Curt

Craig Rivet has been scathing on Eichel the person, but we were talking former teammates specifically.

Correct.

Malkin can’t stay healthy it seems, but he was on pace for a 40 goal season. I don’t think he is cooked yet.

Both Reinhart and Risto have played for 6 NHL coaches over the past 6 seasons. McCabe would be the same but he got hurt last season and never played for Granato. Its kind of funny that Eichel, Reinhart, Risto and McCabe left the dysfunction of Buffalo and in all 4 cases their new team fired the coach within their first year there.

Listen, none of us can PROVE anything. We are not going to prove that Eichel is good in the locker room or that Eichel is toxic. We won’t. I know it was worded as a negative, but I’m surprised that is such a hang up. I’ll rephrase it if that helps. Do we have any evidence that Eichel is good in the locker room? It’s the same question. You could reply with evidence that Eichel is good in the room. It’s the same as evidence that he isn’t toxic.

You asked the question. You asked if any past teammates have actually been publicly critical of Eichel. Brian Gionta has. That’s all. If your follow up to that was going to be “So What!!!” then why did you even ask? No one said that you have to prove Eichel isn’t toxic. The question was do we have any evidence that he wasn’t/isn’t? @nfreeman was asking a simple question and it wasn’t an ultimatum of either provide evidence he isn’t or Eichel’s toxic. We discuss things here. nfreeman’s question was not a personal ultimatum laid down to you. It wasn’t even directed to you specifically. It was just a question that could serve to start a discussion. If you don’t want to have that discussion, then don’t, but it’s not ridiculous that other people might want to. And also, the question was “is Eichel toxic?”. Stop trying to reframe it as people scapegoating Eichel as the source of all the Buffalo Sabres organizational issues. That’s not what anyone is saying.

Brian Gionta has spoken critically of Eichel. Not pinning all of the organization’s issues on him, but he has been critical. I don’t believe that @nfreeman was asking the question in order to put full blame on Eichel. He knows that it’s been dysfunction from multiple angles with this franchise. Rather, that question was your opportunity to provide some evidence that Eichel is not a destructive/toxic locker room presence. You didn’t.

I have no idea what he will do. But I’ll add to the convo that if he wants to be closer to home, there are a lot of option apart from the armpit Arizona franchise. Vegas, LA, and Anaheim are all a reasonable driving distance (<6 hr) from his hometown. Then there are several other western teams that are probably very quick flights away.

Yeah, I suspect that many have a visceral gut reaction to just shun all Russian prospects because they remember that cloak and dagger area. I’m not blessed or burdened by those memories. Although the current situation is a consideration, it’s not stopping players from coming over. I kind of see the other side of the same coin. The Sabres don’t currently have an elite forward or a player that projects to be one, but they do have extra picks. Now might be the time to take some risks in an attempt to get super high end players.

And I think that’s visible from watching him. One glaring example is that he used to very often do those long exaggerated toe drag moves around defenders to create a clear lane for a shot. Problem was that it was time consuming and obvious. Goalies had time to see where and when the shot was coming. Now he hardly ever toe drags like that. He usually just lets it rip before the goalie has time to adjust. That’s working better for him.

When you say early picks, you mean 9 and 16 specifically? I can understand that opinion. I get why some feel very uneasy about the current political situation, but I just haven’t seen any evidence come up that these Russian prospects are going to be much harder to bring over than in the past, despite the current political environment. I just don’t feel that worried about it. For example, If you have a guy at #5 based on skills and you can get him at #16, I say go for it. I know it’s often a case by case basis with Russians based on their contract situations and personal inclinations, but I don’t think the war has made a huge difference in getting these guys over to NA.

Power wore 22, but always wore 25 for Canada. Jack Quinn also always wore 22 and wore it for the Sabres first. My guess is that 25 is Power’s 2nd choice and he keeps it.

I do. It is a factor to consider. However, right now war is happening and it hasn’t stopped Russians from leaving the country yet. Maybe something worse will happen in the future that changes that, but I can only knock these prospects back so far because of something that might happen at sometime in the future. If the current situation was “we don’t know when these guys are going to be able to come to NA, but they can’t right now” then sure, knock them down a couple rounds lower than their skill merits, but that not the case right now. I just can’t get behind a “don’t draft” mentality. Knock them down half a round maybe, but any more than that seems excessive to me.

I’m not an expert, so really correct me if I’m wrong. Yes, feminine versions end in an -a, but you don’t also add -ov to the name. The feminine version of Hasek would be Haseka. I think, I guess. The masculine version of Hasekova, would be Hasekov. No?

Why would her last name be Hasekova? Even if they did follow the Russian naming tradition, the masculine form of Hasekova would be Hasekov.

But that’s NOT the way the world is now. Russian players are still signing with their NHL teams and coming over to play in NA.

I’ve been really thinking about the Miroshnichenko in particular as well as the other Russian prospects. Miro was very likely to be a top-10 pick. Supposedly his prognosis is good and he is in remission. I think he needs to be considered at 16. If he is there at the Florida pick, I think it’s mostly a no brainer. What about Yurov? Borderline top 5 prospect. I think he needs to be considered at 9. At 16, I think you need to pull the trigger. What about Perevalov and Trikeozov? Generally regarded as late 1st, early 2nd round guys. They should be considered at the Florida pick and at our 41st pick. If they are there at 72, it’s almost a must draft. I feel like they shouldn’t be too hesitant to draft Russians. I think this could be an opportunity to grab some undervalued assets.

1. I wouldn’t trust DBTB over other sources for information like this. They probably just messed up the weight one time in a rush to get the story posted right after he was drafted. In August they listed him as 5’10” 150. https://www.diebytheblade.com/2021/8/31/22649495/buffalo-sabres-top-25-under-25-22-aleksandr-kisakov-nhl-prospects 2. I don’t recall Adams staying that stuff, but he may have.

Kissakev is in the 2023 draft.

Oh, what was the misinformation?

I get it that it’s one of the more common things that prospects need to do, but (1) 5’10” is exceptionally thin for the NHL, and (2) it does take real work and effort for many people. Yes, people put on weight as they age, but some people have a heck of a time putting on any mass until their late 20’s or 30’s. This guy needs to add a lot of mass in the next couple years. There is a certain urgency to it. At the same time, with dedicated nutritionists I’m sure he will be fine. People talk about things here every single day that I have no interest in discussing. No need to engage.

It won’t be. No drafts are. Some players from this draft will be top 96 forwards and top 64 defensemen in the league.

Liar.

There almost surely will be players from this draft that are “franchise altering”. Problem is that no one knows who they are yet.

16? Exaggerating for dramatic effect? He was 18 when drafted, 19 now.