deluca67

I wish they would do studies of the brains of players like Gretzky and Lemieux. What is it that enables them to see the game the way they do and preform at the level they do. It's goes well beyond starting young, dedication and hard work. There has to be something more to it.

Where have you gone Vincent Lecavalier? 2 points and a minus 5 is not what most would have expected. I'd expect Vinny and Hartnell to take the brunt of the Philly fan wrath.

I your girl's room and you're posting on a hockey board? Now that's freaking dedication. :thumbsup:

Tankalicious. In his parent's basement. With the keyboard. :w00t:

2003 was a great example of how the #5 pick doesn't guarantee the 5th best player in the draft. I like Vanek, he is a good player, yet he doesn't make the top 10 best players drafted in round one that year. The Sabres drafted him according to Hoyle. Which is why I am hoping that Tim Murray is looking beyond the rankings and the projected top 3 and giving consideration to players outside what is perceived to be the upper tier of talent.

Why not include 2003 and the Vanek pick? I'm no fan of Regier or this teams drafting over the years. I do think you have to break up the different era's within Regier's time as GM. Considering what happen against Carolina in '05-'06 is it any surprise the Sabres drafted 5 defense-men over the first two rounds in 06,07 and 08? If you look at the drafting post Drury & Briere, it shows a great deal of faith in what many here thought was a pretty solid core that included Vanek, Pominville, Gaustad, Roy and Stafford. In '08 they went D and 2 centers in the first two rounds. '09 they went with the big winger and '10 they went with defense. Post Drury & Briere the Sabres drafted based on the idea that they had a solid core of top six forwards to build around. That's the fatal flaw right there. Take away the the absolute faith Regier had in that core and the drafts look completely different.

I know people love to complain about the NHL, can we all agree this new playoff format has worked and offered some really good 1st round match-ups and hockey.

Agreed! Whatever market there was Miller may have just dried up. He may end up back in St. Louis simply because there is nowhere else to go and St. Louis doesn't have any other options in goal at the moment. I doubt Elliott would resign there after the Blues basically told him he wasn't good enough by bringing Miller in.

I would rather sign Brian Elliott, he's younger and much cheaper.

You have to take into consideration who the trade partner is. I don't see the Flames as a team that will/should be parting with their top prospects. They're pretty much in the same boat as the Sabres. They are in desperate need of NHL ready players. A demand for one of their top prospects may/should be a conversation killer. I understand the need for the Sabres to look for NHL ready prospects, I wouldn't pass up on an opportunity to add more assets, especially a 2nd rounder in what is perceived as a very deep draft.

I'll agree with this, take Monahan out of the equation. a 19 year rookie coming off a 20+ goal season is not going anywhere. I would, however, not discount the Flames desire to jump ahead of the Oilers to grab a player like Reinhart. The question is, what would it take to move two spots up. If I were in Tim Murray's position, I would consider this an opportunity worth exploring. Looking at value, if I could get the Flames third rounder this year and a second rounder in the coveted 2015 draft, I would consider that great value knowing I could still get great quality at #4 in this years draft.

Kane is one of the "Best in the World," definitely among that small group of elite players at the top of the NHL right now. At this point in time he may just may be at the very top that list. Embarrassing as it is to include Hodgson in the same conversation as Patrick Kane it has to be said that teams in no way prepare/game plan/concentrate on Cody Hodgson at all let alone on any level close to that of a star player like Patrick Kane. Every player in the NHL knows who Patrick Kane is and is aware when he is on the ice. Hodgson, not so much. :doh:

The one criticism I have heard about Bennett from the "experts/talking heads" is that Bennett's game as it is right now may not be sustainable for an 82 game NHL regular season. Simply his body wouldn't be able to take the punishment. He'll have to learn to pick his spots, that's something that he'll learn with experience. He's my preference right now for the #1 pick.

An individual teams "rankings" will be different from the CSB or popular opinion. When Tim Murray looks at his team and organIzation as a whole, it is very possible that the "right" player, the player they have ranked the highest based on skill sets and intangibles comparative to the Sabres needs and strengths may be outside of what many may consider appropriate for the position of the pick.

The bigger point is that teams miss out on really good players because they draft according to Hoyle. Which is the worse feeling? Drafting a guy that doesn't fall in line with pre-draft rankings or looking back on this draft in a couple of years and seeing a guy drafted 5-10 and saying how we can't believes teams passed on that player. From what I read (I am no draftnik) Bennett falls in line with the type of players I prefer. If the Sabres pass on him for another player I won't be upset. I just want the Sabres to get it right, if "right" is the 2nd rated player in the draft or the 10th rated player, that is the guy I want the Sabres to pick.

What if Tim Murray really likes William Nylander or Nick Ritchie? I was looking back at last years draft and wonder if the Flames had the #2 or #3 pick if they would have still drafted Monahan? If Montreal drafted #1 in 2012 would they have still picked Galchenyuk? Would Philly have drafted Couturier if they drafted top 5 in 2011? As I look back on draft histories I hope Tim Murray does a great join weeding through all the hype and rankings and drafts the best player for the team he is building.

It's still nowhere near as bad as the era of irrelevance this franchise has been in. At least a top pick offers hope, more than continually missing the playoffs and finishing just high enough to miss out on the top tier talent.

They still have Kulikov and Matheson. If I were a Panthers fan I would have no problem taking another top defensive prospect. Either way, I'd be happy with Ekblad or Bennett.

Florida has drafted D in the first round three of the last five years.

If I were the Islanders I'd see if the Sabres would be interested in taking Brock Nelson or Ryan Strome in exchange for keeping that #1 pick.

Then things will look pretty much as they did under Status Quo.

I hope the 18-19 new players that will turn this franchise around over the next couple of seasons feel the way Weber does.

"Shopping" Luke Adam? How does that conversation start?

Thanks. Reinhart's "hockey smarts" is what I hear/read about most. His on ice vision and understanding of the game is said to be advanced.

Please elaborate, there's not a lot of talk about Reinhart's defensive game.