dudacek

That Lysowski/Yerdon podcast did a good job giving me reasons why I should prepare to be disappointed by what materializes on the goaltending front this summer. But I learned my lesson last year. I'm not going to judge Adams on what goalies he does or doesn't acquire this summer, I'm going to judge him on how his moves — or lack thereof — affect our results. The train has started to pick up momentum and that needs to continue. 74 points last year was good enough. This year, it is not.

Because he was drastically overpaid and injury-prone - 3 more years at 4.75 and he’s only played 125 games over the first 3 years of what was a 6-year deal. Also, since he is 25, it’s the last year that the team can buy him out for 1/3 the cost of his contract, instead of the 2/3s required for veterans. They save about $10 million in real money and only get an $875,000 cap hit.

Colin White getting bought out by the Senators. That’s a guy I would look hard at on low-term overpay to be Eakin’s replacement. When healthy, he’s a good 3C. Just 25, has a good reputation and I believe he was with Donnie at the USNDP.

Also would seem to cross PIttsburgh off as a potential destination. There was a lot of talk of a Fleury return.

For me, the argument is less about blocking and more about the fact that Campbell's track record doesn't warrant a 5-year deal.

McKenzie’s poll of scouts has him down at 27 too. Apparently, he just doesn’t skate well enough in a lot of people’s eyes to justify a top 20 pick. Read something recently that said he has a lot of similarities to Curtis Lazar and could develop in similar fashion: great intangibles, good size and hockey sense, not enough skill.

I’d be ecstatic.. Kasper and Yurov (along with Savoie) are the three I like best who might be there at 9 and McGroarty is a guy I’d be fine with at 16.

First of all, the bold is not a true statement; the two scenarios are not unavoidably linked. For example, he could theoretically sign Letang and Malkin each to 1-year, $10 million contracts this summer and not hurt his ability to re-sign his young players in the future one iota. More pertinent, however, is that this is also not exactly what Adams said. What he actually said was that he not willing to make moves today that could disrupt the development of his young prospects today, or tie his hands under the cap down the road when he expects them to be in their prime. Your posting history has told me that you either don’t acknowledge the nuance, or accept that he used it. It’s a faulty premise that you refuse to surrender and I refuse to accept, so it renders further discussion moot.

Why the hell not? Montreal: succumbs to the hometown pressure and picks Wright New Jersey: Slavkovsky proves to be too great a fit with their spine of young centres Arizona: goes big and goes home with the 1st surprise, Arizona-raised Gauthier Seattle: sticks with the plan and takes Nemec, the heady D to go with last year's centre Philadelphia: trades the pick for immediate help. The delighted Blackhawks ***** up Cooley Columbus: moves quickly for Jiricek to replace the Seth Jones hole on their blueline Ottawa: Fast-climber Korchinski vaults himself all the way to number 7. Detroit: decides its best centre option is right in its backyard with Nazar. Buffalo: goes for speed and offence from Savoie Anaheim: steps off the board and plays into type to grab Bichsel. San Jose: happily snatches up Kasper as the best centre available Columbus: wasn't planning on taking Kemmel, but he's too talented to ignore after dropping to 12 NY Islanders: hadn't considered Lekkerimaki dropping this far, but Lou loves his US college guys. They take Howard, as planned. Winnipeg: the Jets also pauses over Lekkerimaki, but decide their needs elsewhere are too strong. They were hoping Mintyukov would be there and they take him. Vancouver: Faced with the same dilemma as Winnipeg, Vancouver trades down. Arizona grabs Lekkerimaki for picks 27 and 32 Buffalo: The Sabres look to their ties with the USNDP for Snuggerud, sold on his tools and his character. Nashville: grabs Kulich, fully buying in on his offensive breakout at the U18s. Dallas: likes heavy, and they get heavy, taking big centre Gaucher from the Q Minnesota: stops the free fall of Geekie, looking for talent and size up the middle. Washington: With Backstrom out, the Caps move to fill with a big trade with the Canucks. They surprise some at 20 by picking Ostlund. Pittsburgh: Steps up and rolls the dice on Lambert, the draft's most divisive prospect. Anaheim: after going physical at 10, the Ducks go skill here with the crafty Firkus St. Louis: the hard and heavy Blues see McGroarty as a perfect fit. Minnesota: Minnesota catches another faller, the puck-moving defenceman Mateychuk Toronto: rolls the dice on the first Russian, the highly skilled Yurov Montreal: The Habs go big on the blueline with Lamoureaux Arizona: 7 picks after "reaching" for Ostlund, the Canucks grab his surprisingly still available linemate Ohgren. Buffalo: another USNDP player, Chesley fills a need at right D with good value at 28 Edmonton: The Oilers pick another riser, Schaefer, reaching in the minds of some to add a potential power forward Winnipeg: After addressing their need on the blueline with their first pick, the Jets take Del Bel Belluz to fill another need at centre Tampa: a big defenceman with a toolbox, Pickering plays to type and fills a long-term need at D Arizona: With their 3rd pick of round one, the Canucks go Rinzel, addressing a need at right D with a long-term project with tools Kinda fun. Can't do a straight "rankings" draft and its interesting in showing how how trades and needs can really shake uo where certain players might go.

Let's not sugarcoat this either: Australia, New Zealand the U.S. and Canada were no different. Mom and Dad have the kids still keeping them in a shack out on the back 40.

My hot take is that Yurov will have a better NHL career than half the players in the top 10.

Devon Levi had 10 shutouts and 9 1-goal-against games in 32 matches. I don’t think it’s as much of a fantasy as some of the other posts on this thread. 😜

For sure. I would think that if the Sabres ranked Peterka at 24th, they would pay their price for pick 24, even if they were only trading for pick 34. I also think that pick 24 would be more valuable in a draft where you gave 30 players 1st rounds grades than 1 where you gave only 20 players that rank.

But I want to listen because he hears things that Kevyn Adams isn’t discussing publicly. That last sentence wasn’t added by accident and it fits with what Tom has said about Kane to Buffalo, which is what Friedman has said about how Kane and Toews would exit Chicago. I have repeatedly heard Kevyn Adams say he would only spend money or make a big move if it made sense long-term. Kane for “excess” picks and/or prospects makes sense long term. While I generally share your vision of Adams plan, I don’t share your dogmatic interpretation of it.

Last sentence of the Buffalo portion of his latest blog makes me wonder if Elliot Friedman has been talking to @tom webster’s sources. Buffalo’s got a boatload of cap room, but appear inclined to save it for its young core’s eventual extensions. Or, if something really interesting comes along

Embedded video in here. https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/buffalo-sabres-kevyn-adams-nhl-draft-preview/c-334784336 Lot of goalie stuff before they get to the draft. Curious as to whether your impression is the same as mine: that they are more focused on one or more than they are letting on.

Don’t you love it that going 5 and 3 while allowing 12 goals in 8 games and 298 shots is “cooling off”?

Two other takeaways from Forton’s comments. 1) He thinks the top 6 or 7 in this draft has a very well-defined pecking order where the players can be ticked off. Really curious who is in that group. The big 3 forwards and the 2 RHD, would be gimmes, I would think. But he seems to have 2 from the Lekkerimaki, Kemmel, Gauthier, Savoie tier (my names based on consensus lists) above the rest and in the same range as the guys up top. And conversely, he seems to have 2 of those guys as part of a larger 2nd tier where he expects to be picking from and thinks that 2nd tier has a chance to be as good as the top tier guys. 2) They've spent a ton of time looking at Russians: all 3 Euro scouts, plus Forton and Nightengale have all spent time over there watching them live. Kevyn says “rank them as if there is no war and if our turn comes up and one is value pick there, I’ll make that call then.” I read that as Russians are very much in play if one we rank highly is available with our 1st rounders. And that there are situations where they expect one to be a serious option.

Am I reading too much into Jerry Forton saying “We are going to get a real good player at 9, if we end up picking at 9” and separately “we’ve got a lot of draft capital” in the context of having to be ready to move? I feel quite strongly that the all-over-the-place nature of this draft, coupled with the return of the in-person setting, the flat cap, and the number of teams with multiple high picks (or none) is highly conducive to movement. I will be surprised if the Sabres make all 11 picks. It might be as simple as flipping a 6 to jump up for someone in the 3rd, but it also might be something substantial. I would not be at all surprised to see them jump up from 28 or 41 if someone they like is slipping. I’m kind of expecting it to happen.

…to start his NHL career, after pitching 25 in 38 college games. He finishes with 8 after nearly dragging the Sabres on a late run into the playoffs.

I think typically only 50-60 players from each draft go on to be NHL regulars. It would stand to reason that guys between 15 and 45 would tend to be mid-roster players, by simple math and averaging, no?

This sounds both like an Onion headline and an accurate depiction of Adams’ off-season plan.

Probably my least favourite choice of any of the players being projected to us at 9. Not even wArm to him at 16. Not my type of player, nor a good fit for team needs.

I’ll also say that after watching the presser @inkman’s pessimistic take on Adams getting another goalie looked more accurate to me than the positive take I got from his WGR interviews It also struck me that he may have also been talking to a trade partner: “I’ve got 2 goalies now, I’m not desperate I don’t need your goalie that bad to pay outrageous price.”

He finally did address him by name at yesterday’s presser kinda came across as “oh yeah, he had a good season too…”