Should the Sabres Front Office pursue Brad Richards?

And then sign a couple of secoondary guys in FA. I just feel like with the amount of teams that are in either cap trouble or getting there, coupled with a relatively quiet trade deadline, that the NHL trade market is going to explode this summer.

get ’em if you can

plus it would be interesting to see if Kassian or Adam is ready. It could be premature but Adam looked so strong for Portland all year.

This is going to be long, so I apologize in advance, but I have a lot to get off my chest.

First off, I think we CAN get a defenseman AND a center. We just have to get creative. With the pocketbook of Pegula, there are things we could do that we couldn’t before. For instance, bury Morrisonn’s contract in the minors in there are no takers for him on waivers. That opens up another $2 million. Could we find a trade partner for either Pominville (difficult, I know, since he is still rehabbing his injury), Boyes (not that I want to get rid of him so quick, but if he is going to play on our 3rd line, $4 million is a little rich for me) or Hecht (Good Lord, somebody would give us a mid level pick for him, wouldn’t they? Please?). If not, waive Hecht. No takers? Put him in the AHL. I’m past the point of worrying about hurt feelings. It’s time to win a championship. You can free up $$$ a number of ways. None of which are easy, of course. But that’s why Darcy makes the big bucks.

Now, on to Brad Richards. At his age, he doesn’t warrant the length of contract he will most likely want. And I don’t want to be handcuffed (Lord knows Darcy already handcuffed us enough by overpaying guys like Hecht, Gaustad and Pominville) by a ridiculous contract when he’s in his declining years.

So, I think we may have better options on the trade front to acquire that top liner. To piggyback on mob16151 up top, there are some teams who will have some cap issues:

FLYERS: we know, and THEY know, that something of consequence will have to be done to free up some cap room for that goalie they want. I would inquire about Carter. A cap hit of just over $5 million would be perfect for the Sabres, and give us that number 1 guy for many years to come, as Carter is signed through the 2021-2022 saeson. Plus, his full NTC kicks in after this season so the Flyers have a small window in which to deal him, if they so desired.

PENGUINS: have only 7 forwards under contract, and not a ton of $$$ to spend. Go get Malkin.

BLACKHAWKS: need about 7 more players to fill out their roster and, as it stands, a little over $5 million to do this with. I would ask ’em about Sharp AND Hjalmarsson (there are some reports out there that the Hawks want out from under his contract. Too many defensemen making the big bucks, perhaps?) and kill 2 birds with one stone.

SHARKS: another team with only 7 forwards locked up and only 3, maybe 4, NHL ready defensemen under contract. Plus, how long can they keep Logan Couture buried as a 3rd line center? The kid is too good. Ask them about Thornton. (I would rather have Pavelski, but they aren’t letting him go). Big Joe is under contract for 3 more years at a $7 million cap hit per, so right around 35 years old is when we could wave “bye-bye” :) Perfect.

Now, of course, there are other ways to make our team better.

1). A 3-WAY TRADE: there are all sorts of reasons 2 teams cannot come together on a trade. Maybe “Team A” doesn’t want what we have to offer. But, perhaps “Team B” does. But “Team B” doesn’t have that centerman we want, “Team A” has him. 3-way trades aren’t that common, but they DO happen, and this is actually how Darcy acquired Chris Drury.

2). OFFER SHEET: we’ve discussed Zach Parise on other posts here. So, I will not get back into this. And, I know, he’s NOT a centerman. But he’s a 35-40 goal star. And besides the lost draft picks, you aren’t losing anything.

3). TRADE WITH A TEAM LOOKING TO GO IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION: not quoting any sources here, but perhaps there are teams with some up and coming centermen that are ready to take over top line minutes. Maybe these teams have incumbents they would like to move out to make room for these younger (cheaper) players.

I act like this is all easy to do. I know it’s not. For 2 teams to come together on a trade of the magnitude that I’m talking about, the stars pretty much have to align. Darcy MAY have to step up to the plate here and offer a BIT more than he normally would. Maybe Darcy was offering “Player A” along with “Prospect A” and a pick. Well, he may have to offer up “Prospect B”, too. We have enough good young guys in our pipeline that, IMO, gives Regier the assets to get this done and not hurt us long term.

I say, “go big or go F yourself.”

After all, it’s about winning the Cup now, isn’t it? Ask Terry, he’ll tell you.

What about “all of the above” for the first three options? ;) The numbers don’t work as is, but with some tweaks…? (And I’ve noticed you’ve taken TC off the board – fair enough, but I’d keep him for the right price.)

I think we can count Morrisonn out. One way or another we should be able to get rid of him; even if it’s off waivers I think we’d just have to pay 1/2 his salary. Off-loading Hecht would free up a ton of space, but easier said than done. That said I’d only lose him if we lock up another center or keep Timmy. Grier might retire, so that’s another $1m off the books.

I think your estimated RFA numbers look about right. I want to lock up Sekera, Grags, Gerbe, & Enroth. If we pick up another D, we could drop Butler. As for a UFA defenseman – yes to Ehrhoff, no to Kaberle (timid) & Bieksa (loose cannon). Bieksa is definitely getting way overpaid this offseason; I almost feel sorry for the team that “wins” that auction. (Unless it’s the Rangers. That would just be tradition.) For a guy we can fit into our budget and our powerplay, I pick Keith Yandle.

I don’t know if that will get our books to balance (it’s Sunday, and my neighbor’s lawnmower is really loud) but it can’t be that far off. I’m not in favor butting our heads up against the ceiling or engaging in any contract shenanigans; that stuff always bites you in the ass in a year or two. Always leave some cash in the sock drawer for emergencies or you get to start games with 14 skaters.

than sink everything into Richards.

Its nice to see what DBTBers think of our prospective off-season plans.