‘”Look, when I’m having discussions with other teams or other teams call me, they’re not looking for some of our players who are struggling. They’re looking to improve with our talented players.”‘
Archives for June 20, 2018
Mike Harrington: Anticipation building for Sabres to be atop hockey world at NHL Draft
‘”I’ve always been very impressed with him on the ice and what he’s been able to create on the ice,” Botterill said. “But what we’ve been impressed during our discussions with him the last little bit is just how humble he is, how focused he is on improving his game. When you talk to him about things he needs to improve on, he has a great ability to use a self-awareness of his situation. We have enjoyed sitting down with Rasmus, getting to know him.”‘
Sabres’ inability to find steals in NHL Draft contributed to demise
‘Well, Foligno is the last player the Sabres drafted in the third round or later and developed into an NHL regular.’
Dahlin has potential to provide stagnant Sabres a spark
‘Five years, two GMs, four coaches and three last-place finishes later, the Sabres remain stagnant while in the midst of a franchise-worst seven-year playoff drought.’
Sabres’ Assistant GM Randy Sexton said they have a clear organizational plan
‘“Dahlin aside, there are another six or seven, very, very good players and you could argue depending on your needs are that the top 10 to 12 players are all going to play absolutely in the National Hockey League, so we’re pleased with the draft and we’re pleased to be picking first overall, although you don’t ever want to finish last and do it again and I don’t believe that we will but, we do believe that we’ll get a very solid player at 32.”’
Stubb: Dahlin is ‘a complete package’
‘”We usually start [scouting] when the players are 17. There’s not much use to start earlier than that because so much changes. We have, of course, been hearing about Rasmus Dahlin for four or five years already because when a talent like that pops up, everbody in the hockey world knows about him very quickly. We’ve been following him, but it’s very clear that he is going to be No. 1 at this draft. We have not been really concentrating on him because everybody has known for a couple of years that he was going to be No. 1.”‘
Lindqvist: Everyone raves on and on about how great Dahlin is
‘”What stands out to me is that I haven’t talked to a single person over here, or back home in Sweden, that’s really pumping the breaks. Everyone raves on and on about how good he is, or how great he is. At first your thought is ‘Okay, maybe this is just a thing in Sweden.’ I remember talking to Ray Ferraro at the start of this season and he said defensively (Dahlin) is like Lidstrom and he skates like Erik Karlsson. At that point I understood, ‘Ok, the hype is real.'”‘
Why the Buffalo Sabres should trade Ryan O’Reilly
‘So is O’Reilly the reason the Sabres have been on a downward spiral? Absolutely not. But with plenty of reported interest in the veteran center and the trade market heating up, Jason Botterill needs to strike while the iron is hot.’