2025 NHL Entry Draft Thread

[Mr Peabody]

Was listening to a draft evaluator (Shane) on NHL XM last week and he claimed there was a definite top 8, a next group of 4 and then it weakens.  He said it’s an historically weak draft after the top few and compared it to 1999 which had the fewest draftees who played 200 games in X amount of years of tracking. 

[DarthEbriate]

Seriously, this is the last time the Sabres draft in the top 5 for 15 years. Not the last this time, or the this time before that one… this time is the one. 

[WhenWillItEnd66]

1 hour ago, Mr Peabody said:

Was listening to a draft evaluator (Shane) on NHL XM last week and he claimed there was a definite top 8, a next group of 4 and then it weakens.  He said it’s an historically weak draft after the top few and compared it to 1999 which had the fewest draftees who played 200 games in X amount of years of tracking. 

Sounds like our 1st rounder could be better used to trade for a need then.

[SabreFinn]

Are there any Tkachuk alike players in the top10?

[Flashsabre]

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/sportsnets-2025-nhl-draft-rankings-january-edition/

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, Mr Peabody said:

Was listening to a draft evaluator (Shane) on NHL XM last week and he claimed there was a definite top 8, a next group of 4 and then it weakens.  He said it’s an historically weak draft after the top few and compared it to 1999 which had the fewest draftees who played 200 games in X amount of years of tracking. 

 

48 minutes ago, WhenWillItEnd66 said:

Sounds like our 1st rounder could be better used to trade for a need then.

That is not what this quote is telling us. We will draft in the top 8 at a minimum and top 5 is likely. This draft has a stronger top than the 2020 draft IMPO. 

33 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/sportsnets-2025-nhl-draft-rankings-january-edition/

Caleb Desnoyers at 5 is very interesting. 

[French Collection]

I just looked at Bob’s list. The only disturbing name I saw near the top was #8 Viktor Eklund. This team has a history of picking 8th and getting 5’11” 161 lb forwards.

[Huckleberry]

18 minutes ago, French Collection said:

I just looked at Bob’s list. The only disturbing name I saw near the top was #8 Viktor Eklund. This team has a history of picking 8th and getting 5’11” 161 lb forwards.

Or the brother ? of the better player 🤪

[LGR4GM]

 

 

 

[Crusader1969]

7 hours ago, Thorner said:

Thompson is a 1C, by leaps and bounds. If Thompson as 1C isn’t getting your team to finish *16/32* the issue is assuredly assuredly with the rest 

You can just feel it, eh? The creeping narrative. 

no. Lol. We do not need to “find a way to draft a 1C”. Nic DeLorean was traded ages ago, we don’t need to time travel back to 2015 

build a competent team. Stop scape goating the few good players. This regime is pathetic if Tage at 1C isn’t good enough for them to build out the rest. We have 2 first overalls on D and a 3rd lol 

If you ranked centers, where would Thompson land?  
he is 50th in 5v5 scoring in the league, he is 115th in corsi (3rd on the Sabres) 

I agree he is a 1C on the Sabres but not sure he ranks in the top half of the league 

 

[JoeSchmoe]

2 hours ago, Crusader1969 said:

If you ranked centers, where would Thompson land?  
he is 50th in 5v5 scoring in the league, he is 115th in corsi (3rd on the Sabres) 

I agree he is a 1C on the Sabres but not sure he ranks in the top half of the league 

I would say Corsi is not a very reflective measure of Thompson's value he's got one of the deadliest shots in the league.

I kind of hear what you're saying overall though, but the problem is it would be almost impossible to improve on Thompson without losing a trade. Teams don't give up those players. Our only hope is to stumble on a player like him in the draft.

 

[PerreaultForever]

9 hours ago, French Collection said:

I just looked at Bob’s list. The only disturbing name I saw near the top was #8 Viktor Eklund. This team has a history of picking 8th and getting 5’11” 161 lb forwards.

Get worried. I saw him ranked as high as 6th. 

There are a number of fairly big centers in the top 10. Desnoyers is one of them as @LGR4GM said above. 

If we draft Eklund I might just have to find another team.