The Buffalo Sabres signed center Ryan O’Reilly to a seven-year, $52.5 million contract extension, while the Columbus Blue Jacket inked left wing Brandon Saad to a six-year, $36 million deal.
Ryan O’Reilly gets a seven-year deal with the Sabres.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: According to The Buffalo News, O’Reilly will receive “$10 million in 2016-17, $8 million in 2017-18, $7.5 million in 2018-19 and $5 million for each of his final four seasons.” He’s being paid $1 million per season in actual salary, with the rest being paid as signing bonuses. The deal is structured that way as buyout protection for O’Reilly, as signing bonuses cannot be part of a buyout. It also allows him to skirt high escrow payments. You can bet O’Reilly’s contract will be copied by other players over the course of this CBA.
O’Reilly, the 2014 Lady Byng Trophy winner, is a very good two-way second-line center, and he’s not solely to blame for his salary skyrocketing so quickly during his tenure with the Colorado Avalanche. This is the biggest contract in Sabres history, and O’Reilly should prove a worthwhile addition to their club over the next eight seasons, but it’s just too much for a player of his skill set. This just set the market value for second-line centers going forward.
The Sabres really wanted O’Reilly, gave up a package of promising youth to get him and were willing to pay big to keep him. I’m not picking on the Sabres, for it they didn’t pay him that salary now, another club happily would’ve ponied up around the same amount next summer when he hit the UFA market. I just don’t believe O’Reilly, even if he plays at his best over the course of this deal, is worth $7.5 million per season.
Brandon Saad inks six-year deal with the Blue Jackets.
Saad’s deal is a rich one as well, earning a huge pay increase over his $845K entry-level salary. The 22-year-old was a rising star with the Chicago Blackhawks, reaching career-highs last season in goals (23) and points (52). Playing alongside Blue Jackets top-line center Ryan Johansen, Saad should continue to see his production improve as he heads toward his playing prime.
This deal, however, will have consequence for the Jackets in two years time when Johansen is due a new contract. His negotiations with the Jackets got contentious last summer, and the fact the Jackets ponied up more money to Saad coming out of his entry-level deal than they paid to Johansen, who had better stats the past two seasons, likely won’t be lost on the Jackets center.
regarding Saad vs Johansen salaries…Saad does have at least 1 cup. Players should be compensated once they reach that milestone; not before.
o reilly way too much money (again no cup), that salary structure sounds fishy
So, you would rate Saad ahead of Johansen because Saad played with Toews, Kane, Hossa, etc., etc., etc. Not the most logical argument.
Wow. So tell me who’s complaining about the guy Toronto traded ? ROR gets an insane deal. Saad I had pegged at 5-5.5 in Chicago but guess not. Wonder if its the term that they couldnt agree upon or if Chicago knows soemthing we dont ?
Agreed that’s been my argument all along since Phaneuf and Kessel signed their deals….Saad is steep but RORs is just brutal with its structure. Horrible deal to try and move or buy out if it came to it.
No disrespect and it will change, but how else does Buffalo keep him and attract others ?
Win….signing a co tract like that imo only attracts ufas yiur team probably doesnt want anyway. Clarkson didnt help Toronto attract UFAs…not tryi g to compare theplayers obviously ROR is a good player but is he a Malkin like 2 C? Not even close. Eichle is going to be your 1st line guy….may e not next year but in the very near future, Dont like it from a salary structure view and absolutely hate the idea of suggesting a guy who has yet toplay for a team is a core part thatis now pretty much u tradeable. I really liked him as a pick up that contract extension just reeks imo….I dont like Saads but could live with it because if itdoes t work oit atleast I think you would be able to move it. Sometimes good players just dont work out with some teams now they are stuck with him
It will be interesting to see how Saad’s salary impacts the signing of Jenner and Murray next year as well. Columbus is starting to run out of money for the defense.
Honesty now that I’ve read both deals, both did well. Columbus probably did better but both will help there teams for years to come.
Buffalo was at point of no return. Agree not the smartest deal at all. His is not in the top percentile . Maybe the floor had something to do with it. ROR seemed to have Buff fixated . Reminds me of the Derek Sanderson deal with the WHA…”ask for what ever you want “.. and they said yes !
ROR’s contract is not escrow protected. Players pay escrow on bonuses as well as base salary.
As per Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News: “The unusual deal apparently allows O’Reilly to skirt around high escrow payments. Players has about 14 percent of their base salaries withheld in escrow this past season until the league’s final revenue numbers were released.” I’ve added the link for clarity.
Say hello to the next huge sticking point in the next CBA, agents are going to start writting up contracts like this one for vulture gms to sign….this alone should be good for about 8 weeks of a lock out. I smell another missing season.
My reading of the bonus/escrow language is that it applies to bonuses paid during the season, i.e., performance and benchmark bonuses. So “signing bonuses” as off-season payouts, would not be subject to escrow.
Who is O`Rielly`s agent? He has managed to get this kid paid like crazy for what he delivers. If I was a NHL player I would be calling O’Rielly’s agent asking where to sign.
He’s officially the best agent in the world.
Is Nonis now the gm in Buffalo?
Time will tell if GMTM made a mistake or not giving ROR that kind of money…the amount doesn’t scare me as much as the term. At this time it looks like a Kane-O’Reilly-Ennis top line so I think his point total will be the highest of his career this coming year. If he hits 70-75 pts then I’d say yes he is worth it given he does play a 200 ft game. Correct me if I’m wrong but he wasn’t Colorado’s top line center as he was behind Duchene and MacKinnon so he only got top line minutes if he played the wing. He will be a work horse in Buffalo.
One thing about Murray is when a player he wants is available he goes after him. The price he paid for Lehner says that but as goalies go for what was available he received a younger guy compared to the rest and term on the contract plus being Lehner will be a RFA when his current contract runs out as opposed to UFA’s in Lack, Talbot etc. I was hot when I heard a first but that pick would have been used in acquiring ROR as it turns out if it were still available.
I don’t see the playoffs this year but it will be a fun time again to be a Sabres fan.
I agree with the Kessel comment above. I don’t know how people think Kessel contract is bad when he is one of the Nhls best goal scorers and guys like Saad are getting 6 million. Ray Ferrarro said on the free agent frenzy, who cares if Kessel is a 70 foot player who can’t find guys who can score 35 plus goals, if you have a guy like that you need to surround him with guys who can play 200 feet and the Leafs never did that. Found that to be very good point by Ray. If Kessel keeps scoring like he did in Toronto playing with Sid and Gino he will score close to 40 goals and they will get him to play better all around game. In two years if this happens people will be saying he contract is a bargain. As for ROR I am an Avs fan and have seen him play lots of time he is an amazing two player, plays really hard. He will get 70+ plus I believe first line in Buffalo and I think a guy he is one of the top 2 way players in game and gets 70pts is worth 7.5 no question. It does suck how contracts are working out for average players guys who get 50pts one year make almost 5million this is what I find crazy not to the fact first and second line guys get 7plus it’s when 3rd and 4th liners are getting 5 per season that is the big problem.
I have been a Sabres’ fan since day, Sabes replaced the Leafs as my number one team. I actually like both teams.
But this deal scares the heck out of me, all this money for a guy who does not have THAT high of a ceiling. This deal will make or break Tim Murray, he better be right.