Thorny

Baker isn't all that reliable in my mind. His breakdowns and stuff are informative and good but every Sabres prospect to him is the next coming. Holtz could end up good but Baker being high on him doesn't mean much, I know he (among others) was exceptionally high on Mittelstadt too pre draft Hope in this case his admiration for Holtz isn't an indication he'll be the pick.

Best trade ever clap clap clap clap clap

Oh no. Holtz isn't even a pick I'd be "okay" with, I'd want a play-driver at that spot. Not a guy to "play with Eichel". Sanderson, no, not with how unbalanced our pool already is towards the D, I just don't see him being BPA in that spot by any sort of significant amount. Drysdale would be good, I can't see him falling to 8 though. If Wheeler's statement is in any way accurate, it sounds like they either have Holtz as the guy, if he's there, or they are reasonably certain he'd be there, and plan to weigh the pros/cons between him, or one of the D, whoever is still on the board. It also would kind of read like they view Sanderson/Drysdale pretty closely. Again, if true. I feel like our newly-stats/analytical based strategy they've been harping on would have Rossi as the guy over Holtz.

Thing about Scouts is, for any player even in the conversation as a top 10-15 pick there are going to be several scouts ranking that player's NHL comparable as Ovechkin or Joe Thornton. It's just the way things go - sometimes you do get Ovi, but more often when you are advertised to get Ovi you get Laine - not only "not Ovi" but a player I wouldn't even take on my team, in his case. Guy can sure rip it, though. Reminds me of Happy Gilmore. It's especially dangerous with pure goal scorers, as it's often the most valued attribute in a prospect, sometimes to the point of a blind-eye being turned to other, determinant factors. There's far too much of a necessary floor component to a top 10 pick for me to use one on a player like Holtz, imo.

Highest finish for a Sabres forward in nearly 3 decades.

Olofsson, Kahun, Cozens, Dahlin, Jokiharju, Samuelsson....that's enough "kids" to be getting on with. Thompson can be the 13th forward. That isn't a bench riding position, there are always going to be injuries. Mittelstadt and Asplund are literally non-entities until they FORCE their way into the lineup. "Looking to develop them" is not a priority for a team that knows it needs to make a run at the playoffs.

We aren't asking for the moon anymore like we were with Botterill. Not only because KA has proven he can actually brining in a C, but he already did it for no extra cost, we have the cap to add these two players, and they aren't exactly unicorn additions. I don't have a problem with expecting them to add two more forwards, a defensive C and defensive RW. UFA is even an option here, and we have a D surplus to mitigate. Olofsson - Eichel - Reinhart Skinner - Staal - XXX Kahun - XXX - Cozens Girgensons - Lazar - Okposo Dahlin - Jokiharju McCabe - Ristolainen/Miller/Montour Samuelsson - Ristolainen/Miller/Montour ...we need to move a D-man, if we pick up one of the two F assets we need in that swap, we are looking at one reasonable UFA move for the other. There's even still time to look at the bottom pair on the left side and goalie.

We need both I think. If the goal is playoffs, I think we need both, yes. We only have 2 NHL RWers right now, and one plays on the 4th line.

The Girgensons type I have at 4th line LW. And yes KO is on RW on a checking line. I really shouldn't have used the word "checking" there, I clarified after but it muddled my point. It's not so much a "checking line" RWer I want, but a defensively sound winger that (while accumulating a large number of points is not an necessity) facilitates offence - allowing the skilled players to "do their thing". Like how Panarin's line exploded with the inclusion of Fast. Sticking someone like Thompson or whoever into the top 6 is too likely to involve the other line mates having to actively make up for him. It addresses the hole, before Larsson made another one. Confusing again on my part - when I said "spots" I meant look other spots for that CENTRE.

I'd flip Skinner and Olofsson, but that's a nitpick. Haula seems pretty risky to me due to recent injury concerns. I'd look other spots first, personally. That lineup is definitely still lacking a checking line RW that I wouldn't be comfortable giving to any of the players you mentioned. I mean, it can be a bonafide top 6 W as well, but seeing as those are harder to come by, I'd settle for that two-way, more defensive player. I can see the LW/RW spots on the 3rd line being filled by Kahun and Cozens, and the 4th line LW by a Girgensons, and I'd actually be good with Lazar as the 4C I think if we get a good defensive 3C (Fantasy Land Copp, for example). Like I said, aside from that C, I'm hoping for that strong-defensively RWer.

You are the resident Jets fan around these parts, and you said you were willing to deal Copp for Casey. I obviously have no idea what Kevin Cheveldayoff, Born February 4th, 1970, would be open to, but I hold your opinion in high regard and since you said that deal seemed fair, I've run with it. Since I've been into Copp for a while. Also, going off the fact you said they'd be open to it. This Fictitious Fantasy Land could not be brought to You All without the valuable fertilizing manure you see here in this post. - - - And, you know, this is a message board, on which we are in a trade speculation thread. THE HUMANITY

A fair point.

Katy Perry Perry Mason

Don't you put that evil on Perfetti, Ricky Bobby

So you project him better than Reinhart? That's saying something.