dudacek

I really liked Lazar as a junior. His scouting report looked a lot like Anton Lundell's.

I like Grzelcyk, who's done a good job behind the Bruins Big 4. He really is what some people think Pilut is. Arbitration-eligible RFA who made $1.4 million last year. I'm surprised the Bruins would move him, given the fact they are about to lose Krug. I'm also surprised that is the type of defender the Sabres are targetting, but he apparently killed penalties in college and subbed in there with the Bruins from time to time.

Good conversation on the Instigators this morning Top PK last year: Larsson Girgensons Scandella Ristolainen 2nd unit guys: Vesey Lazar Sobotka Frolik Asplund Rodrigues Eichel McCabe Jokiharju Bogosian Montour The good news is our PK was terrible and turnover is probably needed. The bad news is we have basically three guys (Risto, McCabe, Lazar) coming back with any significant experience at killing penalties. Who plays PK this year?

Who do you think are the guys Adams expects to be choosing from and doesn't particularly like?

This confirms my sense of what Adams is about. He's going to value sacrifice and effort more than the previous GMs. That he doesn't like who he thinks will be available at eight tells me that the Sabres are probably expecting to be looking at choosing a player from the Perfetti Raymond and Holtz group and finding them lacking in that area. I continue to have a good feeling about Rossi slipping to us and am starting to think Sanderson might be guy if Rossi is not there.

Pencilled in as the 13th forward, regardless if we sign Larsson. Likely 4C if they don't sign Larsson, but they will give Asplund a look there as well. I don't expect Larsson back; few do.

Not happening.

Right player, right contract. Happy for him, he seemed to really want this. Hope he has arrived as an NHL player.

Sean Monahan JAGs, Joel Armia JAGs or Marek Zagrapan JAGs?

Friedman told the Instigators (again) that he thinks the Sabres are poking around Columbus for a goalie.

Agreed. We haven't seen Montour's best. I hate the idea that we bought high and are poised to sell low. My ideal move would be Miller for a similar value defenceman who plays the left side and kills penalties — essentially another Scandella/McCabe type.

And Hendrix Laperriere: Scout in favor: “He has so much skill and he’s a very smart player. It’s first-round skill all day. At the Hlinka Gretzky, he looked like a top-10 pick. If he looks healthy again, I realize there’s some risk, but I think you got to go after him in the first round at some point; there’s too much player there.” Scout against: “I wouldn’t use a top-50 pick on him. The injuries … the two goals in 19 games, his game lacks pace. He looks healthy now and then you use a high pick and in two or three years those issues always seem to pop back up again. At some point it becomes worth it, but that point will be later than where he’ll likely go.” Whole article here: https://theathletic.com/2024720/2020/09/24/nhl-draft-prospects-up-for-debate-who-causes-the-biggest-divide-among-scouts/

Interesting argument on Lundell, as well. I'd love to be in the room to watch the scouts debate their way through their board. Scout in favor: “He’s a top-two line center all day for me. His sense and compete are great. He’s more skilled than people give him credit for. If he was playing in the CHL, he’d be making the highlight reel plays, but he’s been up versus men the last two years.” Scout against: “I just don’t see his game translating to the NHL. He’s a third-line center, maybe even a fourth-line center for me. I just don’t see the speed or skill in his game.”

Two scouts on Jack Quinn: Scout in favor: “He’s a top 5-7 pick for me. He has elite skill and hockey sense. He competes. The skating has improved a lot to being a strength. He scored 50 goals. He keeps getting so much better year after year. I think he’s going to be a big-time player.” Scout against: “I look at a highly skilled guy who lacks size and speed, who is an older prospect without much of a great track record, and using a high pick on him would worry me a lot. He’s good, but that one could be a bit of a mirage.” If you are a scout, how much weight do you give to the draft year compared to the overall body of work? Raymond would be the flip side of that discussion. (I love the tape I've seen of Quinn's game)

I think when all is said and done, Montour will be moved. He's probably plan B for several GMs looking to see the price on guys like Dumba, Pietrangelo, Krug, Barrie, OEL, Hamonic, Barrie and Hamilton first. One might read the tea leaves and decide to pounce early, but it's more likely we will have to wait for a few other balls to land. There's a lot of demand, but also a lot of supply. I think he's bound for Western Canada. The Flames, Canucks and Jets are all in need of a player like him (No matter what Ducky might say)

Of course we don't know. It's prospects and that means pure speculation. We're both talking about our impressions based on reading and internet video scouting. You don't like those two at that spot. I am in the weird, rare, and kinda blissful position of liking all the possibilities and seeing all of them helping us down the road. I see Rossi as a pretty safe bet to be Saku Koivu. Love his game and his fit as a our 2C or 3C moving forward. I see Perfetti with a Willie Nylander floor and the upside of being the highest scoring point producer in this draft. I think he has the brain and the hands to be deadly with Cozens or Eichel down the road and elevate their games. I see Drysdale as a pretty safe bet to be Ryan Ellis or Cam Fowler and Sanderson landing between Pesce and Slavin. We could use guys like that moving forward. I see Holtz as Thomas Vanek, Jarvis as a pretty safe Travis Konecny or Nick Ehlers, and Quinn as a Jason Pominville who can be Mark Stone. Any of them complete our top six. Raymond's skill level is at Perfetti's level and Lundell's hockey sense and professionalism is first-rate. They're the two I worried about busting the most, because they are mirror images of each other. But they both have qualities that could see them boom as well. I just really like this group.

I think we're overthinking this one a bit; Holtz and Sanderson might not be as attractive as other possibilities in terms of the style I like, or team needs, but they are good players who could be top 5 picks in many years and will be in the NHL for a long-time. I have 9 players I'd be fine with at #8 Rossi/Perfetti Drysdale/Holtz/Lundell/Quinn/Jarvis/Sanderson/Raymond

This I agree with. Ideally, he is replaced by defensively reliable LHD Of equal value, although it can happen indirectly. I think our defence as a group was pretty good last year and will look even better with more forward help, which is why I am reluctant to step back. I don’t have a problem with what you are presenting here. I have a problem with a defence where Miller Joki and McCabe are all in our top four and a clear step up from whoever is on pair 3. Joki hasn’t shown he’s ready, Miller and McCabe have struggled at times in that role, and there is no safety net.

Depth defenceman aren't that hard to find. It certainly comes down to the fact that I don't see I see Montour and Risto as depth defencemen, or easily replaceable. Certainly not by Marc Staal and jon Merrill

I think we have three top 4 D and three 4/5 guys right now. After years of being bad, our defence corps is deep but unbalanced. Going with Dahlin, Joki, Borgen, McCabe, Miller and a random 3rd-pairing pickup — as I've seen many internet GMs do — scares the heck out of me. Miller as 1RD? He couldn't stay in the lineup here or in LV, let alone in that slot. Joki is not as good today as you think he is, not yet. Borgen hasn't shown he's more than a minor leaguer. You all know what McCabe is, and the proposed adds are basically McCabe 2.0. No. Just no.

I expect him in the mix to start the year as our 7th D and sink or swim based on how he plays. I have hope, but less expectations of him being a regular than I do of Thompson or Mittelstadt or even Asplund.

I think we need the snarl. Add a middle six forward and a defensively strong LD. Use either Montour or Miller (not both) along with futures and cap space to get them. Compete for the playoffs.

I would kick the tires, but according to Craig Rivet it's not happening. Most people said it was Minny or retire for Mikko; he's spent his entire career there. Rivet's also pretty tight with his brother Saku.

It would be nice if we could leverage them into adding an asset (the fact they don't have to retain is what makes it attractive to Vegas), but the fact Fleury is 2 years isn't a bad thing from an expansion perspective. If Seattle doesn't pick him, he could still give us two years of good goaltending.

Vancouver sportsradio had goalie expert Kevin Woodley on talking about how Marc-Andre Fleury's career was resurrected by Mike Bales fixing some sloppy technique that had slipped into his game. He also said Fleury has not lost his athleticism, but those same technique holes have slipped in again. He said getting Fleury in the hands of the right coach could result in a great payoff. Fleury for Hutton straight across gives the Knights a much-needed $4.2 million cap saving and the Sabres a $3.7 increase in actual dollars out. It also significantly improves our goaltending and gives us a tempting target to expose in the Seattle expansion. Can we find another move that will improve our goaltending that much for less than $4 million? Food for thought.