander
It was a busy news day in the Eastern Conference. It was highlighted by the New York Islanders signing Zdeno Chara and the Ottawa Senators signing Logan Brown, both to one-year deals. But those weren’t the only items of note from around the East today as things begin to heat up prior to training camps. The Associated Press’s John Wawrow reports that Jack Eichel will indeed report to the Buffalo Sabres for his physical next week. Considering the importance that Eichel’s health status plays in any potential trade from Buffalo, the results of this appointment will likely be of especially high interest to Buffalo and teams interested in acquiring the star center. It could provide some additional clarity about paths forward for Eichel, as well as a potential return date from his neck injury.
Elsewhere from around the East:
- Assuming Chara actually suits up for game action with the Islanders this year, he’ll be setting an NHL record in the process. According to Sportradar, Chara will have gone the longest amount of time between games with a singular franchise of anyone in the league. His last game with the Islanders was in April of 2001, making it roughly 20 years and six months since he last suited up for the Isles. It smashes the previous record held by Brendan Shanahan, who went 17 years and nine months between games with the New Jersey Devils.
- After being dealt from and back to the Pittsburgh Penguins organization via trades with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Filip Hallander remains committed to making an NHL career for himself with the team. Participating in this year’s development camp with the team, he notes to Penguins writer James Leo that he’s “here to take a spot.” It’s not something that’s entirely out of the realm of possibility. Neither Sidney Crosby nor Evgeni Malkin will be ready for the start of the season, stretching the team’s center depth extremely thin. The 21-year-old had 24 points in 51 games last year with Luleå in the Swedish Hockey League, and could at least earn a few games out of camp in a bottom-six role while the team heals up.
Hamilton To Host 2022 NHL Heritage Classic
Jim Balsillie finally gets his wish, the NHL is headed to Hamilton. No, a franchise isn’t relocating, but the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres will take part in the 2022 Heritage Classic at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario on March 13 of next year. The field is home to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman released this statement.
We are excited to announce that we will be presenting another Tim Hortons Heritage Classic this season. When the Toronto Maple Leafs meet the Buffalo Sabres at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, we again will honor Canada’s preeminent role in the history of our game while renewing a great and longstanding NHL rivalry. In addition, by inviting the first U.S.-based team to a Heritage Classic, we will celebrate the greater Golden Horseshoe region as the home of so many fans of both the Leafs and Sabres.
The event had previously been held in NHL cities, but in 2019, the league branched out and held the Heritage Classic in Regina, Saskatchewan, where it was a huge success. This will be a similarly neutral-feeling location with the Sabres as the first U.S.-based team taking part. It will be Toronto’s fourth regular season outdoor game and first since the 2018 Stadium Series. The Sabres have been involved in two previous outdoor games, including the 2018 Winter Classic.
Tim Hortons Field is a multi-purpose stadium that hosts the Tiger-Cats and Forge FC of the Canadian Premier League, and will be the venue for the 2021 Grey Cup in December. It has a normal capacity of close to 24,000 but that can be expanded to nearly 40,000 for special events, according to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, who reported last month that this game was in the works.
Atlantic Notes: Cozens, Seider, Sogaard
With the never-ending rumors of Jack Eichel‘s eventual trade on top of the departures of several other core Sabres this summer, its fair to wonder who will fill the leadership vacuum in Buffalo. However, young standout Dylan Cozens is more than ready to take on that role. Appearing on WGR 550 in Buffalo, the 2019 seventh overall pick stated that he is confident in his ability to lead this next generation of Sabres. “I think definitely I could go out and be a leader on this team,” Cozens said. “Just by the way I play, leading by example and being a voice in the room. I think it’s something I’m ready to do. I want to lead by example and be a guy that guys can look to if they need anything or look to to inspire them. That’s what I’ve always been growing up – the guy that wants to lead and do things the right way.” Part of what makes Cozens a great candidate to lead Buffalo for years to come is an optimism that has been missing from other core members through a dark stretch for the franchise. “I think that we’re going to surprise a lot of people this year,” Cozens believes. “Everyone’s doubting us because we’re a young team, but if you look at the second half of last season, we were beating those veteran teams. So I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people and we’re going to have a good year.”
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- The Detroit Red Wings are looking forward to prodigious defenseman Moritz Seider developing into a leader for their club in the future. Yet, he was nowhere to be found on the team’s roster for the upcoming Traverse City Prospects Tournament. However, Red Wings Director of Player Development Shawn Horcoff tells The Athletic’s Max Bultman that this is actually an endorsement of Seider’s position in the organization rather than an indictment. Although Seider has yet to see any NHL action, Detroit is so confident in his ability to make the roster this season that they did not feel they needed to use a roster spot on him in the development tournament. “With Moritz, he’s played two years of pro now – he spent a full year in Grand Rapids, spent a full year over in Europe playing,” Horcoff explained. “Frankly, there’s some younger players that we wanted to see on the (Traverse City Tournament) roster and we just wanted to make sure that Mo was ready to go for main camp.” Fear not, Wings fans; the team clearly has no concerns about their top prospect stepping into the NHL lineup and making an impact this year.
- The Ottawa Senators could face a difficult decision with young goaltender Mads Sogaard this season. As Bruce Garrioch details for the Ottawa Sun, the impressive prospect keeper could very well be in line for a roster spot at the Olympics for Team Denmark, making their first men’s hockey appearance at the Winter Games. Sogaard served as the team’s backup in qualifying tournaments this summer and while the those contests were played without presumptive starter, the Carolina Hurricanes’ Frederik Andersen, Sogaard is still likely to be the Danes’ first choice at third-string behind Andersen and qualifying starter Sebastian Dahm. The problem is that the AHL does not have an Olympic break like the NHL. While Ottawa’s players will have full flexibility to attend the Games if selected, Belleville’s may not. Garrioch points out that the farm team has ten games during the NHL’s Olympic break and, depending on how the organization’s goalie depth plays out this season, that could be a number of missed starts for Sogaard and a detriment to Belleville as well. The massive 6’7″ keeper had a strong first pro season last year and if fellow promising youngster Filip Gustavsson cracks the Ottawa roster, Sogaard could be the starter for Belleville. Will the Senators allow him to leave the team for an extended period in order to ride the bench for his country?
Buffalo Sabres Limited By Salary Cap Floor
The Buffalo Sabres will be over the NHL’s salary cap floor by the start of the season, that much is obvious. While CapFriendly currently has the club sitting $2.3MM below the $60.2MM benchmark, that is with a 22-man roster that does not include unsigned RFA defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. While the 2018 first overall pick is not quite yet proven himself worthy of the considerable long-term deals signed by other top defenseman this off-season, he will surely make more than $2.3MM AAV on his next contract.
Yet, that does not end the Sabres’ battle with the cap floor. Just because they begin the season over the floor, does not mean that they will remain as such all season – or at least not if they wish to have flexibility with their transactions. Buffalo is again expected to be among the NHL’s worst teams this season and will be open to selling current members of the roster. Of course, Jack Eichel is the biggest name who could be available. However, at $10MM AAV it has been brought up numerous times that an Eichel trade is not as easy as it may seem. A team may offer a plethora of top picks, prospects, and entry-level players, but the Sabres would not be able to make that deal alone, as it would leave the team well below the salary cap floor regardless of Dahlin’s contract. Buffalo would have to acquire a nearly equal amount of salary back in the deal or else be prepared to quickly turn and add that salary in another deal. As a rebuilding team, the Sabres also won’t eager to add high-priced veterans who serve little purpose to a team with no title hopes. It makes an already difficult situation with Eichel all that much more tricky.
Even if Eichel begins the season with Buffalo, which seems increasingly likely, and even plays out the year with the team, the cap floor will still come into play. As the trade deadline approaches, the Sabres want to be in position to take full advantage of their valuable trade assets. The team has four forwards, four defensemen, and two goalies who are impending UFA’s and whose expiring contracts would be worth far more to another team. Colin Miller ($3.875MM), Will Butcher ($2.823MM), Cody Eakin ($2.25MM) and Vinnie Hinostroza ($1.05MM) stand out as potentially popular trade candidates at the deadline. Depending on Dahlin’s contract, could they move Hinostroza or maybe even Eakin or Butcher without going below the floor? Probably. But Miller? Or multiple moves? Likely not. The deadline is also not a place that is likely to offer even salary swaps.
If GM Kevyn Adams and the Sabres want to enter the 2021-22 season with the confidence that they can make any move they want without limitation, they need to find a way to sensibly add salary to the roster. For a rebuilding team, it may be difficult to think about adding salary to a team that won’t contend, but it would be a short-term sacrifice to ensure their long-term plans are not affected. The team could explore the trade market for a veteran or two that can help to develop the young roster or perhaps a young, but overpaid reclamation project. Or maybe they could entertain adding a legitimate starting goalie. They could also explore the free agent market which, even late in the summer, still has some attractive names available. With the Sabres pegged to give roster spots to minimum-salary fourth-liners like Drake Caggiula and John Hayden, it might make more sense to give those slots and more importantly more salary to a high-upside project like Ryan Donato, Alex Galchenyuk, or Nikita Gusev or a veteran leader like Tyler Bozak, James Neal, or Jason Demers.
The Sabres have plenty of options to solve their salary cap floor conundrum beyond just re-signing Dahlin. However, those options could disappear if they don’t act quickly, and with it their transactional flexibility this season.
RFA Profile: Rasmus Dahlin
After his sophomore season, Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin looked primed to take another step forward and potentially establish himself as one of the premier blueliners in the NHL. Unfortunately for him and Buffalo, that didn’t happen. Instead, he struggled considerably (as did many others on the team) and the end result was a step backwards while he remains unsigned with training camp fast approaching.
Despite the dip in production last season, Dahlin has shown himself to be a capable offensive blueliner already with a pair of 40-point years under his belt. He’s not going to be at the level of someone like Cale Makar or Quinn Hughes offensively but the 21-year-old has already shown himself to be above average at that end of the ice.
But what about his play in his own end? That hasn’t progressed anywhere near as well and part of the reason his ATOI hasn’t jumped up much at all since his rookie season is that Dahlin still doesn’t kill penalties. His in-zone play under Ralph Krueger left a lot to be desired although there was some improvement following the coaching change to Don Granato. Offensive numbers drive contract negotiations but Dahlin can’t command top dollar since he isn’t as well-rounded as others around the league are and some of his potential contractual comparables were at the time of signing.
That might seemingly push Dahlin towards a short-term deal, giving him a chance to improve defensively and bounce back offensively while getting arbitration rights along the way. Buffalo has shown a willingness to do that in the past although the end results haven’t been pretty with recent examples of that approach (Sam Reinhart and Linus Ullmark) now playing on other teams. Accordingly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them try for a long-term pact here even if it might carry a little bit of risk.
Statistics
2020-21: 56 GP, 5-18-23, -36, 26 PIMS, 115 shots, 21:36 ATOI
Career: 197 GP, 18-89-107, -56, 98 PIMS, 382 shots, 20:44 ATOI
Comparables
Zach Werenski (Columbus) – While Werenski didn’t take a big step forward in his platform year, he didn’t take a step back either. The offensive numbers are somewhat similar from a per-game perspective although Werenski was better in his own end then compared to Dahlin now. Even so, this would likely represent the low end of what a bridge deal would cost as Dahlin’s draft status gives him a leg up on most of the options here.
Platform Year Stats: 82 GP, 11-33-44, -12, 18 PIMS, 168 shots, 22:54 ATOI
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 237 GP, 38-90-128, +13, 48 PIMS, 563 shots, 22:08 ATOI
Contract: Three years, $15MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 6.14%
Current Equivalent: Same as above
As this contract was basically the top standard, there aren’t really other viable comparable players for bridge deals. $5MM would be the starting point on a bridge contract with anything over two years exceeding this price tag quickly. Accordingly, let’s now look at longer-term options.
Ivan Provorov (Philadelphia) – Like Dahlin, Provorov entered his platform season as someone looking primed to take a big step forward but ultimately underachieved, leading to some questions as to whether a bridge deal would come his way. He was more of a number one than Dahlin has been which could be a factor.
Platform Year Stats: 82 GP, 7-19-26, -16, 32 PIMS, 145 shots, 25:07 ATOI
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 246 GP, 30-67-97, -6, 86 PIMS, 509 shots, 23:45 ATOI
Contract: Six years, $40.5MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 8.28%
Current Equivalent: Same as above
Aaron Ekblad (Florida) – For years, this was the top standard that any young blueliner would want to use as a comparable and like Dahlin, he’s a number one pick. Ekblad’s better defensive game looms large here so from a comparable standpoint, this one is a little weaker but it’s possible Dahlin still gets something like that (more on why that could be the case shortly).
Platform Year Stats: 68 GP, 10-11-21, -23, 58 PIMS, 225 shots, 21:28 ATOI (deal was signed pre-platform)
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 227 GP, 37-59-96, +7, 131 PIMS, 577 shots, 21:40 ATOI
Contract: Eight years, $60MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 10.27%
Current Equivalent: Eight years, $66.96MM ($8.37MM AAV)
Dougie Hamilton (Calgary) – After acquiring him from Boston, Calgary quickly inked Hamilton to the contract that he just wrapped up before signing with New Jersey. The development path was the opposite of what Dahlin’s has been so far (his was a slow start and annual improvement) but the overall numbers are relatively close.
Platform Year Stats: 72 GP, 10-32-42, -3, 41 PIMS, 188 shots, 21:20 ATOI
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 178 GP, 22-61-83, +23, 95 PIMS, 385 shots, 19:32 ATOI
Contract: Six years, $34.5MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 8.05%
Current Equivalent: Six years, $39.365MM ($6.56MM AAV)
Tyler Myers (Buffalo) – Let’s use another Sabres deal as the final comparable. Myers’ first two seasons were a lot better than his third year (and as it turns out, those two remain his top years offensively) so at the time, Buffalo was thinking they had a core two-way player on their hands. Of course, it didn’t work out that way in the end but the numbers are somewhat comparable to Dahlin’s so far.
Platform Year Stats: 55 GP, 8-15-23, +5, 33 PIMS, 84 shots, 22:29 ATOI
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 217 GP, 29-79-108, +18, 105 PIMS, 310 shots, 22:57 ATOI
Contract: Seven years, $38.5MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 8.55%
Current Equivalent: Seven years, $48.778MM ($6.968MM AAV)
Projected Contract
In terms of fits for a long-term deal, Dahlin’s comparables appear to be in the high-$6MM range. But if that’s the baseline for that type of contract, his camp would argue that a bridge contract would be the better way to go and rightfully so. If Buffalo wants to buy out a couple of UFA years, they’ll need to go a bit higher, perhaps around the $7.5MM range to persuade Dahlin to go that route; a max-term (eight-year) deal could push it closer to $8MM. Otherwise, a bridge contract starting at over $5MM for an AAV (one that is back-loaded to yield a higher qualifying offer) could very well wind up being the outcome here.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information via CapFriendly.