Originally Posted by
Bomm Bastic
Well nothing like a Stafford signing to draw me out of vacation mode. I was going to forgo posting here until after the SCF - figured I would give way to those with a dog still in the fight. Professional courtesy, as it were.
But no. Here I am, and, let me just say, probably the only Buffalonian not impressed. I dunno...am I too hard on the guy???
Terms of the deal have not yet been released so I really can't comment on specifics, but I hope it's minimal impact cap-wise.
Why, Bomm?
Glad you asked.
The Sabres are spending a lot of money on average wingers specifically (Boyes + Pommer + Vanek = $16+ mil), not to mention forwards generally (Connolly 4.5, Roy 4.0 and Hecht 3.25). Not exactly an A-List of forwards, especially come playoff time. And I am sorry but the playoffs are where you earn your stripes (Briere). We should all be acutely aware of this given the drama currently unfolding before our eyes.
Stafford has never demonstrated the ability nor the willingness to kick it into the next gear come playoff time. He just does not impress me at all. I can't say it enough times.
Also, the Sabres need help up the gut; this is no secret. They need to clear some cap space to make any sort of significant move if they are thinking about a top line center. So I guess it's safe to say Boyes is a casualty of this signing?
For his initial off season move, Regier could have chosen a better example to demonstrate this change of strategy/no purse strings attitude we're all supposedly apart.
I will save further comment until I see the details of the contract, but as far as I am concerned Stafford has a lot of work to prove he is worthy of any new deal.
Spot on imho. I like Stafford, and it was a good move for the Sabres to keep him, ...but at $4M per year a team signing him as a RFA would have had to surrender a first round pick, and a third round pick.
I can't see any team being willing to do so, however if they had, Reiger could have still chosen to match it, though arguably the Sabres would have been better served by accepting the draft pick compensation.
Kind of reminds me of the Flyers signing of Scott Hartnell a few years back, ...nice player, but by signing him at an above market rate, it handcuffs the team down the line, and detracts somewhat from the attractiveness of that player.
(....On the other hand, my criticism of the cost of the signing practically guarantees Stafford smashes the 35 goal, 70 point mark next season, and then emerges as a playoff warrior, and perpetual Sabres "go to" guy.)
CBS 8 team keeper(5-8) - Points only
C: Tavares, Duchesne, Eberle, Nugent-Hopkins
LW: Parise, Benn, Neal
RW: Kessel, Giroux, Stewart
D: Green,Karlson, Carlson, Whitney, Edler, White
G: Rinne, Lundqvist
2LW,2C,2RW,4D,1G pts.= G=2, PPG=3, SH=5, A=1, W=3, S=.2, GA=-1, SO=4,
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