Curt

It’s possible, but 3 years is a long time to wait. Also means Botterill is not a good negotiator. If a prospect really pulled something like that, trade him.

His skating is not a strength. He really needs to improve it.

They will never publicly admit that it’s true, let alone give an explanation for it, and rightfully so.

Ok, I can see your point a bit more. It’s not without merit. Eichel I think is totally fine. He maybe lacked a little maturity at first, but he was 19-20 so, whatever. I’ve never doubted his work ethic and he just keeps getting feistier with age. Reinhart, I get the impression works hard enough, but maybe could give a bit more. Maybe it’s just his style of play though. Dahlin, I get the impression is a lot like you described Cozens. A pretty low key guy who is just hockey hockey hockey 24/7. He can have a bit of an edge to his game too. I think we’ll see more of that as his body develops more and he puts on weight. I’m hopeful that guys like Cozens, Asplund, Pekar, Borgen, Samuelsson, and hopefully the upcoming #8 pick can join the team over the next couple years as guys who can bring more of that hardworking type game.

I don’t think a lack of maturity and work ethic is something endemic among Sabres prospects. I honestly think that’s it’s just Nylander and Mitts. I do think the organization needs to continue to boost their overall intensity though. That’s why I want to see most players brought in to of the intense/gritty/competitive variety.

In 1991 through 1997, who did people think was better Nick Lindstrom or Brian Leetch? It was Leetch. One was a great player, the other is no doubt one of the top 5 defensemen of all time. It is Lindstrom.

How many more changes can there possibly be??? What prominent position in the hockey department hasn’t changed?

A couple problems that I have with Holtz are (1) he doesn’t really create high danger scoring chances. He finds open areas to receive a set up pass in and he has a great shot so he can beat goalies from these area, but he needs someone to create chances for him. I don’t think he’ll be a “line driver” in the NHL. (2) Not that you can have too many goal scorers, but Buffalo has Olofsson and Skinner already as wingers who can score, but can rarely create a scoring chance on their own. I think what the team desperately needs is a couple more players who can carry the puck, create a high danger chance, and create chaos for the defense. I think Eichel is literally the only guy who can do that right now. That’s what I would be looking for near the top of the draft.

Yes. Over the last 5ish years its actually become fairly predictable that certain guys will fall in the draft, but then succeed. It’s gotten kind of silly really. Average NHL forward is only about 6’ 1/2”.

I’m assuming that this is from someone who might know. Correct? Thanks buddy!

Agreed. I really like Lundell as a safe NHLer, with maybe more upside than it would seem at first glance. If he can get his skating straightened out he could show a lot more impressively. It’s one area that a lot of players make quite a bit of improvement on, so I’m hopeful. He could be a real workhorse type guy. 2C who takes on hard defensive tasks, still able to produce 50+ points, and plays in any situation.

I’m confused. You think it’s a kiss of death scenario?

I would. I would think they should regularly have discussions about players who are called up/sent down.

Im still not sure what you think Lundell is better at than Rossi. I agree with pretty much everything you say about him, but I think that a lot of the things you mention as strengths for Lundell, Rossi is just as good, and in some cases much better at, which I bolded above. It’s almost all the things written. I like Lundell, as a option in the top 10 even, I just think Rossi surpasses him in some important areas. I’m just curious how you compare the two and have Lundell come out on top. Admittedly, it can be had to compare such different leagues, so it’s a little tricky.

Oh, I’m not so sure about that. Not sure about Calgary, but for Tampa they desperately need the cap space, so if they decide that they need to trade away this good young player to get that cap space, they aren’t going to be wanting to take on much (any?) salary in the deal. They really really need the cap space.

^^^ Nice. Finley is a guy that I came up with when I was making out a list of potential “power forward” type prospects that Buffalo could draft. I think Buffalo could use a couple more big, physical forwards in their prospect pool.

The fact that you just listed Risto here but not Dahlin is a travesty of unimaginable proportions. Ban worthy, I would say.

Until they start winning, it’s shame on them no matter what.

I understand what you are saying, and in one sense you are right, but lottery tickets is a bad metaphor. It’s not dumb luck that the organization has no control over. There are actually reasons that players succeed or fail. The decisions that an organization makes can help them to identify and select more players who will go on to success. That’s why you see many organizations consistently performing above or below average in the draft. It’s a skill game with elements of luck mixed in. It’s not lottery tickets, it’s blackjack.

Some NHL C’s around his size are JP Pageau, Brayden Point, Vincent Trochek, Max Domi, Noel Accairi, Blake Lizotte, Alex Kerfoot, Jack Hughes, Tyler Johnson. I’m sure I missed a couple. Even going back to the last good Sabres team, they were led by two C’s about Rossi’s size Briere and Drury. Not all those guys have elite top speed. Same for the wingers that size really. How many C’s dominate their junior league in their draft year, but then fail because of their height? That’s the real question. Rossi is short, but not weak. He is thick, very strongly built, like a Drury, not a Briere. His skating is very very good, it’s a strength of his game. His acceleration, short area quickness, agility, and strength on his skates are great. I would say those are all more important than top speed. Even so, Rossi’s top speed is still probably above NHL average. Top skating speed is one of the more overrated aspects of skating. Players do a lot more starting, stopping, changing direction, turning, cutting than blowing halfway across the rink in a straight line, at full speed. Regarding Jack Quinn, you may be aware, but they actually did not play together at ES, and Rossi put up elite #’s at ES. I just think that when you look at all the factors, height is the only real deficit. I believe that his great skating combined with the fact that he is actually very strong for his height are going to allow all his other talents to play through, despite his height. And I’m actually going to ask the same question that I did in my last post: What do you think Lundell is better at than Rossi?

Still two development coaches employed. Two/three were fired. Maybe the new Director of Player Development will hire a couple more.

What, in your opinion, does Lundell do better than Rossi? For me, I think that Lundell has better size and maybe a better shot. They both have great hockey IQ and defensive game. Both should definitely be able to stay at C. Rossi is a better skater, better playmaker, and has better puck skills in general. I think that they both have a pretty high floor, but Rossi has a higher ceiling. For me, Rossi is the 3rd best prospect in this draft and I think it would be borderline crazy to draft Lundell ahead of him.

Agree, but also, Matt Ellis was hired at a department Director level. Does everyone actually think that he is going to be spending any significant amount of time working with players one on one? That’s for the development coaches. Not singling you out, but I just keep seeing stuff about Ellis working with players on skill development.

Just playing the odds, it is actually unlikely that Lundell does develop into a player of that caliber. Those guys are 1C’s (except Cirelli, who may be on pace to get there). And I like him.

What pro level head coaching experience is below AHL? Is a guy with experience as an AHL assistant really a super desirable hire? Is that better than lots of experience as a HC at the NCAA level? Don't a majority of AHL coaches come from the junior ranks? When Taylor was hired, he didn’t have a day of head coaching experience at the junior or pro level, just a couple years as an AHL assistant. People seem to think he was pretty good.