dudacek

Just to be clear, Cozens had 13 goals and 38 points in a year he turned 21 Curtis Lazar is 27 and hasn’t put up those points in any two years combined. I continue to stand by my “less douchey Ryan Kesler” prediction.

They have less than $8 million to sign or replace him, Lybushkin, Giordano, Sandin, Liljegren, Spezza, Blackwell, Kase, Engvall and Mikheyev.

Why isn’t Jack Campbell ever talked about as our bridge goalie? Great team guy, as good a goalie as most of the other options, in that sweet spot of where you might not have to overpay, right age, not a block, probably weakens the Leafs… 2 years at $5 million per? Maybe 3 if you have to?

It’s interesting to hear Seth Appert say the Sabres envision Krebs as a centre long-term and then reinforce that by playing him exclusively at centre in the AHL playoffs -shuffling capable AHL centres like Biro and R2 to the wing. Its also interesting how well he has played there. With Tage establishing himself as the 1C, Mitts being talked up by the organization as ready to emerge as an offensive 2C, and all the work Granato has put into Cozens to form him into a shutdown 2C it raises the question about how each will be used next year.

I was thinking that tonight. Haven’t noticed if the Amerks are giving him the same kind of treatment or not.

Well done. Sean O’Donnell played 3 seasons for the Amerks but never played a game for the Sabres. We traded him to the Kings for Doug Houda.

Well he said he hadn’t made up his mind, but he’s not there, so I guess he said no. Pregnant wife may have played a role? Meanwhile, Aspy scored twice and was player of the game for Sweden today as they beat the Czechs 5-3.

Well I would hope not. That kinda spoils the fun, no? 😄 One more. He’s 4th all-time behind Andreychuk, Housley and Pierre Turgeon with 1224.

By the way, if that hit on Mersch had been, say, Sergachev on Marner, the hockey internet would have melted down tonight. Only saw the live angle, but it sure looked like a blatant intentional blindside to the head, about as predatory as it gets. There is no way that’s not a suspension in the NHL. Brutal. These Comets are punks.

Krebs bright light getting lost in the brilliance of JJ. Just like JJs often was to Quinn in the regular season. Those Krebs passes to nowhere have all but disappeared and he’s got a few absolutely elite assists, including the one on the winner tonight. He’s leading the playoffs in assists with 8 in 5 games. He’s also been sticking his nose into every dirty area he can find. I’m loving his game. Meanwhile, Peterka (4/4/8) is lighting up the best team in the AHL with skill while the refs have put away their whistles. He can’t not be in the NHL next year. Add in Rooster’s playoff leading 6 goals (3 helpers) and Amerks are 2-3-4 atop the AHL scoring chart

I might be pushing the case a bit with Poltapov, who also has a bulldog streak, but four of of our past five 1st and 2nd rounders project as scoring wingers. So it’s with a bit of discomfit when I say the guys who will probably make me happiest at 9 or 16 are also scoring wingers. I think the reason I am gravitating to Gauthier at 9 is because he seems to be where fit and value intersect the best and he adds a grit/power element to his skill. I have come around to whatever player has the most upside, while also being a perfect fit into the Cozens/Krebs play smart, play fast, team-first mould they’ve been installing, position be damned.

Brad May is the last of the ones who make you think “Sabre” 2 left. Not Alex Mogilny, who just missed at 990.

Correct. 3 to go, 2 of them hard and none of them easy.

Last night Quinn took a regular shift with Mersch and Malone and got a lot of extra shifts with McInnis and Rousek. Two of the 3 previous games it was a regular shift with Krebs and Peterka and extra shifts with Biro and Rousek. One of the Belleville games his primary line was Jankowski and Peterka. He’s been getting lots of ice time. The Amerks have had very little PP time the entire playoffs, which may be a significant factor. Not that he needs the PP to produce, just that it might help.

AJ Greer yaps and pokes in every scrum and has directly taunted the Rochester bench every time he’s scored. He’s like a minor-league caricature out there. I think you got the wrong first impression. I’ve watched Peterka 20-30 games minimum. He’s got Max’s skating stance and speed. But his game in general is nothing like 61. He’s a pretty smart hockey player who uses his linemates. Yes. He’s being challenged like never before and he hasn’t figured out a way to fight through it yet. Don’t think he’s been “bad” but he hasn’t been good either. Stat sheet says he’s getting shots but it doesn’t feel like he’s the threat to score he’s been for most of the season.

Campbell is correct. Some Swedish dude is also correct, but not good enough. 4 names left.

https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=161181

Power might have something to say about 25.

Yes and yes. Five to go

Andreychuk is number 1 with 1639, followed by Housley at 1495. Perreault, Ramsay, Ramsey and Pominville are also correct. As is one of the guys you scratched out.

52?

I’d certainly consider him at 16. If he’s a top 10 talent and the prognosis for a full recovery is good, why not? Lot of observers are focused on the teams with multiple picks. That’s CBus at 12, us at 16, Anaheim at 23 and us, Montreal and Arizona twice in what, at the moment, are the final 4 picks.

This might be a tough one. The Sabres have drafted 13 players who have gone on to play 1,000 NHL games. Name them.

4 in the first 41 picks - one of our best situated drafts ever. Best comparable was 2013 when we had 8, 16, 35 and 38 (Ristolainen, Zadorov, Compher and Hurley). For those who tend to expect too much from draft picks, 3 full-time NHLers is a pretty good haul for what those picks typically deliver. Cross your fingers for a Barzal or a Pastrnak, but you shouldn’t expect one. The Sabres have had multiple 1st rounders in 9 drafts previous to this one. If we hang on to the picks it will be the 3rd time we pick 3 times in the first round. The best situated draft ever is ever is a toss-up between 1982 (6, 9, 16, 26 and 30) and 1983 (5, 10, 11, 31 and 34). We took Housley, Cyr, Andreychuk, Mike Anderson and Jens Johanssen, then Barrasso, Lacombe, Creighton, Tucker and Hajdu. In 2015 we had 4 of the first 31 but traded 21, 25 and 31 away. In 2014 we had just one 1st rounder, but 4 picks in the top 49 Last year we had 7 of the 1st 97, which had only previously happened in ‘82 and ‘83, back when there was just 21 teams, and 1970, when there were 14.

When I take a deeper dive into the possibilities, I will be paying the most attention to the prospects who present as being focused on self-improvement and good teammates, followed quickly by fearless and plays fast. The Adams Sabres have a type and I will be shocked if they don’t stick with it, especially at the top of the draft. I will not be surprised if they bypass more hyped options in order to chase type. I can almost guarantee they will not pick Brad Lambert - at 9 or at 16.