2026 NHL Entry Draft Thread

[LGR4GM]

Here's central scoutings preliminary list.

https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/t_document/prd/wie2axdger9u2k2ycr4r.pdf?key_custom_source=custom_tabs

 

[bob_sauve28]

 

[LGR4GM]

28 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:

 

They need to fire Forton 

[LGR4GM]

Actually they need to fire Forton and Devine and anyone else who's been in the scouting department for over 5 years. It's a dump and it's decision making processes are so inept and stupid that me,  a random mofo on his computer, routinely outdrafts the Sabres. 

Hey Terry Pegula, how is it that some guy has a better process than your entire scouting department? How? 

Edited October 28 by LGR4GM

[DarthEbriate]

34 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:

 

They do need to draft better, although 3 of Adams' drafts are much too early to bother counting in any top 150 list unless it was Celebrini. Adams' flaws in his early drafting (underweight skill/finesse reaches with almost no grinders selected)... are well documented.

 

However, specific to this top 150 list the more important thing is to look at who is on that list. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6755065/2025/10/28/nhl-player-tiers-roster-building-trades-drafting/   This is nearly all established players (except Celebrini) and high-end scorers. But if you were starting a team, would you consider Erik Karlsson as a top 150 player in the league to build your team around? I wouldn't.

Eichel, Reinhart, Ullmark. Adams traded them away or didn't offer an extension going into the UFA season allowing them to walk.

 

Who is on the Sabres roster from the Top-150 list? Thompson (pre-Adams), Dahlin (pre-Adams). That's it.

The real issue is trading away two top-50 skaters and a top-10 goalie and getting (thus far) nothing close in return for any of them.

[LGR4GM]

How's my boy doing? Well, Nikita Klepov is currently at 9g, 13a in 14games. Puts him first on his team by 2pts ahead of a d+2 guy in Barbanov.

There aren't many like Klepov and if gets faster more powerful, he's got some game breaker to him. 

[LGR4GM]

Pronman didn't even rank him:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6754147/2025/10/29/nhl-draft-top-prospects-2026-gavin-mckenna-pronman/

[LGR4GM]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6737460/2025/11/05/nhl-draft-2026-prospects-ranking-wheeler-preliminary/

This draft is very defense heavy. We need to hope, teams feel inclined to go after defenders. They said, Klepov is still my target.

[LGR4GM]

Tynan Lawrence is a name to know as well. He's got an August birthday but he's the top center in the draft. He's got excellent playmaking and skating, he's very engaged all over the ice and he's not at full strength yet. The Sabres need to look at motor, iq, and then the rest of the package. Tynan has all that's needed. We'd have to draft top 5 probably which is why I didn't mention him. Idk if I'd take him over 6'5" Belchetz, but that's something to decide by June. 

Klepov however is right behind these two for me. I think the entire industry is napping on him. 

This draft could see 6 defenders go on the top 10. 

[LGR4GM]

Carson Carels would be the guy if you plan to replace Power down the line (Mrtka will in 2yrs but still). He's direct, physical, good. Is he flashy, not really, more like Kesselring with more offense. He'll probably be 6'2" at the combine, so he's got decent size for the backend. 

[LGR4GM]

If y'all want bigger Helenius with more defense but probably less offense, Oliver Suvanto is a 6'3" center with an early September bday. Super young but he's already in Liiga.

Edited November 5 by LGR4GM

[SabreFinn]

1 minute ago, LGR4GM said:

If y'all bigger Helenius with more defense but probably less offense, Oliver Suvanto is a 6'3" center with an early September bday. Super young but he's already in Liiga.

He already plays a mature game imo. I count on him playing for team Finland at WJC.

[SabreFinn]

Just now, LGR4GM said:

He's very intriguing but hard to read. Super young, playing in a men's league, with limited offense but great defense. Hard to read. 

Agree with you,  screams third line center, very typically Finnish. WJC will show if he has some offense in him.

[LGR4GM]

Caleb Malhotra is a guy to keep an eye in the 2nd round. Reminds me a bit of Helenius but not as good. 

[LGR4GM]

 

 

 

[quill]

On 7/7/2025 at 7:19 PM, Mr. MVP said:

From Bleacher Report (I gotta learn how to do this properly) 

“8 NHL Teams Already Looking Toward Gavin McKenna

When you look at how much high-end talent the Sabres have, the first reaction you should have is that it’s insane we’re throwing them into the race for Gavin McKenna. And you’d be right, too!

However, if you look at how the Sabres did things this offseason and wanted to take the pessimistic viewpoint of it, you'd feel pretty convinced that another long season is in store for Buffalo and the thought of restarting another rebuild with McKenna wouldn't be so bad. 

The Sabres dealt JJ Peterka to Utah for Michael Kesselring and Josh Doan, traded Connor Clifton and a second-round pick to Pittsburgh for Conor Timmins and a prospect and added depth players in free agency like Justin Danforth and Alex Lyon. They're in limbo (for now) with RFA defenseman Bo Byram who may or may not be traded. 

GM Kevyn Adams set out to make the team tougher defensively and harder to play against and they'll most likely be just that, but if the offense stalls out, none of that might matter because then they'll need goaltending to bail them out more often than not. Hoping that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen rebounds/Alex Lyon steadies them/Devon Levi takes over the net only adds more questions to be answered.

If Buffalo is in the hunt for McKenna by the end of the season, keep Sabres fans in your thoughts because next offseason would be immensely difficult. There's no reason for a team with Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch and Owen Power to be in this discussion, and yet...”

If Adams "set out to make the team tougher defensively and harder to play against" by trading Clifton, then among everything else that's gone wrong because of him, that alone shows how incompetent he is as a GM. IMO, when it came to all around toughness, his ability to deliver some of the hardest checks of anyone else on the team, and a willingness to drop the gloves whenever necessary to protect his teammates, Clifton excelled and was a true team player on the ice. He was the type of tough player that you need in the playoffs. Maybe Adams wasn't out to build a playoff caliber team so he figured there was no sense in keeping him. As far as the Peterka trade, that made even less sense.

[Flashsabre]

11 minutes ago, quill said:

If Adams "set out to make the team tougher defensively and harder to play against" by trading Clifton, then among everything else that's gone wrong because of him, that alone shows how incompetent he is as a GM. IMO, when it came to all around toughness, his ability to deliver some of the hardest checks of anyone else on the team, and a willingness to drop the gloves whenever necessary to protect his teammates, Clifton excelled and was a true team player on the ice. He was the type of tough player that you need in the playoffs. Maybe Adams wasn't out to build a playoff caliber team so he figured there was no sense in keeping him. As far as the Peterka trade, that made even less sense.

I feel for the past decade I have read the quote “A team with A, B, C and D should not be close to the bottom of the league yet here the Sabres are” more times than I wish to imagine.