SabreFaninNYC Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 Wow- you make a lowball offer of 5 mill per 5 years and you are surprised when they go away? I am a very mad Sabres fan right now. A good point was brought up on another board. If you want to let players go because of inflated value fine, but whoever you bring in to replace them, you will probably have to overpay them to get them in here. I opened up this thread for Sabres fans to vent. Press conference at 2pm today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoomZoom18 Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 Well, I am not a big Sabres fan, but I hate to see what's happened to them. I think their policy of not negotiating contracts during the season is probably biting them a little hard the last few years. It was kinda expected, but they still had a chance to keep at least one if not both. I'm not sure Briere is worth his deal and tend to believe the Flyers will come to regret that at some point, but Briere was destined to get a good deal financially, they had to do better than what they did IMO. As for Drury, I tend to think the writing was on the wall. I read in SI about him being a Rangers fan as a kid, so it doesn't surprise me that he went there. However, I was expecting him to end up on the west coast. http://sabres.nhl.com/team/app/?service=pa...rticleid=326985 That was a very interesting press conference... My question for Sabres fans, there were rumours that Peca got on the phone with Aucoin warning him against signing with Buffalo (I heard because of management). Do you think that is a valid point or do you think its sour grapes on Peca's part? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SabreFaninNYC Posted July 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 Well, I am not a big Sabres fan, but I hate to see what's happened to them. I think their policy of not negotiating contracts during the season is probably biting them a little hard the last few years. It was kinda expected, but they still had a chance to keep at least one if not both. I'm not sure Briere is worth his deal and tend to believe the Flyers will come to regret that at some point, but Briere was destined to get a good deal financially, they had to do better than what they did IMO. As for Drury, I tend to think the writing was on the wall. I read in SI about him being a Rangers fan as a kid, so it doesn't surprise me that he went there. However, I was expecting him to end up on the west coast. http://sabres.nhl.com/team/app/?service=pa...rticleid=326985 That was a very interesting press conference... My question for Sabres fans, there were rumours that Peca got on the phone with Aucoin warning him against signing with Buffalo (I heard because of management). Do you think that is a valid point or do you think its sour grapes on Peca's part? Peca is a long line of talent treated badly by the Sabres so it is no surprise there was a phone call. Change starts at the top and never has an organization needed change like this one (save the Leaves) to get it to the next level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SabreFaninNYC Posted July 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 And it continues: TORONTO — The Edmonton Oilers, who have been embroiled in controversy in which they claim they signed Michael Nylander before the Washington Capitals, found time this morning to sign Buffalo Sabres forward Thomas Vanek to an offer sheet. Globesports.com has learned that the Oilers are willing to pay Vanek a stunning $50-million (U.S.) over seven seasons. Now the Sabres have seven days to decide whether they will match the lucrative offer sheet to retain the 23-year-old sniper. The offer sheet calls for Vanek, a restricted free agent, to be paid $10-million in the first season, $8-million in the second season and $6.4-million in the remaining five years that would take him to the 2013-14 season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lafountain Posted July 6, 2007 Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 And it continues:TORONTO — The Edmonton Oilers, who have been embroiled in controversy in which they claim they signed Michael Nylander before the Washington Capitals, found time this morning to sign Buffalo Sabres forward Thomas Vanek to an offer sheet. Globesports.com has learned that the Oilers are willing to pay Vanek a stunning $50-million (U.S.) over seven seasons. Now the Sabres have seven days to decide whether they will match the lucrative offer sheet to retain the 23-year-old sniper. The offer sheet calls for Vanek, a restricted free agent, to be paid $10-million in the first season, $8-million in the second season and $6.4-million in the remaining five years that would take him to the 2013-14 season. I expected Vanek to receive an offer from someone else, but this offer is way above what I was expecting. Hopefully Buffalo decides to match it though. The draft picks received in compensation would not make up for the loss of Vanek. However, TSN is reporting only $5 million in each of the first two and $6.4 the rest of the years. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=212929&hubname= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lafountain Posted July 6, 2007 Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 Little bit more of a pay raise than I was expecting him to get, but it looks like Buffalo will match the offer. They have called a press conference that was supposed to start at 12:30 Eastern. Got this from the TSN article. Sabres general manager Darcy Regier called a media conference on Friday afternoon to announce that the team would match the offer. It is official now, they have matched the offer. Vanek in Buffalo for the next 7 seasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SabreFaninNYC Posted July 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 Little bit more of a pay raise than I was expecting him to get, but it looks like Buffalo will match the offer. They have called a press conference that was supposed to start at 12:30 Eastern. Got this from the TSN article. Sabres general manager Darcy Regier called a media conference on Friday afternoon to announce that the team would match the offer. It is official now, they have matched the offer. Vanek in Buffalo for the next 7 seasons. In some ways, I am happy they matched, they had to stop the bleeding somehow. HOWEVER, it really screws the Sabres in terms of the Cap (depending on what Roy's final number from arb is) so they can't pursue anyone else! Crazy week for Sabres fans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoomZoom18 Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 I didn't expect Edmonton to do that! Good move by the Sabres on matching that deal though, they NEEDED Vanek to hang around. Edmonton will be interesting to watch with the next few restricted free agents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mach_9 Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 I didn't expect Edmonton to do that! Good move by the Sabres on matching that deal though, they NEEDED Vanek to hang around. Edmonton will be interesting to watch with the next few restricted free agents. I don't think it was a good move. Vanek's cap hit is almost identical to JOE THORNTON's now, for 7 years and the kid has yet to REALLY prove himself. He had a decent freshman year (48 points, I think?) and then a pretty break-out sophomore year (but it WAS a contract year, keep in mind) and then hit his HUGE pay day. How many guys JUST LIKE Vanek have turned out to be busts in the past after a couple of good seasons in the beginning (think Samsonov?). Vanek was once criticized for being lazy. He was just given an invitation to not work for another 7 years while being guaranteed $50m. The compensation Buffalo would have received was four 1st round picks, and with how bad Edmonton looks like they could be, that could have potentially been four future stars (plus Tavares is in the coming draft). Buffalo would have had eight first rounders over the next four years to work with (be it in trades or actual drafting). I don't know that I'd take Vanek at $7m yet... if he doesn't reproduce his sophomore season he's an umovable contract now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SabreFaninNYC Posted July 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2007 I don't think it was a good move. Vanek's cap hit is almost identical to JOE THORNTON's now, for 7 years and the kid has yet to REALLY prove himself. He had a decent freshman year (48 points, I think?) and then a pretty break-out sophomore year (but it WAS a contract year, keep in mind) and then hit his HUGE pay day. How many guys JUST LIKE Vanek have turned out to be busts in the past after a couple of good seasons in the beginning (think Samsonov?). Vanek was once criticized for being lazy. He was just given an invitation to not work for another 7 years while being guaranteed $50m. The compensation Buffalo would have received was four 1st round picks, and with how bad Edmonton looks like they could be, that could have potentially been four future stars (plus Tavares is in the coming draft). Buffalo would have had eight first rounders over the next four years to work with (be it in trades or actual drafting). I don't know that I'd take Vanek at $7m yet... if he doesn't reproduce his sophomore season he's an umovable contract now. agreed and agreed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoomZoom18 Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 I don't think it was a good move. Vanek's cap hit is almost identical to JOE THORNTON's now, for 7 years and the kid has yet to REALLY prove himself. He had a decent freshman year (48 points, I think?) and then a pretty break-out sophomore year (but it WAS a contract year, keep in mind) and then hit his HUGE pay day. How many guys JUST LIKE Vanek have turned out to be busts in the past after a couple of good seasons in the beginning (think Samsonov?). Vanek was once criticized for being lazy. He was just given an invitation to not work for another 7 years while being guaranteed $50m. The compensation Buffalo would have received was four 1st round picks, and with how bad Edmonton looks like they could be, that could have potentially been four future stars (plus Tavares is in the coming draft). Buffalo would have had eight first rounders over the next four years to work with (be it in trades or actual drafting). I don't know that I'd take Vanek at $7m yet... if he doesn't reproduce his sophomore season he's an umovable contract now. You bring up good points. I have to say it makes me happy the Oilers didn't end up getting him. If that comes back to bite the Sabres in the rear (and probably will), Regier will probably want to throttle Kevin Lowe, who I think was getting desperate. Hopefully for the Sabres and Vanek's sake, he's worth the money, cause if he's not the Sabres are stuck and Thomas will be lucky to ever get anywhere close to that amount of money again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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