Official 2014 NHL Draft thread

[26CornerBlitz]

Final Score: Oilers 2 Hurricanes 1 in Regulation.

[TrueBlueGED]

We all have our preferences

 

I hope we draft all Euros for two straight years just to see your head explode :nana:

[Hoss]

Panthers also get at least one point in their game with Vancouver that just entered overtime.

[TrueBlueGED]

If we don't finish last I will have to completely re-evaluate my stance on the existence of curses.

[SabresBillsFan]

Final Score: Oilers 2 Hurricanes 1 in Regulation.

 

Putting some distance between us and the 2nd worst team. I like it. Tank on Buffalo, Tank on!

[deluca67]

Cogliano isn't much more than a 40-point player at best. You don't have this kind of season to come out of it with a third-liner and another 8th overall pick.

Cogliano is a NHL player who would fill a need. You also get the 27th pick to go with the 8th. Additional assets to be used in other deals. I'm not convinced there is much difference in the level of talent in the top 3 than there is the rest of the top 10. I don't see a McKinnon level prospect at the top of this draft.

[qwksndmonster]

Cogliano is a NHL player who would fill a need. You also get the 27th pick to go with the 8th. Additional assets to be used in other deals. I'm not convinced there is much difference in the level of talent in the top 3 than there is the rest of the top 10. I don't see a McKinnon level prospect at the top of this draft.

There is a significant talent gap between Reinhart/Bennett and Tuch/Virtanen. We need to be patient with the rebuild. We are stocked to the gills with 2nd and 3rd line prospects, not to mention two good young 3rd liners on the roster already. The most pressing need is 1st line forwards. One of the two Sams likely nets you a 1st liner, whereas the 8-12 group that we have been stuck in for years will only yield more likely 2nd and 3rd liners. An 8th and 27th pick are small beans compared to the picks we acquired over the tear down of the core. Now that we are finally getting a top 3 pick it would be foolish to throw it away for assets that we already have in spades.

[Robviously]

There is a significant talent gap between Reinhart/Bennett and Tuch/Virtanen. We need to be patient with the rebuild. We are stocked to the gills with 2nd and 3rd line prospects, not to mention two good young 3rd liners on the roster already. The most pressing need is 1st line forwards. One of the two Sams likely nets you a 1st liner, whereas the 8-12 group that we have been stuck in for years will only yield more likely 2nd and 3rd liners. An 8th and 27th pick are small beans compared to the picks we acquired over the tear down of the core. Now that we are finally getting a top 3 pick it would be foolish to throw it away for assets that we already have in spades.

Some would say there's a significant talent gap between Tuch and Virtanen too.

 

The Sabres don't need anymore "good" prospects up front; they need GREAT prospects up front. If you get a top 5 pick, USE IT!

[SabresBillsFan]

There is a significant talent gap between Reinhart/Bennett and Tuch/Virtanen. We need to be patient with the rebuild. We are stocked to the gills with 2nd and 3rd line prospects, not to mention two good young 3rd liners on the roster already. The most pressing need is 1st line forwards. One of the two Sams likely nets you a 1st liner, whereas the 8-12 group that we have been stuck in for years will only yield more likely 2nd and 3rd liners. An 8th and 27th pick are small beans compared to the picks we acquired over the tear down of the core. Now that we are finally getting a top 3 pick it would be foolish to throw it away for assets that we already have in spades.

 

Couldn't agree more

[3putt]

We all have our preferences

I get personal preferences, but am curious as to your blanket aversion to euros. Too soft? Not talented enough? And for the record, Toews a Mannitoba boy, thinks cup first, so I can see wanting that attitude at the top.

[shrader]

I've seen the idea presented here before that the islanders won't give us their pick this year because they don't want to send the message to the fans that they want to tank next year. What fans exactly would they be sending this message to? The isles are a lame duck franchise next year with their pending move to Brooklyn in 2015. It's not a big move but they're going to be dealing with a different demographic when it comes to their fans. I'm sure both management and the league are intrigued by the idea of opening up in the Barclays center with both Tavares and McDavid. Short of that team winning the lottery this year, I fully expect to se the sabres with two top five picks this year.

[3putt]

And ...if they do not defer I would not be shocked if they "won" the McDavid sweepstakes. Building an interest in the league's largest market has Bettman written all over it.

[inkman]

I get personal preferences, but am curious as to your blanket aversion to euros. Too soft? Not talented enough? And for the record, Toews a Mannitoba boy, thinks cup first, so I can see wanting that attitude at the top.

Zagrapan, Kryukov, Persson...for beginners

 

I've seen the idea presented here before that the islanders won't give us their pick this year because they don't want to send the message to the fans that they want to tank next year. What fans exactly would they be sending this message to? The isles are a lame duck franchise next year with their pending move to Brooklyn in 2015. It's not a big move but they're going to be dealing with a different demographic when it comes to their fans. I'm sure both management and the league are intrigued by the idea of opening up in the Barclays center with both Tavares and McDavid. Short of that team winning the lottery this year, I fully expect to se the sabres with two top five picks this year.

...and you don't give away a potential winning lottery ticket. No GM wants to go down in history as the guy who gave away McDavid

[Robviously]

I've seen the idea presented here before that the islanders won't give us their pick this year because they don't want to send the message to the fans that they want to tank next year. What fans exactly would they be sending this message to? The isles are a lame duck franchise next year with their pending move to Brooklyn in 2015. It's not a big move but they're going to be dealing with a different demographic when it comes to their fans. I'm sure both management and the league are intrigued by the idea of opening up in the Barclays center with both Tavares and McDavid. Short of that team winning the lottery this year, I fully expect to se the sabres with two top five picks this year.

I'd be shocked. It's not just the message to the fans; it's also the message to the rest of the league about your competence. You're basically saying "Yes, we suck this year....and there's absolutely nothing we can do to avoid also being a bottom 5 team next year." Good luck ever finding a job again.

 

I could kinda sorta see it happening if Snow is fired and the new GM decides he wants a shot at McDavid via a longer rebuild. But I also feel like a brand new GM would want to draft as many guys as he can ASAP to start turning the team around.

[shrader]

 

Zagrapan, Kryukov, Persson...for beginners

 

You must have really hated last year's draft and taking two euro blueliners

[TrueBlueGED]

I've seen the idea presented here before that the islanders won't give us their pick this year because they don't want to send the message to the fans that they want to tank next year. What fans exactly would they be sending this message to? The isles are a lame duck franchise next year with their pending move to Brooklyn in 2015. It's not a big move but they're going to be dealing with a different demographic when it comes to their fans. I'm sure both management and the league are intrigued by the idea of opening up in the Barclays center with both Tavares and McDavid. Short of that team winning the lottery this year, I fully expect to se the sabres with two top five picks this year.

I'd be shocked. It's not just the message to the fans; it's also the message to the rest of the league about your competence. You're basically saying "Yes, we suck this year....and there's absolutely nothing we can do to avoid also being a bottom 5 team next year." Good luck ever finding a job again.

 

I could kinda sorta see it happening if Snow is fired and the new GM decides he wants a shot at McDavid via a longer rebuild. But I also feel like a brand new GM would want to draft as many guys as he can ASAP to start turning the team around.

 

I don't think I've been this ambivalent about anything in awhile, because I think there's a perfectly reasonable argument to be made either way...and frankly there's no way to predict what an organization run by Wang and Snow is going to do. If the leaked Vanek contract were true (and Vanek basically confirmed it was), then it might be a signal Wang is really willing to spend at least some money. In that case, they might make some moves this summer which makes them very unlikely to have a high lottery pick (in the East they're probably competing for a playoff spot with just average goaltending). If Snow feels like he's on the hotseat but still has the latitude to make the call on the pick, while also knowing he has some money to spend, I can easily see him using the pick this year with the thought that next year's will be at best a 1%ish chance at winning the lottery.

 

Then again, I think there's an argument that any chance at a generational talent is a chance well worth taking...especially if the options are "take a chance at a generational talent or be mediocre at best." Will be interesting to see what happens with it.

[Crusader1969]

magic number to clinching last place is down to 17

[LastPommerFan]

1999-2007 drafts:

 

First five forwards from each draft: 45 men have combined for 17,292 pts (average 384 career points each)

 

All of the other forwards taken in the first round: 124 men have combined for 18,621 pts (average 150 career points each)

 

The NHL amateur scouting departments are exceptionally good at identifying the cream of the crop forwards. After the first five are gone, it's a major crapshoot, even to get guys that are 60% as good as the top 5.

 

Tank on.

[inkman]

You must have really hated last year's draft and taking two euro blueliners

At first I wasn't thrilled but watching them play has realized they are ok. It's going to take more than that to fully convince me.

[SabresBillsFan]

I'm gonna go out and say this again that the Islanders will keep their pick this year and go all out to sign a goalie, a forward and a defenseman or two during the offseason. If that happens we will probably be picking in the 10-15 range. They wouldn't be that bad if they had better goaltending and losing Streit on defense to Philly really hurts. Plus who says Moulson doesn't go back to play with Tavares! Nobody really knows what they are gonna do but they are not and I repeat not gonna just stand pat and give us a top five pick this year or next year.

[Two or less]

I'm gonna go out and say this again that the Islanders will keep their pick this year and go all out to sign a goalie, a forward and a defenseman or two during the offseason. If that happens we will probably be picking in the 10-15 range. They wouldn't be that bad if they had better goaltending and losing Streit on defense to Philly really hurts. Plus who says Moulson doesn't go back to play with Tavares! Nobody really knows what they are gonna do but they are not and I repeat not gonna just stand pat and give us a top five pick this year or next year.

 

I dont know if i believe that. Thats very risky. If it was only Conner McDavid or bust, i agree, they wouldn't put all their hopes in a lottery to get 1 player, because odds are against them. However, Jack Eichl is a franchise type player, and if Matthew Barzel was in this draft, he'd go #1 too. In his last season of BCMML, he scored 103 points in 34 games. Compared to Sam Reinhart's 78pts in 34 games. Barzel didn't play the full season so we don't know how much better he would of done, but in the limited time he played in the WHL, he was a point per game scorer.

 

Beyond that, Czech forward Pavel Zacha would probably be the 3rd player taken if he was in this draft. Very skilled winger. Has preformed really well at all levels and has won the title in Czech like 4years in a row. He was one of the youngest players at this past WJC but he didn't score any. He should be one of the better players next winter though.

[Trettioåtta]

Out of interest. Who thinks the Sabres will draft first overall?

 

I would be shocked if they did. I am genuinely expecting us to be 2nd overall on the podium, as that is 3 times as likely. I also want Sam Bennnet over Reinhart

[North Buffalo]

Out of interest. Who thinks the Sabres will draft first overall?

 

I would be shocked if they did. I am genuinely expecting us to be 2nd overall on the podium, as that is 3 times as likely. I also want Sam Bennnet over Reinhart

 

The more I think about it. Bennett and Draisaitl or if lucky Dal Colle would be awesome.

 

P.S. Only 9 more games and the Sabres can clinch last place. Edmonton won yesterday and are 11 points up. Despite having a game in hand, the Sabres have only 14 more to play. Minus 5 wins (games) or 10 points the Sabres still need only 9 more losses and last place is all theirs...wahh hahh hahh, putting an end to this dreadful weird season.

 

Hopefully it will allow the Sabres to gain the top draft pick.

[SabresBillsFan]

 

 

The more I think about it. Bennett and Draisaitl or if lucky Dal Colle would be awesome.

 

P.S. Only 9 more games and the Sabres can clinch last place. Edmonton won yesterday and are 11 points up. Despite having a game in hand, the Sabres have only 14 more to play. Minus 5 wins (games) or 10 points the Sabres still need only 9 more losses and last place is all theirs...wahh hahh hahh, putting an end to this dreadful weird season.

 

Hopefully it will allow the Sabres to gain the top draft pick.

 

I would rather get the 2nd pick this year and then win the lottery next year!

[North Buffalo]

I would rather get the 2nd pick this year and then win the lottery next year!

True