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2025 NHL Draft Rankings – Liger’s List top 32 1. Matthew Schaefer, LHD, 6’2” 186lbs: Excellent skater with a high pace and excellent ability to end plays and transition up ice. He reminds me a bit of Dahlin, shame he only played a partial year. 2. Michael Misa, C, 6’1” 182lbs: I thought about making him #1 but there’s some things in his game that I wonder will translate. Still he has a good shot and is able to link plays all over the ice. He’s probably on the level of Fantilli and that’s pretty good for a 2nd overall guy. 3. James Hagens, C, 5’10.5” 186lbs: He had issues driving inside at college but the rest of this game is there with the attention to detail and the ability to make excellent passes while also skating very well. I think he’s been overscouted and ppl freaked out over his adjustment to the NCAA. 4. Caleb Desnoyers, C, 6’1.5”* 178lbs: I saw a bit of his playoffs and that put him ahead of Martone. He doesn’t get enough credit for his offensive talent which is a direct product of him being excellent at the 200ft game. He’s better than Martone and ppl seem to be missing that he’s 25lbs under strength still. Also, centers are more valuable than wingers and I am betting on improved skating with strength. 5. Porter Martone, LW, 6’3”* 208lbs: The pace is the concern and he does not play like Tkachuk so ppl need to stop that. He reminds me more of Reinhart coming up with more physicality but that cerebral passer with a nice shot. I think Martone needs to continue demanding the puck more and being the driver. 6. Jackson Smith, LHD, 6’4” 199lbs: I love watching him skating sideways, it’s delightful and he has powerful strides. He is physical and really wants to push the pace all over the ice. The decision making is hit or miss which is the biggest issue here. Really intriguing package though. 7. Carter Bear, LW/C, 6’ 179lbs*: Other than an awkward skating stride that sometimes gets in the way of his upper body, Bear is a Bear. He’s the best checking forward in this draft, his shot is undervalued, and he makes things happen. He’s the type of guy that wins playoff games because he never stops and he has all the skills (cutting hands, stick lifts, false signals) to be effective on the top 6. 8. Roger McQueen, C, 6’5.25” 198lbs: So if the back is healed, this might be a little too low. I think there are times where he was kept to the outside and should be better at driving the middle but when he was on he was a force. He’s got some developing playmaking and his rush patterns need more variation but the size and overall skill make me think he’s at least a 2nd line center when healthy. 9. Victor Eklund, LW, 5’11” 169lbs: He’s up there with Bear for the motor element. His rush patterns and skating are better and he did it against men in the Allsvenskan. That said, I think his playmaking need works, as good as his checking can be, he sometimes does to much or tries too much. He needs to get stronger and refine his overall game but there’s a top 6 winger in there. 10. Justin Carbonneau, RW, 6’1.25” 205lbs: There’s 2 different Carbonneau’s in the world. There is hope passes, stick handle through everyone, get on my back boys we’re going winning. This one isn’t great because it won’t translate to the NHL. Then there is using the skills and body to extend plays, finding teammates, working the cycle and using an excellent shot to be an overall offensive weapon. He can and will violently defend teammates, don’t F with his team but that sometimes takes him out of plays. I have faith in Carbonneau because of his underlying skating, shot, physical play, and evidence he can adapt his game. 11. Brady Martin, C, 6’ 186lbs: Martin would hit his grandma is she played for the other team and had the puck. He is the closest thing this draft has to a Tkachuk albeit without the size. He has a good shot and decent passing. I think his skating and overall attention to detail need to improve. I am not sold on him having high enough offensive skills to truly be a top line forward hence why he falls below Carbonneau but Martin will be a middle 6 player with top 6 upside who is aggressive in using his body to shut things down and turn things up ice. 12. Kashawn Aitcheson, LHD, 6’1.5” 199lbs: I debated swapping him with Mrtka but I feel that Aitcheson has more offense and is more physical already. Those two factors kept him above Mrtka. He scored 26g as a defender and really activates well on the rush or in the offensive zone. He also hits everything. Really the only one who hits more is Martin. His skating needs more work but it isn’t bad. If he keeps developing you will get hopefully a better Riso type of guy with even more physicality. “Throwback” is a term used on him a lot. 13. Radim Mrtka, RHD, 6’5.75” 218lbs: I’ve come around a bit on Mrtka. I went back and watched a bunch of his stuff because I felt I was too low on him. His moves really well especially lateral which is important. He needs to up the physicality but I felt some of his passing was better than my initial feels. I see the appeal with him, he takes up tons of ice and he does well with his gaps and ending plays. I am not convinced there is enough offense to push him higher but I think at worst you are getting a 3D guy who can give you 7-10g and 15ish assists. He’s pretty good and has a lot of runway. 14. Jake O’Brien, C, 6’1.5” 177lbs: First, I get why he gets into other ranking top 10’s. His 2nd half was very good in terms of his playmaking ability. There is manipulation, passes into space, anticipation, and high level play reading skills. He’s also a center and over 6’ so that gives him a bump as well. I don't feel he handles contact well and I think his game will need more refinement. I think the height and center position has really vaulted him up rankings while missing some of the issues with his skating and lack of physicality. 15. Anton Frondell, C, 6’1.25” 204lbs: Fine… He’s big and a center with a nice shot. His transition game is… non-existent but he can take pucks from the walls to the middle. He is smart in his use of space. His defensive game is solid but I don’t see him being physical like Martin, more that he uses his frame to shield pucks or push into space. Others love him but there is a lack of dynamism outside the shot that makes me wonder why. Every time this guy played in international tournaments I felt underwhelmed with what I could watch. I am prepared to be wrong on Frondell. 16. Lyndon Lakovic, LW, 6’4” 200lbs: At one point I thought he might go top 5 but with all the skill he rocks and his size, he just doesn’t put all that together enough. He’s a poor mans Martone where there is a lot of soft skills but he needs to up his physical game. Lakovic is not aggressive enough with his skillset, meaning I want him to demand and control more. That isn’t about size but about attitude. Still, he’s an interesting player to track because if he puts it all together, that’s a top 6 winger. 17. Logan Hensler, RHD, 6’2.5” 198lbs 18. Cameron Reid, LHD, 6’ 183lbs 19. Benjamin Kindel, C, 5’10.25” 180lbs 20. Vaclav Nestrasil, RW, 6’5.5” 185lbs 21. Bill Zonnon, C, 6’1.5” 185lbs 22. Braeden Cootes, C, 5’11.25” 183lbs 23. Max Psenicka, RHD, 6’5” 185lbs 24. Malcolm Spence, LW, 6’.75” 190lbs 25. Jack Murtagh, RW, 6’0.5” 190lbs 26. Cole Reschny, C, 5’10.75” 180lbs 27. Blake Fiddler, RHD, 6’4.5” 220lbs 28. Cullen Potter, 5’9.75” 172lbs 29. Cameron Schmidt, LW, 5’7.5” 160lbs 30. William Moore, C, 6’2.25” 180lbs 31. Matthew Gard, C, 6’4.75” 195lbs 32. Nathan Behm, LW, 6’1.75” 202lbs * indicated that I did not have a combine height and weight measurement

Paul Hamilton was on WGR this morning speculating that Peterka has more of a problem with Lindy Ruff than he does with Buffalo or the Sabres. He might be careful what he wishes for if that is the case.

Meds, lots of “take me to my happy place” meds. or Psychodelics, ya, pretty sure mind alterings can bring me back to memories of playoff runs. short of that, I don’t know.

Has to be an established top 6 forward coming back, no? I mean, don’t get me wrong Ink, I think the Sabres can absorb losing Peterka and a player like Quinn with no issues, since we have no where to climb but up. But I don’t think a trade like a Peterka asset is about honoring the players feels about not wanting to be here. I think it’s about pulling this team out of the basement. But hey, I realize it’s Adams. We have a lot of assets, I’m just thinking he’s not going to trade for picks or futures, but a here and now deal.

I'm going to see the Counting Crows saturday. I really know nothing about them though 🤷‍♀️

Damn it! I totally forgot to add the, "Hope?? Are you serious, with this leadership?"

It all depends on what we get back, To me Byrum is the best option to move if get a top 4 RHD back or a top 6 F.

Moving on from Mattias Samuelsson would give me hope that the Sabres are capable of correcting their mistakes. I still haven’t forgiven him for having no reaction to the Tage cheap shot against New Jersey. And he wears a letter. Your best player is face down and Muel wants to ask what happened? Pack your ***** bud.

Unless we take a very bad salary and get a 3rd team involved I can't see them getting us anything we'd want. I mean almost their entire roster is over aged.

I’ll take Cernak off their hands for JJP straight up. I doubt he’s waiving his NTC though.

Agree it is getting hard to ignore. But the best course of action is for the Sabres to sign JJP to a two year bridge deal and trade him as an RFA after that. This is because the team cannot get younger as a result of a trade right now and if the Sabres are trading for a veteran…you’re probably trading away the better player so it cannot happen. GMKA needs a new tagline because I don’t care if Peterka wants to be here or not. JJP has no leverage regardless of what Howdy Doody has said in the past.

They only have 1 veteran forward of note without a NMT or no trade. Brandon Hagel. They can offer the young Conor Geekie. They have no first round draft picks for the next 3 years. Defense seems to be a bigger need. I don't think they are even in the game unless there is some 3 way deal going on.

Its starting to feel like the Cozens and Mitts trades before, both of those, there was a ton of chatter before it happened, and in both cases KA said we arent actively shopping them, then boom traded, so its possible Just dont know who Tampa would offer? Id take Cernak all day but he has a no move, we could welcome back Hagel, he has no trade protection at all, Cirelli but he has a no move as well

Terry being eaten by a hippo.

Other: This is my team and it's bound to get better at some point. Right?

I think it ends tonight. But we'll see.

Agree. I am happy that Landeskog has returned to the NHL and hope that he regains his past form. It is difficult to determine where his game is at after missing 2+ years of playing. I guess it is a sign of respect from Swedish hockey for his leadership ability and perseverance to come back.

Adams's head on a pike.

For such a bad team over the last number of years, it sure seems that we always have a number of highly desired players by other teams.

I don’t know if all the smoke means there’s a fire but it’s hard to ignore. I’m usually the most skeptical person on Earth when it comes to to hockey rumors but it’s coming from a bunch of different places. It might be everyone is just glomming off the original BS from the Rangers but if the Sabres can be the beneficiaries of a bidding war, I’m intrigued.

It turns out my wife has an issue with bag policies at stadiums. Gotta see if my brother is down to Smoke Two Joints.

If we lose Byrum, Peterka, and Tuch, I think it's really time for me to stop following this team for a bit. I have zero faith that Adams will get solid returns for any of those 3. Every trade year, the Eichel returns will be shipped out and diluted even more. It will eventually be like we never even drafted Eichel to begin with. Who knows how much of Paul Hamilton's opinion will actually take place, but it aligns with everything I have been thinking over the last few years. I think this team is going to drop even further than last year, with a max exodus to follow. It's impossible for me to have an ounce of hope about the coming season.

Stairs installed to the bridge ledge we'll be leaping from in December.

Things to be hopeful about. (With the team as currently constructed; realizing there will likely be on-ice changes between now and October.) The players are all 1 year older and except for Zucker and Greenway (and, if he's back, Reimer) that is a good thing. Norris having an unusually long off-season to heal up and get stronger and Quinn having a full off-season to fully recover from his leg injuries could allow them to both actually be who they're supposed to be would they ever be healthy. UPL MIGHT have a bounce back year. (Goalies are fickle.) Levi might finally be ready. (Goalies are fickle.) Samuelsson did look better in his late season stint with Dahlin than he had in a long time. Perhaps, if he's still here, he can continue to build on that play? They'll have a REAL training camp rather than an abreviated one, so they'll actually have time to learn for a few weeks what they're supposed to be doing (and what they were supposed to have been doing) before the bullets start flying for real. We keep getting told this players really like each other and like playing for and with each other. Perhaps all the lalk this off-season of changes if things don't improve actually lights the fire under them that if they don't play with desperation they won't be playing with their buddies much longer. Didn't include any personnel changes into the above, though we can be hopeful that those changes bring additional improvement. And, because the team is young and now the players closer to being in their primes, it is possible to HOPE without it being totally unrealistic that the team stays at the relatively injury free end of the leaguewide injury reports. There is no way to go injury free, but these guys are getting to that sweet spot where they're still resilient and also strong enough to not break when losing a battle for the most part. MAYBE that's enough. Wouldn't have money on it and would still like to see several other changes, but we've kind of beaten that horse to death.

No option for us pessimists?