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00:00And we'll have coverage throughout tomorrow night.
00:02But the big news of yesterday is Alex Tuck is gone.
00:07The sign-and-trade is done.
00:08It was indicated by Jarmo Kekalainen when he did his press conference yesterday afternoon
00:15that we were closing in on the end for Tuck and that they were not going to meet on a
00:22contract.
00:22And I have a couple of thoughts on the Tuck contract that I bet are not where the consensus lies
00:29for Sabre fans on what they would have wanted here.
00:33He signs, I think, a completely reasonable eight-year deal for $10.5 million per year.
00:42It ends up, to me, looking like this wasn't really hard.
00:46This wasn't really rocket science.
00:49He just wanted what his closest comparable in the league that had signed recently signed for.
00:56Adrian Kempe, we used as a comparison and everybody used as a comparison to Tuck when he signed months ago.
01:08Kempe signed in November.
01:11And I remember right after that happened thinking, that's the contract.
01:15That's the guy and that's the contract.
01:18He's the same age.
01:19He's got almost the same numbers, similar type of player, just like the same, similar size even, I think.
01:27Kempe might be a little bit smaller even than Tuck is.
01:30Yeah, 6-2 versus Tuck at 6-3.
01:32I mean, it's basically the same.
01:34They're very, very, very similar players.
01:3736 goals last year for Kempe, 33 for Tuck.
01:41Like, if you look at the last four years, they're not that far off.
01:45And I remember thinking, and many did, that's the comparable right there.
01:50And Kempe, that is not the cash out, let me go to the market and get every penny I can
01:56contract.
01:57That was, no, I'm going to stay at home or, you know, I'm going to stay on the team I've
02:03been on.
02:05And I'm just going to take this deal rather than go to the market and see if I could get
02:09more.
02:10And that contract for Kempe ended up being $10.6 million per year over eight years.
02:17Tuck ends up signing for eight years, $10.5 million per year.
02:23Like, the way I view the whole Tuck saga was just, I don't think the Sabres badly wanted him.
02:33Did they want him?
02:34Sure.
02:35And I think they might have felt a pressure to at least make it look like they wanted him.
02:42Because your captain and your best forward, two leaders of your team, would have probably not felt great if you
02:51had put up no effort at all.
02:53If you had just said after the season, well, that's that.
02:56Zero points against Montreal.
02:58Yeah, we're done here.
03:00See ya.
03:00Go to free agency.
03:01And if that is the attitude that they had taken and never made an offer, then I bet that would
03:07not sit well with two guys that he meant a lot to that wanted their team to keep him.
03:15The latest reporting is that the Sabres did up their offer, but they did not get to $10 million per
03:23year.
03:24And I think you could say, and I think to some degree, you'd be correct to say Tuck took the
03:31money.
03:32I think that's a spectrum.
03:34Let's repurpose sense of Tuck for that.
03:36What percentage of his decision was about the money?
03:40I'm not going to sit here and tell you it was none of it.
03:42It was a very big motivating factor, and it might have ended up being number one.
03:46But at the same time, it couldn't have all been about the money.
03:51We had a lot of reports that the Seattle Kraken were willing to go north of $11 million per year
03:58on a contract.
04:00And Tuck signs before free agency, didn't end up being with the Sabres, but he does not make it to
04:07market and does not take the deal that was reportedly going to be out there for him that would have
04:15paid him more than $11 million per year.
04:17For me, I look at what Tuck decided, and I think what he decided was, I don't need the absolute
04:24number one offer.
04:25All I need is, just give me what the guy that's just like me got.
04:30That's it.
04:31The guy that didn't go to market, the guy that got that from his own team, that's it.
04:36That's what I'm worth.
04:38And I don't really see a strong argument against that from his perspective.
04:43Why should I go below what the guy signed for in November?
04:47That's my closest comparable.
04:49Don't need to cash out.
04:50I don't need to get $11 million per year.
04:52I don't need to get $11.5 million.
04:54I don't know what that number would have ended up being for Seattle.
04:58And we'll never know.
04:59Unless Jason Bottrell tells us.
05:01I wouldn't be surprised if something like that goes down.
05:04If he let it slip somehow, some way.
05:07Some way.
05:08You're right.
05:09He might.
05:09He might tell us.
05:10Yeah.
05:10San Jose told us that they wanted Byram yesterday.
05:13Mike Greer did a press conference, and we saw some quotes about that.
05:16And even a report from John Bucciacross about what they offered.
05:21I would have rather had the Chicago offer, but San Jose was pushing for Byram, too.
05:25So, yeah, you're right.
05:25We could find out from Bottrell.
05:27Not that it really matters to the Sabres at this point.
05:29I think the Sabres weren't a 10 in terms of motivation here.
05:38I think they would have liked to have him, and they would have loved to have him at a pretty
05:43big discount,
05:44which I think less than $10 million a year in the new cap world for that player should be qualified
05:50as.
05:50And Tuck rightfully said, I'm just going to take what my comparable took.
05:57And that's it.
05:57And now it's over, and the Sabres have to replace him.
06:00But I guess, long story short, I am probably one of the few that would look at that deal and
06:08say,
06:09I would have done that.
06:10I would have been willing to go eight years and pay him $10.5 million per year because I think
06:17he helps me win right now.
06:20And I don't know if he'll be done in three years as this level of player.
06:25I don't know if it'll be five.
06:26I don't know if it'll be all eight.
06:27Some guys play great into their late 30s.
06:30Jordan Stahl just won the Conn Smythe and is just as good of a player as he was seven years
06:35ago.
06:35And he's 38 years old.
06:37So sometimes it happens there.
06:38On the flip end, we'll talk about Vinny Trocek today because there's some smoke about him in the Sabres.
06:43There's a guy at 33 years old who looks shot.
06:47Yeah.
06:48Extremely shot.
06:49That happens too.
06:50But to me, Washington shouldn't be worried about this deal.
06:54For one, they're in a different, I will admit to this, they're in a different phase than the Sabres are.
07:00They are at the end with Ovechkin.
07:02They're probably only getting one more year out of Alex Ovechkin.
07:06And they are pushing to win at all costs with him right now.
07:10That's why they trade for Jordan Kyrou.
07:12And it's why they acquire Alex Tuck.
07:14Which, by the way, now puts them fourth in the odds for winning the Eastern Conference.
07:19If you go to FanDuel Sportsbook right now and look at the betting odds for the Eastern Conference,
07:23it goes Florida, Carolina, Tampa, Washington.
07:30Really?
07:30The Capitals are now the fourth betting favorite in the East.
07:33Was that post-Tuck trade, you said?
07:34That was post-Tuck trade.
07:35I think they moved up a little bit after the Tuck trade.
07:37They moved up a little bit before that with the Kyra trade.
07:40Yeah, they added two top-line wingers.
07:42That makes sense.
07:42In the course of 24 hours.
07:44They are clearly trying to win right now.
07:47And, yes, that's why they did it.
07:50And maybe there is a little bit of, yeah, we'll figure it out down the road.
07:54You know what, though?
07:55Well, there are options when you take that approach.
07:59If you told me right now Alex Tuck is going to be a disaster by the time he's 35 years
08:05old.
08:05Not the same player at all.
08:07Can't skate anymore.
08:08Can't score anymore.
08:10And the Capitals go five years down the line.
08:14And then they say, man, this is getting bad and we'd like to get out of this.
08:18What are they going to do?
08:19They're either going to attach a pick to them and get them off the team and clear the salary.
08:23Or you buy them out in five years and it costs you $3.5 million a year.
08:28Which, by then, is going to be the cost of a fourth liner.
08:33So, I don't think Washington likely ever really pays for this.
08:38They actually have experience doing this.
08:41The Capitals signed one of their own, T.J. Oshie, to a giant contract when he was 30 years old.
08:50And go look at his career in Washington.
08:53The final three years of his career in Washington, he was not a good player anymore.
08:59At all.
09:00Now, they won the Cup early on in that contract.
09:03So, they would tell you forever, hey, we don't regret a second of that.
09:08He was important to us in the postseason and in the playoffs in winning the Cup.
09:12Who cares what happened in the final three years when he was 35, 36, and 37?
09:17I mean, I don't think Washington's winning the Cup with Alex Tuck.
09:20So, in that way, it's probably a little bit different.
09:24But, did Washington ever really get really bad?
09:29While Oshie was not that good in his final three years where he put up 25, 35, and 25 points
09:36on the back end of a giant contract.
09:38I just think good teams do these types of deals, and if it really gets that bad, they figure out
09:42a way out of it.
09:43I don't think Washington's going to pay for this contract at all.
09:45I think if the Sabres had signed him yesterday to this contract, I would be taking the same approach.
09:51Like, good.
09:52He's going to play on my top line.
09:54He's probably going to score 30 goals for me this year.
09:56And I'm not worried about a $3.5 million cap charge in 2035 as part of a buyout.
10:03When the cap's going to be enormous by then.
10:06So, yeah, I would have done it.
10:08But, everyone had their line in the sand.
10:11I had mine.
10:12Like, I would have probably not wanted to go above 11.
10:15And for some, including the Sabres, by the way, 10 sounded like their line in the sand.
10:23I guess I just wonder, how badly did you really want him?
10:25Because there is wanting him, and showing like you wanted him, and making offers.
10:33And then there is how bad you really did, which is, you knew what the cost was going to be.
10:38You knew it was going to be $10.5 million.
10:40You knew it was going to be the campaign contract.
10:43And that's where the Sabres decided, we don't need to do it.
10:48Is that because of money?
10:49Is that because they're going to spend to the cap?
10:51Really interested in that.
10:52What are they going to use this cap space on?
10:54I'm still pretty confident they're going to do something else big.
10:58I don't think the offseason, because right now, today, after the last two days,
11:03where they have traded their number four defenseman and their number one winger,
11:07their team, as currently constructed, is not as good as it was last season.
11:13But, who believes for a second right now that this is it?
11:17Because I don't.
11:18All the smoke about them talking now about the fourth pick, and about the 20th pick.
11:24I think there is a big move coming, and I'm hopeful it would be a player better than Alex Tuck.
11:33It's got to be an upgrade if you're going to use the fourth pick.
11:35Or at least a guy as good that is younger.
11:38I don't think you let Tuck walk and not have a plan for something else.
11:47I know Jarmo spoke yesterday, and he talked up Noah Oslund and Uri Kulik and Konsta Heleneus,
11:53and those guys might end up being top-line players even this season for the Sabres.
12:00But I think that's what you do when...
12:02Yeah, when you're not going to do that.
12:04Right.
12:04When you're doing a press conference, and you know Tuck is leaving, and you don't have this other trade yet
12:09done,
12:10whatever it might end up being, then what are you going to say?
12:13Like, yeah, look at these three guys.
12:15That's what you're going to say.
12:17So not to say that Jarmo was lying.
12:18I think he definitely believes in those three.
12:21But he's not going to tell you,
12:23well, guys, I have a Matthew Nyes trade that's like on the five-yard line.
12:26He's not going to sit up there and say that yesterday.
12:28So, I think they are trying to do something else.
12:33And if it doesn't work, then yeah, sure, you have the kids to fall back on,
12:37and that's not the worst idea in the world.
12:39I just would have liked...
12:41I would have rather had Tuck on the team than done nothing at Forward and just relied on the kids.
12:46But, again, I don't believe that that's where we're going to end up.
12:49I think they're going to do something in the next two days, which is exciting.
12:52I am as excited about the next two days for the Sabres transactionally,
12:58like trades, signings, as I've been since when?
13:03I mean, I wouldn't even want to say when Darcy Regeer was the GM
13:08because there was the do something Darcy was the thing.
13:10Yeah.
13:11I don't know that I've ever been as excited about what they could do in a trade
13:15or in a move over the next two days as I ever have been with this team.
13:21They just have never been the team.
13:24No, okay, you know what?
13:26There was one week right after Pagula bought the team, that offseason,
13:31because of the promise of money now being spent on the team
13:36and the chains were off for Darcy, go do whatever you want,
13:40and they gave Erhoff a 10-year contract, and those times would have been similar.
13:45There was an expectation of, hey, we're going to do something big.
13:49And then they did do, you know, Erhoff, I would qualify something big.
13:53They signed a guy to a decade-long contract.
13:55But that's the last time.
13:57So that's 15 years ago.
13:59It's been a while, and I have that sort of expectation over the next 48 hours
14:04that this team's going to do something, and it's going to get us as pumped up
14:09about them winning and winning big this season as any move they've made
14:14in a long, long time.
14:15And it's, like, nice to believe the GM will actually do it.
14:18Like, you have the guy behind the, you know, behind the seats
14:21that's actually going to go make a big move with the big stick, you know?
14:24Yep.
14:25803-0550 is the phone number.
14:26All right, let's go to the phone lines, and we'll start with Larry in South Florida.
14:29What's up, Larry?
14:31Hey, good morning, gentlemen.
14:32Before I get to my question slash point, Joe, how many goals you score
14:38in the power play, buddy?
14:40Who?
14:41Oh, me?
14:42Oh, the 11-day power play?
14:43Two.
14:44Two.
14:45Oh, that a man.
14:46I mean, three-hour game, so, again, goals per 60 wasn't necessarily the best.
14:51It's basically three games in one, so.
14:54I'm sure you had some assists, though, Joe.
14:56But it was fun.
14:57We raised a lot of money.
14:58You can still donate, by the way, 11daypowerplay.com.
14:59But anyways.
15:01Okay, so for the number four, first of all, I thought the trade that he made
15:06to get, you know, the number four pick and everything else he got
15:09was unbelievable.
15:10But now he's got to do the right thing with it.
15:12So if we would have signed Tuck, then I would have just kept that pick.
15:17And with number four, if that Reed defenseman was there, I would have grabbed him.
15:22But now we have those two young defensemen, and like you said, it takes a couple years,
15:27and they're at that point where they're in year one, maybe year two of development.
15:31So I would take everything I could do to go and make that trade, give up the number four pick,
15:39do not go get count or halibut with that, maybe with the 20th pick or a second-round pick,
15:44but not the fourth.
15:45I'd go it for Matthew Knies or Dylan Larkin if that's even a possibility.
15:50And I'd love to get your thoughts because we need to get a replacement for Tuck right away.
15:56That's so important.
15:58And Knies, I think, would be a fantastic replacement.
16:01Plus, if I remember correctly, isn't he a fairly good-sized guy?
16:05He's big, definitely.
16:06Thanks, Larry, for the call.
16:08He's 6'3", 232.
16:10Yeah, we're talking power forward here for Knies.
16:14And he skates, and actually, that's one thing that you're going to miss in Tuck
16:18is the combination of size and speed.
16:21He's an amazing skater at 6'3", and Knies is similar.
16:27You know, last year, they have NHL edge stats now at NHL.com
16:32that show you what a guy is skating-wise.
16:36And Tuck was in, like, the 80-somethingth percentile last year
16:41for all his skating speed metrics, and let's pull up Knies real quick.
16:45Knies last year, yeah, like, 20 to 22 mile-per-hour speed burst.
16:50Just use that one.
16:51He was in the 75th percentile.
16:54So, yeah, an above-average skater for all players.
16:58And he's doing it at 6'3".
16:59Very, very good skater.
17:01That was, sorry, that was two years ago.
17:03Was he last year?
17:04Last year, 70th percentile.
17:06So, yeah, still above-average skater for sure.
17:09One more call before the break.
17:10Jeremy's going to pop in in the next segment.
17:13He's doing his 100 holes of golf right now.
17:14We'll get him quickly on all this.
17:16Kevin in South Buffalo.
17:17What's up, Kevin?
17:19Hey, how you doing, man?
17:20Love the show, guys.
17:21Love Locked On, Joe.
17:22Thanks.
17:23Appreciate it.
17:23My biggest thing that I keep seeing going back and forth is not a lot of people not wanting
17:29to give that fourth pick for Knies.
17:30I personally completely disagree with it.
17:33You know, obviously, if I'm Yarmul, I'm not baiting that for Knies.
17:36But if that's what it takes to get across the goal line, I'm going to do it for Knies.
17:40You know, obviously, you're not going to waive that for Hellebuck.
17:43I think that's too much.
17:44I don't think you need to do that if Hellebuck is a possibility.
17:47But the four for Knies, I mean, I'm not understanding why people are saying that's an overpay.
17:51You know, you look at a guy like that, a bad caliber, that age, that size, played with
17:56Doan, fits in this team like a glove.
17:59I mean, sure, everyone's saying he had those points because he was with Matthews or whatever.
18:03But, I mean, you watch the kid play and you completely disagree.
18:05Just kind of want to hear your thoughts, guys.
18:07Yeah, thanks, Kevin, for the call.
18:09There is also a value, I think, in Knies in what his contract is.
18:13I mean, I like the player a lot and he's a very good player.
18:17If I'm picking fourth and I'm getting Matthew Knies four years from now, I feel good about
18:25that pick.
18:25Could I do better?
18:26Sure.
18:27There's Cal McCars that have gone fourth overall.
18:29I could get some of the best players in the league.
18:32Knies is great.
18:33He's not one of the best players in hockey.
18:35So, yeah, you could do better.
18:38But, one, I'm guaranteeing he's going to be at least that good.
18:42I'm getting him at 23 years old.
18:45I'm getting him to help me right now.
18:48And, on top of that, I do think the contract is massive.
18:53Because Tuck just cost $10.5 million.
18:57And, I don't think that was the most he could have gotten.
19:00And, I think that's only going to go up for these players as we march forward with the
19:06cap rising.
19:07Jason Robertson, who, yes, better player than Matthew Knies.
19:11But, Jason Robertson just basically made it known to everybody through reports and media
19:17via his agent that he's not signing for less than $14 million a year.
19:23$14 million a year.
19:25Kaprizov signed for $17 million a year.
19:28McDavid's going to end up signing for $20 million at some point soon.
19:30Like, the numbers are going to skyrocket.
19:33And, this guy makes $7.75 million.
19:37It's like having another Tage contract.
19:40I think Tage's probably better than Nice, too.
19:42But, you're getting guys at the old price.
19:48And, you're filling your team with a bunch of those.
19:51Yeah, like, that, you'd have to pay a premium for it.
19:55The fourth pick.
19:57But, having him under contract for five more years.
20:04At that dollar amount?
20:07I mean, in three years, it's going to look like one of the best contracts in hockey.
20:12And, like, who's his agent?
20:14Why did he sign when he did?
20:15So, there's a value in the contract as to why.
20:18Yeah, I would be willing to go to number four to trade for him as well.
20:22803-0550 is the phone number.
20:23We've got a couple of Matthew Nye's callers.
20:25Dylan Larkin.
20:26What's your favorite idea with the fourth pick?
20:29And, anybody out there feel like the Sabres should have done the tuck contract at $10.5 million a year?
20:35Let me know what you think.
20:37We'll get Jeremy on when we come back.
20:38Hunter holds a golf.
20:39We've got Paul coming up at 7.
20:41Jack Bushman on the Blackhawks trade from a couple of days ago at 8.
20:45All ahead, here on Jeremy and Joe, this is W.
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