GASabresIUFAN

NYR trade Georgiev to the Avs for a 5th in 2022 and a 3rd in 2023. Letang re-signs with the Pens; 6 years $36.6. https://www.nhl.com/penguins/news/penguins-agree-to-terms-kris-letang-six-year-contract-extension/c-334842348 I guess Kuemper is going to test the FA waters.

So Anderson type numbers.

I haven't seen much news yet, but thought we should have a thread for it. I did notice that the Sabres are the only team with huge early draft capital. Arizona has 3, 27, 32, 34, 36, 43, and 45. Columbus has 6, 12 and 44 Minn has 19, 24, 47, and 56 Ana has 10, 22, 42, and 53 Sea has 4, 35, 49 and 61 Mon has 1, 26, 33, and 62

I'm now a huge Matt Murray fan. He knows he stinks and that getting him would hurt Buffalo's rebuilding efforts. Thanks Matt for looking out for us.

Why?

Korchinski's range in 16 draft rankings that I have on my spreadsheet is actually pretty tight. His high is 8th and low 19th with an average of 14.38. Mintyukov and Mateychuk are next with averages of 15.56 each, but their ranges are much larger with Pavel 10 to 26 and Denton 8 to 24.

That very well could happen. I can also see AZ trading down a couple of slots, picking up more assets and then taking Cutter a 5 or 6. Maybe Columbus will want to move up and take Cooley.

I think everyone is in that boat. The range on some of these guys is incredibly wide. Bichsel's range with 16 rankings is 17 to 55, Pickering 16 to 53, Snuggerud 8 to 42. Lambert is 5 to 42. The Russian factor alone could make or break all the rankings and also blow up the actual teams' drafting. I've done more reading on this draft then ever before and honestly I think there are guys into the 30s who I really like and think will be good NHLers like Luneau and Havelid, but the top guys remind me of 2017 when we really had no idea who the best player was going to be and low and behold the guys taken 4 (Makar) and 5 are arguably the two best players with the 20th draft Robert Thomas moving quickly up the board.

I think it couldn't hurt to read up more on Lekkerimaki. He isn't a perimeter player. He is a guy who looks for creases in the defense to get his amazing shot off. However the reports I read said he is a fierce forechecker and an improving two way player. He sounds like a better version of Victor Olofsson. Odds are we'll be moving on from VO in the next 3-4 years if he is re-signed. Lekkerimaki sounds like an upgrade replacement. Pronman compares him to Jordan Eberle, who has nearly 600 points in 850 games. Savoie would also be fine if he falls to us, but if Kasper is still on the board, I'm taking him over Savoie, Nazar or Lekkerimaki. I also want no part of Yurov or any other Russian player in the first 2 rounds unless they are committed to staying in NA now and forever. Yurov is returning to Russia so he is currently off my board. My ideal is Kasper at 9, Ostlund, Kulich or Snuggerud at 16 and Chesley at 28.

That would be correct.

So it's in KA's interest to either sign him now or trade him for a pick better than the 62nd or 63rd.

Did you think they were good hockey players?

Eichel

Makes you wonder who's next.

No your wrong!

I would say "linked" basically means that the guys agents have reached out to KA to gauge our interest in their client or KA has sent feelers out to their agents.

If this post is accurate Yurov is off my draft board in the 1st. I'd consider Gleb and Miro if we know they are staying.

That would limit the risk obviously, but I can’t imagine the mix of emotions a kid would be going through to sign here and hope the Russian govt doesn’t retaliate against his family.

I’ve seen people here say he is a perimeter player. I’m not sure that is completely accurate. I just re-read a couple of scouting reports that talk about him finding open slots in the defense, a strong willingness to forecheck and an improving willingness to back check. The biggest issue in the reports was average speed and choppy skating. That sounds fixable. The rave about his blistering shot. Honestly he sounds like Quinn in a lot of ways. We could do worse. I wrote up thread almost as a joke for KA to get the complete Swedish line of Lekkerimaki, Ohgren and Ostlund. Maybe it’s not that bad an idea.

I hope you are right in taking a positive approach to those comments.

Sure he is confident. Putin says Russian players stay home or else. I repeat, I’m not drafting any Russian players in the 1st round. It’s just not worth the risk. Yurov may have top 10 talent, but the difference in talent at 16 between him and say Ohgren, Kulich, Snuggerud or Nazar is enough to justify the risk. I may regret this stance in 5 years, but KA has repeated on numerous occasions how important this draft is to the franchise’s future, I don’t see him taking the additional risk. So how does that gel with taking 4 Russians last year? Simple, last year he had good scouting on the Russian kids and Putin hadn’t invaded the Ukraine.

I think I’m passing on all Russians in the 1st round. These are important picks for the franchise longterm and they aren’t worth the risk.

Here is a semi bold prediction: prospects Johnson and Portillo get traded during the draft. KA uses the 9th overall pick and one of the prospects (Johnson) to move up to 4 and takes Nemec or Jiricek. He then takes Snuggerud at 16, but then trades 28 and Portillo to move up to somewhere around 22 and takes either Kulich or Ostlund.

So your saying there is some work to do.