LGR4GM

Alek Barkov, Finnish hockey player who has 2 Selke trophys. Draft good players, worry about where they are from later. One of the smart things Adams has done has been to get European players to Rochester ASAP. Novikov, Wahlberg, Kulich are all there and Östlund and Komarov are all heading there (Komarov is a CHL product though) so it isn't like they won't get up to NA speed or style.

List of players that Kevyn Adams has drafted that play a regular NHL shift as of today: Jack Quinn, JJ Peterka (Euro), Owen Power, Zach Benson. That's it, that is the list. You are taking a perception about drafting and applying it to a team that has currently 3 European players (Rasmus Dahlin (who is not soft at all), JJ Peterka (I wouldn't call him soft, he's average), and UPL (Goalie). So your claim that drafting european players is why the Sabres are soft rings exceedingly hollow when outside of JJ Peterka, Adams hasn't added a single European player to the NHL roster through drafting. Let's take this a step further, you quoted the percentage of players from Europe that Adams drafted at 21 of 35 or 60%. Let's look deeper into that number, shall we? Kevyn Adams has never used his 1st, 1st round pick on a European player. Quinn, Power, Savoie, Benson. He has used 3 first round picks on European players with Rosen, Kulich, Östlund, being the 3. Östlund and Rosen are certainly to this point more small and finesse. 42% of 1st round picks on Euro players. Now he has made 6 2nd round picks on Euro players for a 100% total of those picks. They are Peterka (good pick), Kisakov and Poltapov (meh), Leinonen (lol), and Wahlberg and Strbak. The only 2 that qualify is smaller or perhaps soft is Kisakov and maybe Poltapov (idk I never see him anymore). Wahlberg is 6'3" and Strbak is 6'3" and I would not call either soft. Leinonen is a goalie we can literally ignore cuz he's not relevant ever. 4 picks in the 3rd for Adams with a 2/2 spilt. 7 picks in the 4th and 5th round with only 2 European players. Rounds 6 and 7 are literally not worth looking at because like 1 maybe 2 of all those guys will ever play NHL games, you could draft them from Zimbabwe or Chicago, doesn't matter. All in all I count 3 smaller and softer Euro players from rounds 1-3. Since these are the most important rounds, I don't really care. I have to toss out the entire 2021 draft as Adams has said they went heavy in certain Euro leagues because they actually had data and played the season. Really, what I am getting at is there is no proof at all that Adams is somehow prioritizing small European born players at the expense of bigger, grittier, NA guys. In fact if we look at the 2023 draft, there is a sharp and marked push to draft bigger types of players. After Zach Benson, Adams didn't draft a player under 6'3" until we get to the goalie Ratzlaff in the 5th round. Wahlberg, Strbak, McCarthy, Miedema are all bigger and have some element of grit to their style. I am pretty down on Adams at the moment, but he already recognized that the team needed to add more size with grit to the pool and last draft is almost exclusively that. One last thought, Komarov and Novikov are both European players, I would not call either of them Soft and they are from rounds 5 and 6 respectively with NHL chances.

It's time for the 1-32 mock draft. San Jose Sharks - Mack Celebrini Chicago Blackhawks - Artyom Levshunov Anaheim Ducks - Sam Dickinson Columbus Blue Jackets - Anton Silayev Montreal Canadiens - Cayden Lindstrom Utah - Ivan Demidov Ottawa Senators - Beckett Sennecke Seattle Kraken - Zeev Buium Calgary Flames - Tij Iginla New Jersey Devils - Berkly Catton Buffalo Sabres - Zayne Parekh, first of all I did not plan this. He just kinda ended up available and maybe that is my bad. I can see him going to anyone of 3 other teams above us. Second, he's not that small even though ik that will be a major criticism. He's 6.25 and 178lbs so he has some bulking up to do but this isn't Jacob Bryson. He skates very well and has all of the tools in the toolbox he needs to be a top pairing defender. He is the type of player that you send back to jrs for a couple years and then let him run a year in the AHL and you could get a really really good defender. He is a RHD as well. Simply put, there is far too much skill and talent to let Parekh slide any further even if some won't like his profile. Should I have mocked him to someone else earlier? Maybe? Still that is how this went. Philadelphia Flyers - Carter Yakemchuk Minnesota Wild - Konsta Helenius San Jose Sharks (from Pittsburgh Penguins) - Cole Eiserman Detroit Red Wings - Michael Brandsegg-Nygard St. Louis Blues - Adam Jiricek Washington Capitals - Stian Solberg Chicago Blackhawks (from New York Islanders) - Liam Greentree Vegas Golden Knights - Sacha Boisvert New York Islanders (from Tampa Bay Lightning via Chicago Blackhawks) - Trevor Connelly Los Angeles Kings - Michael Hage Nashville Predators - Cole Beaudoin Toronto Maple Leafs - Jett Luchanko Colorado Avalanche - Igor Chernyshov Boston Bruins (from Boston Bruins via Detroit Red Wings via Ottawa Senators) - Dean Letourneau Montreal Canadiens (from Winnipeg Jets) - RJ Emery Carolina Hurricanes - Andrew Basha Calgary Flames (from Vancouver Canucks) - Charlie Elick Dallas Stars - Teddy Stiga New York Rangers - Dominik Badinka Anaheim Ducks (from Edmonton) - Julius Miettinen Philadelphia Flyers (from Florida) - Ryder Ritchie This was fun. I tried to look at what teams had and some trends I see in their drafting but here we go. I will be about 98% wrong so take it for the fun it is.

Sorry, who's Florida's best center? Just remind me because I forgot. Also comparing nhl players to drafted players is like comparing fish in a lake to the fish in the ocean.

He has not been bought out yet. My guess would be because Buffalo is trying to work with him on a trade although, they could literally announce a buyout at any time from now until June 30th.

Wont be available but he's fun

Martin Necas versus Jack Quinn. First you can have 3 good lines but if we are trading assets does Necas bring something we don't have? Jack Quinn: 27games, 9g, 10a, 53.7cf%, 1.3g/60, 1.4a/60, +0.4xgf Martin Necas: 77games, 24g, 29a, 61.8cf%, 1.1g/60, 1.3a/60, +5.2xgf For the corsi numbers, context matters. Carolina is an excellent possession team that limits shots against and does well in shot generation... versus Buffalo under granato who couldn't get anything HD cuz reasons. That said the number I want to look at most is the rate metrics of g/60 and a/60 where Quinn has an advantage in both of those metrics. Now they are slight but also Quinn came off of injury to do it in his 2nd season. However if we sort things a bit, we have pp numbers, keeping in mind the Sabres pp was the dumbest thing I have ever watched. They basically saw 6 weeks of it working and then kept it for two years like little kids having a favorite movie. Necas: 2.9g/60, 1.8a/60 on the powerplay Quinn: 1.2g/60, 2.4a/60 on the powerplay Necas generates a lot on the PP and Quinn much less so, although you can see Quinn is an very good assist generator and that goes to his brains and skills. My point for this is, what is Necas bringing that we don't already have? I think Quinn's pp goal numbers are obviously bad because the Sabres spent two years standing still making useless passes trying to get Tage a one timer. At even, Quinn already outproduced a guy with 362 career games compared to 104 games. You could argue that Necas the last 3 years has been healthy so availability beats other ability. I just would rather find someone either clearly better with term or playing a far different style which Necas is basically a speedy rush guy with a bit of bite but nothing crazy.

Feel like you are betting on Jett's age and upside. There are certainly some really good playmaking ideas and skills to go with pretty good skating. This draft is weird, after about pick 8ish, there's like 12-15 guys that you can talk me into if you try hard enough. Quick edit from EPs Draft Guide: More about Cole Beaudoin (who if available at 43, draft) but the note in there about Luchenko being reliable at the u18 for Canada is an important note.

"I couldn't identify a player like Luchenko in the Sabres system" ... what in the F kind of logic is that?

This is for trades buffalo isn't involved in:

Jack Quinn is better than Necas.

If a team like Carolina is willing to move on from him, you should be asking why?

Hey, I want Brandsegg-Nygård or Eiserman if Iginla is gone.

Necas isn't suddenly going to play defense under Lindy Ruff.

Jfc, no. What's the point of analytics if Adams is just going to get the same players he likes over and over and over. Just no. You need a different mix, not someone who's skinneresque

No

Desperate? No. Won't be in Buffalo for 3 years or matter for 4.

That reminds me to check in on William Eklund... not a bad rookie year actually. He'll have more fun with Celebrini this season though.

Things a smart team would do, not because Bader's model but because you can have a 21yr old tender who you know has a shot or you can go get a 18yr old tender with less certainty.

Honestly didn't know I had that much power over the Sabres... let's test it. Buffalo must make good trades for Joel Eriksson Ek, Sam Bennett, and oh idk umm John Marino.