Quoting: Shibbal18
A. you said theyd be better off spending 10 mill in free agency, insinuating theyre are adding 10 mill in cap regardless.
B. Eichel isnt going to the Rangers and the most realistic trades are to teams like LA, who can easily fit him and have assets Buffalo wants and there are plenty of teams that can add a little bit of salary on their return and be completely fine. The Rangers have a cap problem, but the Rangers were never realistically a trade partner, Ranger fans just feel entitled to him because of last summer
You mentioned the Kings....one of few teams that have the cap for Eichel. If traded, the Kings would have a roster of 19 and 10m to complete their roster. But the argument I present, is that Kings don't want to give up assets, just because the Sabres want them. Again the Kings could spend 10m in free agency...,.,and still keep their youngsters. Could be short term UFAs, and then their current prospects (which Sabres fans desperately think they are entitled to) replace these short term UFAs. Or maybe the Kings sign big name UFA like Hamilton, have cap room, and their prospects.
The actual "trade market" for 10m Eichel isn't that large.