dudacek

Actually, Sabres will be first team to make their 3rd pick. It goes something like this: Montreal 1, 26, 33, 61 Arizona 3, 27, 32, 33, 37, 43, 45 Columbus 6, 12, 38 Buffalo 9, 16, 28, 41 Anaheim 10, 22, 42, 53 Arizona has a ton of ammo to move up though, and probably should

Or maybe Cassidy recognized Sweeny’s development program has been handing him Anders Bjorks for years and did what he needed to do to win. The Bruins got immensely lucky with McAvoy and Pastrnak, but other than that they’ve been riding their 2011 core and culture for a decade now, and Cassidy has been a big part of that.

From the way he wrote it up he doesn't seem to have any inside insight on where the Sabres are leaning. But, for what it's worth Pronman dropped a mock this morning: 9. Lekkerimaki (he's hearing a buzz that a lot of teams have him comfortably top 10) 16. Nazar (says some have him higher, some lower, but he makes sense for Buffalo there) 28. Miroshnichenko (3rd 1st-rounder, good spot to roll the dice)

I don’t have a strong opinion because my actual viewings of the players are limited. From what I’ve read though, a lot of scouts seem to think those Gauthier/Nazar percentages are reversed. Production-wise, they both played top 6 minutes with good linemates on a good team and they’re very close. I find it very interesting that McGroarty is right there with them, with forgotten man Snuggerud not too far behind and top 3 lock Cooley not too far ahead. And it’s actually Issac Howard who led the team. It will interesting down the road to see which of these guys are true studs and which were a product of their environment.

And the latter point isn’t talked about enough. Seems to me there’s a pretty good case to be made that Ullmark felt the same way about the Sabres as McCabe, Reinhart and Ristolainen. He just wasn’t as up front about it as they were.

That largely depends on what happens next: who we sign, for how long, how well he plays, how well Ullmark plays, and how much cap space the Sabres have to sign their core guys in 3 years. What Adams foresees is clearly different than you.

This is good. Basically, you don’t think Gauthier has the combination of skill and strength to be a legit top power forward. I see all those guys above as a step down from prime Okposo.

So in your view Gauthier doesn’t have any, say, Landeskog type potential? Can you give me a few examples of the types of players picked outside the top 20 you are referring to?

Did Peter Deboer’s availability cause another team to gas a better coach again? We can only hope.

Hyperbole. I largely felt this way 10 months ago. What happened since proved me wrong. As I said, this case largely depends on what happens next.

Not sure it’s half the teams in the league. I’m thinking more like a half-dozen? Sabres have more cap space than their competition and are a much more attractive destination than they were a year ago. We’ll see what happens.

Lots of good stuff in here. Disagree with the bolded. In Alex Newhook’s draft I see two potential Okposos (assuming you mean prime Kyle): Kakko and Podkolzin, and they went 2 and 10. The previous year Svechnikov went at 2 and Tkachuk at 4. You look at a more established year, 2014. Only guy in the entire draft who fits the profile is Tuch at 18. Virtanen and Ritchie projected to be that guy before busting and they went 6 and 10. Meanwhile, you get Nazars at 15 with Larkin and 75 at Point. Or 25 with Pastrnak if you want to add a play-driving winger. You want to get a real Wrangler you usually gotta pick those guys high too. The real question is not type, it’s ceiling: You take Yzerman over Shanahan, but you take Shanahan over Larkin.

Whether not signing Ullmark was a blunder or not will depend largely on what happens in the crease next year. Last year, Ullmark’s play did not match his contract. Last year, the Sabres goaltending might have cost us 10 point, but it did not hinder Adams rebuild plan in the slightest.

Apparently only time available. And no reason they can’t interview someone outside the combine setting.

I guess it all really depends on how each party values the pieces in question. But when was the last time a player was traded for the type of futures package Brawndo suggested might be the ask? Duchene, O’Reilly, Carter, Richards, Eichel…there is a track record for what really good 24-year-old centres might cost. Cozens was a #7 pick and Quinn #8 and I think each has retained his value. And they’re going to demand #9 as well? I’d would be very surprised if someone paid that much. And angry if it was us.

Matt Moulson?

If the rule book treated wandering goalies outside their crease just like a defenceman, hockey would be much better for it.

When Kyle Okposo was on the LOG line, it was actually the 3rd or checking line. This past season, he was 4th among Sabre forwards in ice time. He was also 28th among all NHL right wings in points. Despite Ralph Krueger’s best efforts, Okposo not a 4th liner and never really has been.

Coaches probably get too much credit when things are good, and too much blame when they aren’t. But what you’re basically saying here is there is never any “proof” a coach is good or bad, which of course is “silly.” The proof is in the results: Gallant is a good coach because teams and players have had success under his watch. Tuch probably had more individual success as a Sabre than anywhere else. You’re not going to get any more proof than that, so asking for more in his case and not others seems…inconsistent.

So Kasper is just a shade under 6’1” 190 and played the full season plus a playoff run in SHL, as well as the men’s worlds this year for Austria. If we picked him, it seems likely to me he’d be headed for Rochester next year.

I haven’t dug into Kaspar at all yet. My one viewing didn’t catch my attention. Thanks for this.

New-to-me Buffalo reporter Rachel Hopmayer says the following players interviewed with the Sabres: Mintyukov, Nazar, Mesar, Gauthier, Devine She says Denton Mateychuk did not.

Kid is special.

Away from the point of your post, I’ve always thought it’s weird how you’re always talking about the need for big bodies and team-first warriors yet you hold these two in such low regard.

Pulling a guy like that outside the top of the 1st round is such a game-changer. Kucherov and Point, Bergeron and Marchand…