Pick #1: D Owen Power (University of Michigan)

[Crusader1969]

2 minutes ago, ubkev said:

Ink wasn't talking about Eichel or Sam.

Sure he was.  My comment is that Buffalo fans have an epidemic of hating their best players.   He said “the best players show up and are *****”.  If he wasn’t talking Eichel and Samson , who was he talking about ? 

[ubkev]

1 minute ago, Crusader1969 said:

Sure he was.  My comment is that Buffalo fans have an epidemic of hating their best players.   He said “the best players show up and are *****”.  If he wasn’t talking Eichel and Samson , who was he talking about ? 

Dahlin and Tremaine Edmunds. Lol

[inkman]

3 hours ago, Crusader1969 said:

you saying that Eichel showed up and was a pile of sh*t proves my point.  Samson is another example.  

I love Sam.  Eichel not so much. 

[inkman]

18 minutes ago, ubkev said:

Ink wasn't talking about Eichel or Sam.

 

14 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

Sure he was.  My comment is that Buffalo fans have an epidemic of hating their best players.   He said “the best players show up and are *****”.  If he wasn’t talking Eichel and Samson , who was he talking about ? 

Right.  Rasmus Dahlin fits that bill.  Mittlestadt was headed down that road until Granato showed up.  UPL was called the best goaltending prospect in all of hockey at one point.  Alex Nylander tore up World Juniors and we were wowed.  Risto and Zadorov were supposed to stabilize our Blue line for a decade.  Mikhail Grigorenko was deemed a future #1 center.  

[Crusader1969]

36 minutes ago, ubkev said:

Dahlin and Tremaine Edmunds. Lol

Further, I wasn’t specifically talking about him - my point is that there is always a segment of Buffalo fans that hates their best players 

eichel had his detractors throughout his Sabres days 

before Edmunds it was Gilmore   Who of course left Buffalo for NE and is now a 2 time 1st all pro, 2019 defensive player of year and super bowl champ

 

30 minutes ago, inkman said:

 

Right.  Rasmus Dahlin fits that bill.  Mittlestadt was headed down that road until Granato showed up.  UPL was called the best goaltending prospect in all of hockey at one point.  Alex Nylander tore up World Juniors and we were wowed.  Risto and Zadorov were supposed to stabilize our Blue line for a decade.  Mikhail Grigorenko was deemed a future #1 center.  

None of those players fit the bill of the Sabres best players.  

[LGR4GM]

Power does have a physical side and his reach in front will be interesting to see how he uses it at the nhl level. He's gonna be hard to out muscle in corners and if his feet continue to improve he's got a lot of potential to be a very high end player. He's looking good in the ncaa right now. 

[Taro T]

2 hours ago, inkman said:

 

Right.  Rasmus Dahlin fits that bill.  Mittlestadt was headed down that road until Granato showed up.  UPL was called the best goaltending prospect in all of hockey at one point.  Alex Nylander tore up World Juniors and we were wowed.  Risto and Zadorov were supposed to stabilize our Blue line for a decade.  Mikhail Grigorenko was deemed a future #1 center.  

Not the 1 in Buffalo he didn't.

He got the assist on Belarus' only goal while playing on the PP.

He was trash in that tournament.

[inkman]

40 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Not the 1 in Buffalo he didn't.

He got the assist on Belarus' only goal while playing on the PP.

He was trash in that tournament.

Probably wrong tournament.  Still glad we were able to swindle Chitown out of Joker. 

[Thorner]

19 hours ago, inkman said:

False.  People hate being told players are great only to have them show up and be a pile of 💩. 

Fool me once, shame on.......shame on..you..?....

point is, can't get fooled again

[Thorner]

15 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Power does have a physical side and his reach in front will be interesting to see how he uses it at the nhl level. He's gonna be hard to out muscle in corners and if his feet continue to improve he's got a lot of potential to be a very high end player. He's looking good in the ncaa right now. 

a well-timed reach around yesterday, had he been in asplund's spot on the goal, would have served us well

[Thorner]

13 hours ago, inkman said:

Probably wrong tournament.  Still glad we were able to swindle Chitown out of Joker. 

He was indeed good in that tourney overall - 9 points in 7 games his draft year, 12 in 7 the year after we drafted him

[Taro T]

3 hours ago, Thorny said:

He was indeed good in that tourney overall - 9 points in 7 games his draft year, 12 in 7 the year after we drafted him

Not in '18 he wasn't.  He should've dominated but didn't come close.

[Digger]

7 hours ago, Thorny said:

He was indeed good in that tourney overall - 9 points in 7 games his draft year, 12 in 7 the year after we drafted him

4 hours ago, Taro T said:

Not in '18 he wasn't.  He should've dominated but didn't come close.

Yes I agree 2018 wasn't the year.  Alex Nylander was really good in the 2016 WJC though.  That was the year most expected William Nylander to dominate (but he got hurt right at the start of the tournament).  Alex exceeded expectations that year with 4G, 5A, 9PTS in 7GP.  In general I assume that Tim Murray was confident that he was going to follow his bother's development.  Obviously wish we had chosen better.

Edited December 9, 2021 by Digger

[dudacek]

Alex Nylander has 10 points in 19 games in the AHL this year. 
Or a negligibly better pace than when he put up 28 in 65 in the AHL as an 18-year-old.

Some guys develop in curves, others in straight lines.

[LGR4GM]

7 hours ago, dudacek said:

Alex Nylander has 10 points in 19 games in the AHL this year. 
Or a negligibly better pace than when he put up 28 in 65 in the AHL as an 18-year-old.

Some guys develop in curves, others in straight lines.

This is the key. They need to draft players like Reinhart who just constantly improve. Power will do that, Quinn will, Peterka will,  etc... they are looking for the best right players. We'll see if they can identify them. 

[nfreeman]

From the Athletic's post-aborted-WJC column giving impressions of a bunch of players:

Quote

D Owen Power (Buffalo Sabres): Uncanny ability to spin under pressure in the corner, dragging pucks through his feet and pivoting in one smooth motion to escape and advance the play. Was seeing the ice beautifully in possession too. Great recognition of when to join. Active off the line. Hat trick in the opener and they all came in different ways. There was a seeing eye shot. There was a one-timer. And there was a switch to the goal line on the power play where he pounced on a rebound. Toe drags incredibly well for his size. Often below goal line rotating off the point. Shapes play on his edges with his footwork like a smaller player.

When Chara was in his (very long) prime, one of the underrated qualities that made him an elite defenseman was that it was basically impossible to dump-and-chase into his side of the ice (plus a decent chunk of the the other side).  His range and smarts, plus decent puck skills, enabled him to retrieve the puck and get it out of the d-zone just about every time.

If we're very lucky, Power will bring that to the table.  It won't happen right away, but as he learns the NHL game, it might happen, and it could be transformative.

 

[Weave]

17 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

From the Athletic's post-aborted-WJC column giving impressions of a bunch of players:

When Chara was in his (very long) prime, one of the underrated qualities that made him an elite defenseman was that it was basically impossible to dump-and-chase into his side of the ice (plus a decent chunk of the the other side).  His range and smarts, plus decent puck skills, enabled him to retrieve the puck and get it out of the d-zone just about every time.

If we're very lucky, Power will bring that to the table.  It won't happen right away, but as he learns the NHL game, it might happen, and it could be transformative.

 

Boy, Chara’s defensive game, even without the nasty?  Sign me up.

Power, Mule, and a Dahlin that doesn’t have to be the featured D man?  Hope.

[French Collection]

1 hour ago, nfreeman said:

From the Athletic's post-aborted-WJC column giving impressions of a bunch of players:

When Chara was in his (very long) prime, one of the underrated qualities that made him an elite defenseman was that it was basically impossible to dump-and-chase into his side of the ice (plus a decent chunk of the the other side).  His range and smarts, plus decent puck skills, enabled him to retrieve the puck and get it out of the d-zone just about every time.

If we're very lucky, Power will bring that to the table.  It won't happen right away, but as he learns the NHL game, it might happen, and it could be transformative.

 

I am reading Mark Messier’s book. He quotes Scott Stevens as saying you can’t evaluate a Dman until he has played 250 games at the NHL level. His reasoning is that there are a lot of nuances to learn.

Dahlin is at that threshold and Power will need time to adjust. I like the D, especially the LHD if you throw in Mule + Johnson.

[LGR4GM]

23 minutes ago, French Collection said:

I am reading Mark Messier’s book. He quotes Scott Stevens as saying you can’t evaluate a Dman until he has played 250 games at the NHL level. His reasoning is that there are a lot of nuances to learn.

Dahlin is at that threshold and Power will need time to adjust. I like the D, especially the LHD if you throw in Mule + Johnson.

I am throwing out every single game Dahlin played last year under Krueger and Smith as I believe they were wasted on forcing Dahlin to play a style of hockey that was boring and negated his greatest strength (puck carrying). 

[dudacek]

1 hour ago, nfreeman said:

From the Athletic's post-aborted-WJC column giving impressions of a bunch of players:

When Chara was in his (very long) prime, one of the underrated qualities that made him an elite defenseman was that it was basically impossible to dump-and-chase into his side of the ice (plus a decent chunk of the the other side).  His range and smarts, plus decent puck skills, enabled him to retrieve the puck and get it out of the d-zone just about every time.

If we're very lucky, Power will bring that to the table.  It won't happen right away, but as he learns the NHL game, it might happen, and it could be transformative.

 

Power looks very strong in this area against his peers. Uses his length to protect the puck and his skating to quick-pivot.

Then once he shakes loose he skates into space, finds the open man, and puts it on the tape.

 

[Crusader1969]

With the frozen 4 being slated for April 7 - 9. We are now within 100 days of Owen Power signing with The Sabres 

[LGR4GM]

9 hours ago, Crusader1969 said:

With the frozen 4 being slated for April 7 - 9. We are now within 100 days of Owen Power signing with The Sabres 

Sabres currently have 11 games scheduled for after the 9th. 

[pi2000]

4 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Sabres currently have 11 games scheduled for after the 9th. 

Will likely be more.

[Doohicksie]

12 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

Will likely be more.

Playoffs?!?!?!!!

[WildCard]

2 minutes ago, The Ghost of Yuri said:

Playoffs?!?!?!!!

Aren't we a bottom 5 team right now haha