LGR4GM

I'd use a lot of adjectives to describe Benson but "soft" ain't one.

They have already partially addressed goaltending IMO.

"Whaley, alongside his staff, was "relieved of his duties" by the Bills on April 30, 2017, following the 2017 NFL Draft.[6] " https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Whaley

I actually think the goaltending, if left as is will still be significantly better than last year and 90% of that revolves around Devon Levi being absolutely agile and excellent at puck tracking. Will he have some down games? Yes. Will he need to adjust once teams get a book on him? Yes. Will he be fine this upcoming season. Yes.

3 and 4 c are not weak spots. This team has an abundance of centers and forwards. The 2way guy with gritty size was already added, Greenway. You are doing this deliberately so when Adams doesn't add all these forwards you want, you can come back say "LOOK! Adams sucks! He is so bad!" when in reality the forward ranks are fine if not good. They need 2 defenders and another veteran goalie to pair with Levi. We aren't missing the playoffs in 2024. I will bet money on that. To the bolded, lol.

It was explained at the time it was a charity bet. There are lots of non ambulance or health related charities. Boys and Girls Club of Buffalo, boom.

Teams are about to overdraft size after what they think they learned from Vegas. ASP and Willander I truly believe go before Buffalo picks.

Beane was not the GM when they drafted Tre White or Matt Milano. He became GM after the draft was over in 2017.

Other than Josh Allen who has Beane drafted that is truly an impact player? Oliver maybe? 13 seconds happened for a ton of coaching related and trying not to lose reasons. The Dawson Knox signing still doesn't make much sense IMPO, I am not convinced Oliver doesn't also edge into this category. The offense last year in the second half was really weird to watch, they looked disconnected. This team has never made a superbowl and only made the conference finals 1 time. I would say this is a pretty big season for the coaching staff and gm to prove that this roster isn't flawed and can do more than win in the regular season. Right now the Bills are the Leafs of football. Great regular seasons, but for reasons always seem to have stumbles in the playoffs.

I don't because they are deliberately setup to fail. "Brilliance" is never going to happen. Great Success is unlikely as well because there isn't a forward spot for a 3c. Between Mitts and Krebs it is laughable to expect that. Brilliant: top4 D, top 6d, veteran goalie addition the other levels would be subtracting those things Pretty good: Top 4 D, Top 6 D Fine: Top 4 D

I always come away from Wahlberg wondering if all the end to end rushes will translate. I could probably add him to my list but I always just kept putting in players who styles my eye liked more. Either way, I think there is a big tier from about 55-80ish of guys.

Here's all the stuff written up and here is the Liger's list: Ranking-Name-Position 1 Connor Bedard C 2 Adam Fantilli C 3 Matvei Michkov RW 4 Leo Carlsson LW 5 Will Smith C 6 Zach Benson LW 7 Ryan Leonard RW 8 David Reinbacher RHD 9 Oliver Moore C 10 Dalibor Dvorský C 11 Gabe Perreault LW 12 Dmitri Simashev LHD 13 Quentin Musty LW 14 Colby Barlow RW 15 Lukas Dragicevic RHD 16 Calum Ritchie C/RW 17 Axel Sandin Pellikka RHD 18 Samuel Honzek C 19 Nate Danielson C/RW 20 Gracyn Sawchyn RW 21 Daniil But LW 22 Tom Willander RHD 23 Matthew Wood LW 24 Brayden Yager C/RW 25 Riley Heidt C 26 Oscar Fisker Mølgaard C 27 Eduard Šalé RW 28 Nick Lardis RW 29 Felix Nilsson C 30 Ethan Gauthier RW 31 Otto Stenberg C 32 Gavin Brindley RW 33 Beau Akey RHD 34 Coulson Pitre C 35 Tanner Molendyk LHD 36 Juraj Pekarcik LW 37 Andrew Cristall LW 38 Danny Nelson C 39 David Edstrom C 40 Kalan Lind C/LW 41 Caden Price LHD 42 Matthew Mania RHD 43 Étienne Morin LHD 44 Mikhail Gulyayev LHD 45 Bradly Nadeau C 46 Anton Wahlberg C/LW 47 Quinton Burns LHD 48 Oliver Bonk RHD 49 Charlie Stramel C 50 Carter Sotheran RHD 51 Hunter Brzustewicz RHD 52 Noah Dower Nilsson LW 53 Aram Minnetian RHD 54 Jayden Perron RW 55 Maxim Štrbák RHD 56 Carson Rehkopf LW 57 Alex Čiernik LW 58 Lenni Hämeenaho RW 59 Andrew Gibson RHD 60 Connor Levis RW 61 Jakub Dvořák RHD 62 Cam Allen RHD 63 Beckett Hendrickson LW 64 Theo Lindstein LHD 65 Felix Unger Sörum RW 66 Jesse Kiiskinen RW 67 Gavin McCarthy RHD 68 Koehn Ziemmer RW 69 Matthew Soto RW 70 Luca Cagnoni LHD This list probably looks different than others and I definitely missed a guy or two I am sure of it. This draft might end up deeper than most but I really do see a lot of the same types of guys in that 40-70 range that we see every year. Still I feel okay with this. I use draft guides, video (when I can find it), and highlights to try and place these players. I also use their age and their production given the league and role they played. Age matters a lot even though NHL teams don't often seem to worry much about it. Final note, I am not a professional scout. I have seen video on most of these guys but I am not watching hours of game tape on all of them. Enjoy.

Huh, Carter Sotheran not making the list is a choice. This gives me the final piece I have been wondering about though, will Oliver Moore slide to 13 and I think there is a possibility of it happening.

I picked Power. A sophomore slump is possible but I really felt that late in the year, Owen was starting to understand that he could really lean on guys. I also felt that the offensive game was getting more and more complex, where he would layer fakes and deceptions into his passing but also was attacking more.

I would argue that JJP's defensive game is a full level below what Quinn brings. Offensively I think JJP has started closing the gap though.

28 Nick Lardis RW 5'11" 168lbs He sits above the next 3 names on this list for 1 reason, his shot. Lardis has an excellent shot that can beat you and can be fired from a bunch of different platforms and with many different techniques. 25g in 33 games after he was traded really showed the true potential his shot possesses. There is a catch, you need someone to get him the puck as he seems to be better at the off the puck movements than as a transporter. That isn't a knock on his skating which is good, more that he isn't much of a playmaker. Lardis can manipulate a defender to get a lane and release or slide into soft spots or even fake passes but he just doesn't really facilitate other people scoring. Still he is a smart player that attacks and backchecks well so with that elite shot, you might be snagging a 30g scorer if everything goes well. 29 Felix Nilsson C 6'1" 187lbs - Do you like 200ft middle 6 forwards? Great, here is one for you. Nilsson is solid, shot, passing, skating, physicality is all solid or good. There isn't a standout trait but there also isn't anything I would call below average. I wish he was slightly faster but when I watch him skate it looks good mechanically so added muscle will probably solve that problem. He isn't sexy but he is effective. The good news here is you are getting a player that can play on your 2nd line if everything breaks right or if not, you are getting a 3rd line Asplund type so either way he projects to the NHL. His passing would be the closest thing to an elite skill he has as watching highlights or a shift by shift you see him connect with teammates often and make some difficult passes. He does them regularly and executes them quickly indicating, I think, a good IQ. Overall just a nice projectable type of player. His late June bday means that there might be more to give as well as he develops and matures. 30 Ethan Gauthier RW 6' 183lbs - I forgot if you like middle 6 forwards... but here is another. He has more outright physicality than Nilsson but other than that they are similar in a lot of ways. I think Nilsson is a more polished product and the added size is nice but Gauthier brings that same projectable middle 6 profile. He doesn't have a lot of manipulation or deception but he has it enough to get the job done. He uses his smarts and his handles to open lanes and feed solid passes to the middle. He can cut in and attack the net if needed and his shot is slightly above average. Again, he is basically another version of Nilsson, I just feel Nilsson has a touch more skill. 31 Otto Stenberg C 5'11" 185lbs - What? You want to know if there are any middle 6 forwards? Well sit down and let me show you one more. Otto is getting a lot of hype because of his u18 play where he put up 16pts in 7 games. That is really impressive and when you watch him you see the dangles and deception he tosses out. He has more manipulation than our other 2 middle 6rs. That said I think his skating is the weakest of the 3 even though it is still average and not a negative trait. I also think sometimes he can get lost in the defensive zone. Overall I like him but I think his projection is more questionable even if he has the same upside. I wish he was a bit more physical and I wonder if the skill he has will be high end enough for the NA game where time and space condense. 32 Gavin Brindley RW 5'8" 168lbs - Let's get it out of the way, Brindley is short. That height and weight above is from the combine measuring. His skating is good, but not elite. His other skills are good but none are elite. The only elite trait he has is that his motor is revved up to 5,000 rpms every shift. He will hold the fort down defensively and you can watch him shut down plays and start the transition. He is very positionally sound, like a poor man's Reinhart. He can play whatever you want and will be pretty decent at it. He played with Fantilli at times and was good managing to post 38pts in 41ncaa games as an 18yr old. The issue is what happens when instead of battling 20yr old NCAA players he is battle 25 and 26yr old NHL players who will all be bigger and strong and faster than what he sees now? Sure the motor revs high but 5'8" is short and that leads to limitations that he cannot just overcome. Gerbe made it work for a time but if Brindley doesn't make your top 6, how good do you feel putting him out in your bottom 6? There's skill there but a lot of risk. 33 Beau Akey RHD 6' 175lbs - He is probably the 2nd best skating defender in the class simply because Molendyk is stupid good. That said Akey is also a very good skater who has both power and agility. He can shut down rush chances and is big enough to handle a lot in his own end. I think his defensive game is really well rounded and of a high caliber. I see a lot of scouts comment on his stick work and maybe I should go look again but I didn't notice that specifically. He will take the body when appropriate and has enough skill to be a breakout and transition player. In the offensive zone, he tries a lot of stuff and gets quite a few shots through. I think there is more to give there and hope he can refine his offensive game. I really like the rest of what he does though and for me he grades out as a solid #4 who could work fine on your #2 PP or your #1 PK. I really enjoy his game and think he might be around at 39 with a consolidated ranking of 47. 34 Coulson Pitre C 6'1" 170lbs - He sits higher on my board than most ppl have him (consolidated is 72) but I want to post one thing from EP's draft guide that caught my attention "Here’s a list of OHL first-time draft eligibles who scored more even-strength points per minute than Coulson Pitre: Quentin Musty, Colby Barlow – that’s it." He is physical and has a good motor, a step below Brindley's. He has good ideas and watching him you can see that there is talent there. The issue is that he doesn't have a standout trait as everything is pretty average to good and his skating is just okay-ish. If he improves the skating though this is a great high reward middle 6 type. I think his overall game is good and he just needs that extra bit of improvement with his IQ and skating to really unlock his game. 35 Tanner Molendyk LHD 5'11" 181lbs - Is he the best skating defender in the draft, probably. Does he have warts still, yes. Let's start with the skating, personally I think only Moore has better skating. We are talking an elite and dynamic trait here. Explosive out of cuts, quick feet, maybe the best edges in the draft, and man does he just stop rush chances. Go watch a shift by shift or find a game somewhere and he just seems to always manage to shut down rush chances. So why isn't he ranked higher? I think his hockey IQ is meh. Actually he might suffer from a similar problem to Moore in where he has this excellent skating but his brain is still trying to catchup and analyze while his feet drag him into trouble. There just seems to be a lack of understanding of what to do with pucks. You see some really nice breakups and than passes that don't connect or are dump ins. Idk, I have mentioned before when guys have lower H-IQ I get nervous because I think by the time you hit 17/18 you really either understand the game or you won't really. Processing speed at these ages should be pretty fast and I think Molendyk lacks that a bit. Also, 5'11" defenders who aren't great distributors but are good skaters, that isn't a long list of comparables. Still the elite skating and decent hands will take him far and maybe in a structured NHL system he can be able to do a bit more. 36 Juraj Pekarcik LW 6'2" 183lbs - I want. Let's all take moment to recognize that Pekarcik won't be 18 until Sept 12th. As noted before Nate Danielson is 350 days older. At the U18 he played with Dvorsky because well, Juraj is good. He has stickhandles and dangles, his passing is a + trait, and while his skating probably needs a little work, it really looks more like a product of being 6'2" at 17 than his mechanics are bad. Strength and some maturity should make it into a + trait as well, he is certainly fast and has decent edges already. I loved this kid in the U18s, he was always moving, always hunting the puck carrier, never backing down. There is a pursuit quality to his back and forechecking that is only going to get better with time. You can't teach that mentality easily and Pekarcik already has this mature way of engaging and staying engaged all over the ice. The nice thing is his puck handling allows him to manipulate space and then deftly pass it off to then cut inside or support the play. He is 6'2", with hands, can skate, high motor, and he is YOUNG. Sept 12 bday makes it likely that the runway here is long. Not to mention he is already 6'2" 183lbs so we might be looking at a 6'3" or 6'4" 210lb power forward. This kid is going to be one of those "oh man we should have drafted him earlier" guys by next season. He played 30games in the Slovak Men's League this year and in the j20 version he had 20pts in 16 games. I can't say enough about Pekarcik and I hope the Sabres are smart enough to factor in how good he is compared to how young he is. His consolidated ranking is 89 and I would take him at 45 without hesitation and probably at 39 without more than I quick glance at the board. 17yr old kids don't hold down 7ish minutes a night in men's leagues. He may have only put up 3 points but they kept him up there because he wasn't a liability either. Pekarcik is my diamond in the rough this draft and I wish Buffalo had a pick at like 65 because I think he goes there. Hopefully our love of Czech's extends to Slovakia. 37 Andrew Cristall LW 5'10" 175lbs - Remember how I gushed about Pekarcik and his motor and all that stuff? This is Andrew Cristall, he scores a lot and is maddingly inconsistent. He has elite puck skills and can link those in with a good shot and excellent passing. He is exceedingly creative, like Bedard and Michkov could talk to Cristall and they would all understand the game. His deception and layering is truly awesome. He put up 95pts in 54games which is a 1.76ppg pace, that's really good. He also was outscored at the u18s by the guy above Pekarcik, 6pts to 10. At this moment you are probably like... so why is he in the 2nd round when his consolidated is 19? Well his skating is mediocre, decent edges but lacks power and speed. He never seems to extend his legs full and sometimes when you watch him cut it works but then the acceleration out of that cut is fairly weak. Now let's talk about his defensive game, there isn't one. Moving on, for those of you who want more grit, run. No seriously run the f away from Cristall. Where Pekarcik engages and uses his body, driving through a players hands to take possession, Cristall I have literally watch put on the breaks to avoid making contact on a check. I just, don't get him as a player. If you only see highlights, he looks like a top 10 pick. If you read or watch more than that, everyone across the board questions how he translates to the NHL. Right now he can get away with using those hands and the edges to make guys miss and get shots or passes off but in the NHL, when Power or Muel or Dahlin are bearing down on you, sure your hands might buy you some time but it won't be enough as you get ragdolled off the puck and then float back into the defensive zone to stick check a guy maybe. I just have way to many concerns here. The hope is that he gets a little bigger and tougher but IMPO at 18, you either mentally understand and are willing to engage in the physical play or at this point that isn't who you are. 38 Danny Nelson C/LW 6'3" 212lbs - I have a lot of time for Nelson. His opening half of USDP play was meh but once he figured it out you could see that there is more to unearth with him. He has an Aug 3 bday meaning he is quite young for the draft. He motors like Pekarcik and uses his body effectively to shutdown plays and take the puck back. Go watch the u18s, his wall play is excellent and he basically is never caught out of position. I think he skates well for his age and size but needs to work on that agility, constant edgework drill because if he bumps the skating up I think that will really unlock more options for me. I think he understands the game overall very well and when you couple that to his back and forechecking nature you get a really effective player. I am very curious to see what Nelson does at ND next season as I think at the USDP he was buried a bit under the exceedingly deep roster of talent. This is another long runway type of guy who is big and plays with pace and aggression. Can he be a 2nd line guy... maybe. At worst though he is going to be a 3rd line 40pt player which I can live with in the 2nd or 3rd round. His consolidated is 52. 39 David Edstrom C 6'3" 185lbs - Another guy I really like is Edstrom although I think he has less of a runway than Nelson partly because he is 6months older. Edstrom is another of these really smart solid players that I have discussed a lot in this tier. He does everything well and doesn't necessarily have a stand out trait. His u18s was quite good and you could watch it to see how he processes the play, makes good inside moves, has okay hands but what impressed me was his ability to find his teammates often. Defensively he is really like a clone of Nelson, just in the right spot, active stick, will check you when needed. At worst you get a 30-40pt 3rd liner and there might just be a solid 2nd line guy in there but I am less convinced than I am with Nelson. 40 Kalan Lind C/LW 6'1" 158lbs - a teammate of Buffalo's Mats Lindgren, Lind is essentially a poor man's Ryan Leonard. There is skill there and if you watch the tape you see it in flashes where he will handle or cut or do some other trick to open lanes or get a shot away. The skating is a level below Leonard and I think the shot is as well. Still I see the makings of a power forward in his profile if he can refine is game more. He is intelligent with the puck and knows how to find or make space to help his team offensively. Defensively he is positionally sound with very active checking. That brings us to the reason you would consider him at 45, he hates the opposition. If you have the puck he hates you and he wants you to know that he hates you. He will forecheck or backcheck with an intelligent recklessness that reminds me a bit of a Tkachuk. He loves to initiate contact in any part of the ice but I don't feel from what I have seen that he is going out of his way, instead it is done methodically. He is smart, physical player, with decent hands and good attention to detail. If you are lucky and his skating and shot improve, you get a 6'1" 190lb ball of hate that is pretty solid on a 2nd line but at worst you get a 3/4 line guy who again has a really physical element to his game. My real concern here is durability, he really needs about 25lbs or he will continue to get injured due to how he plays. Still, I like the cut of his jib. ^ Tier 6 ^ after this guys really start to blend in more and more Here is the previous tier

Honestly if the Sabres did that at 13 I would be very concerned for their evaluation criteria. Morin was force fed lots of minutes, is average size, has average skating, and plays weak defensively.

The man's out of a job so can't really get demoted

Heard good stuff about Mulberry's

Tappo is better, Lombardo's is pretty solid, I personally like Romeo and Juliet's again, to each their own when it comes to food.

I hear the Amerks have vacancies to fill in the coaching department...

There's definitely better Italian food in Buffalo. Chef's is like anchor bar, exceedingly mediocre. I'd take Morin at 39. At 13... idk they must see something I don't.

Eh, maybe he is short on funds right now. Never know ppls situations.

I think Skinner never had a coach who understood how to use him either. Jeff isn't going to be the hardest backchecker on the planet but he is okay defensively and is a pain in the ass in the offensive zone. Let him flow and create while someone else is the first forward back.

I really do feel with that after you get into the 20's this draft really becomes standard. That said there are about 20ish guys that are really quite good and I think when all is said and done, this draft will see a few more high end guys than other drafts. In the end though, I think there are only about 50ish NHL players here just like most years. This draft has high end talent for sure but instead of calling it deep, I would call it top heavy with a return to a normal distribution by the time you reach day 2. Bedard, Fantilli, Mitchkov, Carlsson, Smith really push a lot of talent down. I would take all 5 of them before Juraj Slavskovsky for example. I might take most of them before Power and Beniers too. Either way, if Buffalo keeps 13, they should get a top 10 talent. I have a suspicion that defense will get overdrafted because it is so limited and that might push a couple of guys down the list like Dvorsky, Moore, Barlow, and Musty.