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I know it is far to early but come on we are already discussing this in multiple places. Eichel/McDavid are fascinating prospects with franchise changing potential. We now know we have at least 3 first round picks in the 2015 draft with a possibility of at least 2 lottery shots. So this guy And this guy And that is just the top 2 guys. Here are some names to look up. http://www.draftsite.com/nhl/mock-draft/2015/ O and paraphrasing "You ain't seen nothin yet."

In case you didn't get the jersey yesterday....at least get it for your desktop. Probably my last off-season wallpaper. Next one will be the schedule wp for September. 1920x1080 Click me

Gretzky was great. He would not score in todays NHL at 50% more than the next guy. The talent gap closed so the top players are closer. Also the game is played differently. McDavid could be the Gretzky player of his era or the Crosby if you will. What's jack eichel comparable too. Here discuss til your hearts content and stop wasting the development camp thread on it.

It is nothing short of infuriating to see people going on about trading the assets still remaining at this years deadline in hopes that, by some miracle, we are in contention for 8th place. As if wasting valuable currency by trading from a position of massive weakness will somehow put us in a better position as an organization. Its not so hard to fathom when considering we are most likely dealing with a fair-weather frank who unlike you and the rest of the organization, hasn't been tediously planning and biding their time over the past several years. From 2012 when it became apparent the incumbent crop of clowns wasn't going to cut it, to realizing the necessity of a rebuild, to Eichel and Mcdavid invading scouts wet dreams across the country, to the "pre tank", where the most dire hard of us had committed to anti-fandom before the 2014 team even laced up their skates and finally to the tank itself, where the vigilant among us endured enough emotional stress to warrant formal psychiatric treatment . From the start of that wretched apparition which some deemed a win streak on November 19th, 2014 we all watched in terror when the porous excuses for 9th string net minders and half assed defensemen let in dump goal after mind blowing dump goal, forever etching names like anton forsberg deep into the cities collective consciousness. And who could forget the late season heroes; Jonathan Toews and his late game heroics and Cam Atkinson with the "tank" clinching beaut in the finale that had me bouncing off the walls in a hotel room in Toronto while a conference I was supposed to be attending was being held downstairs. It was one hell of a year and i guess if I hadn’t been religiously following each move for the past 4 years as if it were milestones in my childs life, i might be able to relate to the desire to ice a bond fide playoff team at all costs, despite the consequences. These are most likely the same blokes that sit down at a roulette table, put down 10,000 on 31 black, win 300,000 and then double down just to give it all back. Still, it blows my mind that given the mountain of evidence stacked against them, these gentle fellows persist. They still get hot and bothered by thoughts of massively wasteful and irrational trades that threaten to bankrupt the team, and crucify those who preach to proceed on the preordained path. Amidst all the rumblings of urgency and trade rumors tho, I have yet to read a single viable plan that explains to me how a team with less combined playoff experience than a single Blackhawks regular, will usurp true contenders rolling 4 lines laden with proven elite talent. Teams like the 2014-2015 Blackhawks: Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane, Brad Richards, Brandon Saad.New Look Stars:Jamie Benm, Tyler Seguin, Valeri Nichuskin, Patrick Sharp, Jasson Spezza, Ales Hemsky New Look Caps:Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, Marcus Johansson, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Justin Williams, just to name a few. The Sabres do not have a SINGLE proven top 3 commodity, a SINGLE proven top 2 Defensemen or a SINGLE proven playoff performer. Their prospect pool is sorely lacking at the top of RW and with the trade of Zadorov, on D. They have talented cast offs from other teams who we hope a change of scenery will reinvigorate , Jack Eichel and a solid looking bottom 9F/ bottom (maybe) 4D. Using the aforementioned teams as a comparative tool/ hypothetical future contender shell, their lineup looks like this: Evander Kane?? Jack Eichel?? ??? Sam Reinhart?? Ryan Oreilly Tyler Ennis Jamie Mcgin Zemgus Girgensons Matt Moulson Marcus Foligno Johan Larsson Nic Deslauries ?? Rasmus Ristolainen?? Mccabe?? Bogosian Ruhwedel?? ?? Lehner?? ??? Lets Assume Sam Reinhart maxes out at his proper elite top 6 potential, Oreillly avoids getting behind the wheel and Ristolainen becomes the all purpose #1 D he currently projects to be. For the purposes of reasonably balanced probable outcomes, lets also assume there was a solid reason why Chevy-day-off dumped his former top pick(s) and physical super freak (other than trivial locker room gripes, cuz lets face it, using that as a frame of reference for letting a player go, O’reilly should be in Alcatraz 2.0), leaving Kane as a high end 2nd/3rd line winger. Lets also gamble that Mccabe fits in nicely as a bottom 2 D on a legitimate contender. That leaves a first line of This: ??? Eichel ??? And D pairings Like This ??? Risto ?? Bogosian Ruhwedel Mccabe Who are we going to trade for to fill these gaping holes that hasn’t already been shipped off to real contenders and with what assets? If we trade to fill the bottom half up first and finish near the playoff bubble, what currency will be available to acquire prospects or players equivalent to guys like Backstrom, Jamie Benn, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Drew Doughty, Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith, etc…. And who the hell ever parts ways with core superstars in their right mind (well except for the Bruins) anyways? Just to get a sense of what these players are worth, see the salary chart below. Every single one of the top 3 players on contending teams I mentioned would cost a minimum of two firsts, a second, and a third through restricted free agency value assignment and i doubt trade values for players who weren’t wart ridden would be any different. 2005 Averaged Salary 2015-16 Averaged Salary Draft Pick Compensation $660,000 and below $1,205,377 and below No compensation $660,001 to $1,000,000 $1,205,377 to $1,826,328 Third-round pick $1,000,001 to $2,000,000 $1,826,328 to $3,652,659 Second-round pick $2,000,001 to $3,000,000 $3,652,659 to $5,478,986 First- and third-round pick $3,000,001 to $4,000,000 $5,478,986 to $7,305,316 First-, second-, and third-round pick $4,000,001 to $5,000,000 $7,305,316 to $9,131,645 Two first-round picks and a second- and third-round pick (An acceptable first line winger if complimented by top tier counterpart) $5,000,001 and above $9,131,645 and above Four first-round picks (Kane, Towes, Ovechkin, etc.. What we really want as a first line winger) Bottom line is contending teams rarely acquire top tier first line players through trades, and when they do its the exception not the norm, and in my opinion, nothing to bank on. My mind isn’t sealed shut on the matter but I just can’t see any way mortgaging future assets to improve now doesn’t severely impede this teams progression to cup contention. Id love to read some rational propositions tho…

So I watched Hockey Central today and something caught my attention, one of them mentioned Malkin's injury history, and how both should be in the prime of their careers. I nodded to myself and thought "well of course, Ovechkin has been tearing it up every year" then I thought about Malkin and realized he's been largely average since his one and only 50 goal season in 2011. Now, "largely" is an extremely relative word here and I mean it more in the sense that he has been average in comparison to Ovcehkin, his draft-hype, where he was drafted, and how many perceive of him as the 3-4th best player in the world. So, here is my question: Given all of the information we now know about both players, and given you have a roster with no dramatic edge in need towards RW or Center, would you still take Ovechkin over Malkin? It's center vs RW, proven Cup winner vs. stats, Ruski vs. Ruski. Me personally, I take Ovechkin. He's healthy more often, puts up better stats (albeit at a less demanding position), and is just a bigger impact than Malkin. Here are the stats for both players http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=722892 http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/o/ovechal01.html And last year nhl.com did a 2004 redo and wrote why the have Malkin edged over Ovechkin http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=722892

The last month of the season he convinced me. He is the driving force underlying this team and I think he is ready. Regardless of bringing Gionta back, Jack Eichel should be captain.

Sooo January... a new year upon us. See you all in 2017 Youll find it under: http://www.sabreshockeyville.com or the direct picture link here: http://www.pixelpuncher.de/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/wp_sabres_2017_01.jpg http://www.pixelpuncher.de/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/wp_sabres_2017_01_wo.jpg

I'm too young to clearly remember the French Collection power play, but I imagine it was glorious. I clearly remember what a thing of beauty Lafontaine Mogilny Andreychuk Hawerchuk and Bodger was. Could the five we had out there yesterday reach those heights? There are no passengers. They can play it high or low. They can all shoot, all pass, all hang on to the puck, all go get the puck. And they all read the play so well. It could be dominant for a long time.

Black Sunday seemed to nearly destroy this franchise. The Sabres not only lost their co-captains and identity, but they lost high-end players at a position that is most-coveted by fans and GMs alike. They lost the shelter that allowed Derek Roy and Tim Connolly to make grinders look silly. Every playoff series (ie, 2) and far too many regular season games they played from that point until 2015 were played with subpar center depth relative to their opponents. Even with great post-Pegula playoff push stories, and a division winner built up from a Vezina-winning goalie, fans either let on that they knew the center position wasn't good enough or they pretended that they didn't know it. The core eventually failed, free agent signings went bad, and everything was blown up. We endured two seasons of the most unbearable hockey one can imagine. Historically bad offenses combined with pathetic, AHL-caliber defense units. The tank seasons were too much for plenty of well-respected, deeply passionate Sabres fans here on Sabrespace, much less casual fans who had better things to do than watch garbage on ice. Whether one agreed with the decision or not, we came out of the seasons of torture with our piece. The guy we didn't have when we were merely "decent." The guy that we didn't have to counter the Crosbys, Malkins, Getzlafs, Thorntons of the league before. The missing piece that would propel us to contender status. Jack Eichel Center, shoots right. 6-2, 196 pounds. Born October 28th, 1996. Drafted second-overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. 2015-16 Season: 81 GP, 24 G, 32 A, 56 PTS 2016-17 Season: 1 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 2 PTS The fanbase still has a lot of healing to do. The team still has a long way to go. But we can tell this kid is special. The city of Buffalo fell in love that draft day, and watching Jack grow and be himself only makes that bond stronger. From what I read here and on other social media platforms, other people share the experiences I have with regards to watching Jack play. Three times last season, he made me jump in the air watching hockey, and made a tear come to my eye. That hadn't happened since before Black Sunday. No part of the Buffalo Sabres organization felt special after that. Not until Jack came along. His first goal snipe, his dancing around the zone at will before ripping a shot over Bobrovsky's shoulder a few days later, and burying the Hurricanes in overtime in March. I get severe goosebumps when I watch those moments again. The most jaded and cynical Sabrespace members, posting in utter disbelief and joy. Listening to the buzz in the air of First Niagara Center, I hear what my parents and grandparents talk about when reminiscing about Gilbert Perreault and the excitement you could taste in the air when he set up to fly down the ice. We finally have this again in Buffalo, NY. When this team is playing meaningful hockey late in the season again, it'll be like it was in the memories I desperately cling to but lose original details of each passing day. And he's so down to earth, and so charismatic. He's hysterical. The fear of alligators and snakes, the love of ice cream, his insistence on keeping secret his number, college decision, and return date, all with that goofy grin. I have full confidence that we'll be watching Jack Eichel's #15 go up in the rafters, eyes stinging with tears of happiness as we recall his playoff heroics that brought this city its first championship. This has the potential to be an epic thread, that discusses and debates and highlights his ups and downs, his development, and the impact he has on this region and the wonderful fans of the Sabres. I hope it can reach this potential. My favorite Eichel clips: All 24 of his rookie season goals: Random highlights (don't watch if you don't like rap music - I don't but I love the mix of assists they put in): Carolina OT: Columbus: Funny Jack: First goal: And the newest addition, last night's highlights in his first game back: I hope people enjoy and use this thread. I know there were plenty of times during the summer a new picture or tweet from him or something came up and was discussed, or a new debate about his effort or stick length started up. That stuff can come here, as well as any "wow, Jack was special tonight." like we saw last night. I hope this was alright. LET'S GO BUFFALO ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Separate from this post, I'm glad to hear he took the optional practice off. No need to go nuts yet, get back into game shape slowly and naturally. Rangers are going to be a tough test for him. He's done well against them so far in his career, off the top of my head I can think of 4 assists spread through 3 games.