Rammer is a good candidate. I know first hand he wouldn't come back here until Darcy was gone.
- Stripes77

Or you could do Ramsay and Ramsey.

I get why they do it the way they do, but doesn't it seem really strange that 3 years in a row the 2nd worst team has gotten the 1st overall pick?

I feel the the percentages should be played around with a bit by using the previous so many years finish as well. So if you're a perpetual cellar dweller, it reduces your chance at that top pick.
- HonkFortheGoose

That's probability for you though. You can flip a quarter 10 times and get heads every time. It'll happen, and it'll look like a pattern. But the reality is the probability is reset every single time you catch the coin.

It would not suprise me one bit of the Sabres take Draisaitl 2nd, even if both Sam's are there at 2.

Murray likes him, you can tell
- sbroads24

I agree. He wants a big strong guy to get the puck to Hodgson. Draisaitl fits the bill.

mentioned this to a few but thought id share here as well:

last i heard the obvious three they were high on was draitsal, bennett and reinhart, i believe they will go with bennett expecting to keep him in juniors a year and then draft mcdavid or eichel to play center for him immediately when they finish as top 2 worst teams in the league

and irbe was asked to be goaltending coach

There would still be %'s though.... In fact if teams are lining up at #1 there would be no advantage if they all finish within a point or two of each other.

My proposed idea is pretty much for teams like the Sabres who are so bad that its not fair for the % to be so close "like this year" when they finished 14pts behind Florida
- Smittyx36

It's not that I don't agree with the premise, but I don't agree it's not fair. Their decisions led them to be that bad, not some unforeseen set of circumstances that no one could control. All the league is trying to do is make it less than a slam dunk that bad = #1 pick for competitive reasons.

For me, thinking of unfair: How about the Islanders losing JT during the olympics, or the Devils losing Kovalchuck to homesickness. That sucks. We sold off all our veterans and had a high school science teacher as a coach for a quarter of the season. That's our fault, not fate's.

I agree. He wants a big strong guy to get the puck to Hodgson. Draisaitl fits the bill.
- sippyd

No offense but wasn't that supposed to be Grigerenko's job? Minus the strong part.. A big skilled center to give the puck to the wings.. I'd rather have that true skilled two way leader center.. The bigger ones tends to have a harder time making in the NHL

It's not that I don't agree with the premise, but I don't agree it's not fair. Their decisions led them to be that bad, not some unforeseen set of circumstances that no one could control. All the league is trying to do is make it less than a slam dunk that bad = #1 pick for competitive reasons.

For me, thinking of unfair: How about the Islanders losing JT during the olympics, or the Devils losing Kovalchuck to homesickness. That sucks. We sold off all our veterans and had a high school science teacher as a coach for a quarter of the season. That's our fault, not fate's.
- nfph

They weren't doing well even when he was healthy. But I'm sure you know that. You were just using bad luck as an example of something outside of a teams control.

You could add Zetterberg to that list for Detroit too.

No offense but wasn't that supposed to be Grigerenko's job? Minus the strong part.. A big skilled center to give the puck to the wings.. I'd rather have that true skilled two way leader center.. The bigger ones tends to have a harder time making in the NHL
- bluengold12

No, because Hodgson is technically the same position. They just decided about 2 weeks ago that maybe he should move to the wing.

mentioned this to a few but thought id share here as well:

last i heard the obvious three they were high on was draitsal, bennett and reinhart, i believe they will go with bennett expecting to keep him in juniors a year and then draft mcdavid or eichel to play center for him immediately when they finish as top 2 worst teams in the league

and irbe was asked to be goaltending coach
- Beezer33

This is the dumbest new thing on Sabres blogs.

I hope Irbe doesn't go to St Louis to be goalie coach.

No offense but wasn't that supposed to be Grigerenko's job? Minus the strong part.. A big skilled center to give the puck to the wings.. I'd rather have that true skilled two way leader center.. The bigger ones tends to have a harder time making in the NHL
- bluengold12

That was Murrays words, not mine.

They weren't doing well even when he was healthy. But I'm sure you know that. You were just using bad luck as an example of something outside of a teams control.

You could add Zetterberg to that list for Detroit too.
- HonkFortheGoose

You're right of course, they were not doing well, but I don't think they'd be picking #5 if that hadn't happened. Argument could be made, but that's my opinion on it.

You're right of course, they were not doing well, but I don't think they'd be picking #5 if that hadn't happened. Argument could be made, but that's my opinion on it.
- nfph

Maybe not. But I don't know that they'd be that much higher either. Maybe 7-9 instead. I think Garth would still have had to make a decision about whether or not to keep the pick this year.

No, because Hodgson is technically the same position. They just decided about 2 weeks ago that maybe he should move to the wing.
- HonkFortheGoose

I'm not talking about Hodgson.. I'm talking about the fact that Grigerenko was brought in to be a big skilled center whose hard to knock the puck off and can feed the wingers.. Sounds a lot like Draistill to me.

This is the dumbest new thing on Sabres blogs.

I hope Irbe doesn't go to St Louis to be goalie coach.
- ImThatGuy

why ? he can join the party in 2016 let him win gold in world jr etc .

it's going to be a unwatchable year again

I'm not talking about Hodgson.. I'm talking about the fact that Grigerenko was brought in to be a big skilled center whose hard to knock the puck off and can feed the wingers.. Sounds a lot like Draistill to me.
- bluengold12

Is there something that says you can't have more than 1 of them? Grigorenko may still turn out to be that kind of player. He's actually playing pretty well for Rochester right now.

why ? he can join the party in 2016 let him win gold in world jr etc .

it's going to be a unwatchable year again
- gerbe75pts

I agree with I'm that guy...

Murray said it himself he wouldn't just send younger players down to suck so those who want that to happen have to wake up to reality.. It's not going to happen...

If a player is ready he will play here if not he will go down to juniors or AHL its really that simple...

Is there something that says you can't have more than 1 of them? Grigorenko may still turn out to be that kind of player. He's actually playing pretty well for Rochester right now.
- HonkFortheGoose

I think he means it sounds far too familiar for his liking especially with the uncertainty that comes with Grigorenko.

Is there something that says you can't have more than 1 of them? Grigorenko may still turn out to be that kind of player. He's actually playing pretty well for Rochester right now.
- HonkFortheGoose

No just don't think we need to have 2 of them could benefit more from a skilled center...

I think he means it sounds far too familiar for his liking especially with the uncertainty that comes with Grigorenko.
- Stripes77

^^ This as well

Leino was really bad this season. His best attribute was being strong on the puck and this year he was bad at that too

Between grigorenko and armia, what do u think the odds are for atleast one of them cracking the nhl?

Between grigorenko and armia, what do u think the odds are for atleast one of them cracking the nhl?
- joshs

next year or in general?

Leino was really bad this season. His best attribute was being strong on the puck and this year he was bad at that too
- joshs

He should have stopped worrying about trying to pay cocktail waitresses to bang him and worried more about playing hockey.

Have fun in the Euro leagues Ville.

Between grigorenko and armia, what do u think the odds are for atleast one of them cracking the nhl?
- joshs

Zero.

Unless of course we have an insane amount of injuries again next year.

Between grigorenko and armia, what do u think the odds are for atleast one of them cracking the nhl?
- joshs

Next year? 60%
Future? 95% for both