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Some things are tough to measure. Development runway due to work ethic. Growth in size and strength. Desire to be an NHLer. Willingness to play a role that is outside of the current skillset. Team first attitude. Interviews at the combine attempt to dig into this but scouts could get a few nuggets during the year from coaches, staff, family and friends. Everyone will be promoting the kid and scouts have to glean through the information. I agree with many here that want some grit and compete if the Sabres keep the pick. Martin and Bear fit in that regard.

I stand by my view that Benson should have gone back to junior for at least one and probably two years. My reasoning has almost nothing to do with Benson and almost everything to do with my view that Benson making the team two years ago was, for me, the beginning signs that Adams was in way over his head. That said, I love Benson. When I look at our current roster, I see him on the wing with Norris and Thompson. A healthy Norris is kind of a veteran Kulich: a shoot-first, defensively responsible, two way centre. Thompson is an elite scorer who is also a good playmaker, and who has improved his defensive game. Benson is a very good defensive player with a growing offensive game and some elite playmaking skills. He is also a rat who will drag Norris and Thompson into the fight on January nights in random NHL cities. I think they can realistically combine for 75-90 goals and rarely get dominated by top lines. The big question mark on this line is not Benson (or Thompson).

Even with that move the Dallas Stars have major cap issues. They need at least 4 more forwards and will have to spend at least 1 mill on a defender to give them 7. At minimum that's 12f, 7d, 2g. That's 21 players and realistically they need another forward and defender but let's do bare minimum. They have 4.9 million to sign 5 guys to simply ice a full roster. That doesn't even account for injury issues. They need another move if not 2 to clear space. If you can sell them jjp and he bridges for 2x5 or 3x6 which is the estimates, you can add another 1.75-2.75 in cap while also not downgrading (if they believe that) your roster as much. I wonder if they'd dump Nils Lundqvist who's arbitration eligible for Kyrou who is on an ELC? Could save them another million bucks.

Only 6 players from the 2023 draft have played at least 10 NHL games to this point. Bedard 1st overall Fantilli 2nd Carlsson 3rd Smith 4th Michkov 7th Benson 13th Theoretically, 2025-26 should be Benson's rookie year by all accounts and yet he's managed borderline elite defense while playing for 2 different hc and being jerked around all over the lineup. Idk what his offensive ceiling is, but I don't think we'll find out for another 4yrs.

I’m not saying Kevyn was wrong giving him that contract. I’m saying trading Power would look as Kevyn being wrong twice.

It’s not going to be long before that deal is going to be perceived to be a bargain. @K-9 is spot on with his post on Power. Listen to him. Making transactions based on unrealistic expectations is self-sabotaging, as we all know.

I just don't see Benson ever being a top end guy (see 25G 60P) type which is the very least I want for a top 6 forward.

Or KA wants to hold on to those valuable mid round draft picks :eyeroll:

I was responding to “the old days” and the idea that the aud sold out every game for years. It did that when the team was good, and entertaining. But there were significant stretches where the team was mediocre to bad, and there were plenty if seats available for walk up sales during those times. Today, the difference isnt the fans. Its that the significant stretch is old enough to be entering high school.

Who hails from, if I can read the card here, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. https://nypost.com/2025/06/20/sports/slap-shot-actor-hershey-bears-hockey-player-guido-tenesi-dead-at-71/

One last note that got from EP draft guide. Carter Bear finished 3rd, just behind Berkley Catton, for even strength primary points per 60 in the WHL. Carter Bear drives and creates offense while also being bordering on elite defensively.

Imo, I don't think public draft evaluation understands or takes much account of checking ability. Being able to check, (that includes hitting, cutting through an opponents hands, stick lifts, and those shoulder to shoulders battles), in both zones seems to get far less attention than slick passing plays. O'Brien skates "better" than Bear stylistically, he tends to connect a bit more on his passes, he uses handles to manipulate lanes open. Those things are easy to identify and at least publicly are more valuable than Bears ability to read opponents and bate them, his checking is top notch, his shot is better but no one seems to care, and while his ability to pass might be less, it's still an advanced skill. So the question I end up with is what's more likely, O'Brien develops and rounds out a checking game or Bear improves his skating stride to help unlock the hands he already shows? I'll bet on Bears skating over O'Brien and the checking. I could be wrong, we'll see. Benson's checking and manipulation went underrated in his draft year. Jarvis, same thing. Will Bear be another one of these guys? One note, both players might be really good nhl guys in the end. It's not either or.

I disagree with the experts about this draft. It might not have a generational player like McKenna, but it's just as deep as any other draft. Keep in mind Misa played up his whole minor hockey career and was taken number 1 in the OHL draft as an Exceptional Status player. He had beaten McDavid's record for most points in an OHL cup. Schaefer was head and shoulders the #1 D man on Team Canada at the WJC (until he got hurt) which included last year's #11 overall Sam Dickinson who was touted as one of... if not the best defenseman in the CHL. Are the players 3 through 15 any different than any other year? I think there's a similar fall off from the top 2 as you'd see any other year. Remember, everyone thought 2015 was the big draft compared to 2014, but as time goes on the players from 2014 are looking better and better (ignoring that McDavid guy anyways). 😀 I think the "experts" just look at the top 1 or 2 guys, and extrapolate from there. These are all the same "experts" who had Brady Martin as a late first rounder, but overnight put him up to mid single digits after one U18 tournament. The same "experts" that completely ignore a guy like Carter Bear and his 40 goals in 56 games and despite @LGR4GM's insistence that he's one of the best motors in the draft. Meanwhile they consistantly place Jake O'Brien above him even though he has less goals in more games, about the same PPG, much lower motor, and has played on a really stacked team that would completely inflate his point totals.

It’s Friday! 🤟🏻

You’ve got 4 minutes

brah just kill me now

Point well taken and I can truly appreciate that. Perhaps I’m a bit too critical of Byram, but he just hasn’t impressed me as much as I’d hoped to this point.

I think the deal with this draft is there’s one stud in Schaefer, one top 5 guy in Misa, about 10-15 similar guys that would typically go in the 5-15 range. No worries about quality in the area the Sabres are picking.

And of course, in Seattle there are no income taxes and we can grow palm trees.

I think it’s 14 players signed, essentially Marchments contract under the cap. Good GM’s find a way but there’s also Robertson raise to consider

Byram and Power have played exactly the same amount of NHL games. Not many NHL defencemen have hit their peak before they turn 24 and play 250 games.

OKC looking good tonight

We shall see whether Bryam still as runway to grow. Byram JUST turned 24 a couple of weeks ago. Personally expect him to still improve this year and likely the next year or 2 as well. D-men usually seem to hit their peak around 26 and then stay there for a while. Which goes back to my big complaint about the trade of Mittelstadt for Byram. We traded Mitts away right at the point in time he was coming into his prime for a player that was still 2-3 years away from his prime. For the love of all things good an holy, Buffalo, stop being a friggin' development program.

Imo, Byram is already at his ceiling and we need better. I was ok with moving him at the deadline. I don’t buy the Peterka rumors and that said, while he has a higher ceiling, it’s that high ceiling that fetches the better asset in a trade. But his high ceiling can’t be compared to Power’s imo, because Power plays a more critical position.

I think perspective matters. For the league, having a team win on the ice doesn’t matter. It’s a zero-sum game and someone is always going to win. “Winning” to the league means are revenues rising. For owners, winning probably means something. Mostly as a status symbol. They usually make money anyways (see TOR). For players, until they get older, yes, winning is almost everything. If we had a winning team, they would flock here, palm trees or not. For fans, I think entertainment is higher on the list, but winning gives you that warm feeling, even though you had nothing to do with it. For Pegula, no, winning doesn’t matter.