The Potential Signing of Giorgio Estephan

[Thorny]

Sabres choose not to sign Estephan, per reports, as mentioned on twitter:

 

https://twitter.com/pham1717/status/870383798415962113

 

Prefacing by saying I'm not "in the know" on the issue, I don't like this decision.

[pi2000]

Sabres choose not to sign Estephan, per reports, as mentioned on twitter:

 

https://twitter.com/pham1717/status/870383798415962113

 

Prefacing by saying I'm not "in the know" on the issue, I don't like this decision.

 

Paul Hamilton... saying BUF didn't want him.   Who really believes anything out of this guys mouth anyway.

[Weave]

LOL at the reactions to this.  The first prospect that we like that is walked away from and all the In-JBot-We-Trust disappears.

 

1. I would imagine that our new GM likes a different type of player to build a team with than our old GM did. I am sure we will see more players we were attached to get moved along because they don't fit his vision for the future.

 

2. Our new GM may also have a different philosophy regarding how he stocks his AHL affiliate.  Maybe he looks for a few core guys to develop into NHL players and fills the rest with specific roles.  Given Scranton's recent success (And P-burghs ability to fill their roster with young guys that perform), I'm not going to question how he builds an AHL team.

 

3. The previous two GM's tended to stock the farm with the idea that if you throw the dice enough times the right number will come up.  Yeah, that hasn't worked.  Change is good.

Edited June 1, 2017 by We've

[ubkev]

The worst part of all of this is that I have to stop making Miami Sound Machine references as Gloria fades into obscurity.

 

Other than that, this simply doesn't matter to me, at all.

[Wyldnwoody44]

..... Double meh....

[inkman]

The worst part of all of this is that I have to stop making Miami Sound Machine references as Gloria fades into obscurity.

 

Other than that, this simply doesn't matter to me, at all.

This x 1000

 

 

He's going back into the draft for what it's worth

[dudacek]

As I said up thread, Varone level talent in my opinion.

If JBot wants to focus his development efforts on players with higher ceilings, who are we to argue.

 

I would imagine part of developing talent is being able to create an environment where they can succeed.

There are only so many spots available in Rochester. You need to be either someone who can help the Sabres, someone who should develop into a Sabre, or someone who can help a Sabre develop.

 

You know Estephan wasn't one or three. Maybe the slots for two are already filled or about to be filled with better options.

 

I'm not going to second-guess Botterrill's judgement in the AHL because of a George Stephens.

[OhMyDahlin]

I'm not for or against the signing but someone in the comment section I linked literally said he's going to be Jonathan Drouin.

Wrong. The person says he has potential and given the stats he put up, why can't his potential be Drouin-esque?

 

"I would say that shows ‘potential’…as good potential as Drouin? why not."  That's not even close to "literally said he's going to be Jonathan Drouin."

 

*There's no reason the Sabres shouldn't have signed this kid, and it just looks bad on Botterill..."Hey prospects, bust your ass and improve every single year, and you still might not get a contract."

 

This team lacks centers, they lack goal-scoring, they don't have many prospects as it is, and Rochester desperately needs someone with his kind of skills. He seems like a better Evan Rodrigues, with slightly less speed. He was the highest scoring Sabres prospect the last two years...and he missed a full month last season. And I don't think many people get their information from message boards. Personally, I read magazines like The Hockey News, I search for articles on a specific player, and occasionally when I can find games I watch those. This kid started out producing on an really awful team and he was a cornerstone of which they built their program around. He played on a line with two undrafted players, and they were one of the most dynamic lines in the CHL, and completely turned around their program, after being a "laughingstock" to become a winning team in just a couple years while he was there, as a big part of it.

 

I've read a lot of positives attributed to his game...

 

http://buffalonews.com/2016/08/05/estephan-pay-big-dividends-sabres/

http://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/giorgio-estephan-quietly-one-sabres-best-prospects/

 

- Stepped into a tough league at 16 years old.

- Has the potential to play anywhere in the top-9.

- He's smart and uses his knowledge to dissect situations.

- Plays heavy and creates space for himself.

- Plays hard on both ends of the ice.

- Hard and accurate shot, good passing and stickhandling abilities.

- Anything from the circles down, he has a chance to score.

- He was a leader for his team, and wore the "A."

 

He's very determined to be a good player and has a chip on his shoulder, to prove he should've been drafted higher.

"He’s going to play,” Kisio said. “He’s going to be a really great player for the Sabres.”

 

The only knock on the kid was his skating, which he worked on after practice every day and dedicated his free time to improve it...going as far as actually staying in Buffalo during the summer to work with skating coaches.

“He’s going to get it right,” Kisio said. “One thing I don’t do is doubt him. He’s determined.”

 

 

He was drafted 4th overall in the 2012 WHL draft, one spot behind Brendan Guhle...so he has obviously always been a very good hockey player, that dominated at every level he's played at so far.

 

I get it, he's gone now...but you know who else was a 6th round pick with less than ideal skating? Mark Stone, and how's that working out for Ottawa after they stuck with him and developed him? He's become a player we'd love to have.

 

(I couldn't care less about Gustav Possler.)

Edited June 2, 2017 by Dank Dangleson

[Ogre]

LOL at the reactions to this. The first prospect that we like that is walked away from and all the In-JBot-We-Trust disappears.

 

1. I would imagine that our new GM likes a different type of player to build a team with than our old GM did. I am sure we will see more players we were attached to get moved along because they don't fit his vision for the future.

 

2. Our new GM may also have a different philosophy regarding how he stocks his AHL affiliate... I'm not going to question how he builds an AHL team.

This. Profound. Old Timmy and Grant were actually playing hockey. Ullmark was a brick wall and everyone else looked like part timers. I had a theory about officiating but that was swatted from the sky like a blind housefly. Very few repeat officials. Not many excuses for that last season.

I should edit to add in the guys like Austin. Great effort and actually improving. A plus to the season.

Edited June 2, 2017 by iTInSn

[dudacek]

Phil Varone was a similar prospect with similar numbers in juniors that the Sharks chose not to sign.

Sabres inked him as a free agent and as an AHL rookie he put up more than 50 points.

 

Sabres looked smart, Sharks looked dumb.

Six years later, Varone remains a 50-point AHL player.

Sharks don't look so dumb any more.

 

Sure he could end up like Stone, or Matt Moulson, or even Luc Robitaille.

Nine out of ten times, they end up as Phil Varone.

[dudacek]

Kevin Sundher, Luke Adam, Mark Mancari, Mike Zigomanis...

Lots of more talented Sabre picks who put up as good or better numbers in junior who failed to make it up here.

[ParkMeadow]

Wouldn't it be ironic if he went back into the draft by his decision and the Sabres drafted him again?

 

Yeah.........no!

[GASabresIUFAN]

I don't know if this is the first strike against Jbot or another for XGMTM.  Only time will tell.  I think he should have signed him even if he becomes another Varone.  Amerks need good players to and Jbot, who played with Chris Talyor in Roch, should know that.  Also this organization is desperate for guys who can actually score and this kid has scored 65g in 127 regular season games since being drafted.  

 

That said, JBot's record in the AHL and the development of guys like Rust, Guentzel and Sheary, gets the benefit of the doubt for now.  However, I have a sinking suspicion that this kid will go on the fire with other good Sabre prospects who succeed in the NHL after being passed over by the Sabres like Hejda, Wideman and Hnidy

[inkman]

Wrong. The person says he has potential and given the stats he put up, why can't his potential be Drouin-esque?

 

Holy semantics Bettman. And you wonder why you had a negative experience here. :wallbash:

 

 

I never cared if they signed him or not but you'd think they failed to sign Jack Eichel the way some posters are acting.

 

If two NHL gms didn't think he was worth signing, I'm ok with it.

 

This is Mike Zigomanis all over again minus the fax machine. Ass hats still make fax machine joke despite the fact Mike never turned out to be more than a career AHLer.

[LGR4GM]

Estephan can't be Drouinesque because Drouin put up those numbers at a younger age. Age matters a ton when examining CHL numbers.

[Two or less]

So I have been trying to figure out where all the hub bub about this kid came from. My only conclusion is that fans have too much time and too much access to prospects. Ten or 20 years ago, we'd all just shrug our shoulders and write this off as JBOT and GMTM knowing their shiz and not think much of it. Now we all can watch highlights and compare stats, even through they are used incorrectly more often than not. Things like this lead to conclusions like this: (he's going to be Jonathan Drouin)

 

http://www.diebytheblade.com/2016/1/18/10784936/sabres-links-varones-great-return-parents-trip-begins-cornel-scores#comments

 

I feel like this is just something made up to help justify your position on the issue with zero backing.

 

The Sabres weren't able to sign Barrett Heisten and that was a big deal. He used a loophole that college players can play til their 20 and then transfer out of college to a CHL team and become free agents. That was a pretty big story back then. Granted, this was a first round pick but back then the first round didn't mean as much as it does now.

 

Also, Mike Zigomanis, when it was time to sign him up, i remember there was a big buzz leading up to the deadline to sign him, a Zigomanis watch, and when he didn't sign in time, team faced backlash and then it came out there was a fax machine error or something.

 

I'm sure theres other examples but these two come to mind first.

Of course, both players were bums so it's a moot point i guess. lol

[Thorny]

He gone.