Friedman: Flames have begun extension talks with Gaudreau & Eichel speculation

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Knightslayer

Any recent updates on Gaudreau contract extension talk?

I don't think we will hear anything new until either the trading log-jam clears, or until training camp.

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

[Vinny01]

I am having a hard time seeing why he Sabres are holding on for so long where they have seemingly cost Eichel a big chunk of the upcoming season. The conspiracy theorist in me thinks the Sabres are doing this to try and increase the value of the 22 1st they will receive from any team making the deal.

From all the reports the big holdup is the Sabres treating Eichel like a 100pt healthy player and the rest of the league treating him as a guy who has a serious neck injury. One solution is to put a ton of conditions of the picks going to the Sabres to protect against injury issues etc.

This feels like it will be resolved on the eve of training camp

[ComixZone]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1432680577346506758

[FBI]

4 pieces too much? how about 6 pieces!

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by FBI

4 pieces too much? how about 6 pieces!

I'll give you 4 quarters, or six dimes.

[MrMike]

Just keep adding late round draft picks until they accept.

[Macman]

I saw this article yesterday about the NHLPA having a meeting with the Sabres and Eichels's agent regarding a path forward and his injury. Doesn't look like anything was resolved and that's probably what's holding up a trade. A clear path forward.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article...njury-dispute/

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

https://twitter.com/user/status/1432680577346506758

I saw that on HF and also saw someone completely shred his credibility a couple of posts later

[djsFlames]

Three assets and our next three 7ths it is!

[Vinny01]

If you want 6 pieces there is going to be a lack of quality in that quantity

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

This is based on nothing but my gut feeling....but my gut feeling has been that the Flames might have the best offer on the table right now.

However I think that it's not good enough for Buffalo. And that Buffalo is really holding out to try to get that blue chip piece / former top 10 pick / top prospect piece (ie. Zegras, Kakko, Rossi) as part of a bigger package.

And my feeling is none of those teams have been willing to include a player of that ilk while also including other draft picks and roster pieces.

Agreed. I think people on this forum are overestimating the packages being offered to the Sabres, and Murray and co are not willing to part with elite blue-chip prospects. We know the Sabres are asking for the equivalent of 4 first round picks, and that nobody has met that price. So the bids probably look like:

Good (but not elite blue-chip) prospect.
Roster player with a 4-6 mil cap hit.
1st round pick (or equivalent)
Maybe a B-prospect or young roster player or equivalent pick

ANA

Mason McTavish
Josh Manson
2022 2nd
Sam Steel

CAL

Coronato
Monahan
2022 1st
Dube

MIN

Boldy
Dumba
2022 1st
2022 3rd


NYR

Lundqvist/Kravstov
Strome
2022 1st
K’Andre Miller

VGK

Krebs
Smith
2022 2nd
Hague

With blue-chippers taken out of the mix, the Flames likely have a competitive bid.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

https://twitter.com/user/status/1432680577346506758

So which surgery is it?

Fusion or replacement?

Highly unlikely this has any merit.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

I am having a hard time seeing why he Sabres are holding on for so long where they have seemingly cost Eichel a big chunk of the upcoming season. The conspiracy theorist in me thinks the Sabres are doing this to try and increase the value of the 22 1st they will receive from any team making the deal.

From all the reports the big holdup is the Sabres treating Eichel like a 100pt healthy player and the rest of the league treating him as a guy who has a serious neck injury. One solution is to put a ton of conditions of the picks going to the Sabres to protect against injury issues etc.

This feels like it will be resolved on the eve of training camp

Doubtful it's resolved in 2021. This situation is similar to the Deshaun Watson situation in that you have a franchise player that is in a situation there he's slightly devalued (he's likely going to be suspended at some point) but the asking price is astronomically high (3 x 1st round pick plus 2 x 2nd round picks). Apparently at least two NFL teams have put in serious offers but the Texans are planning on simply not dressing him for the season because as with the Sabres no team has met their asking price.

In both cases the teams hold all the cards with the player under contract long term and I have to agree with the way both teams are going about things as chances are a team in both leagues will crater to the demand. I don't think the Texans will get the five picks in the end but they will get close if they wait it out. The Sabres like the Texans know they aren't contending in the upcoming season so there's little negative to holding on to the asset until a team caves in.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Doubtful it's resolved in 2021. This situation is similar to the Deshaun Watson situation in that you have a franchise player that is in a situation there he's slightly devalued (he's likely going to be suspended at some point) but the asking price is astronomically high (3 x 1st round pick plus 2 x 2nd round picks). Apparently at least two NFL teams have put in serious offers but the Texans are planning on simply not dressing him for the season because as with the Sabres no team has met their asking price.

In both cases the teams hold all the cards with the player under contract long term and I have to agree with the way both teams are going about things as chances are a team in both leagues will crater to the demand. I don't think the Texans will get the five picks in the end but they will get close if they wait it out. The Sabres like the Texans know they aren't contending in the upcoming season so there's little negative to holding on to the asset until a team caves in.

I don’t really agree with this take. For one the Sabres have time but there is a pending NMC that is kicking in after this season so there is some time but it is ticking for the Sabres. Watson already has a NTC so that impacts the Texans ability to make a deal.

Different leagues and different situations. I could say that this will play out like a NBA deal where 3-5 teams get together to make a blockbuster. It doesn’t really happen in hockey so while I see some similarities in the situations you have described I don’t see it playing out the same way.

The agent move was putting pressure on the team to make the deal. I think the PA will get involved if this continues to drag out well into the season. The Sabres can’t believe they are going to get a better offer by burning another year of his prime and contract by sitting out. Once the NMC kicks in then it is likely the Rangers, or Bruins and the offers get far worse.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

I don’t really agree with this take. For one the Sabres have time but there is a pending NMC that is kicking in after this season so there is some time but it is ticking for the Sabres. Watson already has a NTC so that impacts the Texans ability to make a deal.

Different leagues and different situations. I could say that this will play out like a NBA deal where 3-5 teams get together to make a blockbuster. It doesn’t really happen in hockey so while I see some similarities in the situations you have described I don’t see it playing out the same way.

The agent move was putting pressure on the team to make the deal. I think the PA will get involved if this continues to drag out well into the season. The Sabres can’t believe they are going to get a better offer by burning another year of his prime and contract by sitting out. Once the NMC kicks in then it is likely the Rangers, or Bruins and the offers get far worse.

The agent can put as much pressure as he wants on the Sabres but he can't force them to make a trade. I just don't think the Sabres need to be in any rush to move him. Friedman mentioned yesterday there was a meeting between the NHL, player and team and neither side was budging after the meeting. Sabres will not want to lose this trade so I just can't see them going back and accepting any of the offers teams have already made. They are going to wait for one of the teams to meet their terms. The NMC is a full year away so that's not exactly backing up any reasons to move the player any time soon.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

The agent can put as much pressure as he wants on the Sabres but he can't force them to make a trade. I just don't think the Sabres need to be in any rush to move him. Friedman mentioned yesterday there was a meeting between the NHL, player and team and neither side was budging after the meeting. Sabres will not want to lose this trade so I just can't see them going back and accepting any of the offers teams have already made. They are going to wait for one of the teams to meet their terms.

But there does come a point where the Sabres lose all of their leverage. My thoughts are there is a more contentious relationship between the PA and league in hockey than any of the other sports (or at least the hockey owners do not wield the same power as the NFL) and I believe a power agent and the PA will force the trade before the end of the year and I still believe before the end of summer.

The trade becomes harder to make in season so they could burn a full year of Eichel’s contract and move him next offseason prior to the NMC kicking in but I fail to see how that will yield a better return than this summer. I feel they have overplayed their hand and maybe Adam’s got cocky after doing so well on the Risto deal?

[Strange Brew]

The other similarity between Sabres and Texans are that both have historically incompetent front offices, albeit with newer GM's in place who may/may not be an improvement.

I read an article about the James Harden trade in the NBA. When he wanted out of Houston, he hired Wasserman to facilitate a deal. They had a war room of MBA's working on potential transactions, talking to teams and helping structure a deal. Obviously the Rockets had final say on what they would accept but it's away to add a lot of horsepower to the work needed to get a deal done.

He then replaced him as his agent afterwards which some say is kind of a dick move. So not unexpected for Harden. Point is, if Eichel really wants a deal he can be an active participant in getting it done.

[Buff]

Originally Posted by transplant99

So which surgery is it?

Fusion or replacement?

Highly unlikely this has any merit.

Yeah. The reason why this has been drawn out this long is due to the differning opinions on what surgery he is to get. It isn't likely that either side will budge.

Did Eichel's new agent convince the Sabres to concede to Eichel's wishes? If Buffalo was concerned about Eichel getting that surgery then they're not going to suddenly let him. Even though he is going to be traded no matter what the outcome, they aren't going to risk letting him get a surgery that will damage his trade value. Once he gets the surgery, whichever one he gets, any Eichel suitors will want to wait to see how he plays first before determining how much they're going to give up to acquire him.

Eichel isn't likely to give in either. Unless he felt that he was getting bad advice from his last agent to get the alternative surgery, but that doesn't make sense to me either.

I don't think a surgery is happening in the near future.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

The other similarity between Sabres and Texans are that both have historically incompetent front offices, albeit with newer GM's in place who may/may not be an improvement.

Good point. Neither of these two new front offices want to come out of the gates showing weakness and making a bad trade for their franchise players. They are both likely looking for trades that cement their reputations.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Buff

Yeah. The reason why this has been drawn out this long is due to the differning opinions on what surgery he is to get. It isn't likely that either side will budge.

Did Eichel's new agent convince the Sabres to concede to Eichel's wishes? If Buffalo was concerned about Eichel getting that surgery then they're not going to suddenly let him. Even though he is going to be traded no matter what the outcome, they aren't going to risk letting him get a surgery that will damage his trade value. Once he gets the surgery, whichever one he gets, any Eichel suitors will want to wait to see how he plays first before determining how much they're going to give up to acquire him.

Eichel isn't likely to give in either. Unless he felt that he was getting bad advice from his last agent to get the alternative surgery, but that doesn't make sense to me either.

I don't think a surgery is happening in the near future.

The post above regarding the NHLPA getting involved may show some progress on the surgery front, I suppose. The post said there was no movement but maybe there has been some form of settlement (where surgery is permitted but not paid for/endorsed/risked by the team?).