Crusader1969

You do know that in 2015 Sabres drafted 4dmen with their 6 picks?Another 4 were drafted in 2016? There is no reason for them to reach with the 8th pick for a dman just to overload the pipe line. They could do very well drafting BPA at 8 and taking 2dmen in the 2nd round

Are we all in agreement that Hischier, Patrick, Heiskanen and Vilardi are the only 4 that we can say 100% will not be there on he board? Anyone else? As long as you willing to accept that Liljegrens bust probability is much higher than Tippetts. Tippett will play in NHL and will score goals.

Tippett is in the top group, if he isn't actually the best as natural goal scorers in the draft. Mckeens hockey rates him with the best shot in the draft and 6th best skater. Tippett has potential to be a first line winger, Valimaki, seems destined to be a 2nd pair dmen. Roll the dice with Tippett. Draft 2 dmen in the 2nd Should reiterate that I'm drafting Tippett if Makar is gone.

Maybe a lot of work is an overstatement but not nearly in the class of Ligers top 3 dmen. hockey news ranked him 18 and had a scout saying his skating was a bit "surprising". Recrutes draft guide has him at 19 NHL scout quote " watch for his pivoting..he has some difficulty with his mobility". "He can get out of position because pivots and gap control are below par" . Not saying I don't like him, just saying he isn't in the top tier

yes, your top group has elite skaters. What I've read about him, Valimaki needs a lot of work on his skating and Defensive zone play.

I still like Tippett as the best option at 8. Probably the best skater - especially of the guys who will be there at 8, best shot, scores big goals. yes, you roll the dice a bit on his reluctance to play D but you hope that will change as he gets older and under NHL coaching. Any guy at 8 is going to have warts this draft.

If Makar and Heiskanen are gone, im now leaning Owen Tippett with the 8th pick. he will drive scouts crazy with his one-dimensional game and his lack of effort without the puck but he can score like no one else in this draft. Here is one qoute from a scout :" without the puck he is f'n useles..but...he scores goals...big goals." When we get to the 8th pick in this years draft you arent going to find a guy without warts. This guy has a chance to be a star and worth the gamble IMO. Liljegren to me is a bigger risk to me to be a bust. Take the goal scorer and draft two Dmen in the 2nd round.

If Heiskanen, Makar, Patrick and Hischier are all taken before 8 is there any top prospect that you would be disappointed in getting? I'm not sure there is for me. Thought it would be Rasmussen for me but the more I read the more I am intrigued about his potential. Seemed originally that he was basically a Power Play specialist but ive read a lot of scouts comments and seems he is a very good skater for his size (6'5) and has really good skill. Could become the Sabres #2 Center in a few years. only thing I would add is that he is 6'2 and skinny. needs to grow into his body, as they say.has a good motor and plays consistently. you know what you are getting with this kid. SOmething you can't say about a lot of the top prospects this year. Probably gone before the Sabres draft in 2nd round

Completely agree that there is some D depth available in the 2nd round. I could see the Sabres go F if both Makar and Hiskanen are gone and then use both 2nd round picks on Dmen

Rasmussen, Tippett and Glass have a real shot Elias Pettersson has a shot as well.

I think I can say with certainty that Patrick, Hischier, Heiskanen and Vilardi will be gone prior to the Sabres picking at #8 Would anyone rate Mittlestadt, Rasmussen, Glass, Vesalainen or Tippett (or any other forward) as being an elite player compared to Liljegren or Makar? I would venture to guess that they all will be rated very close to each other. Therefore, I'm taking Liljegren or Makar (assuming one is still on the board). Both Liljegren and Makar are RHD, so they would fit in nicely with Risto on the right side. Now that Antipin is officially on board, the Sabres have McCabe, Guhle and Antipin as the 3 LHD of the future.

Mittelstant actually played in the USHL this season as well. He went back to play high school (short season) in Minnesota in hopes of winning the state championship then came back to the USHL.

i like Carrier too but him and Nylander are going to have a tough time replacing Kane's production next season.

Here is the Sportnet Top 10 that surveys NHL scouts. Here is the top 100: 1. Nolan Patrick – C, Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL 2. Nico Hischier – C, Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL 3. Miro Heiskanen – D, HIFK, Liiga 4. Owen Tippett – RW, Mississauga Steelheads, OHL 5. Cody Glass – C, Portland Winterhawks, WHL 6. Gabriel Vilardi – C, Windsor Spitfires, OHL 7. Timothy Liljegren – D, Timra, Allsvenskan 8. Casey Mittelstadt - C, Eden Prairie, Minnesota High School 9. Cale Makar – D, Brooks Bandits, AJHL 10. Martin Necas – C, Brno, Czech Extraliga Liljegren and Makar could both be in play at 8. It really depends on Arizona preference between the two. I was finally able to see Makar play on Sunday at the RBC Cup and though he was very impressive I can't help wonder how Liljegren would look against AJHL opponents. I think I prefer taking one of them than moving back and getting one of the lower ranked guys, as Liljegren and Makar have game breaking ablilites and are elite skaters that you don't see in the other D prospects. Valimaki's coach has said that his positioning and gap control is often a problem. He can be caught flat-footed at times and needs to improve his pivoting. Overall though, if he can improve in this area he could be a top pair Dman and a QB for the powerplay. Brannstrom is an interesting prospect. I had highlited him as a top guy if available in the 2nd (though probably will be gone). Timmons is a smart defender and rarely makes a mistake but I definitely agree with Liger that there are better prospects at 8.

Im still scratching my head at the notion that the team has no D depth in pipeline. As we discussed yesterday 4 out of 6 draft picks in 2015 were dmen and 4 more in 2016. We are starting to see them at the pro level now with Guhle and Stephens. next year I would expect Borgen and Fitzgerald to be added. Soon the pipeline will be over-flowing with D prospects while the Forward depth will look weaker. Though I do agree that adding 1 more dman through trade or UFA is needed this off-season. I'm still leaning Dman with the 8th pick but if they believe that a guy like Mittelstadt, Tippett or Glass is a much better prospect than the D at 8, I think you take the Forward. There will be decent prospects available in the 2nd round or they can use the 2 second rounders to move up to grab a guy they like.

Isnt Makar the same height and weight as Karlsson was during his draft year? not sure how Karlsson is/was ranked by you.

Helps the argument for those that say keep the pick! Thanks!! Im not trading the 8th pick for a guy who could be my 4th dman. makes no sense.

They have Bozak, JVR and Komarov coming up as UFA's at the end of 2017/18 - big pieces that need to be moved or re-signed. They will also have Nylander coming off his ELC. If you ranked the top prospects from the Sabres and Leafs I'd say Nylander, Guhle and Pu and Asplund are 4 out of the top 5. who are the 5 rookes that will be added next year? Kapanen - not sure who else.

I'm not considering trading either of Kane or Reinhart (unless you know that Kane is not going to sign an extension). How many Dmen are we really missing? you just need 6. Yes, the prospect pool is currently weaker at D than forward but the cupboard isn't exactly bare. Guhle, Stephens, Borgen and FitzGerald isn't a bad place to start. McCabe, Risto, Guhle, Antipin, Bogo and Gorges are here currently. I'll bet that at least 1 dman is added via trade or UFA. Plus, not sure if anyone has noticed but 4 out of the 6 draft picks in 2015 were Dmen.

Latest mock draft from Craig Button - has Sabres selecting Liljegren with Makar and Heiskanen off the board. http://www.tsn.ca/nolan-or-nico-button-says-it-s-still-nico-in-latest-mock-1.750199

Here are a couple of possibe 2nd round options in case the Sabres do take a forward at 8. 1) Henri Jokiharju - plays for Portland in the WHL. He is a puckmover and was one of the top dmen for the winter hawks once he adjusted to the smaller NA rinks http://www.dubnetwork.ca/interviews/nhl-draft-profiles/2016-17-nhl-draft-profiles-henri-jokiharju/ 2) Erik Brannstrom - Swedish dman who plays in the SHL for HV71. Very smart player with elite offensive abilities but is undersized at 5'10. Could go in first round but size may see him slip into the 2nd http://thehockeywriters.com/erik-brannstrom-2017-nhl-draft-prospect-profile/

Completely agree if the dman they want is on the board Liljegren at 8 is a real possibility even with a lot of shade being thrown his way about his hockey IQ. That being said, I don't think you can find a forward at 8 that is without warts. Tippet's work ethic, Vilardi's skating, Glass needs to be stronger. I'm taking Liljegren, Unless you have a forward available that is substantially rated higher.

I don't think Petterson is that much of a reach. Good Mock draft! hope you are right about Heiskanen. If the top 5 go as you say, I really hope the Sabres are on the phone with LV to get in front of Arizona.

why dont we have time? Sabres going to be cup contenders next season? The guy drafted at 8 has a good shot at the NHL in 18-19 and has a chance to be way better than a middle pairing Dman. and if a team is desperate, why the heck am I giving up the 8th pick?? makes zero sense. sorry but this is a terrible idea. Sabres need puck movers not stay at home Dmen! I can sign a UFA if i need another stay at home dman. the Voice of Reason! thank you :)

are we still that desperate for Dmen after adding Guhle and Antipin? I don't think they should be. If I'm making a trade im contacting a team like Nashville who have Subban, Elkholm, Josi and Ellis worth protecting. Will you be able to pry one of them out at a discount? I always thought Ellis would be the guy, especially with a couple of prospects ready to make the move to the NHL. Not so sure with the way he has been playing in the Playoffs. They have Arvidsson and Johansen as RFA's. Mike Fischer as an UFA. Maybe Elkholm and his $3.75Mill may be too expensive for them (even though its a great deal). Ellis is making 2.5M over the next 2 seasons. Im not trading the 8th overall pick, I think that is completely reckless. Why trade away a guy who has a good chance to become a top pair or Top 6 dman (and cheap) for a guy who is my 3 or 4 dman. Makes no sense to me. Sabres won't be a cup contender next season so I am not making moves out of desperation. Im also not trading Kane, unless you know he will not sign an extension or if he is starting to alienate his teammates. Is he one of the ones Jack was talking about when he said "you can't be just happy to play in the league"? You may be able to get a team with a cap crunch to take a couple of draft picks and not have to trade away a top prospect.