LGR4GM

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.

Nope, feel free to suggest one and tag Buffanill in it.

Skinner's 2nd best point total in a year is 63, he has done that 4 times including in 2021-2022. This past season he had 82. So he had a good year last year by tying his best season and then followed it up with the best season he has ever had... that's 2 good years in a row.

I bet him that Buffalo would finish higher than Bottom 5. It was for $100 to a charity in Buffalo. I am not aware of Buffalonill paying

Adams said that Östlund is 1" taller and much heavier. That puts Östlund at 5'11" (no idea on the weight) if we use his combine height from last year.

https://www.audacy.com/podcast/wgr-550-sportsradio-latest-audio-64d03/episodes/06-21-kevyn-adams-and-director-of-amateur-scouting-jerry-forton-b31d4 31 minutes long, wrapped up about 20minutes ago. Interesting listen. Sabres posted video:

If they get anything after 55 and take McCarthy, I would be fine. I just think that he has limits and grades out as a possible bottom pairing defender kinda like Boosh. In the 2nd I would want to find a higher upside guy because I can find those types of low floor low ceiling defenders in the 3rd and 4th round.

About 60, late 2nd. It won't be the worst pick at 45 but I fully expect that to be the pick. I think there will be a bunch of better guys at 45 such as Carter Southeran another RHD. I think that he is not only bigger but smarter with more skills than McCarthy.

When the Sabres overdraft McCarthy in the 2nd round I am going to laugh but also cry a little.

They plan on bringing Jost back. Adams said as much this morning. They will let Rousek try to win a spot so I think and I have felt this, they feel good about the forwards and will focus on improving the defense.

I think it will be Krebs and they will bring in a big 4th line center.

I have yet to understand why the NHL or any other major sports league has not gone the route of streaming everything first and having over the air or cable as the 2nd. I suppose it is because of the money but I would pay 200 bucks a year to get every Sabres game. and I would drop another 30 for the playoffs. Regional blackouts are the worst, why the F are we allowing MSG to be the only way you can watch Sabres games? It just seems like the market shifted about 10 years ago and the NHL is playing catchup. It doesn't help that once the playoffs start you need TNT, ESPN, ESPN+, and your regional provider to watch hockey. It is just narrow minded stupidity based on thinking immediate cash is better than expanded viewership.

If B is an average draft, A is exceptional, C is bad, and D is atrocious, I would give Murray's record a B- or a C+. Sure he found some players but how many of them are impact guys? How many of those guys would you want on the Sabres right now? Where would you slot them? I think about Adams 2020 draft. He pulled Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka out of 5 total picks. Technically that matches what Murray did in 2014 with Lemiuex and Reinhart but how do we compare Reinhart and Lemiuex plus the other 4 picks Murray had to Adams? I would say Adams drafted better even though Murray comes away with 3 NHL players in Lemiuex, Reinhart, and Olofsson. What about the 2016 draft? Nylander is a bust. Asplund was okayish. Hagel is pretty good. So they found 1 player that actually mattered but we can give them credit for 2.5. It really all comes down to how that player impacts the team and less for me about if they hit 100 games or some game related benchmark. Botterillllllls 2017 is Botterill, technically his hits are Mitts, Bryson, and UPL. So you have a top 6 forward, a 7th defender who a lot of us want to move on from, and a guy who right now looks like a career backup. That's a B level draft right there, 1 impact player, 1 depth guy, and a backup goalie. 2018, Dahlin and Muel. That's it from that draft but that is a better haul than 2017 or 2016 for sure. It is probably better than 2014 and 2015 as well because of the impact you have with drafting what is essentially the top pairing defense. I would go A- 2019, now this draft is really interesting. It is Botts last one and when his scouting staff is at the height of its power. You get Cozens (very good #2 center, maybe even a #1), Ryan Johnson (book is still out but hopefully a 4/5 defender), Portillo (looks to at least have a good chance at NHL games probably as a backup), Huglen (lost a year to injury and personally think he won't rise about the AHL at best but still hard to say), Cederqvist (he is an AHL guy but might be able to play in a bottom 6 role after another AHL season), and Rousek (good AHL guy that will challenge for a roster spot this season in Buffalo, looked good in his only call up). That is an A+ draft because outside of Huglen, every player could contribute to the NHL. Adams 2020, Quinn and JJP is an A because you got 2 solid 2nd liners. Solid B+ because both players are so high in the lineup, might even go A- because they managed this with only 5 picks. 2021, Power is a duh pick, then you have Rosen, Poltapov, and Kisakov who are all possible NHL guys still. Nadeau, Novikov, and Kozak are at least AHL guys. Hard to tell but early returns are that there is probably 1 if not 2 other NHL guys in there not named Power. B- with the potential to be a B or B+ 2022, way way too early but Kulich, Savoie, and Östlund have all lived up to first round picks. Neuchev, Lidstrom and Komarov are all showing promise. B with potential to be an A (if Leinonen was Warren I would feel better).

21 Daniil But LW 6'5" 203lbs - Let's talk about the 200lb gorilla in the room, But. Last name jokes aside he is big and every once in a while if you watch some highlights, he looks a little like Tage. His got dangles and dekes, his shot is pretty good, and his motor is high-ish. The issue is that his skating, particularly his first 3 steps and some of his agility are what you would expect from a 6'5" 17yr old. He also isn't really a power forward like Tuch and is bit more in the mold of Tage Thompson where he can use his size but doesn't always, preferring to use his hands. I have seen a little of him, hard to find stuff, and I think you have a guy that with good development could be an absolute nightmare to defend in 3-5 years. His consolidted is 28 but there is a small (10%) chance he slides to 39 because the russian factor and the skating. Most likely though he goes somewhere in the early 20's. 22 Tom Willander RHD 6'1" 179lbs - There is a good chance Willander ends up better than ASP but I think his ceiling is a little lower hence why he slid a tier. Honestly though, you could convince me to flip them. Willander discussions need to start with his skating, it is great. His skating is what you want Simashev's to get to (and I think it will) where he has quick edges, powerful starts and stops, and just agility for days. He rarely gets beat and his recovery is pretty solid. He played in the J20 most of the year and put up good numbers, his WJC18 numbers are only 3pts less than ASP so there is offense there. I think his lacks some of the creativity of a guy like Dragicevic but he also plays defense as well as Reinbacher or Simashev, perhaps better. To be blunt, he is probably the perfect draft eligible player to pair with Power in 2-3 years which is why his consolidated is 23 and I think he will go in the top 15. He will be at Bostin Univ in the fall which is an unusual path for a Swedish prospect but again, you are getting a solid at worst #4 defender who has enough size and more than enough skating to shut down plays and start breakouts at the next level. 23 Matthew Wood LW 6'4" 197lbs - A lot of Sabres fans have wood for Wood. I don't. I do however like him and at 13, I think you are overdrafting him but I wouldn't react the way I did to the Leinonen pick. So why do I rank him so low when his consolidated is #13. The issue I have comes down to skating and how he puckhandles because of that skating. His skating is meh, his feet look heavy, his agility is mediocre, he isn't explosive, and overall it just doesn't look NHL quality for a top 6 player. That in and of itself though isn't always an issue, a lot of big guys have some things to work on but my issue is that because he skates poorly he tends to glide when he makes his puckhandling moves. I don't see a lot of ability to make moves while skating and because he already isn't fast that means at the NHL level ppl will catch him and strip him of the puck. I also think his offensive creativity it lacking, he really comes off more like a straight ahead, obvious play type and that is fine but I want a little more dynamism in my first rounders. Basically I worry you get a nice big 3rd line guy instead of a really solid 2nd line guy when this is all done, or even worse you get a 4th liner. Others like Wood more but for me, right now, I just wish he had shown a little more variety this year. With all that said, Wood has good puckhandling, a nice shot, he sees the ice well even if he doesn't always come up with creative ways to solve problems and he works hard all over the ice. 24 Brayden Yager C/RW 5'11" 170lbs - You're a shooter who scored fewer goals this season compared to last in the same league... hmm. I really was excited for Yager going into the season and thought he might be a top 10 pick. Now I feel like I am unsure if he will have enough to be an NHL guy. Unlike Wood who still will always have the size and checking skills to fall back on, Yager really has his shot and his skating. So he has this great shot and pretty good skating but yet he only scores 28goals and his team has 2 40g scorers on it. His assists went up but I have watched the highlights of those and some of that is the fact Firkus has a major shot. He is one of these guys where you see the skill but how it all comes together seems a little unrefined. That said he has a lot of potential with the right linemates and if he can refine his game even a little, he could be a good top 6 player. He does fine defensively and is attentive in that end of the rink so there are good things but the overall package just concerns me. 25 Riley Heidt C 5'11" 179lbs - There are a lot of pp points there adding to his totals but boy does he have a lot of points (97) for the WHL. He gets point by handling and manipulating defenses with excellent feints and cuts. He could use more explosiveness in his stride but that's fairly normal. He has an edge to him as well, watch him in the offensive zone retrieve pucks or check in general. He is somewhat of a little *****-stirrer out there. His shot is solid but his passing, due to the manipulation, is really great. He finds players all the over and when he has space that is lethal. He can create his own space but as we say often needs to get stronger. He is a little undersized for the physical game he plays but I've always believed the in size of the fight in the dog so to speak. Why isn't he ranked higher? He doesn't play defense. I mean he does but not in an effective way. It is Olofsson-esque IMPO. I also think sometimes his hands are way ahead of his brain, he will make a great handle and then not really do much with it. Where Yager is solid defensively with some questionable passing, Heidt is not solid defensively and has questionable passing. Really all depends on which you feel more confident about. He's a boom or bust guy, ceiling is top 6, floor is pp specialist that you don't want out against other teams top 6. 26 Oscar Fisker Mølgaard C 6' 166lbs - His consolidated is #43 so there is a fair chance he will be there at 39. The reason he is ranked behind the last 2 guys is because he doesn't have a standout offensive trait like a shot or handling. Instead you are getting a guy who is just solid. His skating is probably his best skill followed by his brain, if you watch his WC tape from a little bit ago, he just uses his excellent skating to stay in position, extend plays, shut opponents down, or otherwise be a net positive on the ice. I am actually really curious to see him play with more skilled linemates. For example if I put him between Savoie and Kulich what would he look like? Now his shot could use work but other than that he's a middle 6 center all day. He reminds me a bit of a ROR type where you know he can shutdown opponents but also he should get 50pts a year because he is smart and the skating will allow him to counterattack. He will be back in the SHL next season (played half of this season there and recorded 7 points) so he also might be a guy only 1 year away, depends on if he has an NHL out as he is signed for SHL until 2025. 27 Eduard Šalé RW 6'2" 175lbs - Fine, I will rank him. I have said it before I dislike Sale. His consolidated is 14th btw so I am way lower on him than most. Why? Well, everyone everywhere talks about his high end tools, which I agree he has. The issue for me is that he uses them when and if he feels like it. You gotta watch a shift by shift of this guy. One shift he will engage, separate someone from the puck and attack up ice. The next shift he will passively wave his stick in the passing lane and glide back on a backcheck. Make up your mind dude. His skating, puck skills, and shot are all good. Better or equal to everyone else in this tier for sure but his motor is an inconsistent mess and it just really sours me on him. That said, he is still in the "wouldn't be mad if we took him" tier. He was linemates with Kulich and they worked well together, Sale can make excellent passes and setup teammates really well. If he fixes his motor, he's better than just about everyone in the previous 2 tiers. Again, for me that motor really bothers me and that is probably because of years of watching guys try when they felt like it. I like the high motor, constantly churning, players. Final thought here is that if Kulich vouches for him and Adams feels good after talking to him at the combine, I am not going to Leinonen after this pick. ^ Tier 5 ^ here ends the last of the "I wouldn't freak if we picked this player at 13" guys. I hope we take someone from my 4th tier but tier 5 has some high end guys with just a couple more risk factors and some slightly lower end guys with solid floors. Next up is tier 6, guys that I would expect to have a chance at at 39.

Simashev is bigger but Willander is probably more polished and shoots right. I would say that Simashev has a higher ceiling but Willander's floor is a #5 defender like Joker all day every day. His skating is very good. Actually I am about to do my next tier and he is in it.

I would also say that some 4th lines matchup better against other teams lines. A fast 4th line might give trouble to a slower 3rd line a team has or a heavy 4th line with reach might give trouble to smaller line with speed.