Crusader1969

Sure they could be better, they probably would be at least 5 to 7 points better if Eichel wasn't hurt and we wouldn't be having this conversation. They probably would be better if Guhle was in NHL but they wanted him to develop more. Maybe the would be better if both bailey and Baptiste were with Sabres all season but again they are better long term in ahl. You don't think he realizes that he has a slow defence? He is doing what is best for the organization. When you are waiting for prospects to develop it can be frustrating. I get that.

So I guess the Sabres were extremely lucky to find one of those rare guys!

A rare team? Which team was fortunate to draft an elite generational player and didn't find success?

TOTALLY wrong, his job is to build a team that will one day compete for a cup. He will do whatever is best to get to that point even if it means the current product suffers. What trades? What FA signings? What prospects has he developed incorrectly?

ESPN came out with their top 50 prospect rankings today. Not surprisingly, Nylander is #4. Cliff Pu was ranked 20th. "He has had a monster season and has been the top rising prospect in my eyes. He has been one of the OHL's best players and a key part to London's continuing to be a dominant force in that league. It's hard to find a flaw in Pu's game. He's big, fast and skilled, and he can make plays at both ends of the rink. Pu doesn't have elite skill, but there's plenty of talent there to project as a potential top-six center in the NHL. A part of me wants to see Pu with the Sabres sooner than later just to see how Rick Jeanneret calls his goals. Also, he likes stuffed animals a lot." So, gmtm drafts Guhle in 2nd, Borgen in 4th, Pu in 3rd, Asplund in 2nd and somehow people think he needs to be fired??

I'm sorry but Fasching is still a prospect. Who are your etc? O'Reilly? You think trading for Kane was trading for a shiny new object? Or maybe just the right move to ensure the tank was successful. So you admit getting elite talent at the top of the draft is important?

I think the Sabres are right on course, they are probably in playoff contention without injuries but I never thought they would make playoffs even t full strength. I love that Murray is being patient but he still has important moves to make coming up in the next 6 weeks. I'm not sure what to expect next year because I expect them to be very young and inexperienced but the years that follow I'm extremely optimistic that they will become the Sabres glory years. Got to be lucky to get in top 3. The draft seems to be at least 12 players deep, so they will get another key "piece" no matter where they draft. Totally disagree, the Sabres have been around for close to 50 years and way too much of it was spent in mediocrity. Don't think the Blackhawks are complaining they got Toews and Kane from basically doing the same thing. Pretty sure he knows exactly what he is doing- Being patient

Maybe so, but have a look at that draft and there are some excellent players from it - especially dmen MURRAY, REILLY, Lindholm, Dumba and Trouba all went in the top 10 Where would Sabres be if you added 1 of them to roster? I won't assume Sabres win a lottery position so will (likely) drafting 4 to 10. I believe the Sabres will end up with a huge piece of the puzzle for the rebuild.

I hate that they split the NA skaters from the ones playing in Europe.

I think the draft page can happen no matter where the Sabres are projected to draft but I would agree it's a sad state if we are targeting a top 5 guy like Hischier. Hischier had another big game tonight 13 shots on net and a goal and 2 assists If you are looking at dmen the 3 who stand out to me because of their offensive capabilities are Liljegrin who is starting to drop out of the top 5 in draft rankings, VälimäkI (who has already been discussed here) and Cale Makar who plays in the AJHL. MAkar is a cdn kid going the same route as Fabbro did last season. He will play in the NCAA next year. In sept he was thought of being a 2nd rounder but has skyrocketed and now has the potential to be a top 10 pick and has been compared to Karlsson at the same age. Hockey prospect.com January ranking: https://www.hockeyprospect.com/2017-nhl-draft-rankings-hockeyprospect-com-top-75-prospects-january/ my top guys are Hischier - who looked amazing at the WJC and plays both RW and C. Owen Tippett - elite goal scorer for Mississauga Eeli Tolvanen who is another skilled sniper And the 3 dmen mentioned above.

There is no way this team makes the playoffs with the current defensive core. However, if you. Want to compare the Leafs vs Sabres a few things stand out 1) if 21, 90, 63, 82, 15, 23, 9, 22, 12 and 55, 29, 77, 47 are, when healthy, the top 9 and top 4 - the Sabres have lost 123 games due to injury. If you do the same with the Leafs - they've lost a total of 8. Yes, they've been good but extremely fortunate too! 2) in the Sabres tank year they literally tore the team down to the core. They were historically bad and it's taking time to eliminate all of the dead weight. The Leafs were bad last season but not terrible. They had some injuries that the may have extended a bit and the had terrible goaltending from Bernier. When Bernier started to play ok they found their true tank commander Garrett Sparks. He of the .893 save %. 3) maybe I'm a homer here but I believe the top 3 prospects not in the NHL right now all belong to Buffalo - Nylander, Guhle and Asplund. I'm sure leaf fans will bring up Bracco but I could argue Pu is having a better year in OHL considering their age difference Hopefully the Sabres go kick their Ass tonight but this battle is just beginning and I like the Sabres chances long term of being the better team

Draft Eligibles at the WJC (5 of them anyways) http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/five-draft-eligible-players-to-watch-at-the-2017-world-junior-hockey-tournament Välimäki was invited to the Finnish camp and as far as I know he will be playing for them.

Still have no idea where you are getting your information. Seems like all the scouting reports I've read have indicated that his shot is a strength.

The most in depth analysis of the OHL crop of draft eligibles. http://ohlprospects.blogspot.ca/2016/11/preliminary-mediascout-poll-for-2017.html To be hon st, not a banner year for he OHL. Tippett is my guy but I believe he will be gone before Sabres draft barring they win a lottery spot. Hague could be an interesting option if the Sabres are picking around 10. (My prediction). I see a lot of Strome and Entwistle (bulldogs season tickets) and would be surprised if they go higher than 20 overall. Strome certainly can score but I still worry about his skating. I will say much better than last year but still isn't a strength. Though the analysts quoted seem to be more comfortable with it than me.

At least he throws the body around, I'll take that over he absolutely zero that 28 provides.

I'd like to flip Girgensons to the Americans - completely done with him. 4th line at best with the Sabres until 44 returns

. I might be piling on at this point but here is the June scouting report from the Draft Analyst. Again a complete 180 from your post. 60. C Cliff Pu (London Knights, OHL): If you’ve been following our rankings, you might be saying “Cliff Who” when noticing his meteoric rise from the near-bottom to the near-top. Take our word for it when he say he’s deserved every bit of the recent hype, delivering clutch play and two-way dominance for a London team almost anyone would have to scratch and claw their way to earn ice time. Why is he special? Pu’s big (6’2), fast and can fire off a very good shot. But the biggest eye opener was how he was able to produce in limited time and received next to nothing in offensive zone starts and/or on the power play. When London’s big names (Tkachuk, Dvorak, Marner etc.) were at the WJC, it was Pu and Max Jones who ran the offense.

from OHL Prospects blog June 2016 Cliff Pu - Forward - London Knights (2 votes) Highest Placement: 9th (1x) Comments: "While overshadowed by London's top line, Pu has been a huge driver on the second line thanks to his speed and vision. Has all the tools to be an impact player next year and his size makes him a tantalizing NHL prospect." - Kennedy "Biggest riser in the entire draft. He has shed the label of being soft and become a very quick power forward that has just gotten exceptionally better under Dale Hunter. He uses his speed and size now to create opportunities and although he will never crush guys, he isn't scared." - Seidel

where are you getting your information from? He is 6'2 192lbs at 18.5 years of age. 64% Face off %. as per his hockey IQ and puck handling skills. Here is the scouting report from Future Considerations: SCOUTING REPORT: Pu is a power forward with size and offensive skill. He displays good vision on the rush with the puck while moving at top speed, able to see his options and seam a pass or keep it if needed. He looks poised with the puck as he stickhandles through the neutral zone and gains the zone, Pu is a like a dog on a bone at times, trying to get the puck off the man in the corner and down ice with strong back pressure. He is used as more of a depth scoring option due to London’s high-end talent up front, but he has done an admirable job creating offense nonetheless while also limiting the chances against and playing on the second penalty killing unit. Pu does a good job getting the inside track on footraces and turning up ice to make the smart play. Because he skates well, he displays some offensive skill and has size. We think he will blossom and take his game to the next level when the likes of Marner, Dvorak and Tkachuk graduate and he moves into London’s top six. He has the talent to develop into a scoring threat in the OHL, but may need some time. From Hockey Buzz: CLIFF PU went from nobody to hot prospect with a surge in the playoffs showing spiked confidence in his speed, grit, and finishing ability. A solid 6’1.5’’ 192 with breakaway speed, Pu in all seriousness was a steady top 9C for London this year .Pu has a little bit of everything you want in a pivot: speed, grit, effort, sense to go where the puck will be, quickness on the cycle, and quickness to break out.

I just saw this post. How can you not see him as a future NHL player? my guess is you've never seen him at all.

now that I had to go back and do the work right back to 2005-2006 Here is the list of players who outscored Pu at the same or younger age (in no particular order) 1) Connor McDavid 2)Taylor Raddysh 3) Alex Debrincat 4) Mitch Marner 5) Dylan Strome 6) Matthew Tkachuk 7) Patrick Kane 8) Sam Gagner 9) Bryan Little 10) Taylor Hall 11) John Tavares in the famous 2005-06 year only Rob Schremp, Wojtek Wolski, Dave Bolland and Dylan Hunter scored at a higher PPG ratio than Pu and all were at least 19 when the season started. Schremp turned 20 January of that year, Wolski turned 20 in Feb, Bolland was 19 for the entire season and Hunter was a true overager 20 for the entire season (a Sabres draft pick). Pu will turn 19 next summer Bottom line is I like his chances to be an impact NHL player for the Sabres.

why would you choose 2005-06? seems like ancient history compared to todays scouting? look at the draft back in those days way more hit and miss compared to today.

Here are the top 15 names that appear on the list at least once: Too soon to know: Raddysh, DeBrincat, Bracco, Pu, Mascherin, In NHL: McDavid, Dvorak, Marner, Labanc (I believe playing on line with Joe Thorton), Connor Brown, Tkachuk, Domi, Ryan Strome (though may be a disappointment), Trocheck, Konecny Not sure: Andrew Mangiapane - has 12 points in his first 14 AHL games though.

Here are the top 13 Points per Game leaders in the OHL over the last 5 years. Ive bolded guys who played were in their 2nd year (19 year olds). Basically it shows that prior to this season only McDavid, Marner, Strome and Tkachuk scored better than what Pu is doing as an 18 year old. Thats pretty good company for him and suggests that Pu may be closer to having a serious run at the Sabres roster than we might think. 1) Connor McDavid - 2.55 2014/15 - straight to NHL 2) Taylor Raddysh - 2.17 2016/17 - drafted 2016 (2nd round) 3) Alex DeBrincat - 2.09 2016/17 - drafted 2016 (2nd round) 4) Christian Dvorak 2.05 2015/16 - drafted 2014 5) Jeremy Bracco 2.04 2016/17 - drafted 2015 6) Mitch Marner 2.03 2015-16 - drafted 2015 7) Mitch Marner 2.00 2014/15 8) Dylan Strome 1.98 2015/16 - drafted 2015 9) Kevin Labanc 1.95 2015-16 drafted 2014 10) Dylan Strome 1.89 2014/15 11) Connor Brown 1.88 2013/14 drafted in 2012 12) Matthew Tkachuk 1.87 2015/16 drafted in 2016 13) Cliff Pu 1.82 2016/17 drafted 2016

I don`t like the rule at all and I`m a season ticket holder for the Bulldogs. I just think if a player outgrows his league he deserves to be placed into a more competitive situation. The development of the prospect should be the number one priority of both the CHL and NHL. I don`t mind having to play the 3rd season but the 4th season the team should have the option of where their prospect is best to develop. There will still be lots of good players in the CHL even if the rule is amended.