dudacek

I get the sense the Sabres aren't as concerned about handedness as the internet is.

I thought the 2nd half of the season featured some pretty good hockey. Good enough that I didn't feel like I was wasting my time, featuring people I felt good about cheering for.

Never any sure things when it come to prospects and not many hit their ceilings. I think Power and Dahlin are the only ones you can reasonably expect to be impact players even without hitting their ceilings. But what is encouraging is the sheer number of players who seem to have legitimate shots to be top 6/4 levels players even if they don't hit their ceilings and could be more if they do. The more lottery tickets the better.

It’s the mental side that cements my excitement about Levi. Its not often you find someone with off-the-charts self-awareness and self-confidence in the same package. And then couple that with unrelenting love for and dedication to his craft.

The expectation is Rochester, with the possibility of going back to Sweden by Christmas if things aren’t working out.

I heard Peca talking about him and thought he was noticeable at development camp. Still didn’t crack my top 20. 😄 As long as the prospect is Sabres property, I’m not going to speculate on passports, or free agent defectors and just stick to hockey. I like Poltapov’s game.

Adjusted after the draft and development camp: 1 Power: I suspect some will be frustrated by his chill demeanour this year and I don’t know that he will dominate the way we will want him to. But he will be good and long-term he’s going to play as a top pairing defenceman for a long, long time. 2 Levi: He just has it: the talent and the focus. He will be the linchpin of a good era of Sabres teams. His size doesn’t matter. The rest of the hockey world will catch up eventually with what should be obvious. My favourite prospect. 3 Quinn: Another very likeable kid, character kid, with a centre’s hockey IQ and elite hands, who plays with pace. The rough playoff raises the question as to whether he has the ceiling his regular season suggested. I still don’t think people quite get how remarkable that regular season was. I think a lot of the Sabres future success rides on Quinn becoming more Thomas Vanek than JP Dumont. 4 Peterka: I really struggled on whether to not to elevate Peterka past Quinn, because as good as Quinn was, Peterka grew his game so much over the year and he has better speed and hockey strength to go with equivalent skill. Quinn is more rounded and smarter, but JJ closed that gap as the season went on and elevated in the playoffs. I’d never projected him as a 1st-line winger, but his trajectory is making me wonder if I underestimated him. 5 Savoie: Obviously has a longer distance to get there, but Savoie’s ability to execute plays at high speed at 18 is higher than we saw from any other player in the system. And he is always playing at high speed. He has 1st line hands, feet and vision. The only question is size, but he seems to have the type of squat hockey build that overcomes that. Very exciting prospect. 6 Östlund: I think this kid is the most natural centre we have in the system and he’s going to end up surprising a lot of people. He’s a puck funnel for exits, entries, and transitions, a great distributer, and fine backchecker. He’s got sublime hands and vision and he plays fast. He’s physically immature and it will take some time for him to arrive, but he’s exactly the type of player we need to make that fine collection of wingers better. 7 Krebs: I’m not discounting the noise about the Sabres needing to get bigger, but I think it ignores the identity Adams is building up front: his team is full of guys who play really fast. Peyton Krebs is another one. He is so hard on the forecheck, and so hard on the backcheck. He sees the ice well and he can make plays. I don’t think he will ever score goals, but I do think experience should temper his tendency to make bad passes. I foresee a Swiss Army knife 2nd-liner. 8 Kulich: It was hard to believe the player we saw at development camp fell to 28. Speed, a sniper’s release, a relentless approach and a stone-cold swagger add up to an enticing package. There just seems to be both multiple tools and the toolbox to make you wonder if there’s the potential to far outstrip his draft slot. 9 Samuelsson: Mule is built for cancelling opposition forwards. He doesn’t crush them so much as he swallows them up. Good stick, good judgement, good strength, good character. He’s going to be a shutdown dman for a long time. 10 Portillo: He’s imposing and in control. He looked great at dev camp and will be a leader next year for Michigan. He will be an NHL goalie. Hope we can sign him. 11 Poltapov: People shouldn’t sleep on this kid. He’s a buzzsaw middle-sixer who’s abrasive enough to play with the plugs and talented enough to play with the skill. It’s a package we lack. 12 Johnson: Still see his skating and the way he uses it making him a surefire NHLer, likely as a 2nd-pair guy who specializes in preventing entries, jumpstarting transitions, and moving pucks out of danger. 13 Lukkonnen: I like his skill, his play down low and his character. I don’t like his inability to stay healthy or his propensity for letting in long shots. Very important year for him. 14 Neuchev: Maybe there is some shiny new toy syndrome involved in ranking him here, but the production was remarkable, the skill level obvious, and the physique bigger than the similar Rosen and Kisakov. Long-term project with a high ceiling. 15 Novikov: I look at what we just added in Lyubushkin and find it very easy to project Novikov into that role. His elevated status with Russian officials, including playing in the KHL at such a young age speaks to his respect. 16 Rosen: I tried to watch him in Dev camp as the prospect I have the most questions about. I saw skill, but I didn’t see the dog-on-a-bone compete that seems to characterize most Adams high picks. Big year for him to open some eyes. 17 Kisakov: ranks just behind Rosen and mostly because of draft pedigree. Just as slight, similar kind of player, but seems to have more sack to his game. Another good test for Appert and his team. 18 Nadeau: I liked a lot about his game last training camp, but I worried about his foot speed. Still worry, but the kid had a heckuva season and we need a dirty areas guy like him to make it. 19 Bloom: Young kid with NHL size and speed and pretty solid production who excelled on the PK. Definite tools and definite room for growth. It’s impressive to me that guys like Bloom, Kisakov and Nadeau would be flirting with the top 10 for at least half the teams in the league. 20 Lindgren: gave him the last spot due to his mobility, his youth and his upside. Also considered Kozak and Costantini as other guys who caught my eye at dev camp, Rousek, who showed skill in Rochester, and Leinonen as a goalie they are clearly high on, as prospects worth watching.

I'm curious what those who prefer Krebs on the wing thought of his ROchester playoff performance. To me, he looked like a natural centre down there, both ends of the ice.

it's going to be interesting how things shake out in terms of how stays and who goes and I hope Kevyn is more patient than the fan base. The best example I can think of is Olofsson, who many are prepared to trade despite the fact he's, what, the 3rd most successfully developmental guy we have, after Dahlin and Thompson? Jokiharju, Mitts and now Krebs are joining him. Some Cozens doubt is even starting to creep in. It's easier to move on when you've got a long list of prospects pushing from behind and you're impatient for wins. Basically, a lot of fans go from sky-high hope for a shiny new toy to moving on to the next guy in a remarkably short time when really it's going to take 200-300 games to see what we have. Peyton Krebs was a point-a-game-player in Rochester this year after scoring 43 point in 24 games in his last season of junior. He is 21 with 48 Sabres games under his belt and needs to get better. I suspect he will.

When they asked Adams about centre, he was the one who brought up Z.

You’re not wrong, but you also watched some of the best passes made all season from the same player. He is a high-risk high-reward playmaker whose coach has given him considerable leash to learn from his mistakes. If he does, he’s a weapon. Last year he looked very much like the rookie he was.

I think these have become my favourite line combos: Skinner Thompson Peterka The chemistry if the 1st 2 is well-established. Peterka’s pace through the neutral zone and on the fore check, plus his skill and strength on the puck should complement them nicely. I picture it as a battleship flanked by two darting spitfires, each creating space for each other. Quinn Mittelstadt Tuch Ive wanted to see Mitts and Tuch together since we first traded for Alex. I think Tuch’s size and speed and transition game and Casey’s fine motor skills and half-court game compensate perfectly for the other’s holes. Not only does Quinn have the finishing skills the other two lack, he’s also going to bridge the other two, finding them in space and filling the holes they create. Krebs Cozens Olofsson This is a textbook combination: Peyton’s passing and forechecking, Dylan’s speed and power, and Victor’s ability to read and finish. The first 2 are great at pushing the pace and all three can make plays at speed. Asplund Girgensons Okposo The LOG line Mach 2? Three extraordinarily hard-working and responsible players together on a hard-forechecking defence-first shutdown line.

We spent a lot of time talking about the new guys on here, but it was interesting to watch the guys who will be in Buffalo as well. Power is never going to look like he’s busting his ass. With his skating, length and brain it’s not often he will have to. Samuelsson was loosey goosey. You could start to see the playful goofiness and the way his teammates gravitated to him. He's going to grow into a leader on this team. Not sure how long it will take before the mob comes for Peyton Krebs for his lack of finish. One thing I hope people don’t overlook though is the fact that is he is getting and creating chances. He was the best forechecker out there and one of the best in transition. I say one of the best, because the best was clearly Quinn, who was also the best player on the ice. Kid look so confident and skilled with puck on his stick, and so engaged. Peterka was just a half-step behind him. He was notable, but also seemed to be just doing what he had to. He’s got an extra gear when better competition draws it out of him. These 5 are supposed to be NHLers, so the needed to stand out, and they did.

I don’t know that it will matter much because it will be a rare day when all 13 are healthy. But one of the stories to follow this year will be the pecking order that emerges between Peterka, Quinn, Krebs, Hinostroza, Asplund, and Girgensons.

Dude is gonna be fan favourite.

Seems like an earnest young man. https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/eric-comrie-71822/t-277437090/c-12238456

So by gaping holes do you mean the 26-9 edge the Sabres put up in shot attempts in the first period against Boston only to go down 2-0 thanks to Dustin Tokarski’s outstanding .844 sv% goaltending? Or did you mean the 59 per cent overall possession advantage the Sabres had while outshooting Boston 37-32 over the full game? Or the 6 consecutive power plays the refs handed the hometown Bruins with the game still within reach at 2-0? Those holes?

If Comrie doesn't implode, they're likely going to be able to do this.

He said he plans to play in Sweden for another 1 or 2 years and I have no reason to think that has changed. I'm talking about him being in training camp and potentially playing in the prospects tourney. Yes, his Swedish league team will be playing, but I'm thinking he's there essentially on loan from the Sabres and wondering if the Sabres want him to be in Buffalo for camp, they can make that happen.

Is that a given? I know the plan is for Östlund to play in Europe, but since he is under contract, do the Sabres not get to have him here if they want him here for camp? Pretty sure other Euro prospects have been here in the past, but maybe I’m misremembering.

I’d be very surprised if Quinn and Peterka aren’t there. Maybe not Power, Mule or Krebs, but given the dev camp set-up, why not, if they’re eligible? We should get Rosen again, and our first looks at Savoie and Kisakov. Östlund and Kulich are under contract, so I think there’s a good chance they will be here, rather than Europe, too. The college guys and unsigned Euros, no.

He’s going to break out either this year or next with 60 points. Most likely breakout player on the team, IMO. I think they’ve been grooming him as their all-situations matchup centre and I suspect he will stay in the middle.

Thing with prospect pools is the development pace. Dahlin finally looks to have arrived at close to what we hoped in his 4th year. Thompson in his 5th. Dahlin was a legit NHLer prior every year of his career, Thompson was not. Zadorov and Risto were exciting prospects. Not so much as NHL players. Is Cozens all he can be? Will Peterka add a ton this year, glimpses, or nothing at all? Who the hell knows?

If Samuelsson and Power play at or near what I project them to be (not a guarantee for any of the 6) Samuelsson Dahlin Power Jokiharju Bryson Lyubushkin Is a pretty solid mix of size, skating and skill sets, with Boosh jumping into the top 4 in shutdown situations and each player slotted about where he should be in the lineup. The only obvious hole is experience.

No doubt in my mind that Bryson and Hinostroza are at least on par with 4th liners/3rd pairing guys around the league. Anderson of last year as well. At his age though that status could disappear at any time.