Sabres 2023 Draft Class

[Scottysabres]

We're short on RW'ers, let the drum beat commence!

😈

[Crusader1969]

Is 5’10 really that short ?  I’ll guess that most every team has 2 or 3 forwards at that size or less 

wasnt that long ago a 5’7 fell to Montreal at around 13 as well.  Think they are pretty happy with Caufield. 
 

[Pimlach]

17 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

Is 5’10 really that short ?  I’ll guess that most every team has 2 or 3 forwards at that size or less 

wasnt that long ago a 5’7 fell to Montreal at around 13 as well.  Think they are pretty happy with Caufield. 
 

Marchand is 5’9” and 176.  He seems to play with confidence.  
 

[Doohicksie]

7 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

Meanwhile here’s the Leafs draft:

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/every-toronto-maple-leafs-draft-pick-from-2023-nhl-draft/  😂

Holy crap, only three draft selections?  Holy crap.  That's no way to stock a pipeline.  Toronto's gonna be in trouble in a few years.

[Doohicksie]

4 hours ago, Curt said:

He is a guy who could be the #1 pick in say 25-33% of drafts and should be a top-5 pick in like 85% of drafts.

Jerry Forton agreed with this take in his post-draft presser.

[Doohicksie]

4 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

Joe Dibiase made a comparison that the more I think about it the more I like: Pavel Datsyuk

High IQ very creative playmaker, excellent defensive forward, magician at stripping pucks from opposing players.

In the highlight reel I saw, I thought the same thing.  At times it looked like he was toying with other players before blowing around them; that's a very Datsyukian trait.  Stick handles like the puck is a yo-yo on a string.

[Doohicksie]

One thing I heard Forton say in his presser about Strback and McCarthy "mean, hard to play against kids."  That's what I want to complement the higher end talent of Dahlin and Power, or filling out the bottom D pair:  Mean and hard to play against.

Forton was clearly very happy with the selections, like a kid in a candy store.

[dudacek]

3 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

One thing I heard Forton say in his presser about Strback and McCarthy "mean, hard to play against kids."  That's what I want to complement the higher end talent of Dahlin and Power, or filling out the bottom D pair:  Mean and hard to play against.

And Wahlberg and Miedema are enormous kids who can skate and apparently have a silent killer edge to them.

Sounds like the middle of this draft could go a long way to add the hard-to-play-against component some think our pipeline is missing.

[Weave]

IF they make the NHL.  
 

All of these guys outside of our 1st pick are longshots to good extent.  

Nonetheless, big and edgy longshots are more what we need than puckmover longshots.

[LGR4GM]

8 hours ago, Crusader1969 said:

Is 5’10 really that short ?  I’ll guess that most every team has 2 or 3 forwards at that size or less 

wasnt that long ago a 5’7 fell to Montreal at around 13 as well.  Think they are pretty happy with Caufield. 
 

Wait until ppl find out how big Bedard and Michkov are... or aren't. 

[LGR4GM]

8 hours ago, Doohickie said:

In the highlight reel I saw, I thought the same thing.  At times it looked like he was toying with other players before blowing around them; that's a very Datsyukian trait.  Stick handles like the puck is a yo-yo on a string.

One of the things I've always looked for is manipulation skills. Can you force the opposing team in small areas, to react to you? Benson is one of the best at it.  Get the defender to react and attack the space or area you created. Couple his hands with his rush patterns, they are inside driven and diverse. Benson isn't a perfect prospect but he does things that cannot be taught and what he needs to improve (burst, strength, shot) are all areas that a skills and strength team can work on. 

Benson should have gone top 6, top 8 at worst. He's probably better than every forward taken in the 2022 draft. We got him at 13, it's a coup.

[nfreeman]

13 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

Joe Dibiase made a comparison that the more I think about it the more I like: Pavel Datsyuk

High IQ very creative playmaker, excellent defensive forward, magician at stripping pucks from opposing players.

Well, that would be amazing.  Datsyuk was a freaking fantastic player.

[FrenchConnection44]

Corey Pronman, The Athletic, on the Sabres Draft (he had us 7th in his draft rankings and the rest were up there largely because they drafted in the top 6). 
 

Buffalo Sabres: B+

Zach Benson is an excellent starting point to Buffalo’s draft. I have mild concerns on how small their farm system is getting up front, and I thought Benson got slightly overhyped in the draft process, but he could be a top-six wing in the NHL. After Benson, Buffalo picked a lot of guys on Day 2 I was fans of in Anton Wahlberg, who was a heavier presence up front, Maxim Strbak, Gavin McCarthy and Scott Ratzlaff, who I thought was underrated due to his size. I could see several NHL players from this draft for Buffalo.

[Doohicksie]

The grading I saw.... trying to remember who did it, gave the Sabres an A.

(And gave the Leafs a D)

[Flashsabre]

13 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

The grading I saw.... trying to remember who did it, gave the Sabres an A.

(And gave the Leafs a D)

D is very generous for the Leafs. They reached big time on their 1st and only had a 5th and 6th after that.

[Flashsabre]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

One of the things I've always looked for is manipulation skills. Can you force the opposing team in small areas, to react to you? Benson is one of the best at it.  Get the defender to react and attack the space or area you created. Couple his hands with his rush patterns, they are inside driven and diverse. Benson isn't a perfect prospect but he does things that cannot be taught and what he needs to improve (burst, strength, shot) are all areas that a skills and strength team can work on. 

Benson should have gone top 6, top 8 at worst. He's probably better than every forward taken in the 2022 draft. We got him at 13, it's a coup.

Montreal will regret picking Reinbacher over him at 5. Apparently the Montreal fans and media are all over them already for that pick. I see Reinbacher as a solid 2nd pairing guy. Not what you want from your 5th OA pick.

[JoeSchmoe]

On 6/29/2023 at 2:45 PM, LGR4GM said:

Seems fine, I don't love everything but whatever, it's the NHL draft. Who really knows with anyone after the 2nd round. 

I would go a step further and say 1st round.

[LGR4GM]

3 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said:

I would go a step further and say 1st round.

I wouldn't. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

https://www.flohockey.tv/articles/11097364-nhl-draft-2023-grades-heres-how-all-32-teams-did

Buffalo Sabres

Letter Grade: B+

First rounders: Zach Benson, LW

Day 2 picks: Anton Walberg, C; Maxim Strbak, D; Gavin McCarthy, D; Ethan Miedema, LW; Scott Ratzlaff, G; Sean Keohane, D; Norwin Panocha, D.

Analysis: For the last few years, I’ve really liked what Buffalo has done at the draft and this year was no different. They picked up four players off of FloHockey’s Top 100 with Zach Benson being a top-10 projected pick for me. They didn’t care about size, but valued his high compete and skill. The Sabres are well positioned to better support a player like Benson. Meanwhile, I think Anton Wahlberg is going to look like a real value pick in the second round. I’ve seen his progression and the skill he brings with a big frame is super enticing. Maxim Strbak is a two-way guy who played some of his best hockey on the biggest stages last year and they nabbed a local product in Gavin McCarthy who would have gone higher had he not suffered an injury mid year. Lastly, I think the Scott Ratzlaff pick could look good down the line. He’s not a big guy, but he can absolutely play and I think is one of the most athletic goalies in this class. In the end, the Sabres built more depth to one of the best prospect systems in the NHL. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/2023-nhl-draft-final-grades-for-all-32-teams-210834844.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAC7phr_kPM6q8zjh1zUTgOvUZs5k80idfJ3u7y3hNJojKXFx9AdZngj_KwOAic5yjb5C2mTIlDfrTXOiGMcbwIIMChElxlQ3_NbC4VWlDQumJbhNwD57eWrERLCCNW98M4Ej-Z03dyi51CtyVUcFSLTCnaWCAxVknKZyeW48TpT4

Buffalo Sabres: B

Getting Zach Benson at 13th, a player who was a consensus top 10 pick for most of the year, was a coup for the Sabres, who already have an overflowing offensive prospect pool.

Their next three picks, Anton Wahlberg, Michael Strbak and Gavin McCarthy were all solid, with each player having legitimate NHL upside. Strbak and McCarthy added another wave of defensive help a few years out to join Buffalo’s young stars at the position.

Beyond this group, Ethan Miedema and goalie Scott Ratzlaff are sneaky-good selections.

https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2023-nhl-draft-grades-how-all-32-teams-did

7. Buffalo Sabres (A-)

Key picks: Zach Benson (LW), Anton Wahlberg (C), Maxim Strbak (D)

The Sabres hit home runs year after year, and after taking Zach Benson at No. 13, they hit another one. Maxim Strbak and Gavin McCarthy are difficult players to play against, while Anton Wahlberg could have easily slid into the first round. They added some solid depth up front and on the blueline, and that’s all you can ask for.

 

[LGR4GM]

7 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

https://www.flohockey.tv/articles/11097364-nhl-draft-2023-grades-heres-how-all-32-teams-did

Buffalo Sabres

Letter Grade: B+

First rounders: Zach Benson, LW

Day 2 picks: Anton Walberg, C; Maxim Strbak, D; Gavin McCarthy, D; Ethan Miedema, LW; Scott Ratzlaff, G; Sean Keohane, D; Norwin Panocha, D.

Analysis: For the last few years, I’ve really liked what Buffalo has done at the draft and this year was no different. They picked up four players off of FloHockey’s Top 100 with Zach Benson being a top-10 projected pick for me. They didn’t care about size, but valued his high compete and skill. The Sabres are well positioned to better support a player like Benson. Meanwhile, I think Anton Wahlberg is going to look like a real value pick in the second round. I’ve seen his progression and the skill he brings with a big frame is super enticing. Maxim Strbak is a two-way guy who played some of his best hockey on the biggest stages last year and they nabbed a local product in Gavin McCarthy who would have gone higher had he not suffered an injury mid year. Lastly, I think the Scott Ratzlaff pick could look good down the line. He’s not a big guy, but he can absolutely play and I think is one of the most athletic goalies in this class. In the end, the Sabres built more depth to one of the best prospect systems in the NHL. 

This is how I feel. The only pick I don't care for is the 4th rounder but that's cuz I thought they left value on the board. B+ and right. 

I like the goalie pick btw. Ratzlaff is a solid option and in the 5th, why not?

[FrenchConnection44]

 

[dudacek]

4 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

This is how I feel. The only pick I don't care for is the 4th rounder but that's cuz I thought they left value on the board. B+ and right. 

I like the goalie pick btw. Ratzlaff is a solid option and in the 5th, why not?

People were upset we traded Bloom.

If he does nothing else, Miedema replaces Bloom’s profile in the pipeline: bigger and more skilled than Josh, but less consistent.

[PromoTheRobot]

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/maintenance-day/id1601283889

Maintenance Day pod with Yerdon & Lysowski. wrapping up the draft and free agency and what's to come.

[LGR4GM]

On 6/30/2023 at 10:14 AM, Flashsabre said:

D is very generous for the Leafs. They reached big time on their 1st and only had a 5th and 6th after that.

Leafs had an offer for 2 second round picks for their first and turned it down to select a late 2nd round guy. 

My guess is that offer was Buffalo but I think there are a few other options.