Sabres Officially Select #9, #16, and #28

[SwampD]

2 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

So after the 2nd Stanley Cup?

Um, If you are implying that I am one of those fans who “even after winning the Stanley Cup, would find something to complain about,” just stop. Those fans don’t exist and never have. I think it is the most ridiculous thing when someone says that to another fan. It’s just stupid.

I’ll settle for just making the playoffs for the first time in over a decade and not extending our record setting playoff drought. Is that too high a standard?

[Andrew Amerk]

1 hour ago, SwampD said:

Um, If you are implying that I am one of those fans who “even after winning the Stanley Cup, would find something to complain about,” just stop. Those fans don’t exist and never have. I think it is the most ridiculous thing when someone says that to another fan. It’s just stupid.

I’ll settle for just making the playoffs for the first time in over a decade and not extending our record setting playoff drought. Is that too high a standard?

Playoffs would be nice. 

Im glad to finally be experiencing them at least with the Amerks again. 

[PerreaultForever]

That number 9 pick is a little troubling to me though. I've started trying to compile a list and I'm really happy with the first 8:

Wright, Cooley, Slafkovsky, Jirichek, Nemec, Savoie, Kemell, Lekkerimaki  and then I start to run into question marks.

Yurov, with the whole Russian thing, Lambert who just screams Nylander V2 to me (ours not Toronto's), Geekie can't skate. They are all maybes in and around 9 but I don't really like any of them so going to give it more thought and maybe go off book. 

[Huckleberry]

3 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

That number 9 pick is a little troubling to me though. I've started trying to compile a list and I'm really happy with the first 8:

Wright, Cooley, Slafkovsky, Jirichek, Nemec, Savoie, Kemell, Lekkerimaki  and then I start to run into question marks.

Yurov, with the whole Russian thing, Lambert who just screams Nylander V2 to me (ours not Toronto's), Geekie can't skate. They are all maybes in and around 9 but I don't really like any of them so going to give it more thought and maybe go off book. 

Draisatl had same issue, he fixed that over a summer.

[Curt]

5 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

That number 9 pick is a little troubling to me though. I've started trying to compile a list and I'm really happy with the first 8:

Wright, Cooley, Slafkovsky, Jirichek, Nemec, Savoie, Kemell, Lekkerimaki  and then I start to run into question marks.

Yurov, with the whole Russian thing, Lambert who just screams Nylander V2 to me (ours not Toronto's), Geekie can't skate. They are all maybes in and around 9 but I don't really like any of them so going to give it more thought and maybe go off book. 

Cutter Gauthier (he’ll probably be taken in the top 8), Frank Nazar, Marco Kasper, Liam Ohgren, and maybe Filip Mesar are some other forwards to consider at #9.

[LGR4GM]

11 minutes ago, Curt said:

Cutter Gauthier (he’ll probably be taken in the top 8), Frank Nazar, Marco Kasper, Liam Ohgren, and maybe Filip Mesar are some other forwards to consider at #9.

One or two of Mintyukov, Mateychuk, and Korchinski are highly likely to go top 8. 

We here tend to ignore them because lhd but I think we see at least 1 go top 8. 

Idk if I can get sold on Kasper at 8. It's really hard to see a dynamic offensive player and he's like a poor man's Beniers. I could be wrong and his game is very mature but I'd rather put him at that 16 pick and find a more dynamic albeit riskier talent. 

Edited May 25, 2022 by LGR4GM

[Doohickie]

19 hours ago, SwampD said:

I thought we had to lose on purpose to get the highest picks we could because it was the only way out from ninth place year after year?!

I think we both now recognize that was fool's gold.

When Darcy said, "There will be pain" I think he was saying that until they focused on the future and not the present, they would never get out of the 9th place rut.  Kevyn is showing the truth of that.

[Doohickie]

17 hours ago, JohnC said:

bring in an outside talent or two in order to win now and create a better environment for the young players who are the foundation for the present and future?

Yeah, that worked so well with Hall and Staal...

[Curt]

22 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

One or two of Mintyukov, Mateychuk, and Korchinski are highly likely to go top 8. 

We here tend to ignore them because lhd but I think we see at least 1 go top 8. 

Idk if I can get sold on Kasper at 8. It's really hard to see a dynamic offensive player and he's like a poor man's Beniers. I could be wrong and his game is very mature but I'd rather put him at that 16 pick and find a more dynamic albeit riskier talent. 

I think you are right about those LH defensemen.  It’s a real possibility that one of them goes top 8.  I also think that Gauthier is extremely likely to go top 8.

I do understand what you are saying about Kasper.  But he does look to be the best likely NHL Center who will be there at 9 (Lambert? Ugh).

I think Kasper is higher on NHL team draft boards than he has generally been on public mocks/rankings.  Pronman recently mocked him at 8 and said he didn’t have any of his league contacts give feedback about that being too high.  I don’t know how much that means, but I just get the impression that he will go pretty high.

I also wouldn’t be at all surprised if Savoie is still there at 9.

Really I was just giving Perrault a few other options to consider.

[Doohickie]

16 hours ago, Taro T said:

Well, we're now entering year 3 of the newest direction.  (Or, year 2 if Adams 1st year doesn't get included.)

I'm willing to call it Year Three.

In Year 1 Adams took action to begin the pivot including signing Reinhart to only a one year deal and drafting JJ and Quinn.  They on-ice product that first year was driven by Krueger but Adams was already laying groundwork for a change in direction.

[Taro T]

11 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

I think we both now recognize that was fool's gold.

When Darcy said, "There will be pain" I think he was saying that until they focused on the future and not the present, they would never get out of the 9th place rut.  Kevyn is showing the truth of that.

No, when he said "there will be suffering" he meant exactly that.  He was about to ice a team that was going to be horrifically bad for at least through the McEichel draft.  And, the day he said that was the day he should've been fired.  (Well, technically, the day he agreed to that plan was the day he should've been canned, but close enough.)

[Doohickie]

14 hours ago, JohnC said:

Our young core is already in place with players such as Dahlin, Samuelsson, Power, Joki, Cozens and Mitts. Next year, it is likely that Quinn and Peterka  will be added to that expanding young core. With veterans such as Skinner, Okposo and Tuch this roster is filling up.

...not to mention Tage.

[JohnC]

10 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Yeah, that worked so well with Hall and Staal...

 You missed the point that I was advocating for. How about a Tuck caliber player? You don't think that caliber of a player within a 24-26 age range wouldn't benefit this roster? It's adding players who fit within the same plan that has been established by the KA regime. It has absolutely nothing to do with a Hall and Staal like players. 

[Doohickie]

2 minutes ago, JohnC said:

 You missed the point that I was advocating for. How about a Tuck caliber player? You don't think that caliber of a player within a 24-26 age range wouldn't benefit this roster? It's adding players who fit within the same plan that has been established by the KA regime. It has absolutely nothing to do with a Hall and Staal like players. 

Naw, I got your point, just being cynical.  I tend to fall into the camp of waiting a bit until we really know where the holes are that need to be filled (aside from goalie).  At some point the development of the young core will level off; that might be a good time to bring in that piece.  (Mind you, that might even be later this season or next off season.)

[JohnC]

4 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

...not to mention Tage.

Bryson and Fitz are also part of the young core. They are lower pairing players and will never be primary players (top two p). But they are young players who are filling out this roster and still have room to get better. Without  a doubt the depth of this roster is increasing, and it is being done by players within the system. 

[Doohickie]

I see those two more as depth than core.  I think we saw at the end of the season they can't hold down a defensive pairing between them, but they have value as complementary D to a more prominent player.  I love Muel and Dahlin together, but I think overall if Granato is going to be playing the same 6 D he played at the end of the season, you put Bryson with Dahlin and Muel with Fitz.  Ideally though I think Bryson and Fitz should be viewed as 6/7 Dmen, one plays while the other rides the pine and you have Dahls-Muel, Joki-Power, and VeternD-Bryson or Fitz.

(depending on the VeteranD, he might be a Top 4 piece and Muel or Joki moves down to third pairing)

Edited May 25, 2022 by Doohickie

[JohnC]

1 minute ago, Doohickie said:

Naw, I got your point, just being cynical.  I tend to fall into the camp of waiting a bit until we really know where the holes are that need to be filled (aside from goalie).  At some point the development of the young core will level off; that might be a good time to bring in that piece.  (Mind you, that might even be later this season or next off season.)

We are basically going in the same direction. It's just my bus is a little faster than yours. This organization's biggest asset entering the offseason is its cap space. There are a number of teams that will be cap squeezed. There are potential good bargain deals to be had. 🍺

[Doohickie]

I won't fight you, but I trust that if Kevyn pulls the trigger on a deal to bring in a new piece, it will be the *right* trade, not a trade just for the sake of making a trade.  I could see him waiting until the right player is available for the right price.  The Sabres aren't in "win the Cup now" mode yet, and I hope Kevyn deploys his patience in much the same way he did with the Eichel trade.

If the Sabres look good out of the gate but there is a glaring need, I could see him pulling the trigger on a trade before Christmas.  But I think he may want to see how things work with the current cast before doing that.

Adding a key piece around mid-season could give the Sabres a big boost to make a run to the playoffs.

[JohnC]

2 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

I see those two more as depth than core.  I think we saw at the end of the season they can't hold down a defensive pairing between them, but they have value as complementary D to a more prominent player.  I love Muel and Dahlin together, but I think overall if Granato is going to be playing the same 6 D he played at the end of the season, you put Bryson with Dahlin and Muel with Fitz.  Ideally though I think Bryson and Fitz should be viewed as 6/7 Dmen, one plays while the other rides the pine and you have Dahls-Muel, Joki-Power, and VeternD-Bryson or Fitz.

That's exactly what those two defenders are. What's starting to happen as this roster steadily gets built up is that players are not assigned roles beyond their talent level. Third line players are now less likely to be second-line players. It seems that our top two pairings are filled with players who although are young are top two caliber players. 

[PromoTheRobot]

10 hours ago, SwampD said:

Um, If you are implying that I am one of those fans who “even after winning the Stanley Cup, would find something to complain about,” just stop. Those fans don’t exist and never have. I think it is the most ridiculous thing when someone says that to another fan. It’s just stupid.

I’ll settle for just making the playoffs for the first time in over a decade and not extending our record setting playoff drought. Is that too high a standard?

Those fans are over on TBD discussing the merits moving on from McDermott and Beane. 😂😂😂

What I meant was you can trust what you're seeing and decide if there's improvement. I see improvement. I'm sure you do too. 

 

 

[dudacek]

Players we know are good NHLers, even if we’re still not sure how good:

* Tuch, Tage, Olofsson, Dahlin

Players who appear to have the ability to be good NHLers but still need to play and establish themselves:

* Mitts, Cozens, Krebs, Asplund, Quinn, Peterka, Power, Samuelsson, Jokiharju, UPL

Assets that could represent significant pieces emerging from the Sabres pipeline over the next 5 years:

* Levi, Rosen, Poltapov, Kisakov, Johnson, Portillo, 9, 16, 28, 41, 2023 1st and 3 2nds

 

To me @JohnC Is advocating moving assets from the 2nd or, more likely, 3rd groups this summer in order to add to the 1st group next season.

Im curious who agrees and who would rather see who emerges from within, organically?

[LGR4GM]

11 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Players we know are good NHLers, even if we’re still not sure how good:

* Tuch, Tage, Olofsson, Dahlin

Players who appear to have the ability to be good NHLers but still need to play and establish themselves:

* Mitts, Cozens, Krebs, Asplund, Quinn, Peterka, Power, Samuelsson, Jokiharju, UPL

Assets that could represent significant pieces emerging from the Sabres pipeline over the next 5 years:

* Levi, Rosen, Poltapov, Kisakov, Johnson, Portillo, 9, 16, 28, 41, 2023 1st and 3 2nds

 

To me @JohnC Is advocating moving assets from the 2nd or, more likely, 3rd groups this summer in order to add to the 1st group next season.

Im curious who agrees and who would rather see who emerges from within, organically?

We should use all of our first and second round picks in the next 2 years on drafting players.

[MattPie]

6 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

We should use all of our first and second round picks in the next 2 years on drafting players.

This is the way I lean too, although if using those lists above, if there's a deal to trade for young a Tuch-type player at the cost of one of the second list players and a pick 28OA or later, I'm at least listening. Only place I see that happening is a player that I team that has a lot of money tied up big contracts already and needs to shed some mid-level salary (someone like Toronto or Vegas).

[Sabres Fan in NS]

17 hours ago, Derrico said:

Maybe I'm naïve but I think we're getting close.  Atleast should be alot more fun moving forward..... 

When ever I see the bolded I think of ...

A real cutie ...

Edited May 25, 2022 by Sabres Fan in NS

[Sabres Fan in NS]

17 hours ago, Derrico said:

Maybe I'm naïve but I think we're getting close.  Atleast should be alot more fun moving forward..... 

I think the Sabres are getting to where we all want them to be.  Optimistic for the future.  The most optimistic in at least 10+ years.  Man that's a long time.