LGR4GM

Better be because there is no chance in hell I would take him in the 2nd. Now the Sabres might but I think that would be a mistake.

I'm sure many are curious about defense so I will list a bunch of defender, all of which should be available in round 2 or later and all are 6'1" or taller. Personally I really like Sotheran. He is a late June bday and I think if his skating improves (he needs stronger legs) than it will really round out his already decent overall game. He is probably drafted in-between Buffalo's pick at 45 and their next pick way back at 86. I think they would need to get into the low 60s or take him at 45. Caden Price, LHD, 6'1" Oliver Bonk, RHD, 6'2" Carter Sotheran, RHD, 6'3" Maxim Strbak, RHD, 6'1" Andrew Gibson, RHD, 6'3" Jakub Dvorak, LHD, 6'5" Gavin McCarthy, RHD, 6'1" Quinton Burns, LHD, 6'1" Hoyt Stanley, RHD, 6'2" Albert Wikman, LHD, 6'1" Rodwin Dionicio, LHD, 6'2"

Idk how your grading scale works but Benson ranks significantly higher. I would like to add the depth pool is weak but it has size. Novikov is 6'4" Komarov is 6'3" and Lindgren is the exception at 6'

I laughed at your post. If the Gifs worked I would have done something else but they don't.

Fun fact, Alex Tuch and Rasmus Dahlin are only Buffalo Sabres because of Eichel if you think about it. Honestly, I'm grateful for him.

Lol. You're embarrassed ppl booed an opposing player? Come on now.

Exactly, the tank worked and the rebuild failed. Glad you finally understand because as you conclude "I don't see how anyone can think Vegas would've won the Cup without him."

I honestly cannot f####ng believe this board is still bitching and moaning over #5 defender Will Borgen. I want KA to fix the defense simply so I can stop hearing about the Legend of Will Borgen, depth defender extraordinaire.

That isn't how things work. Also at this stage Buffalo currently has a top 3 that are all 6'3" or taller. Reinbacher or Simashev would be the only 2 defenders I would take at 13 even though I like Wallinder as well. Pellikka is out for me because he replicates things that Power and Dahlin already do and so I would look for a bigger skilled player. I wouldn't draft some of the guys that are shorter on Def in this draft. They aren't dynamic enough to really warrant that until you get later in the draft. There's several 6'3" or taller RHD that we could get in the 2nd or 3rd round though that have 4-6 potential. I think we end up with either Simashev or a forward at 13.

The Knights only have 3 players 6'3" or taller on defense. They have three others at 6'2". Zach Whitecloud is listed at 6'2" by Elite and I always defer to their sizes.

You wanna know what the guy who grew up next to Connelly and is a life long Sabres fan thinks about Vegas winning the cup? "Season starts in October."

@PerreaultForever offense, wins championships

I hope we get to end the season at home, in June, against Vegas. That would be fun. Yea... cuz they are winning.

Nick Lardis is ranked ahead of Juraj on my board. Also, I'm not actually bothered by what the consolidated is on a player.

Offense wins championships

Our 2nd round pick in the Greenway trade is the worst it could be. 64th overall

No we don't. Stop thinking you deserve to be treated like crap.

Jeff Skinner has a nmc, they had to protect him.

No, he has problem if Josh is distracted. You should get outside of Buffalo if you don't think fans everywhere act just about the same. Also, idc what other teams fanbase think of us. In fact if they loath us it means we're doing something right

Heartily disagree. Also they addressed the line this offseason. This team needs Allen and Diggs.

There is a rumor that Josh Allen had something going with a bartender downtown that resulted in... complications right around the end of the season. Josh then ended up being broken up with by his GF after the season ended. The rumor was they tried to make it work but it didn't. If that love life drama was going on, still might be going on because of complications, Diggs might not be too happy with Josh Allen right now. AKA just a little personal issue between them. Again this was all rumors that no one has ever even remotely confirmed or corroborated to I would take them with a healthy dose of small town gossip salt.

Sounds like a coach issue and I don't think it is limited to Dorsey. I think McDermott has rubbed some players the wrong way. Josh and Von came out in support of Diggs so I am not very worried. I'm sure they will get this sorted.

Juraj Pekarcik, 6'2" 183lbs, LW, Sept 12th bday. If I am Buffalo, this is probably my target at 45. Why? First things first, he is basically a 2024 draft eligible player. For comparison presumptive 2023 1st rounder Nate Danielson (consolidated rank 16) is 350 days older than Juraj. That means you are looking at a guy who is at a distinct disadvantage in terms of age compared to the majority of his class. Now alone this doesn't matter but once we start looking at the player, things get better. You have this kid who is super young, is already 6'2" and he is smart. He makes passes to the high danger areas and prepares defenders to get the passes through. His has some nifty handles, although I think at times he makes 1 move too many. His skating is fine, average for the NHL but I think it will get better. When you watch him, he looks like a 17yr old kid at times with a bit of that uncoordinated limb movement. With his size though, I think added strength will tighten up his skating and make his edges more dangerous. His shot is good and added strength could make it a major asset but it does need some refinement. Now being younger it could mean he is a bit differential to others but nope. He engages in the offensive zone and that includes forechecking. His physical game is solid as well, he uses his body to help separate opponents from the puck. I like his motor the best as he never seems to take shifts off but is always looking for plays both in the offensive zone and when on defense. The bottom line is you are getting a really raw prospect who at the u18s really showed that he can keep up or even outplay a guy like Dalibor Dvorsky. Dvorsky will probably go top 10 if not top 15. He has all the tools and the toolbox to be a top 6 forward in the NHL and I think at worst you get a solid 3rd line guy. I like Juraj Pekarcik and would be excited if Buffalo drafted him. His age, skills, and motor make me excited for his future and I think he could be an under the radar pick.

For the "we hate Kevyn Adams and everything he does because it isn't exactly what we want done" crowd, this must really grind your gears. Who do you think has more pull on more players, Jack Eichel or a bunch of player agents? My money is on the agents because they have a lot more reach and their business isn't playing hockey, it is getting money and helping their clients succeed to do it. What about this? I bet the group of ppl who crapped allllllll over the Okposo extension because "we don't like it because winning or something rabble rabble, not what I wanted so bad rabble rabble" are really excited to know that Kyle Okposo is respected league wide. This isn't coming from a fan either, this all comes from someone who reports on the team and goes to the events and talks to other reporters, players, execs, etc... This all comes down to one thing, there is a vocal minority of ppl on this site who hate the Sabres. It is true, you hate them. They can't do anything correct because you are so angry and bitter about the past 12 years that anything short of winning the cup is a total failure that feeds into your feedback loop of the team being a failure. Hell, I bet when Buffalo wins the cup you will bitch too because they didn't win it in the way you demand. This is why I am taking breaks from this place, your constant negativity about everything the team does always is atrocious to read and be mired in. Last season was a blast. It is the most fun and intense season since 2011. Yea, we came up short but I am still allowed to enjoy it even though a bunch of no name internet randos keep screaming at me that "losing is accepted" and "Adams is awful" and "Granato can't coach because he is new and his defense sucks." Next year when we win a playoff round it will be the same crap. "Oh if Adams wasn't so dumb we could have won the cup" or "Oh if Granato wasn't such an amateur coach we could have won the cup." If the only way you will find joy in the Sabres is if they get the exact players you want always (because there aren't apparently 31 other teams out there that might also want good players) and if they win the cup every year, I feel sorry for you.