Updated Sabres Prospect Pool 2021 and beyond

[LGR4GM]

4 hours ago, Brawndo said:

He hasn’t played well at all, minimal offense contributions with 5v5, and has been a defensive black hole. Hopefully the new line mates, Hello Rasmus Asplund, will help

He's been very disappointing to me. I think he has a lot of work to do 5v5

Edited March 8, 2022 by LGR4GM

[Brawndo]

7 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

He's been very disappointing to me. I think he has a lot of work to do 5v5

He needs work, I wonder with the Zemgus and Miller ready to return if they send a few players back to Rochester namely Krebs and Fitzgerald. Although waiving Bjork is the idea move 

[dudacek]

I think Krebs is a poster child for Donnie's "be fearless and I will forgive your mistakes" mantra.

Cozens makes as many turnovers IMO, but skating the puck into defenders tends to be less glaring and more forgiving than blind high-risk passes.

Granato seems to think the balance will tilt to the positive over time. Just because it worked for Dahlin and Thompson doesn't mean it will work for everyone, But Krebs is more than two full seasons behind those two and Cozens isn't much further ahead.

it's hard to watch sometimes.

[LGR4GM]

4 hours ago, dudacek said:

I think Krebs is a poster child for Donnie's "be fearless and I will forgive your mistakes" mantra.

Cozens makes as many turnovers IMO, but skating the puck into defenders tends to be less glaring and more forgiving than blind high-risk passes.

Granato seems to think the balance will tilt to the positive over time. Just because it worked for Dahlin and Thompson doesn't mean it will work for everyone, But Krebs is more than two full seasons behind those two and Cozens isn't much further ahead.

it's hard to watch sometimes.

Rasmus Dahlin is more talented than both. 

Cozens and Krebs have a lot of work to do this offseason. 

[French Collection]

11 hours ago, dudacek said:

I think Krebs is a poster child for Donnie's "be fearless and I will forgive your mistakes" mantra.

Cozens makes as many turnovers IMO, but skating the puck into defenders tends to be less glaring and more forgiving than blind high-risk passes.

Granato seems to think the balance will tilt to the positive over time. Just because it worked for Dahlin and Thompson doesn't mean it will work for everyone, But Krebs is more than two full seasons behind those two and Cozens isn't much further ahead.

it's hard to watch sometimes.

I agree that Cozens needs to work on his strength if he wants to continue to try and power through defenders. He can also find other ways to beat them, give and go, chip and chase or gain the blue line and turn etc…

Krebs is a willing combatant but is missing strength. As others have said, he needs to work on his shot so that is another option for his offense.

I like them both long term but I want to see some growth soon.

[mjd1001]

Krebs is someone that may require even more patience than what some fans want to give.  Some things to remember:

-He was a first round pick, but in the bottom half of the first round. He wasn't 8th overall like Jack Quinn, 7th overall like Dylan Cozens, 8th overall like Mitts or even Nylander. There was a reason why he was 17th overall, there might be some part of his game that take a little more time to develop.

-Going back to his draft status...what is a 17th overall pick? Who was drafted right near him (16th to 18th) in his draft year.  Alex Newhook and Thomas Hartley. Who was drafted in those positions the year before so they are a year ahead? Martin Kaut, Ty Smith, and Liam Foudy. How about we go back to guys who are 2 years older drafted in those positions?  Juuso Valimaki, Timothy Lilijegren, and Urho Vaakanainen.  My point being guys drafted in the middle-to-second half of the first round most often don't end up producing well at the NHL level for 4-5 years after they are drafted even they even do that.

-I understand we are looking for things in Krebs and thus see some signs of things we like.  But he will probably need time.  Another year in the minors wouldn't be out of the question. Maybe a stint in the AHL at the end of this year and then with the Sabres next year but still not producing. That is what it may take.

[sabresparaavida]

8 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

Krebs is someone that may require even more patience than what some fans want to give.  Some things to remember:

-He was a first round pick, but in the bottom half of the first round. He wasn't 8th overall like Jack Quinn, 7th overall like Dylan Cozens, 8th overall like Mitts or even Nylander. There was a reason why he was 17th overall, there might be some part of his game that take a little more time to develop.

-Going back to his draft status...what is a 17th overall pick? Who was drafted right near him (16th to 18th) in his draft year.  Alex Newhook and Thomas Hartley. Who was drafted in those positions the year before so they are a year ahead? Martin Kaut, Ty Smith, and Liam Foudy. How about we go back to guys who are 2 years older drafted in those positions?  Juuso Valimaki, Timothy Lilijegren, and Urho Vaakanainen.  My point being guys drafted in the middle-to-second half of the first round most often don't end up producing well at the NHL level for 4-5 years after they are drafted even they even do that.

-I understand we are looking for things in Krebs and thus see some signs of things we like.  But he will probably need time.  Another year in the minors wouldn't be out of the question. Maybe a stint in the AHL at the end of this year and then with the Sabres next year but still not producing. That is what it may take.

Something else to take into consideration is that Krebs was projected to be a top 10 pick in his draft until he injured his Achilles in his draft year. That likely delayed development some, but he probably has some more talent than most of the picks in his range.

[Curt]

15 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

Krebs is someone that may require even more patience than what some fans want to give.  Some things to remember:

-He was a first round pick, but in the bottom half of the first round. He wasn't 8th overall like Jack Quinn, 7th overall like Dylan Cozens, 8th overall like Mitts or even Nylander. There was a reason why he was 17th overall, there might be some part of his game that take a little more time to develop.

-Going back to his draft status...what is a 17th overall pick? Who was drafted right near him (16th to 18th) in his draft year.  Alex Newhook and Thomas Hartley. Who was drafted in those positions the year before so they are a year ahead? Martin Kaut, Ty Smith, and Liam Foudy. How about we go back to guys who are 2 years older drafted in those positions?  Juuso Valimaki, Timothy Lilijegren, and Urho Vaakanainen.  My point being guys drafted in the middle-to-second half of the first round most often don't end up producing well at the NHL level for 4-5 years after they are drafted even they even do that.

-I understand we are looking for things in Krebs and thus see some signs of things we like.  But he will probably need time.  Another year in the minors wouldn't be out of the question. Maybe a stint in the AHL at the end of this year and then with the Sabres next year but still not producing. That is what it may take.

Informational note regarding why Krebs went 17th.  He had a bad leg injury part way through his draft season. Torn achilles I believe.  This caused him to slide a little in his draft.  He has generally ranked in the 8-12 range or so before his injury, if my memory is correct.  I think a analysis of Krebs expectations relative to his draft position needs to include this important context.

It doesn’t nullify anything you are saying, but it’s a little insight into why Krebs is fairly highly regarded even though he went just 17th.

Edited March 8, 2022 by Curt

[mjd1001]

4 minutes ago, Curt said:

Informational note regarding why Krebs went 17th.  He had a bad leg injury part way through his draft season. Torn achilles I believe.  This caused him to slide a little in his draft.  He has generally ranked in the 8-12 range or so before his injury, if my memory is correct.  I think a analysis of Krebs expectations relative to his draft position needs to include this important context.

It doesn’t nullify anything you are saying, but it’s a little insight into why Krebs is fairly highly regarded even though he went just 17th.

I agree with what you are saying.  And I know that you aren't arguing with me...but that leg injury may have put him 6 months or even farther behind where he should have been as a 10th overall pick...and even as a 10th overall pick (give or take a few spots) development time may have still been 3-4 years or more.  I just think fans need to practice patience with him. He may not ever be a quality 1st or 2nd liner...and if he does become one,  it might take another couple years to get to that point.

Edited March 8, 2022 by mjd1001

[Brawndo]

 

[Norcal]

35 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

 

Good news on Rousek. Look forward to watching him.

[DarthEbriate]

1 minute ago, Norcal said:

Good news on Rousek. Look forward to watching him.

Excellent news for Rousek. And that tiny bit about Malone being day-to-day... wonderful! The team has been in a lull since Jankowski signed the Sabres deal and Malone went down.

[Norcal]

6 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

Excellent news for Rousek. And that tiny bit about Malone being day-to-day... wonderful! The team has been in a lull since Jankowski signed the Sabres deal and Malone went down.

Would be nice to get the lineup fixed for a playoff run

 

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, French Collection said:

I agree that Cozens needs to work on his strength if he wants to continue to try and power through defenders. He can also find other ways to beat them, give and go, chip and chase or gain the blue line and turn etc…

Krebs is a willing combatant but is missing strength. As others have said, he needs to work on his shot so that is another option for his offense.

I like them both long term but I want to see some growth soon.

Growth will happen as they turn into men.  They can both get stronger and play stronger.  

[French Collection]

Olivier Nadeau 10th in  QMJHL scoring, 9th in goals.

[Crusader1969]

On 3/8/2022 at 1:30 PM, sabresparaavida said:

Something else to take into consideration is that Krebs was projected to be a top 10 pick in his draft until he injured his Achilles in his draft year. That likely delayed development some, but he probably has some more talent than most of the picks in his range.

This is absolutely correct 

[dudacek]

Did anyone catch Ray Ferraro’s segment on the Instigators yesterday?

It was one of the most positive, yet well-informed takes on the state of the Sabres I have heard from a national analyst in a long time. (Full disclosure, he’s Donnie’s brother-in-law)

They asked him if he could name three reasons or players coming that should make fans feel optimistic. He named 7 or 8.

Said goalie is the biggest issue and we need to get a veteran bridge because Portillo and Levi have got it coming, and UPL is here too. Said we are going to love Power, and the size and skill with him, Ras and Mule gives us a ridiculous left side. He says Quinn is going to score goals in the NHL, Peterka is an engine, and the top 6 in this draft are difference-makers. Didn’t mention them here, but I’ve also heard him sing the praises of Cozens and Krebs in the past.

He said it won’t all come at once, but it is coming and it may be sooner than we think.

https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/hosts/the-instigators

(3/4 of the way through the 3/10 segment)

[Flashsabre]

Nadeau with a hat trick half way thru the game tonight for Shawinigan.

[Crusader1969]

We are now less than 30 days, at most, until Owen Power’s NCAA season is over 

the wait is almost over 

 

[kas23]

 

[LGR4GM]

32 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

Nadeau with a hat trick half way thru the game tonight for Shawinigan.

 

[LGR4GM]

 

[LGR4GM]

 

[woods-racer]

Kozak is having a good year and is more than a point/game player.  It also appears that he is much bigger than his 5'11" 165# prospect listing. He's still a long shot.

[DarthEbriate]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Hey! I'm just on the border of being in frame in this video.

It should be noted that Rempe (#32 Seattle) who comes over to give Kozak a bump after the hit... is listed at 6'9" 240 and was by far the biggest guy on the ice even if the numbers a touch inflated. Kozak shrugged him off easily.

Edited March 12, 2022 by DarthEbriate