DarthEbriate

And 16. I'd take it.

Isn't that the truth. Quinn won AHL Rookie of the Year... so did previous Sabres Mika Noronen, Nathan Gerbe, and Tyler Ennis. Good for the Amerks and Pirates and all three reached the NHL. If any of them were top-10 picks I think they'd be quite poorly regarded. Their overall value to the Sabres is debatable. Noronen became a pick (Enroth). Gerbe was waived and then given a compliance buyout. Ennis (+ Foligno, 3rd) was traded Scandella, soon-to-retire Pominville, and a 4th (LHD Cronholm - never signed).

By US TV ratings, we're either the best fans (or just the most longing for hockey viewership of any kind). Or the most silly-zealous. Or... or something. I purposefully haven't read any of the comments in the article because I can imagine what any Sabres fan would be writing.

I don't trade for him at all (caveat: unless it's Kane + Chicago's unprotected 2023 1st to take his salary, then sure. Heck, I'd throw in that Dallas 7th and some future considerations). I'm fine with UFA next season, but I'm happy to keep a hard forechecking young lineup with a boatload of 1sts and 2nds coming while he gets his age 34-37 contract elsewhere. But more importantly, I don't do anything with Kane until I see this year's team. I need to know what VO wants (is he long-term or short-term and be ready to move?). I need to know if Quinn can stay healthy be a top-6 wing. Next offseason I've got RFAs in Cozens, Thompson, and Samuelsson. I'm not signing (or extending) Kane with a M-NTC/NMC that he'll require until I know what Tage and Cozens are going to project and sign to. I need to know if Okposo is coming back on a 4th liner's contract or if Kane would take his spot outright. I'm not getting suckered into a Skinner contract and I'm not falling for the TPeg "if we sign Hall trade for Kane we're a contender" garbage. In summation, go get an NHL goalie.

Agreed. And although I'd prefer him at 16, Kasper at 9 wouldn't shock me. He might not get all the points, but could become a PP/PK and "every line he's on is better" and fan favorite for 10 years. I can easily see 2 of the top 4 being defensemen and one of them simply has to be a RHD because we have nothing in the pipeline (Fitz, Laaksonen, Nyberg, Lychasen). And Fitz is already 25 and a NHL/AHL tweener. But Pronman/NHL Source picked a redundant puck-mover (a few spots too high) instead of what they lament in their comments that Buffalo doesn't have: scoring forwards. It doesn't make sense except to drive "what the heck?" conversations like this thread. 🍺

I edited my initial post with their rules. It's the former. What they think would truly happen. Which makes it worse.

I've not read anything about him being bad in the locker room or as a person, but rather this. The trade for production/minutes, and not being "want to/happy to be here and play a role that the team needs" type player. That's not consistent with Buffalo's messaging. If you're going to go high end talent and risky at 16, go Miroshnichenko or Yurov.

This Pronman/NHL Source alternating picks mock draft article: https://theathletic.com/3366772/2022/06/20/predicting-nhl-draft/ for those outside the paywall. Edit: their mock rules: "The goal was to predict what we think will actually happen on draft day, not who we personally would select at a given spot. In terms of the ground rules for this draft, no trades were allowed and no discussions about who we were going to pick next were allowed between the two selectors. After a coin flip, the team source got the first pick of the draft, but we decided I would get the first pick of the second round so we could pick for some different teams." #9: BUF Korchinski (NHL Source). Next 5 off the board: Mintyukov, Geekie, Bichsel, Savoie, Nazar. While I can see a run on LHD in the first, I see it in the teens. And definitely can't see the Sabres participating in it at #9. #16: BUF Lambert (Pronman). Next 5: Yurov, Pickering, Miroshnichenko, Gaucher, McGroarty #28: BUF D.B.B. (Pronman). Next 5: Bystedt, Lutz, Howard, Snuggerud, 2nd: Schaefer #41: BUF Hughes (Pronman). Next 5: Havelid, Beck, Sykora, Hamara, Perevalov.

One odd thing about the anthems at sporting events: it's not like the whole venue is shutting down. Camera operators are still running around and sticking the camera into players' faces. Anyone outside the bowl/seating area is still running about. Security, ushers, tickets, and concessions are still fully expected to do their jobs. Can you imagine if concessions grabbed a hot dog, put it on the counter, and then stopped your draft mid-pour... for two minutes? Four minutes in Buffalo where they sing both songs. It'd be mayhem.

In a setting hundreds of miles away... You can go about your business. --Move along. Move along, move along. (And if you do stop to listen, I assume it's to critique the singer. Particularly for the US anthem: Oh... they started out way too high. Or too fast. Or gee... really milking that ending aren't we?)

Huh. That might be my worst-case outcome of a Sabres draft [Edit: Now watch, they'll all have HOF NHL careers]. Was the source with Anaheim and letting their preferred pick get to them as wishful thinking at #10? Lambert does not scream GM Sheevyn/HC Meatballs attitude or play style, no matter the talent level. I'd think it'd be more likely for Seattle to take Korchinski (WHL Seattle) at #4 than the Sabres to take him at 9.

That's a little more hometown-discount than I think is possible. If you're still planning to play him middle 6 and PP time then you're anticipating 50ish points (and I think he'll have this production level for a few more seasons as well). And right now, he's still a PPG player. He's still outproducing Eichel every single year (except one). He can easily go get $6M+ on the open market for the next 2-3 years and then pull a veteran minimum Giordano contract when he's 37-39 back with the Sabres blue and gold.

If he wants to be here, then he can sign as a UFA next season. I don't give up any resources with which the Sabres' foundation is still being constructed for a single season at that salary, because then he has additional leverage in his extension (even a home discount) -- the Skinner effect.

This is a fascinating dismantling of a darn good Tampa team. Tampa's going to need about 10 more Palat-style crosschecks on Makar to take him out, but the penalties taken won't help them.

They're shooting under the blocker on Vasilevskiy and they're scoring on it.

So.... Nichushkin, Burakovsky, Manson.... which Avalanche tickles your offseason fancy?

Their next card is being played... get physical and message-sendy and hope that the home-ice and sea-level slog gives them an advantage for games 3 and 4.

Watching game 2... or, you know, just draft the 4 fastest skaters at their positions who also possess top-end skill and hockey IQ. But mainly for speed. And go all-out attack all the time like the Avalanche. As we used to be in the late '90s. Get a Hasek and 4 lines with all the speed. Speed kills. Avalanche Edit: And continuing the posts for our draft this season --- get those 2 power forwards to be the fastest of the power forward/board-working guys available. No slow first steps, no "fast once he gets going" folks, no slow-pokes. Get the speed that drives the ability to play physical and grind teams down, not the physical but only if they can catch the other guy.

Colorado's pace may be unsustainable for an entire game, but it might not be relevant if they're already up by 5 and can coast to a victory each night.

The unrattle-able Lightning are shellshocked. Manson would be a good veteran RHD (and potentially Cup-winning) ... but he's very, very quickly pricing himself out of a realistic cost + contract duration + our team's competitive timeline + not blocking anyone with Buffalo.

That's fair --- I'm seeing him as a #41 and long-term potential player. I'd much rather have a Chesley at 28 if he makes it that far... which I feel with the recent runs on USNDTP in the 1st because it's such a safe and high-floor program.. he's likely gone at 28. Rinzel is the typical US High school risk. When looking at those players you have to trust whatever program he's going to next and his interviews (if any), because the competition certainly won't give the indicator of how good he'll become. Will he be Ryan McDonagh/Tommy Cross/Nico Sacchetti/Will Weber/Alex Killorn? (I had to look up the McDonagh draft year to find them all... those are the top 5 US HS picks from 2007, rounds 1-3.)

For whatever reason, the German and English are the first videos posted.

This is where I’m at as well. 2 NHL-caliber power forwards to replace Okposo and Tuch (in good time), one playmaker/attacker to be a Krebs/Mitts alternative, and one RHD. I’d add a Rinzel at the 28/41 just for rounding out the options list. The best part is in a few years any of these could end up being bottom 6 guys and that might be the best thing in the world because it means the other high-potential players on the roster reached their potential 9 Nazar/Savoie, 16 Ohgren/McGroarty, 28 Miroshnichenko, 41 Chesley(gone by 28 or soon after)/Rinzel/Warren. Many thousands of other permutations — but I’d see a pretty well-rounded haul in 3 years with any 3 of those early.

Yup. I'd like him at 28... he won't (likely) be there at 28. A playoff-bound team will snap up him and his game in the 18-26 range.

This is pretty flippin' sweet.