dudacek

That still have Villardi, Anderson-Dolan, Kupari, Byfield, Thomas, Kaliyev, Maddenand Anderson up-front. They actually need to move some kids to give the others places to play.

Why do we need to take on a dump? Kings have $20 million in space, no one significant to sign, and a ton cheap ELCs to fill out the roster.

Will they be interested? The Insiders certainly seem to think so. But it does make sense. Eichel is both young enough to lead the wave of second generation Kings and old enough to give the old guard one last kick at the can. And the old guard seems to be demanding that. Kopitar to Eichel to Byfield is the stuff of torch-passing franchise dreams. He is also a star in a city that seems to need them. Do they have the pieces? Yes. The Kings have a ton of cap space and one of the deepest pools of young players in the league. Would this work? Turcotte, Kempe, Fagemo and the 8th pick for Eichel. Ive been approaching these threads from the perspective of what do these teams have that I could see them giving up for Eichel that might interest the Sabres. They aren’t deals I am endorsing or calling likely or even really passing judgement on. But in the spirit of @#freejame’s thread this is one I could really see happening. In fact, I think the actual trade will look a lot like this. It fits the character of each franchise, Kings fans will say it is too much and Sabres fans will say it is not enough. Kempe is kind of a no-brainer; the Sabres need a now piece, and to take some money back. He’s really the only piece LA has that fits the profile. Turcotte is the centrepiece. He’s not the centrepiece Sabres fans want, but he is a four-star prospect, a centre, a product of USAhockey a 5th overall pick and the kind of gritty two-way player I think Adams favours. There are better prospects out there, but there won’t be better ones on the table. A Frolunda product, Fagemo is a player from the Kings 2nd prospect tier I think the Sabres will target. He’s got skill and, again, the relentless quality I think we are looking for. The Kings will not want to move him, but it’s the cost of acquiring Eichel and, they can afford it. Both he and Turcotte could play in Buffalo next year. The 8th pick is the wildcard that pushes this deal over the top. A lot of picks will be offered. This will be among the highest. With two seconds, and two thirds this year, and a strong system even after moving Turcotte and Fagemo, the Kings can afford the sacrifice. Is there a deal to be made with the Kings?

I think he looks like a kid. Just mostly comparing him to Ekblad, who looked like he could have had two kids already.

Did I say anything about Power that I needed to watch him to comment on? How many full games have you watched him play? How many were prior to the worlds?

It said (paraphrased) Power is sending a letter out to the rest of the league that he is only going to play for one team.

Says the expert who started watching him this week?

Disagree with your “2nd pair” sentence. I think having the concept of Dahlin and the concept of Power on your first and second pairs can be as effective and as valuable as having Malkin and Crosby on your 1st and 2nd lines. Otherwise I generally agree with this post.

Bingo! We’re all building a winning team in our minds and will gravitate to the pieces that best fits our picture of what we need. I love his game the few times I’ve seen him play, but I have to admit it’s mostly the concept of Beniers that makes me want him. I’ve never even watched Power play and I worry about him being Eric Johnson. I think Power is tall and skinny and has a lot of developing to do. He’s no Zach Bogosian\Aaron Ekblad 25-at-18 type.

How come? (And if his upside is Stafford, there is no way we should be even talking about him.)

The casual bigotry of this post is pretty hard to stomach.

Help me out Guenther watchers. Are we looking at a guy who maxes out as a Thomas Vanek, or even a Rick Martin, in terms of role and impact?

Guys, this post is from “blueseatblog” by “Dave” posting unsourced information, other than the Friedman bit we’re all aware of. He’s got less knowledge of this situation than any of us.

Nate Schmidt playing off-hand top-pair minutes for a very good Vegas team is the most recent one that comes to mind for me, off the top of my head. The Ducks won a cup with two stud defencemen who shot the same hand. All three of Montreal’s big 3 in the ‘70s shot left. I’m not saying handedness is not a team-building issue, but it should not be an important issue in the discussion for first overall pick. If Power and Dahlin can work together 25 minutes a night as a number one unit, great. If they can’t, then each of them can play 25 minutes a night with one of them anchoring a second unit. How good you are at hockey trumps everything else at the draft, and especially at the top of the draft. If the shooting hands of a handful of three-star prospects already in the system are relevant to the selection of Power, then Power should not be in the conversation for #1.

Let's say the Sabres had Laaksonen ranked say 45th and Farrance at, say, 60. Pick 89 rolls around and they are the two highest-ranked players left on Buffalo's board. Should they pick Farrance and count on Laaksonen being there the next pick?

I guess we should get final lists fairly soon? Was it @GASabresIUFAN who compiled a blended list for us last year? Enjoyed that.

Not sure what you mean by this, but if it needs clarification, I was posting about the board in general, and not you in particular. I disagree that the board in general has suddenly become all "duh, its Power." Nobody was talking about him prior to the lottery, now a lot of people are, and a couple posters have forcefully supported him and others are realizing "hey, maybe this guy is pretty good." Personally, I adore Beniers' game and fall heavy into the group that was and is comfortable taking him. But is there really a significant a group of scouts/scouting services that have him as a #1? I've certainly seen him in the 2/3 range, but I've also seen him outside the top 5.

Johnson has yet to sign so I doubt it. His likeliest ETA would be next March, and he will probably play in the AHL the following year. Power, Samuelsson and Bryson would be 50/50 to be Sabres next year. It's a case of survival of the the fittest and I can't see that being a bad thing. If they all turn into top 4 D, you trade from that area of strength to shore up an area of weakness. Most GMs not named Botterill seem capable of doing that, regularly.

Is there a history of broken ankles causing damage that could affect his career? I know nothing on the subject, but I would think the break would have to be pretty devastating

So very comparable to Quinn Hughes? For a guy who's not known as offence-first, that's intriguing. Thanks.

I'm surprised to read the bold, considering Power put up better numbers this year than Johnson did despite being 1 1/2 years younger. Also, how does Power's 16 points in 26 games compare historically? I think people were saying it's a very low NHLe, but on the surface they seem like pretty solid numbers for a true freshman college defenceman. 40 points in 45 games as a 16-year-old D in the USHL seems pretty damn good too. EDIT: Posted before I read your latest.

I think Sabres fans are ready for a “type” and Beniers fits that type to a “T” I think they recognized there was no franchise player at the top of this draft, and didn’t dream they would be picking first and found themselves very comfortable with the idea Beniers at #3. Now they are being jolted out of that comfortable slot and forced to consider “Best Player Available” when that decision won’t be easy and they don’t trust their team to make the right one.

From an anonymous NHL executive to Pierre Lebrun on what the Leafs need to change. If you speak to senior people they will quietly tell you they have concerns about the Leafs’ philosophy of: Focusing only on high octane offense with the belief that if you outscore everyone you will win. It seems they would rather beat you 6-5 than 2-1 and we all know that’s not how you succeed in the playoffs. And, reduce their myopic obsession with analytics as being the defacto decision maker. Analytics are important but should only be one of several criteria evaluated in every decision. Both publicly and privately people know that analytics has a disproportionate influence and makes all the player personnel decisions.

I know he has nowhere near the physical presence, but am I wrong to think he can evolve into playing the role Ristolainen plays for Buffalo, except do it well?

So Quinn and Peterka and Thompson and Mittelstadt and Cozens (not to mention Eichel, Reinhart or their returns) aren’t reasons for not drafting a forward, but Samuelsson and Johnson mean drafting a defenceman is a mistake? Not following your reasoning there. I have no idea who the best player is, but if there is a player who is better than the rest, that’s the one I want, regardless of position. You don’t not draft Malkin because you have Crosby.