2025 NHL Entry Draft Thread

[LGR4GM]

10 hours ago, clink said:

I hope TF NOT!!! 

This team desperately needs some grit IMO!!! 

Size does not equal grit. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Size does not equal grit. 

Just ask Power.

[shrader]

4 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Size does not equal grit. 

But then there’s true grit. Josh Allen knows that…

yeah, bad reference. I’m bored. 

[inkman]

3 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Just ask Power.

Some of y’all will be on your death bed, “Owen Power needs to hit someone” then you die.  

[LGR4GM]

2 hours ago, shrader said:

But then there’s true grit. Josh Allen knows that…

yeah, bad reference. I’m bored. 

Fill your hands you son of b! 

 

Although, I think John Wayne performed that line better than Brolin.

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, inkman said:

Some of y’all will be on your death bed, “Owen Power needs to hit someone” then you die.  

I tried to tell ppl. That said I can't wait to draft 6' 176lb Carter Bear and not single mofo says anything about his size while I had launch a gd crusade over 5'11" 190lb Helenius. 

[LGR4GM]

 

 

[inkman]

24 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

 

 

I might need the Sabres to draft Braeden Coots.  What a name.  

Edited April 24 by inkman

[dudacek]

I see Pronman has the Sabres picking Martone in his first mock.

Mrtka, Eklund and McQueen went 8, 9, 10.

Schaefer, Misa, Desnoyers, Hagens, Frondell, Obrien were the first six.

Edited April 24 by dudacek

[Flashsabre]

43 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

 

 

Craig Button just said not to be surprised if Martin goes top 5 in the draft.

[LGR4GM]

6 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

Craig Button just said not to be surprised if Martin goes top 5 in the draft.

I'd be shocked. Top 10, yes.  Top 5 means Martone or Hagens slide.

[Thorny]

“The sabres will get a good player.”

run it 

[JoeSchmoe]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

I'd be shocked. Top 10, yes.  Top 5 means Martone or Hagens slide.

I could see Mortone sliding. He was a fish out of water at the U20's. Really overmatched. His 2nd half of the CHL season was lacklustre as well. Maybe he's been fighting something.

That said, I think there's a true advantage of being an 06 vs an 07 in the CHL, to which Mortone was the benefactor. The age difference itself is minimal, but Mortone has played his entire career against kids a year older than the 07s. He was also in his 3rd year of CHL vs 2nd year for the 07s, who also may have seen limited ice in their rookie seasons.

As the season progresses, the advantage of the extra year of experience begins to minimize and the cream rises to the top. Unfortunately, Mortone may not be the cream. 

[LGR4GM]

9 hours ago, dudacek said:

I see Pronman has the Sabres picking Martone in his first mock.

Mrtka, Eklund and McQueen went 8, 9, 10.

Schaefer, Misa, Desnoyers, Hagens, Frondell, Obrien were the first six.

This mock is weird. Jack Nesbitt at 12 is just bizarre, his consolidated rank is 33. It's just Pronman bias when Smith, Bear, Martin, Carbonneau are all in the board still. 

Anyways.... here's Elite Prospects walk through of their penultimate rankings for April. 

 

 

[LGR4GM]

Here's an interesting Aug 22 bday guy:

If, and it's a big if, he slides into the 2nd he's got those Ziemer vibes going. 

[FrenchConnection44]

On 4/23/2025 at 8:03 PM, clink said:

I hope TF NOT!!! 

This team desperately needs some grit IMO!!! 

Agreed. Just being facetious 

[FrenchConnection44]

On 4/24/2025 at 6:26 AM, LGR4GM said:

Eklund is a "finesse" player in the same way Benson is a "finesse" player. 

 

 

I.e., he intimidates precisely zero players on the ice. 

[LGR4GM]

On 4/29/2025 at 6:31 PM, FrenchConnection44 said:

I.e., he intimidates precisely zero players on the ice. 

I think the idea that players are intimidating others on the ice is some mythical hold over from decades ago when big goons might jump you. No one is going over the boards like "oh ***** it's Tkachuk, I feel so intimidated" in the modern nhl unless maybe you're some type of fresh faced rookie. 

That said, if I were Buffalo, I might slide Eklund 1 or 2 spots because he is similar to things you have. Eklund right now for me sits in the 9-12 range. 

[LGR4GM]

Here's the thing with the 2025 draft. Basically everyone available at 8 will have some type of size or high end motor or combination thereof. They'd have to royally screw up to get Nylander 2.0

McQueen is 6'5"

Desnoyers is 6'2"

Martin and Bear are 6' and will eat your soul.

O'Brien is 6'2"

Carbonneau is 6'1"

I'm probably missing someone but we should be in good shape. 

Edited 22 hours ago by LGR4GM

[Thorny]

On 4/24/2025 at 9:08 PM, Thorny said:

“The sabres will get a good player.”

run it 

 

[LGR4GM]

4 minutes ago, Thorny said:

 

Would you prefer they get bad players in the draft?

[Thorny]

9 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Would you prefer they get bad players in the draft?

Well, no, but I do admittedly get a chuckle out of the conversation all arriving back at “the draft is meaningless for improving our hockey team”

Ya, we are gonna get a good player no matter who we take!

The steal of the draft, I am sure.

And so will every other team picking in our vicinity. There’s no relative gain, can only lose ground. Adams has proven drafting isn’t a means to an improvement end, not without other vital components 

Survey says: the luster on it is lost. Used to be a huge draft guy, planned my lake weekend around it 

Edited 22 hours ago by Thorny

[Flashsabre]

This is a great year to trade the pick. I just don’t want Adams to be the one trading it.