Sabres Draft #14: Konsta Helenius, 5'11" 189lb Center

[nfreeman]

11 hours ago, JP51 said:

Cmon man he is another European under 6 ft under 200lbs prospect in a 6'1 205 leauge that will never strike fear into the hearts of anyone in the corner... please just please... it's Adams motif and the motif of this team for 2 failing decades. 

How many forwards drafted last night are currently over 200 lbs?  Please be specific.  

[Scottysabres]

2 minutes ago, SabreFinn said:

I understand the pain you are feeling in western NY, and pro sports is about winning, and when the spirit not is winning, it makes fans pissed off. 

I feel pretty calm about the roster build for next season. This was the last season of dissapointment in a while. Even if there are no trades this weekend, the off season and UFA market will bring all that's needed. 

I am in the same line of thought. Let us hope it happens.

[shrader]

53 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Just more excuses.  If he knew this then why not make the moves before draft day.  Other GMs do not take him seriously.  Other GMs are probably sick of trying to send NHL Players to Buffalo.  

So he’s supposed to go back and time and make the deal instead? Those player for first round picks were not happening. Not here, not anywhere. Not today, not a week ago. Those are the kind of trades that happen at the trade deadline. When not a single trade of this type is made anywhere across the league, we really need to stop making this into a Buffalo thing. People need to stop buying into the click bait from the talking heads. 

[Weave]

36 minutes ago, #freejame said:

Everyone needs to accept Kevyn won’t make a “painful” deal. He’s not willing to go over the top to get things done. What he’s really saying is the packages I offered weren’t generating enough interest. 

I think it is very safe to assume that KA is lacking in two key areas.  He is not adapt at all at closing a deal, and he is lacking as a recruiter.  Unfortunately both of those skills are fairly essential to get us dug out of the friggin hole Terry Pegula dropped this team into.

 

[GoPuckYourself]

 

[LGR4GM]

9 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

After sleeping on it, I don't hate the pick, and I do like the player. His combine was good; he translated for other kids and has a personality. He's a solid 200' center who projects as a center. I simply would've taken Eiserman and Brandsegg-Nygard before him. Maybe he's a 2C in 2028.

My thought is cross-draft. If you've got Geekie and Nazar (2022); Sillinger (2021); and Rossi, Perfetti, and Lundell (2020) all on the same board, where does Helenius fit amongst them?

Oh that's fun, hmm.  Better than Geekie and Lundell. I've never loved Perfetti. Rossi is tough because dude got covid bad so really just getting on track but ahead of Helenius. Nazar I think Helenius can be better than. I like Sillinger a lot.

Alright, without doing any research and based on my gut...

Rossi, Sillinger

Perfetti, Helenius

Lundell, Nazar, Geekie

That's where I would be and I recognize Lundell just won a cup. 

[FrenchConnection44]

1 hour ago, PASabreFan said:

From Hammy on GR:

Adams knew when he got to Sphere that he wasn’t going to be able to move his pick for an NHL player. He said,

“As the afternoon went on, I thought we put together some really strong offers and then when that didn’t end up happening, I just knew that teams just weren’t willing to move a player for a pick in a package.”

So … our picks and prospects are not in high demand and no free agent is hot to come to Buffalo. 
 

Guess teams have figured out - better to copy the Panthers / Knights MO - wait til the player is developed some, becomes dissatisfied with the Sabres, then get him for a few prospects and add a cog to their Stanley Cup run.  
 

At this point we are just a AAA feeder franchise. 

[oddoublee]

12 hours ago, matter2003 said:

She can come take showers with me anytime.

She is an Internet gift. 

12 hours ago, Buffalonill said:

What in the world? Is this a new thing or am I just old as f***

Hawk Tua my friend. Google it. It's gold

[LGR4GM]

37 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

How many forwards drafted last night are currently over 200 lbs?  Please be specific.  

I could answer this question but I'm lazy. Not many. Cayden Lindstrom is the only one before Helenius gets drafted. Lindstrom and Sennecke are the only 2 drafted at 6'2" or taller before Helenius. Short list. 

[LGR4GM]

3 minutes ago, FrenchConnection44 said:

So … our picks and prospects are not in high demand and no free agent is hot to come to Buffalo. 
 

Guess teams have figured out - better to copy the Panthers / Knights MO - wait til the player is developed some, becomes dissatisfied with the Sabres, then get him for a few prospects and add a cog to their Stanley Cup run.  
 

At this point we are just a AAA feeder franchise. 

Which other team traded a first round pick in the last week for a current nhl player in either a package or solo? 

It isn't just a Buffalo thing. That's no excuse for Adams failing up to this point to add talent via trade.

[Pimlach]

46 minutes ago, shrader said:

So he’s supposed to go back and time and make the deal instead? Those player for first round picks were not happening. Not here, not anywhere. Not today, not a week ago. Those are the kind of trades that happen at the trade deadline. When not a single trade of this type is made anywhere across the league, we really need to stop making this into a Buffalo thing. People need to stop buying into the click bait from the talking heads. 

I’m tired of the bull$hit excuses.  Your sarcasm is not appreciated either.  You want to believe Adams excuses, you can go ahead.  I don’t need your rationalization of what happened after the fact.  I can see what happened.  I don’t care how many teams traded their pick or didn’t.   I see it as Adams being unable to be a GM once again.  

Adams job is to make this team better.  He has NHL players, prospects, and draft picks at his disposal.  He failed to use 14OA to do that.  I don’t care if he makes the trade before the draft, at the draft, during the draft.  He missed his chance to trade the pick.  Did he trade down from 11  because he really needed 2 seconds, or was his intention to move the pick?   It’s not the other GMs, it is him.   A deal could have been worked out in advance of the draft that didn’t involve the dam pick then.   

It’s not a Buffalo thing until Adams makes it one.  He is the one publicly discussing the “players that want to be here” bull$hit, which only fuels the fire of how bad things are.  

Defending Adams performance is not a hill you want to die on.  

Edited June 29 by Pimlach

[inkman]

3 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Which other team traded a first round pick in the last week for a current nhl player in either a package or solo? 

It isn't just a Buffalo thing. That's no excuse for Adams failing up to this point to add talent via trade.

Yeah I’m not so much bothered that Adams hasn’t done anything, I’m annoyed he doesn’t seem to understand the urgency to get something done so the fans can hang their hat on something.  It’s going to be certain a-hole posters screaming from the rafters that the sky is falling until he actually makes some moves. I’m not saying make a move just to make a move but show the fans you have a pulse.  Telling the media every 3 hours that you are trying real hard to make a trade isn’t getting anyone excited. 

[OverPowerYou]

I don’t mind draft picks. I just wish they didn’t take 3 years to amount to something 

[Pimlach]

1 minute ago, inkman said:

Yeah I’m not so much bothered that Adams hasn’t done anything, I’m annoyed he doesn’t seem to understand the urgency to get something done so the fans can hang their hat on something.  It’s going to be certain a-hole posters screaming from the rafters that the sky is falling until he actually makes some moves. I’m not saying make a move just to make a move but show the fans you have a pulse.  Telling the media every 3 hours that you are trying real hard to make a trade isn’t getting anyone excited. 

It’s what Adams publicly says, and then the lack of follow up, and then the excuses he gives the media.   
 

 

[FrenchConnection44]

Watching a lot of the videos he seems like a slightly more solidly built Zach Benson. Not a fast skater, not a big shot, but good intangibles and gritty. 

I guess Brandsegg-Nygard was too big of a two-way forward, and too much what they don’t have for Adams to draft him

(“Brandsegg-Nygard has a professional body already, at 6-foot-1, 207 pounds and is the type of prospect the Wings have focused on in recent years. He's a two-way right wing who is as responsible on the defensive end as he is offensively, with a hard shot and good playmaking ability. He's a physical player who searches for contact with that strong body and plays with an edge.” Detroit FP). Nah, don’t need a player like that! And there is your 6+ ft 200+ pounder. 
 

We shall see. 

[JohnC]

2 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I’m tired of the bull$hit excuses.  Your sarcasm is not appreciated either.  You want to believe Adams excuses, you can go ahead.  I don’t need your rationalization of what happened after the fact.  I can see what happened.  I don’t care how many teams traded their pick or didn’t.   I see it as Adams being unable to be a GM once again.  

Adams job is to make this team better.  He has NHL players, prospects, and draft picks at his disposal.  He failed to use 14OA to do that.  I don’t care if he makes the trade before the draft, at the draft, during the draft.  He missed his chance to trade the pick.  Did he trade down from 11  because he really needed 2 seconds, or was his intention to move the pick?   It’s not the other GMs, it is him.   A deal could not have been worked out in advance.  

It’s not a Buffalo thing until Adams makes it one.  He is the one publicly discussing the “players that want to be here” bull$hit, which only fuels the fire of how bad things are.  

Defending Adams performance is not a hill you want to die on.  

I can understand your frustration with the lack of activity by this GM, but it is misplaced, at least right now it is. As @shrader points out no team was able to trade their first-round pick for a contributing NHL player. Go back and review last year's draft? How many times were draft picks exchanged for NHL players during the draft? The draft picks are simply not valued as much as many here assume they are. 

Will deals be made after the draft? Yes. Teams are starting to make their buyouts so more players will be up for grabs. And more trades will be made that will have prospects involved for NHL players. We are entering the part of the offseason where trades are usually made and where more free agents will be on the market. I can understand your frustration with this front office because I also have it. But expecting our GM to make deals when few teams are making consequential deals at this time is unrealistic. After the draft, we should be able to get a better feel for what is going happen. 

[Carmel Corn]

1 minute ago, Pimlach said:

It’s what Adams publicly says, and then the lack of follow up, and then the excuses he gives the media.   
 

 

Adams is simply not GM material.  His interactions with the media are such that he tries to come across as a nice guy who doesn’t exert any authority or confidence.  He’s like a kid trying to get along with everybody vs. being a strong and stern adult.  He needs to show a more mature and frankly mean disposition to be taken seriously.

[FrenchConnection44]

18 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Which other team traded a first round pick in the last week for a current nhl player in either a package or solo? 

It isn't just a Buffalo thing. That's no excuse for Adams failing up to this point to add talent via trade.

Well, one draft iteration is not a legit sample size.
 

But what happened or didn’t in the past week is neither here nor there to my comment.  I’m not directly complaining about Adams (though there is plenty to complain about). Just stating that few appear willing to make a deal with us for our prospects / picks. They want our guys when they make the NHL and we are forced to trade or let them go in free agency. We have been a feeder club for playoff teams. 

[GoPuckYourself]

4 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I can understand your frustration with the lack of activity by this GM, but it is misplaced, at least right now it is. As @shrader points out no team was able to trade their first-round pick for a contributing NHL player. Go back and review last year's draft? How many times were draft picks exchanged for NHL players during the draft? The draft picks are simply not valued as much as many here assume they are. 

Will deals be made after the draft? Yes. Teams are starting to make their buyouts so more players will be up for grabs. And more trades will be made that will have prospects involved for NHL players. We are entering the part of the offseason where trades are usually made and where more free agents will be on the market. I can understand your frustration with this front office because I also have it. But expecting our GM to make deals when few teams are making consequential deals at this time is unrealistic. After the draft, we should be able to get a better feel for what is going happen. 

Wasn’t Linus Ullmark traded for a 1st round pick?

[JohnC]

1 minute ago, GoPuckYourself said:

Wasn’t Linus Ullmark traded for a 1st round pick?

Yes, he was traded to Ottawa for a first. Our GM claimed that he offered our top pick for NHL players. How many of those draft deals were made in this draft? According to him, he got no offers or acceptable offers. What do you want him to do? Give up his pick for a marginal player? If you can't get a reasonable/fair deal, then don't make it. 

[Thorny]

Reasonable pick. Seems about right for 14 overall. Hopefully he’s an NHLer several seasons down the line.

- - - 

Hope we trade one of our seconds

[Thorny]

13 hours ago, matter2003 said:

So if we take an average of that, it is safe to say his draft ranking was well above 14th.

His consolidated ranking was 11. He’s about in the range. Certainly not a steal. You will always be able to pick out a few scouts for anyone in this range that has the guy ranked higher 

12 hours ago, GoPuckYourself said:

I'm no prospect guru but from what I read and saw on Youtube he appears to be both sound on offense and solid defensively. Am I wrong about that?

It’s a 14th overall pick - it’s going to be a great prospect. 

everyone got one 

Edited June 29 by Thorny

[LGR4GM]

20 minutes ago, FrenchConnection44 said:

Watching a lot of the videos he seems like a slightly more solidly built Zach Benson. Not a fast skater, not a big shot, but good intangibles and gritty. 

I guess Brandsegg-Nygard was too big of a two-way forward, and too much what they don’t have for Adams to draft him

(“Brandsegg-Nygard has a professional body already, at 6-foot-1, 207 pounds and is the type of prospect the Wings have focused on in recent years. He's a two-way right wing who is as responsible on the defensive end as he is offensively, with a hard shot and good playmaking ability. He's a physical player who searches for contact with that strong body and plays with an edge.” Detroit FP). Nah, don’t need a player like that! And there is your 6+ ft 200+ pounder. 
 

We shall see. 

Nygard, who I like, is 7 months older and also played in a men's league. He's a rw though, not a center, and Helenius has better playmaking while nygard has a better shot. Both have a physical element. But we're arguing over 1.75" and 16lbs... just seems a bit superfluous. 

15 minutes ago, GoPuckYourself said:

Wasn’t Linus Ullmark traded for a 1st round pick?

Oh yea, forgot about that one. Was traded for a 1st and other stuff. Yes. 

[Thorny]

3 hours ago, Shoot da Puck said:

This guy will be bald in 3 years

This is the most sure-fire take in the thread after going through it this morning 

[GoPuckYourself]

11 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Yes, he was traded to Ottawa for a first. Our GM claimed that he offered our top pick for NHL players. How many of those draft deals were made in this draft? According to him, he got no offers or acceptable offers. What do you want him to do? Give up his pick for a marginal player? If you can't get a reasonable/fair deal, then don't make it. 

Why when someone makes a point on here do they immediately go on the defensive? You asked who was traded for a 1st round pick for a player correct? I find it hard to believe he couldn't find any suitors, my guess like all of yours is that he didn't want to give up a precious prospect as well in any deal but thats my 2 pennies.

Edited June 29 by GoPuckYourself