Not worth it in the slightest for the sabres

You honestly think that Buffalo is helping out Toronto? by retaining another 50% on Jonathan Toews for a lousy 4th that's still 2 drafts away. So not happening.

I don’t mind the acquisition of Toews for the right price. If he wants to come to Toronto. Etc. But no thanks to Domi.
Toews gives centre depth, great playoff experience, and can still give a lot. But at that price no thanks. As well Buffalo will be hard to have has the third party retention.

To be fair, cap hits and salaries are pro-rated in the actual NHL, which isn't something that is demonstrated here on CapFriendly. So, the retained daily cap hit may look like $2.625M here on Capfriendly, but actually ends up being somewhere around a $900k cap hit and only $200k in actual salary owed. So, they are getting a 4th round pick for something like $200k in salary. Which, compared to most third party retention transactions, is a pretty low price to pay. Especially if they don't even need the cap space or the retention slot this season, because it would be gone after the season ends anyway.

The price to retain over 2.5M is likely a 1st or 2nd round pick this year... Especially to help a division rival.

This is sure to get some push back as it is providing facts.
While his cap hit is $10,500,000, not counting the bonus he is owed only $2,900,000 for the year.
While it is not stated, reading between the lines this trade is most likely consummated at the TDL with about 1/4 of the season remaining.
Dividing $2,900,000 by 4 provides the cash portion of Johnathan's salary that Buffalo would pay, $750,000, not $2,625,000.

Regardless, when one views all of the cap dump trades in the past 12 months that were passed on by Buffalo, it is safe to presume, Kim and Terry would pass on this one as well.

I don't think the actual money spent matters as much as the strategic positioning cap wise.
2M$ to Kim and Terry is only having to go 1 foot smaller on their next yacht lol
In all seriousness, helping Toronto skirt the Cap is more damaging to us than paying the 750K. That's why it would cost more draft capital despite the small actual $ amount.

He is not owed a bonus. Signing bonuses are paid out in July prior to the start of the season. He is only owed $2.9M for the entire season at this point. By the TDL, as you said, there is around 1/4 to 1/3 of the season left. If you prorate $2.9M to reflect the remainder of the season, that is only $725K. With CHI retaining half of that, which would be $362.5K, and then BUF retaining half of what is left. Which would show up on CapFriendly as a $2.625M cap hit, but in reality would be a fraction of that after being prorated with the actual cost of salary being $181.25K.

So, yeah, maybe BUF doesn't do it. But the actual cost is low enough that a 4th round pick is not the laughable price a lot of people make it seem like. Reasonably, some team should take it. But that depends on how much this hypothetical third party wants to leverage their cap space and retention slots, no matter how minimal it may be.

Eh, I get not wanting to help the Leafs, but this is literally a free pick for the Sabres.

Here's a few values of recent(post-COVID/flat cap era) double retained trades as comps:

Max Domi to Carolina - Carolina sends a 6th rounder and the rights to a guy who's not leaving the KHL anytime soon to Florida for $1.325M retained.
Mattias Janmark to Vegas - The Knights send a 5th rounder to the Sharks for $562,500 retention.
Nick Foligno to the Leafs - Toronto sends the Sharks a 4th for $1.375M retention.
David Savard to the Lightning - Tampa sends Detroit a 4th for $2.125M retention.

4th seems to be the max for that double retention - as spelled out up thread, it's really only eating like $900K in actual cap and maybe $200K in real money. Seeing as it's not *my* money being used, sure, whatever, if you're giving my team an asset for cap space I'm not gonna use anyways? Why the hell not?

A 4th isn't worth much to the sabres. Maybe a different team that desperate for picks/prospects.

I wouldn't hate if Lou did that occasionally - the Isles have a ton of deadline space, enough that they could add Patrick Kane with zero retention and *still* retain that $2.625M or whatever here and get that pick back. I'm not gonna hold my breath for him to do it, though.

I mean thats not really helping out Toronto but okay lol. The Leafs retained 2.5 of Lehner for a 5th a few years back so I mean $125k difference and ur getting a 4th. Its for a quarter of a season. I think you are kind of overthinking this? I mean unless you think the Sabres will be in a playoff spot.