Official 2015 NHL Draft Thread

[MattPie]

He said "we'd be passing up a hell of a player if we traded that pick, but in this business you never say never"

 

He's trollin'.

[Randall Flagg]

McDavid is absolutely filthy. He seems to have hit another exponential increase in growth lately. Possessed. I don't think it's stretch to say he's having the best junior playoffs ever by a player in his draft year. I also don't think it's a stretch to say he's passed Sid at this point in their respective careers.

[IKnowPhysics]

According to the formula in this link:

http://www.broadstreethockey.com/2013/4/25/4262594/nhl-draft-pick-value-trading-up

we could transform 21 into a top 10 pick by adding both seconds.

 

There are a lot of players there I would do it for.

 

Theoretically, the #18, #31, and #48 could get you close to the #6 pick.  Maybe it'd be worth it if someone slipped out the top 3-5. Hanifin, Strome, Crouse, Marner, Provorov?

 

Also of note, Edmonton's in a similar position.  They hold the #1, #15/16 (from PIT), #33, another 2nd rounder (from MTL), 3rd rounder (from OTT), another 3rd rounder (from STL), no own 3rd, no own 4th.  ###### could get wacky.

Edited April 29, 2015 by IKnowPhysics

[Thorner]

McDavid is absolutely filthy. He seems to have hit another exponential increase in growth lately. Possessed. I don't think it's stretch to say he's having the best junior playoffs ever by a player in his draft year. I also don't think it's a stretch to say he's passed Sid at this point in their respective careers.

 

It's a good comparison between the two. Needless to say, both had exceptional draft year junior seasons. Crosby did have a better PPG average in his year though. Crosby's in his draft year was 2.71. McDavid's was 2.55. Also, Crosby was 7 months younger. I'd still give the edge to Sid for draft year performance.

 

Edit: I have to disagree with the best junior playoffs performance ever in his draft year bit. Different eras, but Mario had an incredible 52 points in 14 games his final junior playoff year. McDavid's is almost as impressive though as like I said, different eras.

Edited April 29, 2015 by Thorny

[jsb]

If they trade that 2nd pick it will be for a veteran not a move up. I'm thinking O. Kylington might still be on the board at 20-21. A draft of Eichel, Kylington and Blackwood a 6'4 goalie would be a pretty sweet top of the draft to me. If I'm not mistaken Blackwood is the #1 rated G coming out and Kylington a Dman out of Sweden for some reason has dropped a bit lately but he was in the top 3 Europeans coming out also.

[qwksndmonster]

McDavid is absolutely filthy. He seems to have hit another exponential increase in growth lately. Possessed. I don't think it's stretch to say he's having the best junior playoffs ever by a player in his draft year. I also don't think it's a stretch to say he's passed Sid at this point in their respective careers.

I'm really excited to watch this kid in the NHL.  A Crosby-level player that I don't hate (yet).  All it will take to make me hate him is wearing a certain piece of gold around his neck...

Edited April 29, 2015 by qwksndmonster

[Randall Flagg]

It's a good comparison between the two. Needless to say, both had exceptional draft year junior seasons. Crosby did have a better PPG average in his year though. Crosby's in his draft year was 2.71. McDavid's was 2.55. Also, Crosby was 7 months younger. I'd still give the edge to Sid for draft year performance.

 

Edit: I have to disagree with the best junior playoffs performance ever in his draft year bit. Different eras, but Mario had an incredible 52 points in 14 games his final junior playoff year. McDavid's is almost as impressive though as like I said, different eras.

I believe when you adjust scoring by era that McDavid's ppg is higher than Mario's in the playoffs, though I recognize that Mario's overall junior career will probably never be touched. I just think that while Sid had a better 16 year old season, McDavid hit a spurt of development in the last month or so that Crosby didn't have his draft year.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

McDavid is absolutely filthy. He seems to have hit another exponential increase in growth lately. Possessed. I don't think it's stretch to say he's having the best junior playoffs ever by a player in his draft year. I also don't think it's a stretch to say he's passed Sid at this point in their respective careers.

 

Two words ...

 

MacKinnon!!

 

In 2013 it has been said, an no, shrader, not by that hommer (me), that his performance was the best ever.  Especially in the Memorial Cup.

 

-----

 

EDIT:

 

Forgot the ...

 

:nana:

Edited April 29, 2015 by Sabres Fan In NS

[LGR4GM]

If they trade that 2nd pick it will be for a veteran not a move up. I'm thinking O. Kylington might still be on the board at 20-21. A draft of Eichel, Kylington and Blackwood a 6'4 goalie would be a pretty sweet top of the draft to me. If I'm not mistaken Blackwood is the #1 rated G coming out and Kylington a Dman out of Sweden for some reason has dropped a bit lately but he was in the top 3 Europeans coming out also.

Kylington has slid because of his size and how he can get pushed off the puck in the defensive zone. His agression in the D zone is questionable at best.  If I were drafting a defender in the 20's I might take Kylington but I'd rather take someone that IMPO has more upside.  

[Derrico]

After watching several Generals games live this playoffs I'm out on Vande Sompel. 

[shrader]

Two words ...

 

MacKinnon!!

 

In 2013 it has been said, an no, shrader, not by that hommer (me), that his performance was the best ever.  Especially in the Memorial Cup.

 

-----

 

EDIT:

 

Forgot the ...

 

:nana:

 

 

Some players are exempt from homerism, such as Eichel for me.  MacKinnon is one of them.  That said, "best ever" is far too subjective.

[jsb]

Kylington has slid because of his size and how he can get pushed off the puck in the defensive zone. His agression in the D zone is questionable at best.  If I were drafting a defender in the 20's I might take Kylington but I'd rather take someone that IMPO has more upside.  

That's actually a pretty good take on the kid although he's only 17. Here's something else I found... Actually the more I read up on the kid, the less likely I felt he was a Murray type player.

 

After a few viewings of Kylington, one NHL scout from an Eastern Conference team said: "Skilled, skates well, moves the puck. He's got a pretty high offensive side. I don't know if he's a top-10 pick, but a no-brainer first rounder."

 

"He's a talented first-round prospect," NHL Director of European Scouting Goran Stubb said. "He's an excellent, smooth skater. He's an offensive defenseman with excellent vision and playmaking skills. He has very good eye-to-hand coordination, is dangerous on the power play. He has all the tools needed and is a finesse-type player."

Pittsburgh Penguins co-director of amateur scouting Randy Sexton said Kylington's skill set is well-suited for the NHL game today, where teams want to get the puck moving quickly out of their zone. He said those skills, including his skating ability and good vision to help evaluate options, could put Kylington in the top half of the first round. "He's such a good skater," Sexton said. "Everybody wants those types of [defensemen] now. Nobody wants to spend time in their zone and a guy like that has got the sense to move the puck and the ability to skate it out."

Sexton said Kylington's skating reminds him a bit of Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson.

 

"He's that kind of skater," Sexton said.  [Kylington] is a terrific skater. You look at the way the game is played now, you need defensivemen who are mobile with good hockey sense, can spread the puck around the ice well. He's got good vision.

"He's got to get a lot stronger, but he's got all the makings of a real good puck-moving [defenseman]. "Sexton said Kylington won't be physical but can be effective defensively.

"It's not his makeup [to be physical]. He doesn't have that body type," Sexton said. "He'll be more of a stick-and-pin defenseman as opposed to a hammer. He's not a real big body. He'll play to his strengths, which are smarts and quickness."

From NHL.COM

[LGR4GM]

That's a good read on Kylington.  The scouts see his good skating and puck handling but what they don't yet see is the constant pummeling from 200lb 6'1" forwards that come with the regular season and then the playoffs. For me I think there are players with similar skating and more upside like Jakub Zboril. 

 

That said here is a ranking from Hockey Writers of the top 15 Defensemen Draft Prospects

http://thehockeywriters.com/top-15-defensemen-for-the-2015-nhl-draft/

[MattPie]

That's a good read on Kylington.  The scouts see his good skating and puck handling but what they don't yet see is the constant pummeling from 200lb 6'1" forwards that come with the regular season and then the playoffs. For me I think there are players with similar skating and more upside like Jakub Zboril. 

 

That said here is a ranking from Hockey Writers of the top 15 Defensemen Draft Prospects

http://thehockeywriters.com/top-15-defensemen-for-the-2015-nhl-draft/

 

disclaimer: that page has a link at the bottom that implies Dion Phaneuf is UNFAIRLY lambasted as a terrible player. I question the entire site's sanity.

[etiennep99]

I took some time to watch video of Hanifin, Roy, Kylington, and Brandon Carlo.   I really like Carlo. The Sabres don't really need another right handed d-man,. But, Carlo is a really tall, he skates well, has tremendous reach for poke checks, works guys over in front of the net, and has good positioning.   He seems like a safe bet to me.  Roy and Kylingon are more risky, especially with their size.  Hanifin seems a bit like Pysyk with more offensive upside; he just makes the right play all of the time.

 

Just my two cents, but if we can't have Hanifin, Carlo seems like a good pick at 18-21.

[LGR4GM]

I took some time to watch video of Hanifin, Roy, Kylington, and Brandon Carlo.   I really like Carlo. The Sabres don't really need another right handed d-man,. But, Carlo is a really tall, he skates well, has tremendous reach for poke checks, works guys over in front of the net, and has good positioning.   He seems like a safe bet to me.  Roy and Kylingon are more risky, especially with their size.  Hanifin seems a bit like Pysyk with more offensive upside; he just makes the right play all of the time.

 

Just my two cents, but if we can't have Hanifin, Carlo seems like a good pick at 18-21.

Look up Zboril, Larsson, Werenski, and Provorov.  All lefties. 

[3putt]

I raised the question of trade value because glthere is one player i would to love to see them trade up for. Provorov.

Edited April 30, 2015 by 3putt

[Hoss]

If no trade develops quickly on draft night then I'm all for packaging our picks to move up. We've got plenty of picks and prospects... It would allow us to pick up a very good prospect that would be ready for the jump in 1-2 years ensuring that we've got a steady flow of talent coming in...

 

 

Plus one top prospect is worth more in a deal then two mid-level guys.

[Tondas]

I took some time to watch video of Hanifin, Roy, Kylington, and Brandon Carlo.   I really like Carlo. The Sabres don't really need another right handed d-man,. But, Carlo is a really tall, he skates well, has tremendous reach for poke checks, works guys over in front of the net, and has good positioning.   He seems like a safe bet to me.  Roy and Kylingon are more risky, especially with their size.  Hanifin seems a bit like Pysyk with more offensive upside; he just makes the right play all of the time.

 

Just my two cents, but if we can't have Hanifin, Carlo seems like a good pick at 18-21.

 

Agree 100%.  And he's a nasty SOB as well.  If we're going with Chad and Pysyk, we may need some more nasty (developing in the minors).

Edited April 30, 2015 by Tondas

[LGR4GM]

Agree 100%.  And he's a nasty SOB as well.  If we're going with Chad and Pysyk, we may need some more nasty.

I think Bogosian, Ristolainen, Gorges, Weber, Zadorov, and McCabe might be able to contribute to that nasty side of our defense. Carlo at 21... I am not opposed too, I would just look at someone with a little more offensive upside. Carlo is like Weber 3.0

Edited April 30, 2015 by LGR4GM

[Tondas]

I think Bogosian, Ristolainen, Gorges, Weber, Zadorov, and McCabe might be able to contribute to that nasty side of our defense. Carlo at 21... I am not opposed too, I would just look at someone with a little more offensive upside. Carlo is like Weber 3.0

 

I think Zadorov will be moved at the draft.  Weber will not be re-signed after next year.  Gorges is getting older and who knows about his knee.  That leaves the cupboard pretty bare for Carlo to step in.

[WildCard]

I don't think we should move Zadorov, just MO.

[LGR4GM]

I don't think we should move Zadorov, just MO.

I wouldn't. 

 

I think Zadorov will be moved at the draft.  Weber will not be re-signed after next year.  Gorges is getting older and who knows about his knee.  That leaves the cupboard pretty bare for Carlo to step in.

It may leave the cupboard bare for defenders but Carlo falls for me below other players.  Grit alone isn't enough for a 1st round pick.  

[Tondas]

I don't think we should move Zadorov, just MO.

 

Yeah, I'm on the fence.  I'm not sure about GMTM, though.  And, for what's it's worth, this is the best time to move him for value.  The Sabres know more about Zadorov than any other club.  Move him now at high value on potential.  If he turns into a Norris Trophy worthy D-man, we lose.  If he never grows up, and he helps us get ROR, or someone similar, we win big. 

I wouldn't. 

 

It may leave the cupboard bare for defenders but Carlo falls for me below other players.  Grit alone isn't enough for a 1st round pick.  

 

Grit alone, I agree.  But Carlo is more than grit alone.

[LGR4GM]

Yeah, I'm on the fence.  I'm not sure about GMTM, though.  And, for what's it's worth, this is the best time to move him for value.  The Sabres know more about Zadorov than any other club.  Move him now at high value on potential.  If he turns into a Norris Trophy worthy D-man, we lose.  If he never grows up, and he helps us get ROR, or someone similar, we win big. 

 

Grit alone, I agree.  But Carlo is more than grit alone.

Carlo is a shutdown defender with a mean streak.  His offensive game just started a little this year.  If I am making a draft board for Buffalo, Carlo is below a host of guys and not worthy of that #21 pick.  I think a team might pick him in the teams (Boston for instance).  I think at best if I were Devine and Murray, I take Carlo if he slides to 31, outside of that I would rather they focus on Zadorov because his upside would like Carlo 8.0

I think Tondas this just might one of those things we just disagree on.  You like Carlo better than I do.