Will Buffalo be willing to keep pace as NHL salary cap rises? Sabres thoughts

BUFFALO, N.Y.

Its been a hectic week for the Sabres.

Theyre riding a three-game winning streak and still managed to draw the ire of the fan base for their lack of response to Stefan Noesens high hit on Tage Thompson.

There was also a flurry of activity around the league with salary cap estimates for the next three seasons and blockbuster trades.

Lets unpack the Sabres notebook ahead of their Tuesday game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Advertisement 1.

The aftermath of Noesens hit was the latest indication the Sabres still have a long way to go when it comes to showing the rest of the league they wont be easily pushed around.

Luckily Thompson is OK.

That may be part of the reason Noesen wont face discipline from the league after getting a match penalty.

It should be pointed out Alex Tuch was livid on the bench when the hit happened and got an interference penalty for a hard hit shortly after that.

Tuch fought Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon earlier this season when Dillon laid a high hit that concussed JJ Peterka.

Id bet Tuch was one of the players Lindy Ruff was referring to when he said a few guys on the bench wanted to go after Noesen right away.

That doesnt absolve the rest of the team, but Tuch deserves some credit.

Beyond a fight or a retaliatory hit, the Sabres could stand to play with more emotion and snarl in their game.

Rasmus Dahlin said they need more pushback.

Thats been an ongoing conversation with the team, and this will only make it louder.

2.

The NHL released the following salary cap projections for the next three seasons.

2025-26 Upper limit: $95.5 million Lower limit: $70.6 million 2026-27 Upper limit: $104 million Lower limit: $76.9 million 2027-28 Upper limit: $113.5 million Lower limit: $83.9 million This type of multi-year clarity is unprecedented in the league.

Agents and teams now have a lot more information to bring to the bargaining table.

This is going to make for a fascinating summer and beyond.

Over the weekend, The Athletic s Pierre LeBrun wrote about how the rising cap could create a gap between the haves and have-nots in the NHL .

With such a dramatic increase in the cap, the teams that are willing to spend every last dollar could have an advantage over teams unwilling to do so.

That is relevant to the Sabres, who have been in the bottom six of NHL player spending every season since Kevyn Adams took over as general manager in 2020.

Advertisement The cap has never been something Im as focused on as all of you or the fans, Adams said of the Sabres unused cap space in his most recent news conference.

Adams stance has been that he doesnt want to do anything that will damage the cap situation in future seasons.

Back in 2021, Adams said: Its about putting ourselves in a position that we help grow these young players and make sure were ready when the time is right to move forward.

When we are ready and we are at the point to take that step, were going to have the flexibility and the ability to do it.

But the Sabres still havent spent to the salary cap ceiling despite being one point out of a playoff spot two seasons ago.

They have the sixth-lowest payroll in the league this season despite Adams saying theyre in win-now mode.

According to PuckPedia, the Sabres have 14 players under contract for next season and are $9 million below the projected cap floor.

They have $32.8 million in available space.

Will they be in the haves or the have-nots this summer? As always, their actions will tell the story.

But make no mistake: The rising cap presents an opportunity for smart general managers and owners who are willing to spend.

3.

Before the season, Adams said he had Buffalos upcoming restricted free agents on his mind when he left cap space on the table coming into the season.

Defenseman Bowen Byram, wingers Jack Quinn and Peterka, centers Ryan McLeod and Tyson Kozak and goalie Devon Levi are the Sabres restricted free agents of note.

Levi is now in the AHL, so his next contract shouldnt be a big one.

But the other negotiations just got more interesting.

Byram has been playing on Buffalos top pair all season.

Hes been one of the Sabres best and most consistent players, showing leadership and poise.

At 23 years old, Byram has plenty of room to grow, too.

His price tag had already gone up since the summer, and the rising cap is good news for Byram.

Advertisement In a radio appearance on WGR Friday, Adams stated his intention to keep Byram.

If the Sabres want to lock him up for the long term, AFP Analytics projects a seven-year contract worth $7.2 million annually.

But now that the cap numbers for 2026-27 and 2027-28 are known, will Byram want more than that? Hes been better than Owen Power this season, and the Sabres signed Power to a long-term deal with an $8.3 million cap hit.

Agents may try to negotiate based on a percentage of the salary cap.

In Byrams case, a $9 million cap hit would put him in the same range as Power in terms of percentage of the cap when Power signed.

4.

While Byrams value has increased the most since the summer, Peterka wont be a cheap contract, either.

He has 15 goals and 41 points in 50 games this season.

Thats not the jump the Sabres were hoping for, but its not a major dropoff, either.

AFP Analytics projects Peterka could get a six-year deal worth $6.6 million per year on a long-term deal, or $4.2 million on a two-year deal.

But depending on how Peterka finishes the season, $6.6 million might be on the low end of his long-term projection.

Im curious how players like Peterka will balance short-term vs.

long-term deals with the continued rise of the cap.

Locking in a long-term deal now might hurt earning potential down the line, but it offers insurance against injury or production slumps.

5.

Then theres the case of McLeod, who is on pace to set career highs in goals, points and ice time this season.

AFP Analytics projects his cap hit to come in just north of $3 million.

That would be a reasonable number for McLeod, who has been streaky as a scorer but an asset on Buffalos penalty kill and a reliable middle-six center.

6.

Among the RFAs, Quinn has damaged his value the most.

He has just one goal and two assists in his last nine games and didnt record a single shot attempt against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.

He scored just once in the first 24 games of the season and has since begun to struggle again.

Meanwhile, hes still getting time on the first power-play unit.

Even with a rising cap, betting on Quinn with a long-term contract is risky.

Advertisement 7.

Adams also said on Friday that the team is interested in re-signing unrestricted free agents Jason Zucker and Jordan Greenway.

He said he had an initial meeting with Zucker and his agent on the teams recent trip.

The 33-year-old is having one of the best seasons of his career in an elevated role in Buffalo.

Hes been an important veteran presence for the team, too.

GO DEEPER What should the Sabres do with Jason Zucker at the trade deadline? Greenway has been out with an injury, but he showed his value early in the season with his defensive play and physicality.

AFP Analytics projects Zucker to get $5.1 million and Greenway to get $3.8 million.

But this could be one of the best summers in recent memory to become a UFA.

Will these players want to pass on a team that is in last place in the Eastern Conference, even if Adams has plenty of cap space to make it worth their while? 8.

The other question the Sabres will need to answer is whether it makes sense to bring back the bulk of this forward group.

The Sabres have room to retain Zucker and Greenway as well as bring back Peterka, Quinn, McLeod and Kozak at market-level extensions.

But doing so means a forward group that looks a lot like the one they have now.

Scoring hasnt necessarily been Buffalos issue, but few would argue the need to change the mix of the group given the teams record.

9.

The Canucks trading J.T.

Miller to the Rangers over the weekend could put a temporary pause on the idea of the Sabres trading for Canucks center Elias Pettersson.

Vancouver may end up trading both of its stars, but thats far from a guarantee.

The rising cap could open up the market, especially if the Canucks wait until the summer.

Its been a busy few weeks of trade activity in the NHL , but Adams said on WGR Friday that hes not interested in being a seller and wants to make this team better.

Well see if he gets around to that before the trade deadline in early March.

10.

The Sabres called up Isak Rosen from the AHL on Monday and placed Kozak on injured reserve.

Rosen leads the Rochester Americans in scoring with 39 points in 40 games and was named to the AHL All-Star Game.

The 2021 first-round pick turns 22 in March, so it makes sense to start getting him more time in the NHL .

Hes made eight NHL appearances over the last two seasons and has averaged just over eight minutes of ice time in those games.

Well see if he gets more of a look this time around.

(Top photo of Bowen Byram: Sergei Belski / Imagn Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.