Flashsabre

I don’t think anyone from this draft is ready to play right away. Drafting a player is step one. Developing is step 2 and that is something this team needs to improve. If it is Power, let him go back to Michigan, let him go to the WJCs. That would do wonders for his development. He isn’t a finished product by a long shot. The list of 18 year old dmen flourishing in the NHL is not a long one. If Power struggles in Buffalo at 18 all you have done is set back his development. He was great at the WCs but that is not against top NHL talent and that is not the grind of an 82 game schedule. He still needs to put on muscle.

Beniers got fed all those minutes at the WJCs and didn’t really produce offensively. Didn’t do much at the WCs and wasn’t given a lot of ice time on a team that wasn’t filled with stars. Does that mean we better stay away from him?

Nate Leaman will be returning from Latvia. That is someone they want to interview. I don’t know about Gallant. There might still be some assistant coaches in the playoffs that they want to speak to as well. Probably when the Cup playoffs are over and they have spoken to everyone they want they will decide on the next coach.

Who is saying different? I hope they draft Power and send him back to Michigan. He is not plug and play. He has a ton of upside and development ahead of him. Pretty good but not a lot of finish from him or the players he has set up.

https://twitter.com/chrismpeters/status/1401171605154304007?s=20 Unbelievable. Youngest player to ever play for Canada the Worlds.

Eichel and Reinhart to Detroit for Stetcher?😜🤪😂🤣 Seriously though the trust Gallant has put in the kid is unbelievable. He is the youngest player to play for Canada at the Worlds and is been given monster ice time.

Based on what? Some inside information or just your hopes. I think it is definitely trending that way nationally and people would be surprised if they took anyone other then Power. Baker made an interesting connection the other night. One of Buffalo’s scouts was the one who helped recruit Power to the Chicago Steel. To me they have probably watched the Michigan kids the most with Portillo being there and them having eyes on his starts. If it is not Power then it would be Beniers. I can’t see them possibly taking anyone else at #1 at this point other then those two.

Power had a bit of a rough 2nd period with a misread in the defensive zone and overskating a puck early. So what does Gallant do? Double shift the kid for the 3rd period including playing the final minute up by a goal. The kid is so poised with the puck. Always makes the right pass. He is going to be a really good player. A guy you play 25 minutes a night and in all critical moments.

Power should go back to Michigan for one more year regardless of who picks him. Starting in the NHL as a power forward would be a very bad choice.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/insider/story/_/id/31562114/who-buffalo-sabres-take-no-1-2021-nhl-draft-evaluators-pick-top-dozen-candidates

Can we stop plugging 17 year old players numbers into a computer algorithm and deciding that is their only possible future as an NHL player. These players are playing in different situation from each other, especially this year. These guys get bigger, stronger, faster. Development isn’t linear and real life issues come into play like injuries, desire, so forth. I have no issue with it as a tool but it is by no means a final determination of what type of players these kids will develop into. Bergeron is one of the greatest two way centres ever. Boston didn’t know this when they grabbed him in the second round. The liked his potential as a prospect and he developed. ROR fell because of his skating. He developed it to a level where it helped him turn into the player he is today. Same with Point. TB didn’t think they had a superstar in the 3rd round but he developed his skating to a point where his game skyrocketed at the NHL level. He always had the talent but being small and not a great skater dropped him. Ekblad came into the league with a man’s body. Injuries have slowed him down but he would probably be the Norris Trophy winner this year without the injury. Power doesn’t have a man’s body yet. He is huge but still filling out.

Dreger mentioned Associate Coach. Might be best route for him to get foot in the NHL door and Sabres not taking risk on another fist time coach.

He went to Trump’s doctor.🤣

I think Jack does too. He just wants out. Wouldn’t be surprised at all that once he is moved the neck magically starts to heal with rest and rehab.

Might as well do it now before NTC and he only will go to Boston for pennies on the dollar.

The thing to remember with Power too is that he had two major events taken away: Michigan wouldn’t release him for the WJCs and Michigan was pulled from the Frozen Four (which affected Beniers and Johnson too) I would have loved to see his development in those tournaments. Does anyone know why Michigan let Beniers go to the WJCs but not Power. Did it have to do with quarantine protocols or academics?

But the counter argument is if Eichel and Reinhart stay the offence is much better and you have younger guys like Mitts and Tage and Cozens and Ruots that should take another step offensively and Quinn and JJ developing. And you can always trade for or sign a scorer. If Eichel and Reinhart and Risto are moved then you are getting some top end young offensive talent in return and picks to use on offensive talent.

By shooting. 😃 If Eichel and Reinhart and Risto are going then a lot of young offensive talent will be coming back.

A poster on another board says this guy is a diehard Habs fan and he wrote it in jest suggesting he hopes Power will only play for his Habs.

Yeah, he is right there or better. And the Sabres didn’t have a shot at drafting any of those guys.

He’s joking that Power wants to be drafted number 1 by the way he is playing at the WCs.

There is a narrative (not necessarily here but on a lot of social media) that Power is a Risto, Myers , Bogo clone. Big and dumb, no hockey sense, limited upside. What the kid is doing at the WCs is phenomenal right now for a kid his age. He has a lot of hockey sense, he is Gallant’s go to guy in tough situations. Very poised in pressure situations all over the ice. I think he is a no brainer. I like Beniers a lot too but my point of view is you can’t get a dman like this very often. Forget need, take the best player.

https://mobile.twitter.com/umichhockey/status/1400536762003378182 This is going to blow up some narratives.😜😀 played 24 minutes, QBed the PP. Was out with 1 mute left in the final minute of the QF and then was out 3 on 3 in OT. Kid makes great decisions with the puck under pressure at both ends of the ice. Gallant is a pretty hard ass coach too, the kid has had to earn his ice time. Anyone trying to compare him to Risto is either clueless or bias. Kid has more hockey IQ in his pinky then Risto does in his body. Too bad Beniers is injured, would have been fun to see them go head to head on Sat.

Rumblings are they are having a 3rd interview with a guy named Jerry Pegula. Looks a lot like Terry but with a ZZ Top beard. If hired, he might have his wife on the bench with him.😜

That was a bad interference call on Power. Had a really nice rush and fed the puck to the streaking winger heading to the net. watching Power play it seems he is not quite sure of his own abilities quite yet. There is a lot of upside in his game as he fills out, gets comfortable with his ability against top talent. If he is the pick I wouldn’t mind him going back to Michigan for a year to develop.