FrenchConnection44

You know, I’d have preferred we let him get his surgery in the off-season. That said, Krebs is young and talented. Tuch is a solid player. Speed and size. I like what both will bring. And the first helps. No idea how good Vegas will be but we have two firsts in 2022 (or 2023) right now so we need to do something there. I also like that we are already a team with some speed and we just got faster. And will eventually be deeper. Tuch had his surgery the last week of July (reported July 30) and the report was this is a known hockey injury with a full recovery. That means he should be back in early February if all goes well. If Buffalo actually stays in contention for the playoffs, Tuch could be a fantastic addition. Glad it is over and look forward to the future with these new guys. Key will be playing together as a ‘team’. “There can be no doubt that a tribe including many members who, from possessing in a high degree the spirit of patriotism, fidelity, obedience, courage, and sympathy, were always ready to aid one another, and to sacrifice themselves for the common good would be victorious over most other tribes; and this would be natural selection.” Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man

It's pretty clear with both the picks that the Sabres were looking for some speed. Both can skate. They also wanted size up front which they have been sorely lacking. There's just not a lot of physicality on the front line and Cozens with his size (he'll add another 20 lbs plus over the next 3-4 years) and speed will bring that. And, I think in Johnson the expectation is that he won't play for Buffalo for at least another two years. He's the 3rd youngest player in the draft at only 17. In that time, they expect to see his offensive talents develop. I was hoping for one of the top forwards as well but I think they decided to go with a kid who has raw talent and skating ability who can develop with a very high ceiling. Here's what Chris Peters at ESPN had to say about Johnson:

I'm very happy with this. The guy on NHL net compared him to Eric Staal. I think that's a pretty ideal comp. We needed some size as well as offensive talent. He's a great skater, with size and can score. So he has the raw necessities that give him a high ceiling. Early on, he could play some wing with Eichel - probably in year after next. Eventually, in 3 years, he'll have his own line. That he is a high character kid is also important - he'll be dedicated to his craft and as he grows into his frame, he'll add another 20 lbs over the next 4-6 years, he'll be a force. When everyone is drafting 18 year olds, you want the raw skills to develop. Physicality and offense are something Buffalo has been lacking and so this is a real positive. I think over time, in 2-3 years, you'll see him become an excellent 2-way, 200 foot center.

Of course size doesn't mean physicality in itself; but it's missing the point about what the Sabres need - more size & physical presence on the front line. I'd like to see us land Boldy or Podkolzin or Cozens b/c of their speed and size. However, Dach is such a smooth talented player in the league he plays in he hasn't needed to be physical. That said, as he gets bigger and stronger in the weight room and develops an NHL grinding mentality, his physical presence in the next 2-3-4 years will bring much more to the table in that regard than Zegras or Krebs will; and I wouldn't say Zegras is more physical than Dach. Even as Dach is not yet a player who tries to be physical, he still brings a physical presence to the slot. But, Dach will need to get in a weight room, get his size in the 210 range and then he'll bring a natural physicality to the game with ease. The only smaller guy I'd be okay with - but don't think will be there - is Turcotte b/c of the style he plays.

Of course, but that misses the point. It's not just about the weight they are right now, but about the frame and physicality. I'm referring to guys like Caufield, Zegras, Krebs, etc. who are smaller. Whereas a Cozens, who only weighs 180 right now, has the physical frame at 6'3 to fill out and go 210+ one day. But, then there are players who are already big - Kakko, Dach, Boldy and will get bigger and stronger as they move into the NHL weight room. The '5'11 180' number was not specifying one player but was a generic reference. But, we actually have seven forwards under 6 feet: Sobotka, Wilson, Sheary, Larsson, Skinner, Olafsson, and Rodriguez. And, depending on which site (ESPN, NHL) of the 14 forwards on the squad at the end of the year, only 5 were over 200 lbs, and 4 of those are listed right at 200-201 or so. THere's just not a big physical presence on the front line. Small, fast players are fine; but when your whole forward lineup is average to under size you lose something. You don't bring much in the way of an intimidating physical presence. Sure, if everyone of them has the explosive offensive talent of a Kucherov or Brayden Point, you might get away with that (But Tampa Bay also got crushed in the playoffs). But, I think it's important to have more players the size of a Matthews or Laine or Blake Wheeler (6'5, 225) to balance out some of our more smallish lineup and talent. Look at Toronto, Washington, Winnipeg, St. Louis and several other playoff teams - they all have a number of front line players 6'2, 6'3, 6'4 + well over 200 lbs, with talent and who bring a significant physical presence to their teams. Something that really has been missing with the Sabres. It helps overall, it helps defensively, and if you get in the playoffs it helps with that long 2nd season grind.

I don't think there's any way we get a shot at Kakko though he would be a great addition. I simply don't want any more small, finesse players. We need talented players, but we need more physicality to stand up to bigger teams. It's still a physical game. I'd take Cozens, Boldy, or Dach. All three have size, skill and can skate, thought Dach is not as good a skater as the others. Just not a fan of a 5'11, 180 lb player. We have way too many of those. We've got to get bigger! At the end of round 1, assuming we go with a forward in the top of round 1, I'd look for another quality defender.

1. Don't trade away a first round pick from 2019 for a veteran ... wait. We already did. Nevermind. 2. Draft bigger, more physical players. We are way too finesse and too small. We need physical, fast, and powerful skaters. The game may not have as many fights but it is dominated by big players who can skate and shoot. - Obviously a kid like Kaapo Kakko would be great but we won too many frigging games down the stretch to have a shot (dumb!). If we can draft either Podkolzin, Boldy, or Cozens with our first pick I'll take any of those three. Just stay away from smaller players. We need big, physical, skaters. 3. Pray that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has successful hip surgeries and becomes the top end goaltender that everyone hopes. He is listed as one of the top 5 prospects by Chris Peters at ESPN. Peters comments: "Finland native Luukkonen was nothing short of dominant for Sudbury in what will likely be his only OHL season. UPL also dominated the World Junior Championship, backstopping Finland to gold with a .932 save percentage while earning a tournament all-star nod. He's a massive goalie at 6-foot-5 and 212 pounds, but he is also very explosive. Offseason hip surgery may slow his progress, but the 20-year-old looks like he could be an impact goalie in the NHL in the relatively near future." https://www.espn.com/nhl/insider/story/_/id/26786645/nhl-prospect-year-why-cale-makar-franchise-defenseman

Very likely. But, if their goalie pitches a shut out, he'll wind up winning 16 games in the playoffs - most ever by a rookie. I really want the Blues to win. The first time I watched hockey was 1970 and it was the finals with - who else - the Blues and the Bruins. Bruins 4-0. Plus, I hate the Bruins (except when they are playing an expansion team from the past 20 years - I dislike them more). Give me original 6 plus 60's-70's expansion teams (e.g., Buffalo, LA, STL, Vancouver) any day over any other franchise.