dudacek

It probably means they like this kid a lot more than the internet does. And that they see a need to keep the goalie pipeline flowing with fresh bodies so there are always options down the road and the current situation is not repeated.

Goalie? Big surprise there

Watched the draft with some Habs fans friends who (obviously) had been doing a ton of research on Wright. They said they’ve noticed that Wright comes across poorly in interviews: he says the right things he has been programmed to say, but leaves the impression that it’s posturing, he doesn’t really believe it. Rather than “alpha dog” his body language says self-doubt and insecurity. That was even before the “death stare” thing. Take that for what it’s worth, but if GMs were getting the same impression you can see why he dropped.

So basically a 3rd and a slight move up worth maybe a 4th? That one hurts a bit.

Couldn’t say how fast he actually is on a stopwatch, but Savoie is the definition of plays fast. He’s just as fast with the puck as he is without it. He attacks the game, is fearless and his hands are as good as anyone in this entire draft. He led the entire draft class in goals and was just 3 behind Wright in points, well ahead of the rest of the pack and ahead of Sam Reinhart and Dylan Cozens in their U18 years. And people should not be overlooking the sheer entertainment value he brings to the game. Best player left on the board.

The Sabres now have 7 players under the age of 25 who project as centres on the 3rd line or higher. I see Ostlund as the only one who you couldn’t easily shift to the wing. Organized by where they were drafted, all picked in the top 34: Cozens Mittelstadt Quinn Savoie Ostlund Rosen Krebs Thompson Kulich Poltapov Asplund Peterka That’s a lot of skill, a lot of speed and a lot of compete. It will be interesting to see how they develop.

You can often get relentless, focused skaters like Kulich late in the first or early in the second - guys like Rasmus Asplund. And sometimes you can get guys with deadly shots around that spot, too - guys like Arthur Kaliyev or this year’s Isaac Howard. But guys who combine both qualities aren’t available at 28 very often. I think Kulich coming up during a pandemic in the Czech league may have let him slip under the radar a bit for some teams. And I think some of them will regret it.

About a month ago I brought up Ostlund on here as a guy to watch for and made this exact comparison: He was the Aho to Ohgren’s Puljujarvi and Lekkerimaki’s Laine. Like Aho, he was overlooked for being less of the physical specimen. Hopefully, like Aho, he will turn out to be the real brains of the operation. He’s got the mind and the skill and he competes. He will get bigger and he should get more physically confident. A couple years back I gravitated to a guy who seemed to generally be ranked too low for 8, but who also just really just seemed to get it. He was a guy I wondered if people were overlooking. That guy was Jack Quinn. This year, Ostlund was that guy for me at 16. He has so much potential for growth. Old-timers will remember the guy he reminds me most of: Igor Larionov. I really like this pick.

@Thorny Hey, man, this one was for you.

Definitely should reinvest in centres this year. But the pipeline isn't empty because they've been neglectful, it's empty because they've mostly been hitting on their swings and their prospects have moved up to the big club. 1st rounder from 2016 2nd rounder in 2016 top 10 pick in 2017 2nd rounder in 2017 1st rounder in 2019 top 10 pick in 2019 How many teams have invested more than 6 significant picks in the past 6 years on centres? Focusing on the need to rebalance after the past 2 years is fine, but I don't think the past 2 years are troubling. Prior to Quinn and Peterka, they only used one significant pick on a winger in 5 years. These things tend to go in cycles.

I know. My point was that we are going to get some talented players, regardless of whether they take “my guys” or not.

Guess I can’t give him too much credit for a deal that didn’t go through, but holy ***** Adams, nice work buddy! That would have been a coup.

The day has arrived. The best case realistic scenario for me is Savoie and Yurov: two competitive guys who will play top 6 and give our forward ranks the biggest injection of skill possible from where we are picking. Worst case scenario for me: Lekkerimaki/Kemmel and Geekie/Lambert: four guys who might be as gifted as the two I want. All kinds of of intriguing permutations in between. And really, what the hell do I know. I'm just some guy with an unhealthy obsession with the Buffalo Sabres. Bottom line: today we will get better. Enjoy the evening. Looking forward to reading your reviews.

So basically he’s Taylor Hall.

So much this. I mean it’s probably not going to work and the charm will inevitably disappear if the losses mount. But it’s so much easier to be invested in our guys, as opposed to a bunch of mercenaries. And I think that’s true for the players in the room as well. If Dahlin and Cozens and Levi and the rest get good together, it will mean something, especially to those of us who were part of the ride from the beginning. It’s something Adams seems to recognize and fully embrace.

I like Nazar and would be happy to pick him, but he does seem to have a bit of an obstinate streak that causes me to drop him below guys like Savoie and Kaspar.

All draft picks come with risk. Do your homework as best you can on an individual player’s skill set and situation. Then play fearless.

I think WRIGHT was tagged as a franchise centre, while Lambert, and to a lesser extent, Savoie and Miroshnichenko were guys people were really excited about and they’ve all disappointed to a certain degree.

Both Cosentino and Pronman mocked Nazar to 19th. Pronman says he knows the internet loves him, but scouts generally have him in the late teens. He's 15 on McKenzie's list too, so maybe he has something there?

I hope not, but that's who he mocks to us. Savoie (11th) seems to be a much better fit for the Sabres depth chart and for their "type". Cosentino calls a Lekkerimaki a good compliment to Quinn and Peterka. I say with Olofsson Skinner and Tuch already on the roster and Poltapov, Rosen and Kisakov coming, it's redundant. We've taken wingers with 5 of our past 6 picks in the top two rounds. He also has us taking Ostlund at 16 and Pickering at 28. https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/sportsnets-2022-nhl-mock-draft-predicting-how-round-1-will-unfold/

Sam Cosentino says he’s hearing Kasper might shake up the top 10 for those who haven’t been paying much attention. As high as 5, likely won’t drop past Ottawa at 7 and will not drop past Detroit at 8.

Off all the rankings I’ve read, probably the one that most closely matches my opinions. Savoie/Kasper and Yurov top 2 picks and I will be a happy man.

This was so much me.

If the Sens need to get the floor, I hear Ben Bishop might be available.

My take is that the top 5 is lacking elite talent, but the 2nd and 3rd tiers are deep. It has maybe 10 guys after the first 5 that would typically go 5-10 in a lot of drafts and maybe a dozen more after them who might go top 20.