BuffaloSoldier2010

so its like the lottery never happened and they'd pick 1st and whoever finishes dead last picks 2nd but since they cant use the first overall then the guy in dead last picks whoever they want?

Anybody given any thought to the whole NJ situation? as it stands right now they would sit at 10 in the draft lottery giving them a 2.1% shot at the top pick. But they are required to forego that pick this year due to the whole kovalchuck situation. Do their chances get dispersed to the rest of the teams or does the lucky team that finishes 16 and sneaks into the playoffs also luck out and get a .5% shot at the first overall pick? anyone know what the leagues plan to account for this could be? 1st - 25.0% 2nd - 18.8% 3rd - 14.2% 4th - 10.7% 5th - 8.1% 6th - 6.2% 7th - 4.7% 8th - 3.6% 9th - 2.7% 10th - 2.1% 11th - 1.5% 12th - 1.1% 13th - 0.8% 14th - 0.5%

This could be the best thing to happen to the organization since terry bought the team. Let's go sabres!

I was referring more or less to the second round draft picks that were being talked about, but yes in that regard if you're going first you are right, it should be an easy pick, generally speaking.

Luckily for us this entire argument of Darcy being good or bad at drafting is irrelevant, as its been stated several times now Divine is the one calling the shots in that department. My only question is how far does that go back? He's been the director of scouting for some time but i feel like this was a development that came when Pegula expanded the scouting department a few years back. I like our recent picks, much more than perrsonn and zagrapan.

I'm in this boat as well. In my opinion darcy and friends DO have some vision. That's why we have so many D men. traditionally they take longer to develop. But for the sake of the argument, i think edmonton would certainly like an opportunnity at a player like rasmus after a year in the NHL in this scenario. it could land you that second elite scorer, so the question becomes do you want an incredibly solid Defense or a more extensive / deep / dynamic top 6? In my opinion we already have pieces in place to top out a top six if we go through the next couple seasons near the bottom and draft intelligently. Armia, Grigorenko, Hodgson, Foligno, Reinhart? Mcdavid? if everything falls in place who knows, we could be sitting pretty, but that doesnt leave a whole lot of room for error. it all comes down to what you want the team to look like.

So running with the hypothetical scenario, EDM needs D, and we have it in spades, do you keep your late first and offer up ristolainen for that pick and see where it gets you? Is snagging two high caliber forwards that important THIS YEAR?

#suckforMcDavid #DarcyBlack13-15 #lackofchangewecanbelievein

Alright that works for me, I could have sworn it said 3:45 when I looked at it earlier.

is there any way we can move the draft time up a wee bit for gold? 3:45 is right in the middle crunch time for Bills Ravens!

I'm back for gold as well

bills just cut lindell. woah.

If i remember correctly, at the time of the trade, Larrson was minnies 3rd ranked prospect. He's slated at 8 here? is that saying more about a lack of development on his part or are we really that much better off than them in the prospect department?

Wegmans is awesome.

I can already see the headlines after he's acquired, "Briere named team captain" as he rediscovers his chemistry with ville Leino on a line with Steve ott.

I actually lol'd when i read that. funny

I really miss the old rating system, this one made me laugh :lol:

ill leave my take on the "premise" of Darcy Regier. They planned on a lockout. I do not think they traded goose and roy and actually intended to play this year. I believe they actually advocated for a lost year. Why not? with the lockout looming and a clear change in direction needed, it's literally the perfect time from the franchises perspective to start a rebuild around a lockout. CoHo brought in, Roys eventual replacement IMO Goose is sent out, draft picks turn into a solid potential replacement for his style of game - Zemgus Girgensons (albeit may be anywhere from 3-5 years away) Roy is sent away, the supposed character hole in the locker room is replaced by one of the first leader types we've had in a while, Steve Ott Fast forward to the lockout, if the season isnt saved, we probably dont miss Roys production as much as we did. That in my opinion was a key factor to this seasons trouble. A lack of centers who were READY for the big time roles of 1 and 2. If a full lockout resulted, we revert to the old draft style that sent sid the kid to steel city. we actually would have had a pretty good shot at a top overall pick. Pominville is traded. For who? Darcy requested Larson and hackett, a potential high end forward as well as a goalie prospect who could prove incredibly skilled. And now, we wonder if Miller will be here, as if hackett wasn't writing on the wall. Maybe vanek stays, maybe he goes. Hecht retires, and stafford is looking like prime trade bait or a buyout target. Don't fool yourselves, the core as we know it is as good as gone and this was in the cards for them last year. i honestly do not believe that they were prepared to move forward with a shortened season. It's obviously going to suck watching a bad on ice product, and i dont think they really had much of an intention on playing this year. NHL GMs and scouts have their jobs for reasons, and i cannot believe that this rebuild mentality started recently in the front office. if anything, i would say it started as soon as the coho and gaustad trades were made. Just my 2 cents, but watching the presser only solidified my belief in this. Say what you will about management, they certainly have a plan, and i think it reaches farther back than most have noticed. i just hope it works.

East Penguins in 4 Ottawa in 7 Bruins in 6 Capitals in 7 West Chicago in 6 Anaheim in 6 LA in 5 Sharks in 5

I think darcy is gone, Miller is traded, and i believe TV will still be here. I really think Pegula is going to target Lecavalier, his contract is a gigantic albatross but at the same time, clearing cap space and keeping the ability to buy him out, it seems to me that it's what they want to see happen. He would bring experience, someone for Cody and Grigs to follow, some serious leadership, size, skill, and real finals experience. If the plan really is to bring him or someone of that caliber in, you'd be insane to trade vanek. Edit: Anyones thoughts on Mike Ribiero?

After reading the last two pages of this discussion it seems to me that the two parties are arguing apples and oranges. Those who want him to stay, consistently cite that his skill is not far off from other elite talents, i would agree with this assessment, when he is on his game, there are few better than vanek. The other side, those doubting Thomas, don't seem to question his "skill" per-say. Heck, i'd argue he has a top 3 shot in the league as far as speed and accuracy are concerned, i love seeing him go in on shootout approaches with almost no dekeing whatsoever, just to pick a corner BECAUSE HE CAN. This side rather seems to state that he is injured too much, is bothered by inconsistency in his game, and even is accused of floating. That's no knock on his skill IMO. Is he one of the most gifted offensive players this team has ever had? No doubt, as far as skill he could be top 10 for this organization, maybe better. Is he completely undone when he gets dinged up? It sure seems like it. He is a much different player when hurt, and he only seems to get back to 100% during the off season. If Vanek is to be kept, you need to add more scoring threats so top pairings aren't chasing him around all night giving him hell. I never liked him in front of the net. The man can shoot, he's effective in front only until he gets hurt, and he seems to get hurt because he plays in front constantly. Put your tough guys in those spots, let vanek utilize his shot inside the slot area. If he stays they need to change the way they play him, because 7 mil a year for a player who is only worth it for the first third of the season is not exactly an ideal situation. If that can't be done, move him for veteran leadership, prospects, and picks (not one or two, i want all three) In order to be competitive long term we are going to need to build through young players, we are going to need leaders to shape the young players. Vanek isn't helping anyone floating around for the second half of the season simply because we don't have anyone who can log his minutes where he plays them. Change his role or move him, thats where the TV situation is at for me.

In my opinion you sell him. with the cap going down having a player with his cap hit and his cons (injury prone, terribly inconsistent, seemingly lacking confidence at times)you get assets for him. I find it hard to believe that these little injuries wont add up over time. It's always something with Thomas Vanek. I would rather we move him for up and comers or use him to grab picks as well as vets who will give our young guys some solid players to look up to during the rebuild. Players who have character, who have heart, and will ingrain winning into their minds. I want another peca, another Drury. Are there any of those still around? and could vanek be used to get a guy or a couple guys like that?

I know one thing, and that is that I'm hammered. Who won tonight???

just about to note that... Maybe we can get gerbe to skate by him fast enough and the wind force he generates could send him into the air, that would make for an interesting dump and chase strategy.

Bye bye drew? (wishful thinking)