Rumbling around the NHL purport that Buffalo Sabres’ RFAs JJ Peterka and Bowen Byram could be targeted for offer sheets this summer.
While that’s certainly reasonable considering the high ceiling for both players, the fact is that Buffalo Sabres fans have nothing to worry about.
The rationale is simple: The Sabres have over $23 million in cap space and no big-ticket free agents this summer. While the club has six key RFAs to sign, GM Kevyn Adams likely isn’t reaching for his stresstabs just yet.
So, what happens if a team tries to pull a move like the St. Louis Blues did last summer? What if one or multiple teams chose to offer sheet Peterka and/or Byram?
As James Mirtle noted in The Athletic, the Sabres can easily match any offer sheet as they have the cap space to do so.
All right, but what if a team makes an offer so high that the Sabres would think twice about matching it?
Then, the Sabres would be better off taking the compensation for an offer sheet.
Allow me to elaborate.
Let’s assume one or both of Peterka and Byram receive an offer sheet from another club. If the offer sheet comes with an AAV of under $2.3 million, the Sabres get a third-round pick. That AAV is something the Sabres can match in five minutes.
If the AAV goes from $2.3 million to $4.6 million, the Sabres get a third-round pick. Not bad, but still, that’s something the Sabres won’t have trouble matching.
If the AAV on the offer sheet goes above $4.6 million but under $7 million, the Sabres would get a first and third-round pick. That’s where I would pause and think twice about it. It’s not that the Sabres wouldn’t be able to match such an offer sheet, but it would be better to take the compensation rather than attempting to match it.
Lastly, if the AAV on the offer sheet is over $7 million but under $9.36 million, the Sabres would get a first, second, and third-round pick. That’s where I would take the compensation and push back from the table.
Buffalo Sabres greatly benefit from offer sheets
As I’ve outlined above, the Sabres benefit from having Peterka or Byram receive an offer sheet. If the offer sheet makes sense, the Sabres can match. If not, the compensation would be akin to the Sabres trading Peterka or Byram.
Plus, the Sabres get to utilize their cap space to sign another player.
That is why an offer sheet would not be the end of the world. If anything, it would be a boon as the Sabres could even weaponize those draft picks and package them as part of another deal to land even more pieces.
Sabres fans have nothing to worry about when it comes to offer sheets this summer. The team will come out ahead no matter what happens.