GrassValleyGreg

I’m not sure how you could be upset that the team’s most respected and well-liked player and man was named captain. This was the most obvious selection in years, and was telegraphed pretty clearly throughout the summer.

Columbus feed far worse than Sabres, even before the blackout. Comrie very quiet in his movements, exuding a calm confidence.

Haha nobody is saying this.

On cue: https://t.co/ZY2g1kRISa "Sabres prospect Isak Rosen is back to his scoring ways at the world juniors" Long read into Rosen's ups and downs over the past two years including highlights from the first two games of the Juniors. This would have been some nice hype if it wasn't for last night's performance.

Yeah this was after 2 minutes of him not being on the ice for the 6 on 4 and 6 on 5.

Rosen was completely irrelevant, playing only 9 1/2 minutes in Sweden's biggest game of the tourney. He wasn't out there for PPs or with the 6 on 5 man advantage in the final two minutes. Something happened between the Austria game and last night. Sweden as a whole has looked off the first two games and was overwhelmed in this one by the American forecheck. I'd say US won 80% of 50/50 pucks and absolutely hounded the Swedes. The Swedish response was uninspired, nervous play; clearly a team without a leader who were quick to point fingers or complain to the ref. It's a shame Rosen (or anyone on the team for that matter) didn't have the character to step up. I've been quick to defend Rosen and preach patience, but last night's performance leaves me the most discouraged I've been. Let's see how it goes tonight. One note: Lekkerimaki is the only skater that popped, albeit on a single end to end rush.

Man this thread has sucked for the last couple of pages. PA you made whatever point you’re trying to make. Let’s move on.

People are saying this because Adam Mair implied this was their preferred landing spot for him in his post-camp interview. I agree with you and Freeman for the most part -- his game does seem ready for the A -- although there could be benefits to him dominating in his first year on a NA rink in the Q vs potentially losing confidence in a much stronger league than what he's used to.

All accounts have Kulich as the star of camp, with Levi not far behind. I've heard pro ready and comparisons to JJ's meteoric rise post draft. Soon after the draft, when asked where he plans to play next year, he boldly responded "in Buffalo". Maybe he's not so far off? It would be great to have him on this side of the pond for his D+1 (drafted 3rd in the Q import draft).

Man I wish I could be in Buffalo for this. Have watched this at least 10 times to gauge everyone's reactions. Mostly just stick taps from the coaches.

Agree with all of these sentiments! My original comment was basically trying to say the bolded above - a secondary potential benefit for signing a well-liked goal scorer could be his value at the deadline. Like you both, I hope we aren't sellers but good to have options both ways. And Taro, yes I'll happily take another second rounder!

I understand no longer wanting to be sellers at the deadline, but there is a strong likelihood we will be again this year. If not, great, we have a somewhat affordable contract for just another year. If we are, then Vic is probably are biggest realistic trade asset and this contract helps. I'm also just not very high on Vic and think we have multiple players very close who will more than fill his role. But for vibes, continuity, and potential trade value, I'm good on the two years.

Agree with everything you said. I just want to emphasize the bigger difference is Olofsson is not close to Reinhart. But yeah, fine with this and the term sets him up to be moved at a deadline.

I think Östlund is the only sure fire center of the bunch. I read Savoie played much better in the second half when he was frequently moved to wing. We'll see but I'd say it was clearly BPA.

Like many, I was not a huge fan of this pick at the time. My limited reading and viewings showed a skater who played on the periphery and was uncomfortable winning puck battles and going to the front of net. I was also obsessed with the idea of getting a player like Ohgren at 16 to match with a high skill guy like Savoie. But the more I read, the more excited I get about Östlund 's high level of playmaking skill (higher than Savoie's in my opinion) and his extremely high ceiling, especially when he adds the weight and confidence to go in the dirty areas. There's also advanced metrics out there that show he drove the Lekki/Ohgren line, which eases the pain of missing out on Ohgren. Similar to Savoie, Östlund has been on scouts' radars for some time. From Draftin Europe: a big favorite since 2020, Östlund has not let down our high expectations since. He had to fight through different injuries during this year and one could argue he didn't take as much of a step forward as some of his peers, but finished his draft season in style with a strong showing at the U18s despite a sore shoulder (a carryover from the Swedish junior playoffs), leading his team to an unlikely Gold Medal. At 15, he was already showing on-ice awareness that most pros don't possess. If you want a strong dose of hopium, I recommend reading Draftin Europe's draft guide, which is currently free and can be found here. They have Östlund as the third best player out of Europe with a Top 5 grade (note: these guys also had Seider and Pettersson as Top 5's so they have a record of going against the grain and actually getting it right). Strengths Östlund is a natural, he’s one of those players that have an instinctive and thorough understanding of the game. At 15 he was already showing on-ice awareness that most pros don't possess. It’s an easy trait to recognize, not only in his play with the puck, but also in his play without it. Noah uses his IQ and vision to be a consistent defensive factor despite limited size, displaying tremendous on-ice attitude and work rate. He is relentless in his efforts and that attitude is, in fact, what we feel really separates Östlund from other prospects. It's particularly rare to find a teenager who plays such a skillful game and at the same time possesses the will (and the cardio) to go after the puck time after time. The combination of that innate perseverance with his ability to read the play and his deft stick work allows him to take away many pucks from the opposition. Östlund is capable of setting up his teammates as soon as he gets possession. Alternatively, he can go to work himself building up the play. His skating agility and stickhandling prowess make him an elusive puck carrier. He can find his way through traffic when attacking the offensive blueline. When being chased with the puck, he regularly relies on fakes and quick turns to create separation. He shows good instincts to protect the puck (positioning his body well to complement his puck handling), usually keeping it out of his opponent's reach. As he buys himself some time with the puck, Östlund can find open teammates in the offensive zone, even when they aren't an available option at first. He remains a deceptive player when he gets closer to the boards as well. He doesn't play scared in any way, and is able to turn in tight spaces to find a way out (between the wall and the pressing opponents), often drawing two players before quickly dishing out the puck to a supporting teammate, who got open as a result of Östlund’s movement. Noah plays with his head up and dances on top of the ice. He has a low center of gravity and wide base and can explode out of tight turns. He makes deep cuts and abruptly shifts his weight and changes direction. He is nimble, slippery, creative, and highly skilled. He is opportunistic around the net and contributes in all three zones. He can be relied on in all situations including first unit powerplay and penalty kill. His traits make him a prime option for top duties on both special teams and at 3-on-3 in overtime. He is the kind of player who still brings a positive contribution to his team overall in his less effective games. He can grind and make his presence felt on the forecheck. His motor, quickness of play and compete level are truly remarkable. He can move the puck in stride within milliseconds, as he processes the game like a chess master steps ahead of his opponents. Weaknesses We feel like most shortcomings in Östlund's game come from his current lack of strength and power. He has good shooting mechanics including a deceiving release, but will need to add power to become a respected shooter at the senior level. He is probably never going to be much of a long-range shooting threat, but becoming more of a threat from mid-range would make it more difficult to defend him off the rush. Noah is effective one on one as he usually finds his way around his opponents, but once physically engaged it becomes difficult for him to keep going. He gets bounced around pretty easily. While he is capable of finding his way through to the middle of the ice with the puck, we feel he doesn’t do this as often as we’d like. Trying to get to the inside more regularly, however, is another thing that may go hand-in-hand with physical growth. Attacking wide in smaller NHL rinks may prove to be more complicated and could expose him to frequent checks along the side boards. Östlund will need to physically develop before making a significant impression in professional hockey. We are positive this will happen, however, given his character and work rate.

My joy with the Kasper pick would quickly subside at 16 and turn to anger at 28. Chesley especially is a guy who can't break it out of his own zone. I may still be scarred by Risto but I want nothing to do with high compete, low processing defensemen.

Yes this is the point, which is why your distinction of LHD isn't really relevant and why I grouped our defensive prospects as more or less a single cohort (especially in discussing a player like RJ who can play both sides).

I'm not calling LHD a glaring organizational weakness per se, rather identifying our fairly empty cupboard of defensive prospects outside of Dahlin, Power and Mule.

This signing would be a huge boon for what is now a glaring positional weakness in our pipeline. I'm not sure if it was Lance or Chad, but its been reported there is newfound optimism in him signing. The closing pitch may come next week at development camp, where his peers and overall vibes could tip the scale. I'm hopeful.

Appreciate your opinion, Flash. It is pretty interesting where EP / Youtubers have Nazar compared to where some of the insiders have him. I'll guess we'll find out what the league thinks tomorrow.

Names I'm rooting for per draft pick: 9) Savoie, Kasper, Nazar 16) Ohgren, Mintyukov 28) Firkus, Trikozov, Mesar, Howard, Havelid, Odelius 41) Lund, Lutz, Goyette Others: Sykora, Ludwinski, Haight, George, Hamara, Minten, Sapovoliv, Greene I think I'm most excited about our 28/41 picks. There's just so much talent there.

As mentioned, skating is the overriding concern. From Elite Prospects: "His hunched-over stride affects every aspect of his game, not only his speed and agility. It limits his ability to lean against opponents to cut toward the net, to dangle them off the rush (as he can’t shift his weight smoothly enough to sell defenders on a fake), and to recover the puck after a mistake. McGroarty had no issue matching the pace of USHL opponents this season, but as he rises in level, his strength and motor might not be able to compensate for his inefficient stride mechanics". All that said, he has to be one of the higher character guys in the draft. I also think he has the skill and mind to overcome and improve the skating technique. I'd be ok with him as a safe pick at 28. Not so much at 16.

My hot take is Gleb is the only Russian forward in this year’s draft to find a high level of success in the NHL. I understand Yurov’s points comps in the MHL, but I really don’t see any elite skill in the offensive zone (maybe his forecheck?). Miroshnichenko is also getting a bit overrated in my opinion. Folks tend to think he’d be a top 10 lock if it weren’t for his passport and health concerns, and we’d be getting a hell of a discount if he fell to us at 28. But I just don’t see it from my limited viewings. He’s a consistent threat on the power play with his shot, but there’s a pretty consistent chorus of critique from scouts for his off the puck play (“floating”, “constantly trailing the rush”, “getting lost”). Add in the so called “Russian factor”, and I’d rather we pass on these two. There’s simply too much high ceiling talent in the top 41 to justify the risk. Gleb on the other hand…

Definitely agree on Kulich and Snuggerud, but all the advanced stats I’ve seen on Trikozov are top of class, especially in transition and offensive data (albeit in a weak league). Not to mention the fact he’s one of the youngest players in the draft with an August birthday.

I'm a fan of Beck as well. I'd be happy with him at 28, especially if we target high skill guys with our first two. If we land Kasper and/or Ohgren though, I'd want to swing for the fences on a high ceiling guy like Firkus later on. My sense is teams know whether his body can add another 25 pounds or not. If they think he can, he'll likely be gone by our pick. He projects very similarly to an Alex DeBrincat; an absolute elite arsenal of shots.