LGR4GM

Who?

Well if it is like the Sabres search they talked to him before firing Keefe and should have it wrapped up within the week.

What if I told you that there was a guy in the draft who had scored 90 goals in the 88 games he played this season between the USDP, USHL, and WJC-U18? It is time to discuss Cole Eiserman, the 6' 196lb winger with a very late August bday who is only about 16 days shy of being 2025 draft eligible. He put up 90 goals and 133 total points in his 90 games played as a true 17yr old. In most years, this would be a top 5 guy so why is his consolidated ranking 14? Let's start with the good and work our way down. First this is a player that has a ptsPG number higher (1.55) than Cooley (1.49), Zegras (1,45), or Boldy (1.27) at the USDP. He is just behind Caufiled at 1.56 and that puts Eiserman at 5th for the USDP over the last 20 years. Shots, shots, shots! Let's just cover his shot. It is the best shot in this class and is closer to Bedard than it should be. He can shoot from just about anywhere at anytime and he can shoot heavy and quick. He is accurate. In fact there is not a single bad thing I can say about his shot. Go watch the highlights, he scores from everywhere. Now there is some debate when you get into his skating but I don't really understand it. He doesn't have any stride issues I see and he generates power and speed, often leading the rush. His skating is above average IMO with some need to incorporate more east/west cuts but again, he can do them. His shot and skating allow him to use his hands which are good but they aren't great. He catches pucks at weird angles sometimes and still manages to shoot which is impressive. His dangles though are just fine, nothing crazy that I have seen but you also aren't worried he can't manipulate someone a hair to get his shot off. Final thought is there are clips you can find where he is really physical. There is one I saw where he is driving down the wing and just pushes his way through a guy, I love it. But that is a good segue. So the reason Eiserman is sliding on boards is consistency. That applies to all levels of the ice IMO. Less so in the offensive zone but sometimes without the puck he is just kinda there. On defense though, we have a problem. He does a lot of drives bys. Just cruises by, puts his stick in and circles back. It drives me up a wall because, he also sometimes will engage on the defensive side and he is pretty good. He tosses his body in there and will battle and win. The issue is it doesn't happen often enough. Idk if it improved a bunch over the year (because I don't watch all the games or guys all year because I am human) but there is some stuff in reports indicating it is getting better. With all that said, I don't get the impression that Cole doesn't care about defense. In fact, I have the opposite impression and it has to do with game maturity. That sounds like I am saying he is immature but it is more like he's still learning. Look if he was a October 27th bday, I would be really worried but he's an August 29th bday meaning he just hasn't gotten all that development some others have. That brings me to this quote: He's smart and he is mature in the traditional sense. He just needs to focus and develop the defensive side of his game which is why everyone talks about "rounding out his game". I think he can get there because I get the impression he cares a lot and has worked hard to improve his game. There is another quote from the same article from Eiserman: He seems very aware of his faults and idk, I like the edges to him. He has a bit of an attitude but it isn't a bad attitude but more of a determined attitude. Hard for me to explain. Basically I think that Eiserman is only getting better and his goal scoring will translate to the NHL. We haven't really talked about his passing but he makes some really nice passes and I think he sees the ice well, not great but well enough that he can make passes and setup teammates. The more he develops that part of the game the more it will give him tools to manipulate defenses. Is he shooting or passing? That said, his shot is good enough idk if it matters if you know he is shooting. Either way, he is a fun kid and a fascinating study. If he makes it to 14 which is San Jose again, they will take him. Mack Celebrini and Cole Eiserman are buddies and get along well. God help the NHL if Celebrini and Eiserman are playing off eachother. That's like giving Crosby Ovechkin as a winger. Final thought, there is a chance you are getting a pure shooter who ends up as a PP specialist but never really is a solid top line option. Is Eiserman better Olofsson or is he discount Auston Matthews? Hard to tell right now but at 11 he would be a worthy pick and is different than our other forwards. He has top line potential and if he continues to grow, could be a major steal in the draft. Hope to read some final reports on him before the draft to really give him solid consideration for the top 10.

I thought about Crosby the other day too. No idea if he'd ever be available but Pittsburgh has to rebuild and we have enough pieces to execute that trade.

Hmm. Maybe.

Yes. Trade for him.

Well in my defense, this sentence is nonsensical. "Do you likewise find pics of one young centre who got a 7-8 year deal based on a small sample size (career year?) congratulating a younger teammate (also a centre) who similarly got extended (big term, small sample size, big year) on a team that missed the playoffs and then regressed and a franchise that is continually setting a record for playoff futility?" Are you asking if we can find other pics of two teammates drinking on a beach after signing contracts?

This has us taking Eiserman ftr.

If Adams doesn't add enough nhl veterans to block the 20yr old kids in Rochester from the 3rd and 4th lines, he's failed.

You're mad about 2 guys on vacation having a beach drink? Holy ***** are we missing the forest through the underbrush.

Tomorrow. I've watched a lot of Eiserman. I have some thoughts. Then I'm done for a bit. Also, I encourage everyone to watch video and read yourself. Form your own opinion.

We have no idea what this team needs 3 years from now. I will say, I think you always need talented grit.

Let's talk about Berkly Catton, the 5'11" 163lb the 54g, 116pts Assistant Capt. of the Spokane Chiefs. First, I honestly hope he slides simply to watch this place meltdown over the fact he is 160lbs and only 5'11". Please let me have that. He was the best player on his team but sadly his team didn't make it out of the first round of the WHL playoffs. Catton had 8 more points than his linemate Roulette but 45 more points than the 3rd player on his team. He is the offensive engine, the driver of his team. Really, quick a stat that pops up in a couple of place (I didn't find this on my own) is that Catton sits 3rd for PtsPG for draft eligible players in the WHL over the past 25 years. Bedard (2.51) and Reinhart (1.75) are the two players above Catton (1.71) with Jarvis (1.69) and Draisaitl (1.64) coming just after. That is some really good company to be a part of. Let's start with the shot because his shot is one of the best in the class and it will only get better as he gets stronger. Quick release that is accurate and already hard, he has that ability to get his stick loaded and fire. He really can fire rockets. You don't get 54 goals if you can't and he can. But if you are just a shot threat, that becomes easier to take away, so maybe we should look at what might be the best passer in this class not named Celebrini or Demidov. Because he has such great hands and a threatening shot, Catton really can manipulate opposing defenders. Once he does that, he has great vision and can make any pass you want. He loves to work pucks inside and find guys on the inside. Watch his reels and you can see him manipulate plays and either speed things or slow them down depending on his feels, which are basically always correct. He reminds me of Jack Quinn in some ways as he can do a bit of everything. Now his skating his just fun to watch. He builds speed with crossovers, he has agility, quickness, and overall great skating. His pull away speed is there but should improve with added strength. He really uses his skating to link his other skills together as he keeps his hands high on on his stick and then uses those dekes while moving to really open things up. Every report talks about how good he can be on the rush and I fully agree. Flies up ice, manipulates the defense, can load up a shot, or make a great pass. Love it. Alright, he isn't all sunshine and sparkles. His defensive zone coverage is meh. It isn't terrible but I wouldn't call it good either. He sometimes loses his guy and even if Spokane is playing more of a zone, he seems to not understand exactly where to be or how to defend it all that well. He does backcheck and forecheck well but needs to get stronger. I think in the NHL, he might end up a winger over center because of that less developed defensive game. Really quick, he will play defense and I think he does try physically but they are underdeveloped aspects of his game that need work. Not surprising for an 18yr old. Overall I would like to see him stronger on pucks in the D zone and to see that offensive hockey IQ translate to the D side of things. I like Catton. He has the skills you want in a first line forward coupled with the IQ to make it all work. His size can be questioned as he physically needs another 15lbs or more of muscle mass to be able to handle some of the rigors he will face as he goes up a level. I think the overall package is nice and when, not if, he develops physically, you could have a nice player that can really break games open offensively while not being a liability defensively. I think Catton slides on draft day if he clocks in at under 6ft and 175lbs because that is the trend in drafts. He shouldn't be available at 11 but could be.

That type of thinking is how you let Zach Benson fall to 13.

Love Keon... but dude. Georgia would have rolled you. Let it go. You don't get to not play in a game and then talk s##t about UGA beating your team down. Georgia wasn't taking out any frustration on FSU for losing to Bama in the SEC championship. Kirby Smart has that team keyed up to win every game, they don't need some magical motivation from losing to Bama to destroy a depleted FSU team. Also, tossing out that Georgia chokes, they literally beat Alabama for the Natty 2 years previously. Kirby has developed a culture where playing for your team even in a didn't matter bowl, matters and talking crap about them is laughable. Again, I love Keon but dude, walk away from this one. FSU got screwed by the CFP committee, they were undefeated and should have gone regardless of injuries just like UGA fans all agree we shouldn't have gone because we lost to Bama, is what it is. Don't invent some bs alternative world where FSU beats UGA because UGA wins the SEC, it doesn't exist. Keon is mad at UGA because if UGA beats Bama, his logic is that Texas then doesn't get it in. So he is blaming UGA for the Committee keeping FSU out. If he and his fellows really felt that way, they should have shown up and beat UGA and ended undefeated, allowing them to have a nice little asterisk about how they should be CFP champions but they didn't. They didn't because they were mad and deep down they KNOW that if they had turned up with all their starters and lost, everyone would have been like "see, you weren't good enough". It was a lose lose. Anyways, still love Keon's personality. His take here is laughable but no one is perfect.

Well, I guess I know who I am doing next.

Let's talk about Liam Greentree. Sorry, I meant OHL Captain at 17, Liam Greentree. The 6'2" 198lbs RW with a freaking Jan 1 bday... meaning he has at least 2 more OHL years left, had 36g, 90pts for the Spitfires in the OHL this season which ranked him first on his team and clear of #2 by 24 points. His team isn't very good and is rebuilding, so that explains some of that. Also of note is that there is only 1 player with at least 30 games played and has a better +/- on the team. Basically, his team was bad but he was good in comparison. Captain Greentree's consolidated ranking is #11 which is interesting and there is, I think, a great chance he is there at 11 for Buffalo. His u18 tourney was fine but not spectacular so it wont be like Iginla who basically played himself into a top 10 pick. Scouts and teams LOVE the u18s and thrive on recency bias. Btw, any short tournament is weird so don't freak out and it is all about opportunity. Gavin McKenna lead the team as a 16yr old with 20pts because... he's absurd. Iginla has 12pts and Greentree had 4. So it was kinda meh in comparison. BTW McKenna will be the first overall pick in 2026. Moving on. What's to like? Dirty f-ing dangles boys. Kids got great hands and will dangle, deke, and otherwise manipulate you. He can couple that with a fairly nice shot, it isn't on the level of Iginla or Catton but it is already fairly good. He will score goals at the NHL level (20+). I think his ability to dangle really will make him a threat because he can use a solid base with nice hands to drive the center and either shoot or make a great pass. My slight concern is that he isn't as smart as I would love. Certainly a smart player with great vision but there are some times where you are just like... wtf? Idk if part of that is he was on a team where it was him... and ummm... the guy 24pts below him? He tries to do too much some times. Okay, that said he has good vision. He sees players and has the hands to manipulate a defender to get that puck where he wants. I like that he plays with pace and finds spots in coverage. His skating has 2 sides, first is that he has a strong base with nice edges. You see him link his east west movement with the dekes and it looks great. The issue, he doesn't have speed or quickness yet. It takes time to get up to speed and there are short area times where that first stride is slow and the defender catches him. I don't hate his skating, it just isn't great. He looks average in the OHL and I wish his skating overall was more dynamic. He reminds me of lesser Benson in that he doesn't have the pull away speed but lesser in the sense that Benson makes up for it with this kind of slashing attacking style that mitigates it. Greentree could use his edges more in that way. Benson doesn't have great top speed but he hits his top speed fast. Greentree isn't there, he can get there, he's only 18 right now. Alright, he's 6'2" so the inevitable question is how physical is this dude? We talking Brady Tkachuk or Victor Olofsson here? Well, ummm I don't love his physicality. Sometimes, he will cut the hands of the defender, throw his butt out and use his body to get where or what he wants. Other times, he sorta stick checks or there is a well known clip in everyone's scouting report of a little fly by he does that makes me want to slap him. Now, those IMPO are more outlier-ish. I would say 3 times out of 10 he sorta mails it in physically (so 7/10 physically) versus say Yakemchuk who is like an 11 out of 10.... Dude might need to dial that physicality back. Greentree isn't a "power forward" but he could develop into one. Consistency is the key here. Overall at 11, I probably would lean Greentree over Yakemchuk (who I am using here because I just watched Yakemchuk). I think there is a bit more runway with Greentree compared to Yakemchuk. I think Greentree has a lot of good ideas and skills but he needs that refinement part just like everyone at #11 will. Overall I wish he was a bit more consistent in his compete level but I always want Zach Benson levels of compete and that's more rare. Like the player, don't love him but he is a leader on a rebuilding team who still manages to be really good even as a 17/18yr old in the OHL. At 11, this would be a solid pick. You could do a lot worse at 11 than Greentree who IMPO projects out to a 2nd pairing winger with some first pairing potential if he cleans up the skating and gets a bit more physical. Sometimes he reminds me a bit of Alex Tuch if you wanted a Sabres comp, keeping in mind these are based on style not 1to1 will be like that guy.

This was about the Leafs, but it fully applies to how Granato coached the Sabres and how Adams has spoken the past year or so. I think the bold in particular sums up how Granato had this team playing last year and I think or hope Lindy Ruff changes that. Still, they need to decide are they building a tight checking team that wins 2-1 and 3-1 or are they building a push back the defense type of team that will pummel you 6-3? Guess we will find out this offseason but the bold really spoke to how I viewed last years Sabres.

Haven't finished doing homework yet. Need all the draft guides to get the final feel. But let's do a little report on Yakemchuk. He's 6'3" 194lbs and racked up 120pm this past season. He has a VERY VERY early birthday for the draft being only 13 days removed from being 2023 draft eligible. So he is old for the draft class. He has 3 full WHL years already under his belt. He's gotten better each year but there hasn't been some massive jump, it has been steady growth. He was second on his WHL team this season in both goals (30) and points (71) which is notable for a defender. Really quick, he had the most goals for a defender in the WHL, not draft eligible, I mean alllll WHL defenders. Next closes guy is 26 and the 3rd guy is 18g. His team isn't particularly good and there is not a single player on that roster that was already drafted in the NHL. To put that in perspective, Savoie is on a roster where there are 6 other drafted prospects and the highest scoring one had 126 pts versus the 80pt leader of Yakemchuk's team. To recap, this is an older prospect for his class, steady increase in production, plays on a bad team in the WHL, would be Rochester eligible after this next season, is big and powerful. One final note from the Athletic article about him last month is this quote: He has good not great skating. I think his short area quickness and acceleration needs work. I agree with other scouts who question those aspects and you can see at times it takes 3,4,5 strides to get going and that worries me a little bit. His edges are fairly good though and he has agility so hopefully the quickness comes. Defensively, I think he is solid. He still has some work to do with managing risks and being better positionally but since everyone worries about a defender being gritty... he doesn't have 120PIM because he is a lazy stick checker. He is a little over aggressive which is great because he will physically remove you from the play... but also sometimes you can't just knock a guy over. He needs to pick his spots a bit better but he is a physical defender and his defensive highlights show that in spades. Gritty is a good word. Again, work to do defensively but he isn't Parekh where the defensive side of the game is more of a afterthought. His shot is great, there's a drag wrister I love and he has a solid slapper too. I think the shot will only get better in time. He is the type of guy on a PP2 that you could let drop bombs from the point. Dude has some moves too, dekes and the like. I think there is a fair amount of manipulation for a defender. I actually appreciate how slow it looks like he moves when he dekes but how fast the puck is actually moving. It is a because when he moves that big old frame, the end of his stick moves way more than the top of his body. Honestly his puckhandling might be one of my favorite qualities he has. Go watch highlights, there are dekes and fakes and quite honestly that ***** which you love to see in forwards... but he's a defender. Honestly if you moved him to forward, I think it would work. Still, the offense is the best part of his game and in the ozone he is really good. Bottom line is that at 11, he would be an option. Not my first option, judging by how I think of others but it wouldn't be a major reach. He would add a big strong RHD to the pool that would have another year in jr and then 1-2 years in Rochester before joining the team. Very much could be a replacement for whichever defender 3 years from now we need to move on from and fills a hole next to either Dahlin or Power, I think Power on line 2 is a better fit. I like the player but he is old for the class, has some quickness questions, and overall might not be the best player available at 11.

Here's a somewhat bizarre mock in which Catton doesn't go top 16, which seems suspect.

Got it, you favor Power.

Great movie