dudacek

No to the bold, yes to the italicized. If you think Sanderson is a Heiskanen in the making, you gotta take him. Even more so if you think Lundell is a 3C, Holtz is a 2nd-liner and Jarvis is Ennis. Pick 8 has to be BPA.

If they develop according to plan, Samuelsson/Ryan Johnson could be an ultra-reliable 2nd pairing. Too bad it will be 2026 before we can find out. EDIT: My mistake. Johnson is also a lefty.

There seems to be a consensus that he will go top 10 and could go top 5. McKenzie had him at #8 in his final rankings: https://www.tsn.ca/bob-mckenzie-s-final-ranking-lafreniere-the-surest-thing-in-most-uncertain-draft-year-1.1488272 - U.S. U-18 left defenceman Jake Sanderson at No. 8. The son of former NHL speedster forward Geoff Sanderson, who is the pride of Hay River in the Northwest Territories, young American Jake is a shooting star in the 2020 draft class. At almost 6-foot-2 and a 185-pound frame that will greatly fill out in the years to come, he demonstrated in the first half of the season that he has the physical tools, including elite skating ability, to be a big, mobile shutdown NHL defender. But in the second half of the season he exploded offensively, and so did the projections, even though his consensus ranking on the TSN list improved by only one slot from mid-season. As previously mentioned, two of TSN’s 10 scouts have Sanderson as the top defenceman in the draft and ranked him third overall, behind only Lafreniere and Stutzle. He was No. 3 on the high side, No. 11 on the low side. “Could be a star,” one scout said.

Some mix of Lafreniere Byfield Stutzle Perfetti Raymond Rossi Drysdale top seven isn't crazy at all. In fact, it's a reasonable take. And we know there are team that have Sanderson top four, so its not at all crazy to think the Sabres may have him ranked ahead Holtz/Lundell or whoever else is still on the board.

I find people don’t look at history enough when talking trade returns. Here are some recent deals for good 2Cs (*were rentals) *Pageau: 1st, 2nd O’Reilly: 1st, 2nd, good prospect Trochek: a rental 3C, 3rd liner, 2 B prospects Kadri: rental 2/3 D Miller: 1st, 3rd *Hayes: 1st, 4th liner *Duchene 1st, B prospect Domi: Galchenyuk Not one of these guys returned a player as good as Reinhart, a pick as high as 8, or a prospect as good as Cozens. We might have to give up one of those assets to make a deal, but it would be a mistake to give up 2 of them.

Decent listen here: Appert on the Instigators. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/08-21-amerks-head-coach-seth-appert-0 He really seems cut from the same cloth as Adams, Krueger, Beane and McDermott: comfortable, articulate, confident, relatable; the Pegulas have definitely gravitated to a type.

How much input do you think new Rochester head coach Seth Appert on the Sabres Draft board? ”I could easily make an argument for myself that this was the favourite group of men that I’ve ever coached...and Jake (Sanderson) led that. Jake is, in my mind, the best defenceman in the world in this draft. He’s a special leader and his work ethic and his character is off the charts.” Who would be upset if we take Sanderson?

New Amerks coach Seth Appert on Samuelsson: “He’s an outstanding player...You know he was one of the best defenders in the world in that 2000 birth year. He had all the hard assignments for us. He had to go against Svechnikov, Kakko, all the best players in the world. We were not a prolific offensive team.We won a lot of games 3-2, 2-1. We leaned on Matthias a ton. He’s going to be a great pro.” Samuelsson was Appert’s Captain when he coached with the US national development team. Appert also dropped a subtle line “...if I get a chance to coach him again...” which echoes Andy Murray’s line up-thread about him challenging for an NHL job this year.

It will be interesting to see what September does to the rankings of those who I’ll be playing. Lundell and Raymond are certainly two who could affect my feelings.

A point Katie Strang made - that I agree with - is that Milbury’s commentary in general detracts from a broadcast more than it adds. What qualifies him for the job? He’s not funny, or insightful, or folksy, or connected, or knowledgeable. He’s simply an unpleasant and unnecessary distraction and there are many other voices more worthy of listening to. Is that not enough to disqualify him?

Kopitar went two picks before the Sabres turn. I read/heard recently That Kopitar was the player Darcy had targeted that year.

Is your hypothesis that trading O’Reilly was not being discussed prior to his comments? How do you account for the considerable trade rumours Swirling around O’Reilly throughout the season, well before his locker room clean out comments? There was considerable chatter that Botterill wanted to move one or more core pieces as his first team imploded around him.

Monahan addresses two specific things the Sabres need, in addition to the obvious 2C: He’s consistently been a plus on faceoffs (52.6 last year) He’s money from the slot on the PP (averages 9 goals a year over the past 6)

I believe the decision to trade O’Reilly was made long before his locker room speech.

Katie Strang answered why Milbury’s comments were offensive in an Athletic piece: https://theathletic.com/2014223/2020/08/21/strang-do-we-honestly-have-no-better-options-than-mike-milbury/ ”Think about how insulting and insidious those comments are. Does Milbury not understand how many women probably were integral in making sure this whole bubble hockey experiment works? From the league? The NHLPA? The NHL clubs? His own broadcast? There are women doing advance scouting and using data analysis to ensure their teams are prepared to play. There are women working to handle every logistical nightmare within this bizarre environment and every awkward Zoom press conference we see. There are likely women gathering, distilling and providing him with the very information he uses each broadcast! And let’s not forget those who are sacrificing and doing the yeoman’s work outside the bubble, too. There are women who are balancing school and work while plagued by uncertainty about a partner who will be gone for an unknown length of time and incurring risks we probably have not even begun to understand. There are women who are supporting entire families on their own without a partner to help shoulder the exhausting work that entails, especially amid a global pandemic. Women are not distractions. They are essential. Milbury’s comments are insulting to players, too. Resorting to such lazy tropes about professional athletes is antiquated and unoriginal. It’s also not true. He’s making assumptions that his feelings about women are shared by those playing the game. My experience would suggest otherwise” It was part of a piece that makes a bigger point: Do we honestly have no better options than Mike Milbury? “This is not about “cancel culture.” This is about standards. Milbury has not evolved with the times and, perhaps most importantly, he hasn’t demonstrated a desire to do so. Instead, he seems like someone who either lacks the awareness to realize how many people he alienates on a nightly basis or realizes it and doesn’t care. Either should be disqualifying. Are we honestly not better served by providing pathways and promoting people who draw more fans to the sport rather than putting them off? I’m not asking for Milbury to provide a feeble apology, like the one he issued Friday claiming he was “trying to be irreverent” and “took it a step too far.” I’m not suggesting the appropriate type of discipline he should be assessed or whether he should keep his job. I’m simply asking to not have to hear this type of ***** anymore. I prefer my hockey with a beer, some snacks and analysis that adds nuance and texture to a game. What we heard Thursday was garbage. And it’s distracting.” Apologies to the mods if I quoted too much of the article. There is more, and it is worth reading.

Binnington is junk. He got hot at the right time last year and when all is said and done, he will be an NHL footnote

I would say they all played a game that said “this guy isn’t ready.” You’ve made the jump to “and it doesn’t look like he ever will be” as far as Casey is concerned. How do you tell the difference? I think that’s the question I am trying to raise with my post.

Selected D3 seasons from high picks: Casey Mittelstadt (8, 2017) 9 points 31 games Dylan Strome (3, 2015) 9 points 21 games Dennis Gurianov (12, 2015) AHL Kevin Fiala (11, 2014) 16 points 54 games Jakub Vrana (13, 2014) 6 points 21 games Anthony Mantha (20, 2013) 3 points 10 games Radek Faksa (13, 2012) AHL Ryan Strome (5, 2011) 18 points 37 games J.T. Miller (15, 2011) 6 points 30 games Ryan Johansen (4, 2010) 12 points 40 games Nino Neiderreiter (5, 2010) AHL Brett Connolly (6, 2010) 1 point 5 games Mikael Granlund (9, 2010) 8 points, 27 games Jaden Schwartz (14, 2010) 13 points 45 games Vladimir Tarasenko (16, 2010) 19 points 38 games It’s not exactly rare for a touted guy to have a D3 season like Casey’s and still turn into a decent NHL player. He’s been disappointing and frustrating, but the idea he has no value is bizarre to me.

It’s interesting that the Sabres sit near a perceived drop-off point in draft tiers. That makes the thought of them moving up or down more likely. I believe GMs pay attention to the idea of tiers and project what other teams might do. I’ve been going with the idea that the league consensus is that there are 7 forwards and 2 defencemen worth picking at 8. What if the Sabres think it’s 10 and 3? What if they think it’s 6 and 1?

Interesting. I have not read “raw” or “hilarious defensively” elsewhere. I do get an entitled vibe from him though.

Care to elaborate?

Both Johansson and Kahun provide a great deal of roster flexibility, with their ability to play multiple positions, and the fact they can think the game well enough to play with more skilled guys. I think either could substitute for Reinhart with Jack in a pinch, although that does waste Johansson’s abilities in transition. The two of them with Olofsson makes for a very good third line, and they’d also work very well breaking in Cozens there if VO is playing higher up the depth chart.

I think Tampa’s preferred move would be trading Killorn and getting one of JohnSon/Gourde/Palat to waive their NTC and get back NHL players on their ELC; Ideally, they’d want to do something like Jokiharju and Mittlestadt for Palat and Killorn. Dont know if they’re going to be able to do that with the flat cap. Building teams like the Sabres would be foolish to make that kind of trade, and win-now teams don’t have the cap space. They might be forced to virtually give a middle six forward or two away. Its why I think they have to at least be exploring what returns are out there for Cirelli and Sergachev.

Also, Cirelli is unlikely to get more than Reinhart, simply because of how the CBA works. Cirelli is on his second contract, has no arbitration rights, and has four more years until he is eligible for UFA status. Sam is on his 3rd contract, has arbitration rights and is 2 years from UFA status. In other words, Reinhart has leverage that Cirelli does not. Last year, Brayden Point was in the exact same situation as Cirelli and was also a top 10 scorer in the NHL.He signed a three-year bridge deal at $6.75. When Sam was in Cirelli’s position (with better offensive stats, but less defensive acclaim) he signed a two-year Bridge deal worth ~ $3.6. if Cirelli signs a bridge deal - which Tampa definitely will want - it will probably be for something in between what Reinhart and Point got. The Sabres will be wanting to protect their asset by signing Reinhart to term. If that happens, UFA years cost more, and therefore his AAV should be higher than Cirelli’s.

This trade has no chance of happening. It leaves Tampa with only 2 defencemen under contract and about $9 Million in cap space to sign Reinhart, Mittelstadt, Montour, Sergachev and Cernak, as well as replace UFAs Shattenkirk, Bogosian and Maroon.