DarthEbriate

I like Ovechkin being there for Miroshnichenko. And Ovie also makes it easy to get Miro over. I believe hockey-wise, there's nothing Putin would like more than for Ovechkin to be the all-time leading goal scorer in the NHL.

Davidsson was touted/projected as a defensive center with offensive upside. Like an Asplund. Ostlund is an offense-first center. Not really the same design.

That's where I was as well. But time will tell.

Eichel now equals Tuch, Krebs, Ostlund, and the 2023 VGK 2nd

That'll do.

Yzerman makes the expected choice.

Huzzah! Korchinski jumps up and all the many options remain open to the Sabres.

I reserve the right to have my memory wiped and have no recollection of this post, but here's how I'd kind of like the board to fall if the Sabres keep all 3 first round picks (leading with my preference): 9: Jiricek (extremely unlikely) > Savoie > Kasper 16: Nazar > Ohgren > Yurov > Kulich > Trikozov > Howard 28: Miroshnichenko (but not if Yurov selected because I'm hedging on too much risk) > Pickering > Gaucher > Hutson > Beck > Snuggerud

Especially to get into the Bedard sweepstakes. If you get rid of DeBrincat and Dach, then Kane walks to Buffalo in UFA next season... and Bedard makes the team next year, he'll look like Eichel in Buffalo. There's no team there. And even more likely, another team wins the lottery anyway.

It's particularly alarming since one of the strengths of those late '90s-'01 teams was a center-heavy forward group where you'd sometimes have 2 centers on the same line, and Lindy was able to roll 3 lines with #2-#3 centers (Peca, Brown, Barnes, Connolly) and a #3-#4 center (Gratton, Holzinger, Primeau/Rasmussen). Once those players were established (age 24-25), only Connolly could have been considered to still have the potential to be a #1C on a team. And it happened again later in the 2005 surge (Briere was a #1, but Drury probably tops out as a 2, and they still had Connolly, Roy as potential 2s.) Get a center spine you can roll all day.

Judge me by my size, Hamilton? As all have noted, size is not the same as determination and grit. And we've had (and all teams do) our share of player who backed off when a confrontation might have resulted in a won puck battle, a forced turnover, a blocked shot, etc. There were definitely times in the downward slide last season where the team played small and was small with lineups featuring the following: Bryson, Butcher, Joker, Olofsson (with only one hand), Asplund (defensively sound but not pugnacious), Eakin, Bjork, Skinner, Thompson (big, but not a bruiser), and Ruotsalainen. But as the team got healthier and Tuch inserted and led arguably by Dahlin... they started collectively playing with more grit and assertiveness. Size is not the problem beyond getting some young players bulked up a bit...but that'll take care of itself in a couple seasons.

No, he likely wouldn't say that. He'd say something positive about Murray "we love the move and how this solidifies the goalie position" "we look forward to an open competition" or such. Then, make comments that they'd still look to be in the market, always looking to improve, etc. But if the musical chairs of free agency leave the Sabres without one of the premier additions... then he'd say well as least we've got Murray as a proven NHL #1.

Especially if Ottawa retained a touch of salary, as noted. 7, 9, 28, a goalie (to buyout or backup or waive if he doesn't want to be here, or whatever).

This is why you don't come up with any dream UFA lists until after the draft and teams negotiate their own. No one is a UFA yet.

Would they still acquire a 1, then though? I'm not so sure. Murray and Anderson provide the NHL starts, UPL gets the call-up.

Good. Just say no to Murray. (Even if it had been #16 to Ottawa for #7 and Murray) -- plus whatever balancing picks to make it work. Let another team take his contract and Hutton-level play.

Grier is hired as GM 2 days before the entry draft with one 1st (11th OA), no 2nd, and one 3rd (76th OA). He inherits these contracts: Couture, 33, 5x8$M; Karlsson, 32, 5x$11.5M; Burns, 37, 3x$8M; Vlasic, 35, 4x$7M; and 5 more years of buyout hits for Martin Jones (minimum $1.66M/year).

Congratulations, Mr. Grier! I was hoping he might become the head coach; so this is a surprise, but a welcome one. Celebrations are in order: Yub nub!

JJP might turn out to be worth packaging 100th and 38th to move up to 34th.

If the chart takes career stats into account and not just games played, I wonder how these various analyses would be impacted if Gretzky had been drafted (and in which draft slot).

I do. Setting the bar high is a good thing.

After his close to 2020-21, a strong preseason that had him on the first line, a whole bunch of us 'spacers predicted Mitts would lead the team in scoring last season. He'll be hard-pressed to do it this year if Thompson continues improving, but if Thompson does well and Mitts is part of a powerful second line, the Sabres could be extraordinarily feisty. (mumble something about and goaltending)

Agreed. But I also believe that Ullmark could've easily played well enough to win a Cup with the Avalanche roster in front of him. Just one comment here to avoid confusion for some younger viewers: Ken Dryden was a great NCAA goalie who played for Cornell in the 1960s and then became a Habs legend. Dryden McKay is a TBD (but great collegiate) goalie who just won the Hobey Baker in the 2021-22 season for Minnesota State. The Toronto Marlies signed him to a 2-year AHL contract (he's not a Leafs prospect at this time). I assume your note on surpassing Miller is based on save percentage, where Levi was astounding. Levi should've won both the Mike Richter Award and the Hobey Baker (as Dryden McKay did his past season -- the first goalie to win it since Miller). McKay benefitted from a much better Minn St. team and defense (way fewer shots allowed). But Levi did cool off a bit after he sat out the Olympics pause.

9 - Jiricek. seriously? 7 Savoie, 8 Nemec. No decision to be made. 16 - Kasper. 14 Yurov 15 Miroshnichenko. It was Kasper or Ohgren for me. 28 - Hutson. Didn't expect him to be there. If Ryan Johnson doesn't want to sign, I'll take that compensatory pick next year and get a potential game-changer (or at least a top-end Bryson/Woolley) for the 3rd pair. Backup is Mesar or Beck like everyone else seems to be picking. 41 - Del Bel Belluz.

Or Hasek.