What is your Grade for the Sabres Draft?

[GASabresIUFAN]

Day 1  - I’m not sure they could have done any better.  My only gripe is that they didn’t take a RHD with the 28th pick, but that is a tiny criticism consider they grabbed Kulich at 28.  They elevated our center pipeline from nearly non-existent to very deep, fast and skilled in a day.  Savoie, whether on the wing replacing someone like Skinner or VO or at center is a huge upgrade in talent.  Östlund, like Krebs, is a fast highly skilled playmaker, who just needs to add some muscle and improve his shot to make the NHL. Kulich is a Swiss Army Knife and my favorite player of our picks.  Grade A+.  I can see why others may downgrade us some for taking Östlund early and the lack of height on the 3 guys, but none of this trio plays small.
 

Day 2 - My grade for day 2 is a B.  On the plus side they added the top goalie on their board and drafted two huge value players in Neuchev and Lindgren in rounds 3 and 4 who the consensus had solid 2nd round grades on.  I also like the Karlsson pick.  On the downside, the team has now ignored RHD in the 1st 2 rounds for the 9th straight years.  Hard to develop RHD if you don’t draft any. I also think that they took Topias much to early, but hard to be overly critical considering they drafted the guy they thought was the best goalie in the draft.  I also didn’t like the overage player they drafted.  He doesn’t look like he does anything at an elite level.  With overagers like Morrison, Devine and Mittelstadt on the board, I would have rather had one of them.  I also worry we may regret missing out on RHD like Luneau, Casey and Havelid in the second.  I hope the plan is to restock our RHD with the 3 2nd rd picks next season. 
 

Overall KA and staff get an A-. I think it’s not unreasonable to believe that all 3 centers will become effective NHLers and that Neuchev and Lindgren have legit NHL potential.  Getting 5 NHLers from a single draft would be an exceptional result. 

Edited July 9, 2022 by GASabresIUFAN

[French Collection]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Day 1  - I’m not sure they could have done any better.  My only gripe is that they didn’t take a RHD with the 28th pick, but that is a tiny criticism consider they grabbed Kulich at 28.  They elevated our center pipeline from nearly non-existent to very deep, fast and skilled in a day.  Savoie, whether on the wing replacing someone like Skinner or VO or at center is a huge upgrade in talent.  Östlund, like Krebs, is a fast highly skilled playmaker, who just needs to add some muscle and improve his shot to make the NHL. Kulich is a Swiss Army Knife and my favorite player of our picks.  Grade A+.  I can see why others may downgrade us some for taking Östlund early and the lack of height on the 3 guys, but none of this trio plays small.
 

Day 2 - My grade for day 2 is a B.  On the plus side they added the top goalie on their board and drafted two huge value players in Neuchev and Lindgren in rounds 3 and 4 who the consensus had solid 2nd round grades on.  I also like the Karlsson pick.  On the downside, the team has now ignored RHD in the 1st 2 rounds for the 9th straight years.  Hard to develop RHD if you don’t draft any. I also think that they took Topias much to early, but hard to be overly critical considering they drafted the guy they thought was the best goalie in the draft.  I also didn’t like the overage player they drafted.  He doesn’t look like he does anything at an elite level.  With overagers like Morrison, Devine and Mittelstadt on the board, I would have rather had one of them.  I also worry we may regret missing out on RHD like Luneau, Casey and Havelid in the second.  I hope the plan is to restock our RHD with the 3 2nd rd picks next season. 
 

Overall KA and staff get an A-. I think it’s not unreasonable to believe that all 3 centers will become effective NHLers and that Neuchev and Lindgren have legit NHL potential.  Getting 5 NHLers from a single draft would be an exceptional result. 

I have very similar grades for day 1 & 2 as well as the overall draft.

Savoie will be an NHLer, his ceiling is Brayden Point. Östlund like Krebs could be a Gilmour type. Kulich is a nice pick and could be a Palat type of player. The grade is A on day 1.

I think Leinonen was early but if they felt he was the best goalie and someone may scoop him then I’m ok with it. Neuchev could be a solid pick. I listened to a podcast geared at Russian prospects and he was near the top. Lindgren could be in the NHL in 4 years, he has skill and pedigree, I like this pick. Richard is a late ‘04 who finished really well in the USHL and should be a top guy there this year. The rest are just hopium shots in my opinion. B+ for day two.

It will take a few years to get a good grasp of this draft but I believe the Sabres will be near the top of the heap and they should supplant the LA Kings as having the deepest prospect pool.

[steveoath]

Can't fault either of these summations. 

Love the Savoie and Kulich picks and I am good with östlund. I like the focus on talented high compete guys. 

[Stoner]

How is this even possible?

[GASabresIUFAN]

35 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

How is this even possible?

How is what possible?  To grade the draft now, even though not one of these guys has set foot in the NHL and won't for years?  

It's just a grade based on potential based on the scouting reports, "expert" rankings and team needs.  Sabres added skill, speed, and competitiveness and filled needs at center and goaltender.  

As I wrote in the initial thread there are 5 guys I think have legit NHL potential.  If all 5 make it that would be an exceptional result.

5 years from now we may look back at this draft and say KA blew it, but I doubt it.

[PerreaultForever]

I give it a B.

I wouldn't have taken Östlund. Given who was left I think I would have taken Ohgren or Gaucher. I don't hate the Östlund pick but how many small centers do we need??? I might have taken Firkus at 28 myself, but Kulich is fine. 

I would definitely have taken Warren in the 2nd round and not the goalie. If we'd done that I'd give the draft an A-    If we'd landed the goalie with pick 3 after picking Warren I'd have given it an A+

I have no problem with the later picks. They all seem to have upside and potential. That's all you can ask for really with late rounds. 

[Dr. Who]

1 hour ago, PerreaultForever said:

I give it a B.

I wouldn't have taken Östlund. Given who was left I think I would have taken Ohgren or Gaucher. I don't hate the Östlund pick but how many small centers do we need??? I might have taken Firkus at 28 myself, but Kulich is fine. 

I would definitely have taken Warren in the 2nd round and not the goalie. If we'd done that I'd give the draft an A-    If we'd landed the goalie with pick 3 after picking Warren I'd have given it an A+

I have no problem with the later picks. They all seem to have upside and potential. That's all you can ask for really with late rounds. 

Maybe if they knew Kulich would be there at #28, they go a different route at #16. I don' t think the goalie makes it to their next pick and apparently they would have taken him at #28 if Kulich was not there, so I surmise you would have graded them below a B in that case. Just off the first round alone, they have three skilled players with solid chances to be NHL players. Savoie might be special. I think B is too low.

Edited July 9, 2022 by Dr. Who

[PerreaultForever]

21 minutes ago, Dr. Who said:

Maybe if they knew Kulich would be there at #28, they go a different route at #16. I don' t think the goalie makes it to their next pick and apparently they would have taken him at #28 if Kulich was not there, so I surmise you would have graded them below a B in that case. Just off the first round alone, they have three skilled players with solid chances to be NHL players. Savoie might be special. I think B is too low.

Fair enough and I don't know enough about the goalie to say but the general impression I have reading things is they took him too early. They obviously really love this goalie so let's hope he turns into another great Buffalo goalie and takes us to the promised land. 

[Curt]

9 - Savoie - A

16 - Östlund - B

28 - Kulich - A

41 - Leinonen - C+

74 - Neuchev - A

106 - Lindgren - B

134 - Komarov - B+

170 - Richard B+

187 - Karlsson B+

202 - Ratkovic-Berndtsson B

211 - Sjodin C+
 

OVERALL GRADE - B+

[Thorner]

Easy A

Better than the movie I just referenced 

[PromoTheRobot]

16 minutes ago, Curt said:

9 - Savoie - A

16 - Östlund - B

28 - Kulich - A

41 - Leinonen - C+

74 - Neuchev - A

106 - Lindgren - B

134 - Komarov - B+

170 - Richard B+

187 - Karlsson B+

202 - Ratkovic-Berndtsson B

211 - Sjodin C+
 

OVERALL GRADE - B+

Because he's no good, or he was drafted too soon?

[Curt]

40 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Because he's no good, or he was drafted too soon?

I’m in no position to evaluate a goalie prospect, honestly.  My grade there is just based on the general consensus that he was not rated as the 41st best prospect, and that I didn’t love the choice of a goalie there.  I’m ok with it, but I didn’t love it.  C+ isn’t that bad.

Hope he lives up to the selection.

[HoosierDaddy]

4 minutes ago, Curt said:

I’m in no position to evaluate a goalie prospect, honestly.  My grade there is just based on the general consensus that he was not rated as the 41st best prospect, and that I didn’t love the choice of a goalie there.  I’m ok with it, but I didn’t love it.  C+ isn’t that bad.

Hope he lives up to the selection.

Cs get degrees

[Curt]

4 minutes ago, HoosierDaddy said:

Cs get degrees

And at the job interview, no one asks what your grades were.

[matter2003]

What does it matter? They are meaningless until 5 or 6 years when we see what we have.

[GASabresIUFAN]

On 7/9/2022 at 7:31 PM, HoosierDaddy said:

Cs get degrees

A students teacher and B students work for C students.

26 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

What does it matter? They are meaningless until 5 or 6 years when we see what we have.

 

[pi2000]

Won't know for a few years, but overall I thought the talent level in this draft was weak.

Would not surprise me one bit if all three 1st round picks are colossal busts.

[GASabresIUFAN]

2 hours ago, pi2000 said:

Won't know for a few years, but overall I thought the talent level in this draft was weak.

Would not surprise me one bit if all three 1st round picks are colossal busts.

..and Pi is an optimist. 

[JohnC]

10 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

..and Pi is an optimist. 

What does a pessimist look like? 

[HumanSlinky39]

I readily admit to being a KA fanboi because I love the way he has developed a plan for building sustainable success after years of execs making terrible decisions on contracts and trying to take shortcuts, but I'm not above criticizing decisions he makes, either.

I'm an old school hockey fan, so I yearn for more size/toughness on the team, but KA has a differing opinion and that's fine. He's very likely smarter and knows a ***** load more about hockey and where it's going than I could every dream. 

That said, I LOVE adding depth down the middle. Any of those guys could end up on the wing, as well. Savoie was a homerun, IMO. The guy I've wanted since we found out where we were picking. Danny Briere clone. Thought Leinonen was a reach, but he was the highest rated G in the draft and they probably didn't think he'd be there at 74. Likely hedging his bets in case one of Portillo or Levi flake (ftr, I don't think either of them will). Like the Neuchev and Komarov picks. Lindgren's mom is a smoke show, so onboard there in the hopes we get to see more of her.

Overall, sold 'A' from me.

 

Edited July 12, 2022 by HumanSlinky39

[GoPuckYourself]

I think we got a real steal with Savoie, I admit I had to read up on Östlund/Kulich because i wasn't that familiar other than seeing them in mocks and it looks like both Savoie/Östlund project to be top 2 line wingers (Savoie RW/Östlund LW) at the NHL level and Kulich projects as a grinding 3rd line C. 

I loved the Topias Leinonen pick, I know he had a bunch of trouble in Liiga this past season but it was his first year playing against grown men so those numbers should improve this year. He did real well in the U20 Sarja, he's a big body who moves very well laterally. There is uncertainty in net with both Levi/Portillo going back to College so this was a much needed selection imo.

Another value pick was Mats Lindgren, I was really surprised he lasted as long as he did. I immediately thought Ryan Johnson would be dealt since he's yet another LHD, We're definitely solid on the left side it seems for quite some time.

[sabresparaavida]

I’m gonna go with an A, after having a few days to digest and think about it. A couple days ago, this might have been an A-. I loved the Savoie pick, he was the guy I wanted most at 9 (unless Jiriceck or Nemec somehow fell), and I was quite happy when he fell into our laps and KA snatched him up. Östlund I wasn’t as high on, but after reading up on him, I’m quite happy with the pick. Kulich was great value at 28. I wasn’t very happy with the Leinonen pick, but I’ve gotten higher on it as time has gone on. KA has added 2 goalie prospects to the Sabres, one was Levi before he dominated the NCAA last year, and the other Leinonen. If they truly had a first round grade on him, I will trust their judgement a lot more than mine. Neuchev and Lindgren were great value picks in the 3rd and 4th. I think we got 6 guys with legit NHL potential, and it wouldn’t surprise me if we had 4 or so future Sabres from this draft, which would make it a highly successful one. 

[North Buffalo]

As others have said, show me in 5 years... not picking til late Komarov a RHD, was questionable, and picking the goalie that early... who knows... but I like the 3 Cs down the middle... so B+... obviously 1st impression

[LGR4GM]

B+

The 1st round was excellent. Hearing that if Kulich wasn't there they would have taken the goalie at 28 is mind boggling atrocious. I think that Savoie at 9 was great value. He reminds me of Rossi and Jarvis in some ways with how he competes and plays but he has some work to do. Östlund is going to be fascinating to watch develop because all the metrics say he stirred that j20 line and I think maybe his shot is better than it appeared. I almost want him away from one of Ohgren or Lekkerimaki because it would force him to do some things I think we saw at the u18s. Also Östlund is known for winning faceoffs and having a solid defensive game so the talk of him not being a center is, IMPO wrong. He will be an NHL center. Kulich, I love Kulich. Is he the most skilled, no. But he is skilled with a great shot and I think at the end of the day, on NA ice his game will shine even more. Put Kulich on a wing with Cozens and JJP and my god, I feel bad for other teams. It will just be a relentless checking hellstorm and then there is plenty of talent to turn that into offense.

The goalie at 41 isn't good IMPO, he needs tons of work and I think in a draft where the goalies are not looked on favorably, reaching on one is even worse. Wish him the best though and hope he proves me 100% wrong. I said this earlier but Wheeler was on wgr and talked about how heavy Leinonen is and that worries me greatly. There is basically only 2 NHL starters that are that big. If we are going to criticize the very small because size it does work in the other direction, eventually you are simply too big. Maybe he works but again, I think value wise, this was a pick where the scouts forced it and I never like seeing that.

I think that the rest of the draft was pretty good. The overager at the end is meh and I would have preferred Logan Morrison instead if we were going after an overager. Lindgren and Komarov are both really good picks for that spot in the draft as both have NHL potential. Lindgren I am excited for and Komarov I am curious about as it was his first year on NA ice.

Neuchev is a fascinating look at something I do often, how does this guy rate on his team. It is how you find Seth Jarvis, someone who just crushed everyone else on his team in points. Neuchev is going to be interesting to watch this year, hopefully he is in the VHL or KHL because I think the MHL is beneath him. he has too much time and room and skill to basically ***** around and that isn't a good development strategy especially for an October bday. Still, I think this was a great upside swing pick and in the later rounds, that's what you look for.

Jake Richard was a guy I was aware of but didn't rank because I didn't see much of him and I am one person, so he slipped away. Going back, I really like this pick because he is so young and raw. That is great potential but he really needs a skating coach to leverage what he brings.

Overall I like the draft and I think if Leinonen isn't the 2nd round pick (there were multiple RHD and talented wingers available) I probably give this closer to an A but the thought process behind that pick and the way they talk about it is severely flawed which is why I am so negative on it.

[The Jokeman]

I think we drafted well yet think could have used our picks better, see the trades for DeBrincat and Husso trades. As it's nice to have kids on the farm but we still need some NHL level help especially in the nets.