Pretty sure Buffalo saves more buying him out so I don’t think they consider this deal.

And if they were to retain 50% they would definitely want a much better return

Buying him out would certainly save more this year (7.4mil as opposed to 4.5mil), next year would see the cap hits equalise, but the point of the buyout is to open space in the years following. A Skinner buyout done this offseason or next would cost them 6.4mil in 2026-27 followed by either 2 or 3 years of a cap hit on 2.4mil all of which would be during the beginning of BUF's contention window and during a time in which most of their young talent will be in need of new contracts. As for whether BUF should expect a decent return at 50% retention, I'm not sure he'd get much more than a mid round pick. You could make the case that he's only one season removed from pt/gm production, but any team betting on acquiring him is going to see the potential burden of 4.5mil for 3 years for a 32 year old who just had 46 points.

In essence, they're saving ~2mil per year from '26 to '30 at the cost of not getting a minor asset in return. Of course, BUF's ownership may not be keen on paying all that to have a guy not play for them, but that's not something I can really account for. I just think it's time for BUF to move on from Skinner and open a spot for one of Kulich, Ostlund, Rosen, or Savoie to step in.

Sabres don’t even consider for a second

Skinner isnt a cap dump, they arent desperate for money. They have 0 reason to do something like that. Worst case scenario they buy him out next off season, its way cheaper than retaining half. Also a consistent 30 goal 60 pt scorer who just had an 80 point season, at 4.5 mill is going to bring back way more than a mid round pick. Sabres dont have a problem with Skinner, that needs to be deleted from the capfriendly lexicon.

Alright, duly noted. I sensed there was a greater appetite to move on from Skinner than there seems to be. I maintain that I think it'd be wise for BUF to move on from him if only to open the opportunity for a different look, but I get it if you don't feel you need to. Thanks for the input!

They can move on from him, they have prospects that need to graduate, but they arent going to get bent over, sandpaper no lubed, just to force him out. He also has an NMC anyway

Here’s the thing….
There’s a segment of fans- on this site- who would like to move on
But IN REALITY, the Sabres aren’t trying to do any of the crazy “get rid of Skinner moves” u see on here
He’s a Vet leader on the team, & Sabres Mgmt likes him

He isn’t going anywhere

It possible Lindy doesn’t like Skinner & we decide to move on from him
But that’s a next offseason possibility

He isn’t gonna walk in here & tell Adams to dump him before he even plays a game for him- that’s absurd

Plus, to your point, a trade is unlikely bc of the NMC
And a buyout is more palatable next year

The haters really need to accept that Skinner is gonna be here for another year- at least

Hes not even bad, im just worried our decent prospects are going to become restless

There’s space right now for a few, even if we keep Skinner
Also, I’m cool with making these guys spend some time developing in the AHL

We’ve been fast tracking young talent too long & that obviously hasn’t worked too well for us