LGR4GM

Different, idk about better. Hard to say.

Exactly. Östlund wasn't in Rochester showing off his shot like Kulich or in the WHL like Savoie with game highlights all over the place. Instead he was in the Alls fighting for promotion against men. It is all about most Sabres fan not seeing what he was doing and assuming since they heard so little it means he can be traded away. He put up 31pts in 49 games against men. That is pretty solid for an 18yr old who didnt hit 19 until March. If he had done that in the AHL we would all be like WOWOWOWOWOW he's so good at the hockeying. Ohgren and Lekkerimaki put up less regular season points than Östlund while both did better in the playoffs. Considering we know that Östlund got hurt that doesn't surprise me. Östlund's biggest obstacle right now is his strength, he needs 20lbs of muscle.

I disagree with this 1000%. The plan was always for Östlund to stay in Europe for 2 years. The only question was if his team would get promoted back to the SHL and if not would he find a good landing spot to play in the SHL. The only reason he would have been in Rochester this year is if there as no SHL landing spot and he was going back into the Allsveskan.

My recommended draft guide: I often say that Elite Prospects (EP) Rinkside is a worthwhile subscription and I stick to that. They rank 136 prospects and then have hundreds more that they have at least scouted in the last year. I like the game reports the best because I like to see if I can find a really good and really bad report to see what the player is like on off nights and how often they happen. Anyways, I will say that for me at #13 it comes down to 2 things, do the Sabres want to add size to an otherwise average prospect group (Kulich, Östlund, Rosen are all average size forwards in terms of height) and the second is do they believe Gabe Perrault can fix his skating? If you think you can fix Perrault's skating and you aren't worried that all your recent forward picks are basically some variation of 5'11" and 6' with the exception of Savoie, then I would take Perrault because the only part of his game I question is his skating. The rest of what he does is brilliant and he is fully aware he isn't strong enough. In April his USDP coach talked about how he stayed late and did extra in the weight room, he's added about 25lbs since last year and still needs to add another 25lbs or more. Perrault is 5'11" 165lb LW. Now if Buffalo looks at their prospect pool and thinks, okay we want the high end skill but we need someone who can actually go into a board battle and win routinely than I would look at Barlow or Wood or Ritchie. Colby Barlow, 6'1" 187lbs LW, concerns me because I do agree with scouts that his game is very mature and I just don't see a lot of runway left. He is like the opposite of Jack Quinn in that he is pretty well developed physically and mentally in his game approach. He reminds me of lesser Alex Tuch in that he has that physical side with soft hands and a stout frame at 6'1" 187lbs. He goes to the dirty areas and has a nice shot (I think it might be his best asset) and he works all over the ice. If you want safe this is your guy, he is all but guaranteed to be a 3rd line winger who can operate on your second pp at worst. At best, 25-30g scorer who might not drive a line but playing with a guy like Cozens would be exceedingly complimentary to him. Matthew Wood, 6'3" 190lbs RW/C, concerns me because woof do I dislike his skating. I am not Corey Pronman here talking that he can't skate in a straight line fast enough so booo, I mean that his agility and first 3 steps (I care most about a players power generation in 3 strides than just straight line speed) are mediocre at best. Now we can all sit here and think, well he is big and in college so that is why but he was at the U18s and he doesn't even look good against his peers in terms of skating. Sure he put up NUMBERS (7g, 7a) at the u18s but my concern is that with all his other skills he won't be able to utilize them when the game picks up speed. His playmaking is nice but again, skating is meh all around. Calum Ritchie, 6'2" 187lbs C/RW, imagine if the two players above had a baby and that baby was Calum Ritchie. His shot is slightly less than Barlow's, his skating is better than Wood, his playmaking is less creative than Wood's but then Ritchie can stickhandle while skating and Wood cannot. I think he has more development room than Barlow and could overtake him because of that. Defensively, he's pretty good. He reminds me a lot of JJP in terms of how he tends to have fewer deceptions in his rush patterns but because he is strong enough and has soft enough hands it tends to work just fine. I think his overall hockey sense is high though and that will allow him to overtake Wood in terms of playmaking if he hasn't quite done it yet. Honestly he is just a solid player who goes 200ft and can win battles, identify the outlet, make that pass, support the play, create space, and otherwise contribute to a teams middle 6. Will he be Alex Tuch or Dylan Cozens? No, I think that is a lofty expectation but he could be a 60pt winger (I think he works better at wing, I am trying to remember him losing a 1v1 on the wall and can't really) that plays on your 2nd pp and your #1 pk. I think he needs another 2 years of juniors though. One last thing, +/- is really only useful when looking at a team because he shows how a teams ES goal differential works. Ritchie was on a bad team. Sure Oshawa made the playoffs but they weren't very good. Out of all the players on his team that played at least 50 games, there's only 1 with a better +/- and if you look at the playoffs, Ritchie is 1 of 2 guys that played in all 5 games to not have a - differential. What does this tell us, he is defensively very solid at Even. I think on a better team his point totals would have reflected his abilities more.

Bryson should not be on the roster. If he is, we have problems.

You are so annoying. It's just a constant bitch fest from you in every thread. I did 2-1-2 because technically they have 2 high forwards, 1 slot forward, and then 2 defenders but you could say it's a 1-2-2 because really you have 1 pressure on the puck and then the other 2 forwards sit behind that in case they get beat or the puck switches. We typically front the forwards down low. You're constant negativity over everything Buffalo ever does is boring, old, and doesn't contribute. This post above is a perfect example of it.

Like Ryan Johnson now or Ryan Johnson when he was drafted? Now he would be somewhere in the 20s I would guess. He has good skating, efficiently breaks up plays, can transition up ice, and has average size. Smart 2-way defender that has a chance to be a 2nd pairing guy if paired with someone who has more offense. Looking at a consolidated draft list I would put him around 26-30ish. Can't really say on back in the day to now because I don't remember and I wasn't as high on him as the Sabres. In 2019 there were and are forwards who have to this point been better. Why do you ask?

Willander won't be available in the 2nd round. There is a very small outside chance he isn't available at 13 actually. Most likely scenario for him is the 16-24 range and anything after 24 seems highly unlikely. Oliver Bonk, good shutdown defender but the industry as a whole is higher on him than I am. He is a medicore skater and his solutions for problems isn't good. If you just want someone who can breakup a play or get the puck back, sure you can take him but I would not draft him higher than 45 and realistically view him more favorably in the 3rd. He will almost certainly go late first or early 2nd. Hunter Brzustewicz, old for the class and inconsistent. You might get a good puck mover with decent gap control or you are getting a good puck mover who is a liability. Late 2nd early 3rd is most likely for him but I don't love him. Maxim Strbak, I generally like Stbak and if his skating improves he could be very good (#4 on a good team). He has some creative elements and his defensive zone play is very sound. I don't have a good feel on where he will go but my guess is the 2nd round with a small chance of slipping into the 3rd that is probably unlikely given his size. 6'2" 198lbs Cameron Allen, what's 5'11" and was once considered a sure fire top 15 pick? Inconsistent is the #1 word used with him this year. Idk what his deal was but he was on a bad team for most of it and just feels like the mental side of things really impacted him. At this point, he is a bit of a reclamation project. Most having him sliding into 2nd half of round 2 or 1st half of round 3. For Buffalo, I think you will have safer options at 45 and I wouldn't take him at 39. Aram Minnetian, is fine but in a boring sort of way. I would probably take him over some others above but he doesn't do anything fancy. Haven't done a lot on him to be truthful. Andrew Gibson, he's like bigger Bonk with slightly better skating but worse hands. He is a poor mans Samuelsson but I think his IQ is actually better than some give him credit for. The thing is, he's probably a 3rd pairing guy at best with maybe occasional 2nd pairing minutes. He will never run your pp or put up more than 15pts a season. I see him ranked as high as 51 which seems like a bet on his size more than his skills. His size does matter because of how he plays but idk, I think at 45 I would look for someone with more upside. Dylan MacKinnon, what is Rasmus Ristolainen without the offense? This guy. If you want him I would be willing to wait until the 3rd at the earliest and the 4th is a better place IMPO. Good skating and has some skill, physical when he can be, but man oh man do I question his decision making. Gavin McCarthy, he is super young with a june 2 bday and he got injured in, January I think, something like that. He intrigues me as a 3rd round guy but idk if I could be convinced to take him at 45. Highest ranking is 60 and I think that feels fine for him. He has some creativity and he tries stuff but I think his skating holds him back in terms of short area quickness and agility. Still there are tools in his box and he could pan out to be a #4 but that is a tough projection. Names not mentioned that you should be looking at: Carter Sotheran, the big 6'3" RHD with a late June bday is fun. I like him at 45 for sure even if maybe that could be a hair early. The issue is skating, not so much his agility but more his explosiveness (lack thereof) that holds him back. Still I would probably take him over Bonk just because I think there is more upside for the transition game that all NHL teams play. If he gets his skating cleaned up (watch some highlights, it isn't bad just needs work) than you might have a #4 guy. Matthew Mania, this 6' RHD ranked 7th in the OHL for even strength points on defense. That isn't for draft eligible ppl that is for every defender in the OHL (learned this from a draft guide today). Basically this is a player with a tool box stuffed full that needs refinement refinement refinement. Just started looking at him but highlights are really fun. If you don't like risky defenders who turn stuff over though, look away. My guess is he could be there in the 3rd or 4th or 5th round, really hard to narrow that down. Beau Akey, 6' RHD and good. I love this kid and if he slides to 39, punch Bill Armstrong in the face to get to the podium. Guy should have got off the stage faster. Now why do I like him? Well his defensive game is solid and he uses excellent edges and an active stick to disrupt and shutdown plays. He is reasonably physical but could be more so. I think his ability to win pucks back and start up ice is really good from what I have seen. I worry that the brain hasn't caught up to the hands yet but he shows a lot of tools off that he sometimes can't quite use fully. Either way if I am sitting around at 39 and every other player discussed above is available with the exception of Wallinder, I am taking Akey. I like his skating and his d-zone that much as well as his ability to move up ice which is a must at the NHL level. He has a chance to go anywhere from 30-50 IMPO depending on how teams view that skillset. Anyways I have 3 draft guides to continue plodding through as well as whatever I dig up online so good times.

The Buffalo Sabres only have 1 defender under 6ft tall and they don't draft them under 6ft either.

I think they do a 1-3-1 generally. Defense is 2-1-2 roughly. Although I've heard the defense described as 1-2-2 so really all depends on how you examine it

Your entire hypothesis is "teams that play better defense are harder to beat". Yea, we all know.

You're taking losing an AHL playoff series where our shiny offensive prospects were all 18-20 yr olds, most in their very first NA season, and extrapolated that to mean the Sabres won't win in the playoffs because Buffalo doesn't play your preferred system. On top of that you're ignoring the fact the AHL team won 2 playoff series before this too. https://giphy.com/gifs/mmYy42RNrgA0w

We beat the Flyers 5-3 last time we played them. We also finished higher than them overall. The missing component is goaltending and maturing/experience. You have to have both defense and offense to win. It's why teams like the Rangers and Kings lost and also why teams like Edmonton and Toronto lost. In the last 2 months of the season we saw Buffalo take great strides towards being a better team defensively.

Kane threads...

This draft has average depth at best. Depth refers to how many NHL players we would expect to get out of this draft and the average is about 50ish. The 2023 draft looks good to outsiders because of the talent in the top 3-4 but once you clear that it becomes exceedingly average and IMPO it is a lesser draft than 2019 which had an exceptionally strong depth. What I am saying is this draft is average. We shouldn't be concerned with using an asset like the 13th overall pick wisely in a trade. Same goes for pick 39 and 45. It isn't like because Bedard is around we can expect to get Brayden Point at 39 because DEPTH!, instead it is pretty normal talent wise once you hit that 4/5th pick.

Goodbye

You know, the best decision I made was taking a break from here. There's a loud minority of hateful, angry, turds, who throw feces at every decision the Sabres make. You're just a bunch of miserable f####. Kevyn Adams could trade an empty beer can found in the 300s for McKenzie Weeger and you'd bitch about it.

Not outside the United States it isn't.

Wtf are you even talking about? I rest my case that Rosen is underrated by this board.

Using mental illness like this makes you a clown. You disgust me. Ftr, I do not equate mental illness with having garbage opinions.

I rest my case.

🤡

because this is a public forum I won't say much but I have now witnessed one of the absolutely saddest, poorly planned, ill thought out, stupid, and otherwise incompetent handlings of an organizational change ever. The level of incompetence is truly shocking and the only thing that will happen is that programs will literally turn into withered husks of their former selves.