LGR4GM

This is why I think NHL scouts are stupid: "You just worry sometimes with people from those non-traditional countries, but there are some good traits there.” – Western Conference scout, May 2024" I don't care if you come from the Sahara desert, if you can play hockey you can play hockey.

I've decided that Carter Yakemchuk is Rasmus Ristolainen and I don't want anything to do with it. I could 100% be wrong here as Yakemchuk has a ton of offensive tools but just watching shift by shift tape and it doesn't look right. The tracking data I've seen backs it up, I would draft him in the late teens but not at 11.

No you don't

Pronman mock draft https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5531872/2024/06/05/nhl-mock-draft-2024-celebrini-levshunov/ I have made no bones about how much I don't like Pronman's rankings but it still gives us things to talk about and there is a fun Sabres note in here. Mack Celebrini Artyom Levshunov Anton Silayev Cayden Lindstrom Ivan Demidov Sam Dickinson Carter Yakemchuk Zeev Buium Berkly Catton Beckett Sennecke Tij Iginla (Pronman: Several NHL team sources think Buffalo is a strong candidate to trade their pick.) Konsta Helenius I don't see any logicaly way Tij Iginla makes it past Calgary at 9. That would be the perfect spot to take him in. That said, I think it is interesting there is industry chatter about Buffalo trading the pick as that indicates to me there are multiple conversations around that. As always, talking about it and doing it are 2 different things.

There's a chance Quinn is the best forward on the team in 2024.

***** it. Florida in 5.

Ftr, I don't have an issue in trading for Tkachuk. He'd change the team complexion.

You're missing my point. Mitts had runway to get better. Skinner is 32, he's not changing or growing, he is what he is. You're also ignoring ppl have correctly evaluated what he is and wish to move on. I'd personally keep him until next summer and then buyout or trade him now.

Cuz Josh Bloom will most likely be a tweener and we've got 100 other forward prospects.

this time?

I guess I just value Quinns ability to take pucks away

Remember, every team is in town for the combine.

You are focusing on 1 thing while ignoring others. Quinn is better defensively than Tkachuk. I would wager he will probably score more goals as well because I think Quinn is smarter and has a better shot. In that video there are 16 hits, 5 result in a change of possession and the Sens lost that game. Quinn cuts the hands of the opposition to gain control of the puck and Tkachuk is trying to shoulder check to get control, different approaches with different results but I stand by vehemently what I said. Jack Quinn can be as good as Takchuk. Of course Quinn needs to stay healthy to prove that.

So you agree it was dumb, I am not sure what we are even talking about then

What if I told you that Jack Quinn could be as good as Brady Tkachuk?

There was a game in February I saw shifts from where he lost a puck and then practically destroyed the guy who took it, in order to recover it. Loved his tenacity.

See how I wrote "full ntc" that's the dumb part.

I like Utah Yeti or Utah HC so I hope they go with one of those.

Even in a reset year, the Bills can win a Super Bowl because Josh Allen. I think compared to the last couple years, we will have a far more balanced attack that isn't simply, "diggs is open somewhere" and that was the biggest downside of the previous OC. Between Cooks, Kincaid, Coleman, Shakir, and Samuel, the Bills probably have as much talent as they did with Diggs, Davis, Knox. It will just look different and that is probably a good thing, Buffalo needed to get younger and more dynamic.

This comparison rings very hollow IMPO. Mitts was 22 a few years back and struggling to be an NHL player, we all now exactly what Jeff Skinner is going to bring. Skinner is going to give you 25-35g and 25-35a in a top 6 role while being exceedingly mediocre defensively. Most want him moved because they feel we need more from our players than what Skinner brings but unlike Mittelstadt, we all know exactly what he will bring. They won't move Skinner this year, but I could see them try next off season either via trade with retention or through a buyout. With Skinner having a full NTC because Botteril and Pegula are morons, it has really made things difficult. Moving on from Skinner has to do with changing the dynamics of the top 6 and within the next year, Zach Benson will surpass Jeff Skinner and that creates an issue because Skinner is wasted with less skilled teammates like Krebs and Greenway IMPO.

Something on Sennecke that I found interesting is at EP and other outlets they talk about his ability to contort his body or move his upper half independently from his lower half. You see this a lot in receivers who jump up for a ball but then can seemingly hang in the air and adjust to the catch. Benson actually does this, where his core stays at point A while his hands and shoulders move to point B. It only really matters because it creates a shiftiness and an ability to make plays off platform. The 2nd clip from the highlights shows this, Sennecke almost falls over but somehow still manages to make a play and keep his balance. Keep in mind this is a player that grew 3-4 inches in the last year and is 6'2" but only 181lbs, so he will add 20lbs of muscle over the next 2 years and that will make him harder to handle. One other note not related to Sennecke that I am very much looking at this draft. Board play is translatable and exceedingly difficult at the NHL level. It is why I like Jack Quinn so much, he seems to magically take pucks from the wall towards the HD areas. So let's talk about Cole Beaudoin, the 6'2" 200lb center who hates you. He hates you, your family, your dog... if you have the puck. Seriously this guy is a physical, gritty, high revv type of player. He is Benson with more weight and less skill. Now if you watch him, you can see the speed in his game isn't there right now. He needs to be more shifty and move/react faster. He doesn't have dynamic hands (Benson does) but does have a solid shot. If at 44, Beaudoin is still there, I would heavily consider it because if he can improve his skating, he could be a really great 3rd line center and PK guy who wins you playoff games in about 5 years. EP said he "is nightmare fuel for the opposition"

Elite Prospects (EP) draft guide is out. I think it is worth it as they provide PAGES of their game notes for each player which is really cool to look at. For instance I can look at game notes from end of last year and into this year. For example: Sennecke from March 2023 compared to April 2024