JoeSchmoe

We're picking 9th, so Martin's skating is definitely a compromise. I just think he makes the team better than a better skater with less compete and less shot. I also feel like this is something that can be improved more than compete and grit which is just something you're born with.

For anyone that might be interested, at 645 in this clip Martin hits the 6'6 200lb Radim Mrtka.😀

I really like Marty but there's a such thing as too much Marty, and colour commentating would be well over that line.

Let me be the first on this thread to throw out a Danny Gallivan reference and say this was a Savardian Spinnorama of a hire.

Terry Pegula for Owner.

Adams knew Byram's value. The value was that he was not on an expiring contract whereas Mittelstadt was up for a pay raise... I.e. he saved Terry a few $mill for the all important yacht, while placating the fan base into thinking that the trade might make sense in a few years time. Another in a long list of shrewd moves by Adams that's kept him in a job despite 5 years with no playoffs.

Byram played with Dahlin. End of story. Even a 6'4 225lb 2nd round marshmallow can look like a $30,000,000 player next to Dahlin. 😞

Yes... The whole team for that matter. Less so with Power than the other two though.

I've posted this many times. When we got him, Byram was a sub 50% expected goal % player on a stacked Avalanche team where basically everyone was above. He also had cherry picked assignments with Manson and Girard getting the tough defense zone matchups that typically drop the %'s. On the Sabres he was always one of our worse expected goals too unless he was playing with Dahlin. We don't want him, nor his contract asking price. Had he asked me, I would have helped him move too.

I was going to say that as well, but from my Google search, he didn't play on their line. Who knows about the PP, but given I haven't watched any Bulldogs I figured I'd play it safe and not mention it.

O'Brien's Bulldogs team was a +60, while he sported a -2. Let some team that already has a culture of playing 200ft take him. We're already 8th in the league in Goals For... we just need to improve on our 4th worst Goals Against. O'Brien isn't that guy.

That Wheeler article you just posted still has him at 10th. Are you thinking Philly, Boston, or Seattle will want him at 6 thru 8? I definitely don't see him going ahead of Misa, Schaefer, Mortone, Hagens, or Desnoyers.

I watched the full game too. Martin got the 2G, player of the game (Ivankovic should have got it) and led Team Canada at +4. They haven't updated it, but I think he'll get the tournament lead at +15. I wanted to see him get the hat trick, but TBH he seemed disinterested... I thought he was coasting from about the 5-0 mark. Not sure if that's a cause for concern or a pro given the team had the game won and he's team first? Edit: Here's the final +/- leaders.

That would be culture changing!

If there's a 70pt guy, we have to take him... But outside of Misa, do you think any of the other picks will hit that? As I was saying before, Martin was a +25 on a team that was -42 and has the work ethic to change the culture of the team. Plus, he was one of the best offensive players in the draft in the second half of the season and I see him at 50 to 60 points in his prime. From what little I saw, I also really like that Carter Bear guy you posted about... I just happen to know Martin's game going back quite a few years and think he has intangibles that other kids might not have.

One last link...

Martin got thrown out of the U18 semifinals against Slovakia for this late hit. I think the Mike Peca comparison might be right... I was reading in another forum that at 17yo the Soo fans think he's already the best hitter in the league. The hit was clearly late, but all signs are that he plays the type of hockey many Sabres fans are clamouring for. Let's trade down and get him (and avoid O'Brien at all costs).

Hopefully Rochester keeps winning. We've got a lot of trade pieces there we can spin into vets. A deep run will only up their value. This is provided KA will actually take on the $$$ associated with veteran contracts.

RJ was so good!

I'm surprised to see him going, especially after being snubbed for the 4 Nations. https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/tage-thompson-matty-beniers-highlight-usa-initial-roster-2025-world-championship

I could see Mortone sliding. He was a fish out of water at the U20's. Really overmatched. His 2nd half of the CHL season was lacklustre as well. Maybe he's been fighting something. That said, I think there's a true advantage of being an 06 vs an 07 in the CHL, to which Mortone was the benefactor. The age difference itself is minimal, but Mortone has played his entire career against kids a year older than the 07s. He was also in his 3rd year of CHL vs 2nd year for the 07s, who also may have seen limited ice in their rookie seasons. As the season progresses, the advantage of the extra year of experience begins to minimize and the cream rises to the top. Unfortunately, Mortone may not be the cream.

I must be living in the dark here. The U18 World Championships are starting this week. Here's an article from TSN for the 8 Canadians to watch. I'm interested in seeing Roobroeck. During my son's entire minor hockey career, he was always the defacto #1 2007 kid (Misa played up with the 06s). He got passed by Schaefer right before the OHL draft and went 2nd overall behind Schaefer and ahead of Martin. He plays a Matthews type game in that he's big and opportunistic. Just when you think you've shut him down, you quickly realize you haven't and he scores three. https://www.tsn.ca/hockey-canada/seven-players-to-watch-for-canada-at-men-s-u18-championship-1.2293024

Bear looks good too! He looks like a better playmaker than Martin for sure and would be a great pickup. Too bad the clip didn't show the physical play you mentioned. His +/- compared to the rest of his team isn't as near as impressive as Martin's (he's 7th on the team). He's also an 06 with an extra year of CHL development. I think for pure playmaking, Bear looks like he's our man. For a 200ft gritty player combined with an elite shot, Martin wins.

The first 50 seconds might be worth watching. It's all physical play. Edit: Watching this again makes me think he could be bigger version Benson.

I know I hyped him earlier... But we have to trade down for Brady Martin. He's seriously undervalued. +25 on the Soo Greyhounds that were a -42 as a team. No one else on his team was even close to him. By comparison, Porter Mortone is a +19 on a team that was +58. Mortone is also an 06 vs Martin being an 07 and has had an extra year of OHL experience. I'm sure the guys ranked 5 through 9 might have similar or slightly better numbers points-wise, but I can tell you having seen a lot of him over the years that he's the kid is a beast. He's just never had the benefit of playing on a good team.