Pick #31 Ryan Johnson Defenseman

[JohnC]

59 minutes ago, Weave said:

Man, don't encourage this. inky is OG.  We don't want him gone and we don't want anyone providing a last tug.

If this place is so stressful that you are on the ledge then it's time to take a pause. 

[Weave]

15 minutes ago, JohnC said:

If this place is so stressful that you are on the ledge then it's time to take a pause. 

And he doesn’t need you or anyone else to push him. He had his moment. Let it go.  

[Andrew Amerk]

10 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

I didn't ***** start this conversation!

 

10 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

I didn't bring up anything and now I'm getting blasted. ***** this place. 

 

10 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Troll

Dang Liger, relax. It’s just the internet.

9 hours ago, inkman said:

I guess I just need to stop reading this forum.   Bye. 

Nooooooooo way man. 

[inkman]

On 7/26/2021 at 10:51 PM, Andrew Amerk said:

 

 

Dang Liger, relax. It’s just the internet.

Nooooooooo way man. 

I lasted a week.
 

 

[LabattBlue]

1 hour ago, inkman said:

I lasted a week.
 

 

Welcome back.  There is much more to this board than being a wannabe prospect know-it-all.  In fact, IMO, your contributions are much more enjoyable.   😉

Edited August 3, 2021 by LabattBlue

[postseasonblues]

[nfreeman]

I’d rather have @inkman around than Jack Eichel anyway.  

[Atlanta]

Is this guy going to sign?

[bunomatic]

2 hours ago, nfreeman said:

I’d rather have @inkman around than Jack Eichel anyway.  

Hang on. What could we get for Inkman ?

[irregularly irregular]

5 hours ago, LabattBlue said:

Welcome back.  There is much more to this board than being a wannabe prospect know-it-all.  In fact, IMO, your contributions are much more enjoyable.   😉

Glad you are back. Not that there is anything wrong with that. 

[Huckleberry]

43 minutes ago, bunomatic said:

Hang on. What could we get for Inkman ?

untouchable !!!!

[Weave]

4 hours ago, Huckleberry said:

untouchable !!!!

He’s so disappointed, yet so used to this.

[Doohickie]

On 8/3/2021 at 10:36 PM, bunomatic said:

Hang on. What could we get for Inkman ?

How about inky and Sabretooth for Gritty?

[inkman]

8 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

How about inky and Sabretooth for Gritty?

[tom webster]

On 8/4/2021 at 12:20 AM, Huckleberry said:

untouchable !!!!

From what I know of Inky, touchable would be a more appropriate moniker.

[nfreeman]

So a couple of people have mentioned, upthread and in the Owen Power thread, that Johnson is a flight risk.

He's played 2 years at the U of Minnesota and is presumably returning for his junior year, which starts in a few weeks.  I think if he plays 4 years there, he can leave the Sabres and become a UFA -- maybe as early as the end of his senior college hockey season (so he could join an NHL team for the end of that season) -- but I'm not sure about that. 

The Sabres drafted him with the last pick in the 1st round in 2019.  He had 14 pts in 27 games and was honorable mention all-Big-10 as a sophomore.  He played on the gold-medal-winning (take that, GWN!) US World Junior team earlier this year.  He's 6'1", 175 lbs, and just turned 20 a few weeks ago.

He grew up in Southern California and presumably has not harbored a lifelong dream to play for the Sabres.

He's probably not a future top-pair guy, but he sure seems reasonably likely to become a decent NHL defenseman, and thus a pretty decent asset that it would be a shame to lose for nothing.

Discuss.

 

[Flashsabre]

10 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

So a couple of people have mentioned, upthread and in the Owen Power thread, that Johnson is a flight risk.

He's played 2 years at the U of Minnesota and is presumably returning for his junior year, which starts in a few weeks.  I think if he plays 4 years there, he can leave the Sabres and become a UFA -- maybe as early as the end of his senior college hockey season (so he could join an NHL team for the end of that season) -- but I'm not sure about that. 

The Sabres drafted him with the last pick in the 1st round in 2019.  He had 14 pts in 27 games and was honorable mention all-Big-10 as a sophomore.  He played on the gold-medal-winning (take that, GWN!) US World Junior team earlier this year.  He's 6'1", 175 lbs, and just turned 20 a few weeks ago.

He grew up in Southern California and presumably has not harbored a lifelong dream to play for the Sabres.

He's probably not a future top-pair guy, but he sure seems reasonably likely to become a decent NHL defenseman, and thus a pretty decent asset that it would be a shame to lose for nothing.

Discuss.

 

Easy, let him play at Minnesota. If when the season ends he doesn’t seem interested in signing at that point he becomes a big trade chip.  

[LGR4GM]

On 7/26/2021 at 12:05 PM, LGR4GM said:

Let's do this. 

Nick Robertson: 16 points in 21 AHL games = 0.762ppg

Nils Hoglander: 27 points in 56 NHL games = 0.482ppg

Arthur Kaliyev: 31 points in 40 AHL games = 0.775ppg

Ryan Johnson: 14 points in 27 NCAA games =0.519ppg

Edit: Every forward listed played in a developmentally harder league, especially Hoglander who played a regular NHL shift. Johnson, he's still 2 years away from the NHL and probably 3 from being a regular shift guy. He's now on a team where at best he's the 6th left handed defender prospect and will never be better than 3rd best. 

 

Edited August 24, 2021 by LGR4GM

[Weave]

10 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

Easy, let him play at Minnesota. If when the season ends he doesn’t seem interested in signing at that point he becomes a big trade chip.  

This is the only play.

[dudacek]

16 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

So a couple of people have mentioned, upthread and in the Owen Power thread, that Johnson is a flight risk.

He's played 2 years at the U of Minnesota and is presumably returning for his junior year, which starts in a few weeks.  I think if he plays 4 years there, he can leave the Sabres and become a UFA -- maybe as early as the end of his senior college hockey season (so he could join an NHL team for the end of that season) -- but I'm not sure about that. 

The Sabres drafted him with the last pick in the 1st round in 2019.  He had 14 pts in 27 games and was honorable mention all-Big-10 as a sophomore.  He played on the gold-medal-winning (take that, GWN!) US World Junior team earlier this year.  He's 6'1", 175 lbs, and just turned 20 a few weeks ago.

He grew up in Southern California and presumably has not harbored a lifelong dream to play for the Sabres.

He's probably not a future top-pair guy, but he sure seems reasonably likely to become a decent NHL defenseman, and thus a pretty decent asset that it would be a shame to lose for nothing.

Discuss.

 

Unless it changed in the latest CBA ( @Taro T?) he should become a UFA a few months after his 4th season is complete, so summer 2023.

He's impressed me. He was very young for his draft year and has grown a ton. Poised and a magnificent skater; defensively strong and a breakout machine. I feel pretty strongly that he will be an NHL top 4.

I do think he is a flight risk, particularly because of our depth at LD. In my view, the Sabres need to establish/grow an excellent relationship over this season then give him the Mittelstadt offer: sign him at the end of this college season, promise to let him finish the regular season in Buffalo, and allow him to blow an ELC year.

[Norcal]

It's gonna be fun to watch Big 10 hockey this year. 

[sabremike]

3 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Unless it changed in the latest CBA ( @Taro T?) he should become a UFA a few months after his 4th season is complete, so summer 2023.

He's impressed me. He was very young for his draft year and has grown a ton. Poised and a magnificent skater; defensively strong and a breakout machine. I feel pretty strongly that he will be an NHL top 4.

I do think he is a flight risk, particularly because of our depth at LD. In my view, the Sabres need to establish/grow an excellent relationship over this season then give him the Mittelstadt offer: sign him at the end of this college season, promise to let him finish the regular season in Buffalo, and allow him to blow an ELC year.

Right now is the biggest bull market for defensemen in history so I have 100% confidence that the organization will completely botch and misplay the entire situation.

[Digger]

21 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

So a couple of people have mentioned, upthread and in the Owen Power thread, that Johnson is a flight risk.

He's played 2 years at the U of Minnesota and is presumably returning for his junior year, which starts in a few weeks.  I think if he plays 4 years there, he can leave the Sabres and become a UFA -- maybe as early as the end of his senior college hockey season (so he could join an NHL team for the end of that season) -- but I'm not sure about that. 

The Sabres drafted him with the last pick in the 1st round in 2019.  He had 14 pts in 27 games and was honorable mention all-Big-10 as a sophomore.  He played on the gold-medal-winning (take that, GWN!) US World Junior team earlier this year.  He's 6'1", 175 lbs, and just turned 20 a few weeks ago.

He grew up in Southern California and presumably has not harbored a lifelong dream to play for the Sabres.

He's probably not a future top-pair guy, but he sure seems reasonably likely to become a decent NHL defenseman, and thus a pretty decent asset that it would be a shame to lose for nothing.

Discuss.

 

I like what I've seen from Ryan Johnson in the games I watched.  I think that he'll be a steady defenceman for the Sabres.  I do believe that he will sign after this season.  He needs to prove he can play and transition into the NHL and may need some time in Rochester.  The Sabres can be criticized on many fronts but if if were a young D that had confidence in my abilities I would look at the Sabres D as being easier to break into the top 6 than many other NHL teams.  It's all about opportunity to become a pro hockey player.  I heard that he's been playing the right side.

Besides if he becomes a UFA and signs elsewhere he will have to play for the Sabres someday anyway in the future.  Vesey came back, Butcher came back, expect Cal Peterson eventually to have to come back and play for us.  We always get our man.  😏

[Flashsabre]

blah blah blah Johnson will walk for free, Power will stay 4 years at Michigan and walk for free.  Go get some fresh air for God's Sake.

[GASabresIUFAN]

The Sabres can't afford to let quality young players walk if they are trying to build this the right way.  Just think of how much better our goaltender situation would be if Jbot had gotten Petersen signed.