Buffalo Sabres: What’s all this talk about an internal salary cap?

There have been numerous ongoing reports of an internal salary cap being implemented by the Buffalo Sabres, but what does that mean?

For the past month, we’ve been hearing about how the Pegulas might be implementing an internal salary cap this season. With the Stanley Cup Finals now over, the draft quickly approaching, and free agency to follow soon after, many fans are wondering what this means for the Sabres’ future.

Before you get too nervous, know that these are just reports and there have yet to be any final answers or guidance from inside the Sabres’ organization to confirm any of it. There has also been speculation that the Pegulas are more interested in limiting the cash spent, not the cap hit.

Either way, an internal salary cap is something many organizations are rumored to be considering and wouldn’t be too surprising — given the recent pandemic. Still, it’s something the Buffalo Sabres shouldn’t be worrying themselves with because they have bigger issues to address.

Let’s say the Buffalo Sabres do implement an internal salary cap this season. As much as I would disagree with it and be against it, I would still fight to find some sort of positive out of the situation — it’s just how I operate.

When I think about it, there are several pros and cons that could arise from it — granted some are more significant than others. Here are some of the pros, but keep in mind I’m trying to be optimistic here:

1. It could set us up for a big free agency next offseason if the internal salary cap is lifted, since we would ‘all of a sudden’ have extra money to spend.
2. It limits the amount of unnecessary, bad, or nerve-wracking contracts Kevyn Adams signs in his first year as GM. Instead, he’ll be forced to be smart with his decisions.
3. Not that it makes a huge difference, but it gives the Sabres salary cap during the season to make easy adjustments. If they start winning and want to make a big trade or sign someone to help, they can.

Alright, here are some of the downfalls:

1. It limits the amount we can spend, especially when players aren’t willing to work with us in contract negotiations to limit the cap hit.
2. To be honest, it makes us look weaker than we already are. We shouldn’t be encouraging less spending or more spending — instead, we should simply encourage smart spending.
3. It gives Kevyn Adams more pressure and side-stepping to maneuver in his first season — just what he needs when trying to build a team that can make the playoffs.
4. It’s probably not what players like Jack Eichel want to hear and is only going to fuel the media’s ‘Trade him!’ reactions.

Feel free to leave your own benefits and pitfalls to an internal salary cap down below in the comments section. I’m sure there are tons of different ways to look at it and I’m open to all of them.

So, what does the cap situation look like right now? Especially after the trade for Eric Staal and the signing of Curtis Lazar.

As of right now, according to CapFriendly, the Buffalo Sabres have roughly $33.7 million in cap space with 11 players currently under contract. They also have the rights to 7 restricted free agents (RFAs) that will likely see a return (if not traded), and 7 unrestricted free agents (UFAs) with uncertain futures with the team.

There are five restricted free agents — Dominik Kahun, Tage Thompson, Linus Ullmark, Sam Reinhart, and Victor Olofsson — that I think are definitely going to be signed. Those 5 players could be worth around $15 million, considering Reinhart should be slated for around $7 million and Olofsson should be around $4 million. Ullmark should come in around $3 million too.

That brings the cap space down to about $18.7 million (these are very rough estimates, but just to give you an idea). That’s $18.7 million left with 16 roster spots filled. Then you have to look at Lawrence Pilut and Brandon Montour, who are both RFAs.

You also have the following UFAs: Wayne Simmonds, Vladimir Sobotka, Jimmy Vesey, Zemgus Girgensons, Johan Larsson, Michael Frolik, and Matt Hunwick.

While the Sabres will have some help rounding out the roster with younger players on minimal contracts, it still won’t leave the Sabres with a lot of room to work with. If the Sabres do an internal salary cap and reduce the cap by around $6 million, that makes matters even worse.

It’s growing clear that Kevyn Adams is going to have a lot of hurdles to jump through this offseason and it doesn’t look like the Pegulas are doing much to set him up for success, especially if the internal salary cap is real.

The question is whether Kevyn Adams can still put together a team that can win now, otherwise Sabres’ fans will have to continue listening to the Jack Eichel trade rumors — or even worse, see their favorite player request a trade.

What do you think the Buffalo Sabres need to do this offseason to save money, while also putting together a squad that can win now and later?

We really hope you enjoyed this blog about our beloved Buffalo Sabres. We look forward to continuing the conversation with the best fans in the world down below in the comments section.