RD 1, Pick 8: Alex Nylander LW/RW

[thewookie1]

Regardless of Nylander's D skill, we can afford to have a more offensive style player. We have plenty of two-way forwards.

 

However I rather of taken Sergachev.

[Thorner]

Is Nylander a RW, LW, or both?

[TrueBlueGED]

Is Nylander a RW, LW, or both?

Can play either wing. 200 foot game and elite offensive skill. I'm so happy.

[kas23]

Regardless of Nylander's D skill, we can afford to have a more offensive style player. We have plenty of two-way forwards.

 

However I rather of taken Sergachev.

It's official now. GMTM hates Russian players.

[North Buffalo]

RW but guess can shoot on off wing..

[Huckleberry]

So, clearly better player than William, right?

 

That is the word out on him, plays better than his brother.

But like his brother, perimeter game and bad defense.   

[Norcal]

Love the pick, Welcome to Buffalo Alexander. Can't wait to watch this guy snipe goalies with RORs passes.

Edited June 25, 2016 by Murray's Rats

[WildCard]

"Terrible" isn't the word here.

Abysmal? Sakic?

[Marvelo]

Buffalo has just come off a period of historic non-goal scoring. This kid can turn into something special. 

[Thorner]

Can play either wing. 200 foot game and elite offensive skill. I'm so happy.

I like the pick too. He was the best player there at 8. And I would have taken him over Keller, too.

[WildCard]

Oh, like on D. Thought you meant in general.

 

Remember, we shotguned.

Done :beer:

[K-9]

He's gotta be better than Jack was

 Yes, Jack was caught staring in his own end at times, but there were several beautiful back check and stick lift hustle plays over the course of the year as well. 

 

GO SABRES!!!

[Drunkard]

Not extremely happy with the pick myself. Said it before everywhere I read scouts lament his lack of defense.

Put him on O'Reilly's wing in a few years and hopefully it'll help mask for defensive deficiencies.

[WildCard]

Yes, Jack was caught staring in his own end at times, but there were several beautiful back check and stick lift hustle plays over the course of the year as well.

 

GO SABRES!!!

Very true. He is excellent on the back check

[Thorner]

Done :beer:

Nice! Have another :beer:

Put him on O'Reilly's wing in a few years and hopefully it'll help mask for defensive deficiencies.

Or on Jack's right (or left) depending on the defensive acumen of the other wing. Nylander is a guy that can and will FINISH Jack's beautiful passes.

 

Murray said he didn't think we had Jack's future winger on the team. Gotta think Murray thinks he found him.

Edited June 25, 2016 by Thorny

[WildCard]

I wonder if it was that Nylander was too good to pass up on, or that we just didn't like Chyrhcun and Sergachev

[K-9]

I wonder if it was that Nylander was too good to pass up on, or that we just didn't like Chyrhcun and Sergachev

I'd say it's more of a case of the former. Murray strikes me as a best player available kind of guy.

 

GO SABRES!!!

[TrueBlueGED]

I wonder if it was that Nylander was too good to pass up on, or that we just didn't like Chyrhcun and Sergachev

Nylander should have been gone. He wasn't. Thanks other teams!

[Winston]

Scouting report from The Hockey Writers. I particularly like the bolded analogy.

 

 

When it comes to pure offensive ability, Alexander Nylander is among the very best in the 2016 National Hockey League draft class. The second son of long-time NHLer Michael Nylander to hit the NHL Draft – big brother William was a Toronto first round pick in 2014 – Nylander has a few things in common with his father and brother. Michael was dangerous in the offensive zone and William has been very good in the American Hockey League, but there’s reason to believe that Alexander may be even better than those that came before him.

 

When speaking about Alexander’s skill level, it’s probably easier to spend time on what he doesn’t have instead of droning on about his positive attributes. He’s a great skater, who can dance around opposition defenders with ease. If that wasn’t good enough, he’s got superb vision and the ability to make seemingly impossible tape-to-tape passes to set up his teammates for scoring opportunities. He’s also got a great shot, to the point where he was reportedly placed on the point on Mississauga’s power-play because he could power his shot through traffic and hit the net.

 

There are two arguable warts in Nylander’s game: his defensive play and his size. Lax defensive play isn’t a rarity among high-octane offensive talents, as they’re often more engaged when playing with the puck than in pursuit of it. Nylander’s no exception, and his attention to detail away from the puck needs some work. At times he can seem more like he’s waiting for his team to get the puck back than pursuing it with any real conviction.

 

He’s also not a particularly thick individual physically, and his finesse game can get derailed if he’s leaned on (or crashed into) by opposition defenders. If he’s going to see the strengths of his game translate to the NHL level, he’s going to need to learn to battle through traffic a bit more (and he’ll need to add some muscle to his frame to do that effectively).

 

That said, focusing on Nylander’s short-comings seems a bit like complaining that your sports car doesn’t handle well in the snow: if it’s what you’re looking for in a vehicle, you can work around that issue.

 

Nylander is a tremendously gifted offensive talent who tore up the Ontario Hockey League in his first season playing elite-level hockey in North America. If he adapted to the smaller North American ice quickly, it seems likely that he can shore up the defensive side of his game and fill out physically. No doubt the minute he steps off the stage at the 2016 NHL Draft, his new club will have a plan drawn up to do just that.

[Thorner]

Murray said he was eyeing 2 D and a forward. D seemed to be Juolevi and Sergachev. And from that Royce interview they seemed to be really close, in their eyes. So much so that I'm thinking Nylander was either in front of both, or behind both. Murray passed on Sergachev, so my guess is Murray got his first choice for guys he thought could be at 8, in Nylander. Of course I am guessing. I think Murray had Nylander ranked 7th overall.

[jsb]

Nylander should have been gone. He wasn't. Thanks other teams!

I'm with you on this one, great pick

[TrueBlueGED]

Murray said he was eyeing 2 D and a forward. D seemed to be Juolevi and Sergachev. And from that Royce interview they seemed to be really close, in their eyes. So much so that I'm thinking Nylander was either in front of both, or behind both. Murray passed on Sergachev, so my guess is Murray got his first choice for guys he thought could be at 8, in Nylander. Of course I am guessing. I think Murray had Nylander ranked 7th overall.

Yea, makes me think he had Nylander above all the D. Good deal. In Buffalo in a year, I think.

[WildCard]

Murray said he was eyeing 2 D and a forward. D seemed to be Juolevi and Sergachev. And from that Royce interview they seemed to be really close, in their eyes. So much so that I'm thinking Nylander was either in front of both, or behind both. Murray passed on Sergachev, so my guess is Murray got his first choice for guys he thought could be at 8, in Nylander. Of course I am guessing. I think Murray had Nylander ranked 7th overall.

That is very well thought out. You need to shotgun another

[TrueBlueGED]

I'm with you on this one, great pick

We agree?!? Miracles do happen! :)

[2 minuter för grovbearbetn]

I read a scouting report on here a while back, I can't remember who wrote it, but the author seemed to think that Nylander could be/should be a 40 goal scorer. 

 

How many OT losses did we incur? After watching that video, he's going to put pucks in the net in shoot outs.