Sabres ranked number one prospect pool by Pronman

[Crusader1969]

Corey Pronmans rankings 

“I know what you’re thinking, yes Buffalo is No. 1 and by a decent margin, too. The Sabres have two franchise-pillar defensemen in Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Powerwhom you can envision being core pieces of a good team. Dylan Cozens is an excellent prospect, and there is a moderate-sized list of very intriguing young players who could help the Sabres down the line. Rebuilds are at times long and painful. The last iteration for the Sabres did not work, and the moves they made recently and will make regarding Jack Eichel will likely set them back, not speed up the process. ”

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Interesting and I'd say he is maybe onto something.  I don't know enough about other teams prostects to tell either way, of course, and I don't really trust / believe everything I hear in the media.  Actually, more likely for me to believe nothing that I hear.

What matters for me and I'd imagine all Sabre fans is that the young guys are showing signs of good things to come and I am hopeful in that.

[Weave]

Been there, done that.  Pretty sure we've been ranked #1 or near #1 in the recent past.  Greta big yawn until we see how it really shakes out in 3 yrs or so.

[JohnC]

1 minute ago, Weave said:

Been there, done that.  Pretty sure we've been ranked #1 or near #1 in the recent past.  Greta big yawn until we see how it really shakes out in 3 yrs or so.

I think you are right about the 3 yr. time frame needed to make a judgment on our prospects. But there is already a young core on the roster and a prospect pool that will be ready for the NHL in a year or so. If you add Quinn, Peterka, Samuelsson, Power, maybe UPL and Johnson in the not too distant pipeline you can see the critical mass of young players on this roster. If Jack does get traded the hope is that maybe two young players will be added to this growing pool of players.

It appears that KA is determined to carry-out this strategy of developing your own players. Hopefully, the owners will give him the time and space to accomplish it. 

[LGR4GM]

https://theathletic.com/2801866/2021/09/02/nhl-pipeline-rankings-no-1-buffalo-sabres-have-reason-for-hope-with-dahlin-and-power-in-future/

Idk if I agree. The 2021 draft certainly added a lot of talented potential but I still think we are behind some other teams in terms of our under 23 talent. 

Nitpicking but Quinn is far too low and there is no problem with his skating I can think of. Also suggesting Isak Rosen has "average" skating is hilarious. Rosen was probably the best pure skater in the last draft. Kisakov remains the most intriguing player to me on the list. He is extremely small at this stage (150lbs) but 35 more lbs of wait could make him absolutely electric. 

[LGR4GM]

Just gonna leave this here... 

Quote

3. Seth Jarvis, RW, Portland-WHL

Feb. 1, 2002 | 5-foot-10 | 175 pounds

Drafted: No. 13 in 2020

Tier: Projected bubble top of lineup and middle of lineup player

Skating: Above-average
Puck Skills: Average
Hockey Sense: Average
Compete: High-end
Shot: Above-average

Jarvis opened eyes with how good he was right away in the AHL this season, scoring seven goals and 11 points in nine games right out of his draft season. He wasn’t quite as dominant in the WHL as expected, but he was still very good. He has so many NHL assets. Jarvis is a great skater and an even better competitor. He’s a force to deal with coming down the wing because of how well he attacks the net, and how quick and relentless he is on loose pucks to create rushes. He has great skill and can make creative plays to generate offense, on top of being a mid-range shot threat, but it’s his quick, direct style of play that makes me think he’ll be a good top-six forward in the NHL.

 

[WildCard]

Liger we get it, you were right lol Jarvis is very good

32 minutes ago, Weave said:

Been there, done that.  Pretty sure we've been ranked #1 or near #1 in the recent past.  Greta big yawn until we see how it really shakes out in 3 yrs or so.

Agreed

[Brawndo]

13 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Just gonna leave this here... 

 

Plus this one 

 

Quote

1. Anton Lundell, C, HIFK-Liiga

Oct. 3, 2001 | 6-foot-1 | 185 pounds

Drafted: No. 12 in 2020

Tier: Projected top of the lineup player

Skating: Below-average
Puck Skills: Average
Hockey Sense: Average
Compete: Above-average
Shot: Above-average

Lundell had a truly excellent season, excelling at the Liiga, World Junior and World Championship levels. I liked Lundell’s sense and compete in his draft season, but this season I saw more offensive confidence matching the hype on him when he was 16. He displayed puck creativity and a mid-range shot threat to go with the playmaking. He also showed he could be a reliable two-way center versus men. Lundell’s skating is still not great, but everything else about his game says he can be a great NHL player. I see a No. 2 center on a contender and a low-end No. 1.

 

[Thorny]

I REALLY wanted Lundell. Switch out Quinn for Lundell right now and the system has a much better balance. 

[LGR4GM]

11 minutes ago, Thorny said:

I REALLY wanted Lundell. Switch out Quinn for Lundell right now and the system has a much better balance. 

Wait until Matthew Savoie AND Logan Cooley are Sabres. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

22 players were mentioned in the article.  Of the 18 prospects discussed guess how many centers? Zero!  That’s right we have zero centers in our pipeline worth noting.  We draft high end centers, like Mitts, Cozens, Jack and Sam, but when was the last time we successfully drafted a center outside the top 10.  Derek Roy?  This is not the way to build or sustain an organization.  

[LGR4GM]

16 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

22 players were mentioned in the article.  Of the 18 prospects discussed guess how many centers? Zero!  That’s right we have zero centers in our pipeline worth noting.  We draft high end centers, like Mitts, Cozens, Jack and Sam, but when was the last time we successfully drafted a center outside the top 10.  Derek Roy?  This is not the way to build or sustain an organization.  

Mitts(#4) and Cozens (#3) were both ranked. 

I get it that you preferred Botterill to Adams but come on now. The 2022 draft is loaded with centers unlike 2021 and I will bet you money we see a bunch taken by the Sabres. 

[Brawndo]

10 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Wait until Matthew Savoie AND Logan Cooley are Sabres. 

If they draft Logan Cooley and Ruger McGroaty they win the draft based on names alone 

[LGR4GM]

Personally I think Buffalo should have taken Raty over Poltapov but they didn't. 

9 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

If they draft Logan Cooley and Ruger McGroaty they win the draft based on names alone 

lol, I would add Juraj Slafkovsky too

Edited September 2, 2021 by LGR4GM

[Thorny]

21 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Wait until Matthew Savoie AND Logan Cooley are Sabres. 

I won't be doing that this year. 

- - - 

Besides, the Sabres never draft the players you want anyways, Liger 😉

[Thorny]

22 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

22 players were mentioned in the article.  Of the 18 prospects discussed guess how many centers? Zero!  That’s right we have zero centers in our pipeline worth noting.  We draft high end centers, like Mitts, Cozens, Jack and Sam, but when was the last time we successfully drafted a center outside the top 10.  Derek Roy?  This is not the way to build or sustain an organization.  

Girgensons maybe?

Ya, we need prospect centres. The system is so barren where they are concerned, currently, that I can't see it being anything other than an area Adams would say he "hasn't addressed yet" (at least he better be saying that). To me it just speaks to the importance being placed on the net few drafts, and their "this season was never about winning anyway" motto for the next 2 seasons. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

18 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Mitts(#4) and Cozens (#3) were both ranked. 

I get it that you preferred Botterill to Adams but come on now. The 2022 draft is loaded with centers unlike 2021 and I will bet you money we see a bunch taken by the Sabres. 

18 prospects - 22 players of which 4 are in the NHL, thus 18 prospects and zero centers amongst them.  

Yes 22 has centers, however my broader point is we aren't drafting and developing any depth at center besides top ten picks.  We need them in the system from beyond the 1st rd and we need some of them to become NHL players long-term.  TB has Point and Cirelli drafted after the 1st and Gourde who wasn't drafted at all.  That's how you sustain a great team.   The last non top 10 center drafted by the Sabres who made an impact on the Sabres at center is Derek Roy (2001).  If Asplund returns to the middle maybe he'll break that streak.  In the last 4 drafts we have drafted 4 centers besides Cozens, one in the 5th, 1 in the 6th and 2 in the 7th.  This is not the way to build an effective pipeline.  

Edited September 2, 2021 by GASabresIUFAN

[GASabresIUFAN]

2 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Girgensons maybe?

Ya, we need prospect centres. The system is so barren where they are concerned, currently, that I can't see it being anything other than an area Adams would say he "hasn't addressed yet" (at least he better be saying that). To me it just speaks to the importance being placed on the net few drafts, and their "this season was never about winning anyway" motto for the next 2 seasons. 

Big Z has mostly played wing for us, but is arguably the only impact center drafted who actually played center.  That a terrible track record over 20 years.

[LGR4GM]

9 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

18 prospects - 22 players of which 4 are in the NHL, thus 18 prospects and zero centers amongst them.  

Yes 22 has centers, however my broader point is we aren't drafting and developing any depth at center besides top ten picks.  We need them in the system from beyond the 1st rd and we need some of them to become NHL players long-term.  TB has Point and Cirelli drafted after the 1st and Gourde who wasn't drafted at all.  That's how you sustain a great team.   The last non top 15 center drafted by the Sabres who made an impact on the Sabres at center is Derek Roy (2001).  If Asplund returns to the middle maybe he'll break that streak.  In the last 4 drafts we have drafted 4 centers besides Cozens, one in the 5th, 1 in the 6th and 2 in the 7th.  This is not the way to build an effective pipeline.  

That definition is not what the article is about and I don't even agree with your definition. 

That said, you build a pipeline by drafting players that become NHL players. The 2020 draft Adams only had 2 impact picks. In 2021, the draft was notably devoid of high end center talent. Other than the Poltapov pick, the 2021 draft is pretty decent. You can't draft what isn't there and that is why 2022 will be fascinating because it has so much center talent you're going to trip over multiple top 6 centers in the first round. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

16 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

That definition is not what the article is about and I don't even agree with your definition. 

That said, you build a pipeline by drafting players that become NHL players. The 2020 draft Adams only had 2 impact picks. In 2021, the draft was notably devoid of high end center talent. Other than the Poltapov pick, the 2021 draft is pretty decent. You can't draft what isn't there and that is why 2022 will be fascinating because it has so much center talent you're going to trip over multiple top 6 centers in the first round. 

There were plenty of quality centers available when Rosen was picked and when the 2 Russians were picked in the 2nd.  Svechkov, and Lucius were higher rated players and centers when we took Rosen and quality enters Raty and Pinelli were available deep into the second.   You of all people like to talk about who we should of taken.  At least one and maybe of our picks higher end picks after Power should have been a center(s), especially given the drafting of JJP and Quinn the year before.    You can't develop what you don't draft. 

Edited September 2, 2021 by GASabresIUFAN

[Weave]

17 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Big Z has mostly played wing for us, but is arguably the only impact center drafted who actually played center.  That a terrible track record over 20 years.

Eichel and Sam came after.  Debate Sam at center as you wish.

[GASabresIUFAN]

Just now, Weave said:

Eichel and Sam came after.  Debate Sam at center as you wish.

I was talking outside the top 10.  Sam's impact on the Sabres was definitely not at center except the last 25 games.

[klos1963]

Imagine our ranking next season after we have #1 pick again in this coming draft.

[JohnC]

6 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

There were plenty of quality centers available when Rosen was picked and when the 2 Russians were picked in the 2nd.  Svechkov, and Lucius were higher rated players and centers when we took Rosen and quality enters Raty and Pinelli were available deep into the second.   You of all people like to talk about who we should of taken.  At least one and maybe of our picks higher end picks after Power should have been a center(s), especially given the drafting of JJP and Quinn the year before.    You can't develop what you don't draft. 

If the wingers in the draft are rated higher than the centers then you draft the wingers. Not having highly rated centers in your system doesn't preclude acquiring centers through trades and free agency (less likely). I'm hoping if a Jack trade is made that we can get back a highly rated center prospect.  

[Thorny]

13 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

There were plenty of quality centers available when Rosen was picked and when the 2 Russians were picked in the 2nd.  Svechkov, and Lucius were higher rated players and centers when we took Rosen and quality enters Raty and Pinelli were available deep into the second.   You of all people like to talk about who we should of taken.  At least one and maybe of our picks higher end picks after Power should have been a center(s), especially given the drafting of JJP and Quinn the year before.    You can't develop what you don't draft. 

If we don't add a blue chip C prospect in the Eichel deal, they are going to be in the position where if the perceived "bpa" when they pick next year isn't a C, they break that strategy and take the closest C. It's one thing to aspire to that as a general rule but in a more macro sense Adams can't go 3 drafts, in addition to moving out all our best tradeable assets, embarking on a huge rebuild, and not add a single blue chip C prospect through the entire process.