Digger

I always liked Kirby Dach but he's not a number 1 center but maybe complementary to Suzuki. Lots of pressure in Montreal. Tough place to rebound.

I'm happy that they are still talking. I think signing with the Sabres would be a smart move for Ryan Johnson. Hopefully Adams can convince him that the Sabres organization is a great fit for him.

I agree that Kasper will be a nice pick for the Sabres if we can get him. I'm not sure about Detroit. I have a gut feel that they might take Lambert. They usually surprise everyone when they draft. We will see.

Why do we keep talking about Malcolm Subban? He's not still under contract is he? Why would we sign him again (other than a nice guy that can sing the anthem if needed). Move on.

Here's what I got (not sure how to copy over the results but pasted the text below). DRAFT RESULTS, 1 TEAM RND 1 MY PICKS 9 - FC RANK 5 - JIRICEK DAVID D HC PLZEN CZECHIA 6'3” 176 lbs 16 - FC RANK 16 - KASPER MARCO C RöGLE BK SHL 6'0” 176 lbs 28 - FC RANK 38 - SNUGGERUD JIMMY RW USNTDP JUNIORS USHL 6'1” 179 lbs

But this isn't anything new is it (the requirement for military service)? Maybe I'm not remembering correctly but I thought there are a number of countries that have a military requirement. I though Ristolainen had to complete his before coming to the Sabres (maybe only 6 months). I'm pretty sure countries like Finland and Sweden have a military commitment (or assessment) when they turn 18.

Okay but it would still be a great result and big step forward to have those 3 reach 50 NHL goals as a trio considering their total last year was 51 goals (NHL + AHL regular season stats). Cozens had 13 last season (NHL), Krebs had 11 (combined NHL & AHL), Quinn had 27 (combined NHL & AHL) I agree 60 would be an even better, bolder wish.

The line of Krebs, Cozens, Quinn show great chemistry playing together and combine for 50 goals.

Yes, kind of a strange statement, He’s still got a bit of a pitchfork in his skating.........

I can't wait until we are set in goal with a reliable pair. Every season it's a game of musical chairs with all the GM's looking.

I like Malone and was happy when he came back to the team last season. Good signing.

I'll take Hugo Hävelid with a 3rd or 4th if available. I agree that we need to add another GT in this draft.

Thanks but why is Kane pushing for this off season? He can still get a chance to play for a contender if he waits it out to the trade deadline and then come to the Sabres as a UFA. The Sabres may make the playoffs if everything comes together (as we all hope) but still won't be a contender next season. If I were Kane I would want to wait it out. I know the salary will still be a trade challenge at the deadline (with money retained and money back to the Hawks) and injury is a risk for both Kane and Chicago. This will be a fun story to follow and see how it develops if there's truth to it.

I try to put myself into the players shoes (or skates as the case may be). Patrick Kane is now entering the final year of his contract. That contract (amount and term) has prevented him from being traded in the past because of the value and really Chicago did not really suck until the past two seasons. He's at a point right now where he can wait it out until the trade deadline and play for a contender and another chance at winning the Cup. As for his dream of playing for the Sabres, he can do that too by signing with us as an UFA next year. I'm sure Chicago would love to trade him right away but I am doubtful that the trade ask is as low as what some of the proposals are in the thread. Don't get me wrong, I think many of the proposals are fair from the Sabres perspective but like we did with Eichel they are looking for a reset and this is an important trade. Kane had 92 pts last season, he won't come cheap even as a 1 year rental or a deadline deal. If he does want to come here and I were Adams I would stick to fair value and not budge. Wait them out.

I guess I missed the goalie trade since we've moved onto acquiring Patrick Kane? I'm pretty sure goal is still the number one priority for the Sabres. In terms of a trade I speculated they could have worked out an Eichel trade last season if they had wanted to (I liked Kirby Dach (who had a poor season this year) and Lucas Reichel (who played with Peterka in the WJC). I agree with many of the others to wait until he's a UFA. I imagine that he'll want to try to play for a contending Cup team when the trade deadline comes around and that will be the best value that the Hawks will get assuming they eat as much of his salary as they can (and most likely take back some salary too in the trade).

Thanks for posting. I love the Sabre UFA's are all in the last group called "The Spackle".

I didn't see this posted anywhere. It's a good listen, Hockey Guy's review of Hutton's career. Hutton did not work out for the Sabres but seemed to be a good character guy from the interviews I listened to. I wish him well in his retirement.

Thanks @DarthEbriate, I enjoyed the post. I'm looking forward to the draft. I'm sure that you agree the one that got away from the 2015 draft was Dan Vladar. I wasn't sure if he'd make the NHL at the time but loved the name. Not bad backup numbers.

Perhaps I'm wrong but here's my thoughts on this. Both Teppo Numminen (2005 - 2009) and James Patrick (1999 - 2004) played out the end of their careers for the Sabres playing for Lindy Ruff. I think that both were like having an extra coach on the bench during the game. They both really helped stabilize and improve the defense during their time here. I don't think that we are seeing that with PK Subban with New Jersey playing for Lindy Ruff (which is a perfect comparison since Ruff coach all 3 when they were past their best offensive years). I did not hear Lindy say anything about PK in his end of year press conference. I also don't see anyone else in New Jersey saying that he's a key player to resign at a lower contract number that he's expected to get. He is well like by his team mates and I'm sure he could play on the Sabres in a 5/6 role but I don't see the comparison.

Malcolm sang the anthem, maybe PK can sing too. Seriously I don't understand the interest in signing him. Maybe I'm wrong but I don't see PK Subban being anything like the roles that Teppo Numminen or James Patrick provided for the Sabres.

I'd love to see Fleury on the team for 1 or 2 years. Kadri and Ristolainen together on the same team? Fun locker room brawl.

Just wondering if you have any additional insight on the interviews. Obviously with the players that the Sabres selected for interviews they must be higher on the team's wish list for the projected draft position but why don't they interview everyone in say the top 15 or 20 or 30 in case a player slides in the draft or even a trade that comes up that day, etc? Is it just a time constraint that they can only fit in a certain number? Or have the Sabres actually ruled that player out for a certain reason (skill, projection, attitude, overall fit)?

I'm looking forward to seeing how Rosen looks at camp. It would be great if he shows up able to impress and then play (or dare I say earn a spot) for Rochester. But if he's not ready he will (we will) at least get a strong indication of how he stacks up and where he needs to improve (strength most likely as so many have indicated). The good news to me is that the Sabres now seem to be getting a stronger say in his development which is great. I still have high hopes for him.

Didn't the Sabres push a few years back to get the prospects on the ice for some additional testing after the combine? I can't quite remember but I thought some of the other teams thought that might give the Sabres an extra advantage as the host. Why doesn't the NHL include on ice testing is another question? I did find a older ESPN article from 2019 that addressed that. Here's a clip from that story that gives a bit of rationale: Why the players don't skate at the combine Dan Marr, the director of the NHL's central scouting services, is charged with planning the annual combine. It's a big part of a job that does not begin or end with the execution of the event. Marr, who has been on the job since 2012, used his first year to observe how the combine operated. After that, he looked for ways to better serve the member clubs with this event, so he took a comprehensive survey with input from all teams. Among the questions on that survey was if there was an appetite to add on-ice testing. According to Marr, two-thirds of the respondents did not wish to add an on-ice component to the testing, especially after learning what that would entail. "You have to have guys to bring the equipment. You need proper support staff. You also need the proper insurance," said Marr, noting the introduction of equipment requires the need for equipment managers and potentially more athletic trainers on staff. "There's just not a whole lot of time anyway. [The teams] are already tied up with meetings." Essentially, the benefit was not viewed as significant enough to outweigh the challenges that would come along with on-ice testing. Marr also noted that agents and advisers have expressed concerns about adding an on-ice component, wondering what their clients ultimately would gain from it. Another key issue is the time of year that the combine is held. Some players have been out of action for over two months, while some have either participated in the recent world championship or the Memorial Cup. It creates a further imbalance among the players that could ultimately skew the results.

How much do you think the combine results affect a player's actual draft position? Perhaps the testing just helps identify any unknown weakness or maybe gives an even comparison between prospects? The interviews (in person) are the biggest benefit I would think. I just wonder about how important the combine is after it was cancelled for the last two seasons. As a fan I do enjoy the story lines and extra info that comes from the NHL Daft Combine though.