This marks the second season in a row that the Sabres finished 30th overall in the NHL standings and were rewarded the second overall pick in the NHL draft. Last June, Tim Murray selected Kootenay Ice 200 footer pivot Samson with the second overall pick in the NHL Draft.
Murray feels badly for Sabres fans around the globe who have been kicked in the gut multiple times in recent seasons. Sabres fans have been dreaming about McDavid skating around the ice at First Niagara Center rocking a #97 blue and gold sweater. For now, that dream is just a dream.
“I feel for the fans,… Murray said Saturday night at his post-lottery presser.
“I mean, we went through a tough year, and I think that they were extremely excited about Connor.…
If Murray had his way, the team that finished last overall in the NHL standings would take possession of the #1 overall draft choice.
Sorry, bud. Gary Bettman and the NHL owners don't care about what you think of the draft lottery process.
“I believe that the team that finishes last is probably the worst team in the league, so therefore they need the best player to get better quickly,… Murray said.
I like Jack Eichel. A lot actually.
I actually like him more today than I did yesterday, and I like him a LOT yesterday.
The kid must be thinking aloud:
"Hey, what the Hell does a guy have to do to get a little respect around here. Oh and , F--- Connor McDavid. I'm a great hockey player myself".
What's not to like about Eichel?
He is supremely skilled and his game is uniquely refined for a kid who is all of 18 years of age. Its uncanny how good Eichel is at this stage of his life. The hockey heavens of Buffalo are truly the limits to this kid's growth and development. Eichel is a special one. In any other draft year, he would have been the prohibitive #1 ranked prospect in the world. It just so happens that he and Connor McDavid are the 1A and 1B best prospects right now.
It's luck of the draw.
I have an NHL scout friend that tells me all the time that Jack Eichel is better suited than Connor McDavid to enter the NHL next season and dominate the same way he has at Boston University. His reasons cannot be argued with: Eichel is bigger, stronger, thicker and physically tougher to play against right now than McDavid is. I tend to agree with this assessment. To me, Eichel is a unique blend of power and finesse. He reminds me a lot of a cross between Mike Modano-Geno Malkin-Jason Spezza. He's long, strong, and lethal with the puck on his stick. He's a bull dog on skates who is difficult to knock off the puck. Watching Eichel play with the puck one gets the sense that he has velcro on the blade of his twig and the puck because the biscuit sticks to him. He doesn't turn pucks over either. Eichel is like a golden retriever with a Frisbee in his teeth. In other words, he ain't getting rid of the puck until he says its time to do so.
Eichel looks great in red and white. He'll likely look great in blue and gold, too.
Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray went to the NHL Draft Lottery with one thing written on his yellow pad:
Get a #1 center.
Murray did just that on Saturday night.
Murray is in position now to draft Eichel second overall at the June NHL Draft.
By virtue of finishing last overall in the NHL standings for the second season in a row, the Buffalo GM had a one on five chance of landing the first overall pick of winning the NHL draft lottery. Clearly, that didn't happen. It's okay. Murray has a cell hone and he won't be afraid to use it either.
Is Murray disappointed that the forward-heavy, defensively deficient Edmonton Oilers will select first overall at the NHL Draft? I'm sure that its eating at him a bit. Murray is disappointed. His hockey buzz for McDavid has died. However, he doesn't want himself to be a buzz kill. Murray is thrilled that the Sabres will be selecting second overall at the NHL draft in June.
Is there a guarantee that the Oilers will select Connor McDavid first overall?
No. There is no guarantee that McDavid will be pulling a #97 Oilers sweater over his head at the NHL draft in Sunrise, Florida in June. Because anything can happen in the NHL. Anything.
Today, Murray and his scouts will analyze what just happened. He said Saturday night that listening is free. In other words, if his phone rings, he will listen to offers for his second overall pick. Hell, at this point there is no guarantee that Oilers GM Craig MacTavish will not be calling Murray to discuss trading the first overall pick for the second overall pick, plus a couple of difference making defensemen. The Oilers need another top six forward like they need a hole in their head. They crave NHL-caliber defenseman mand goaltenidng more than anything else. Imagine if Murray were to offer his 2015 second overall pick, plus Nikita Zadorov and Mark Pysyk to Edmonton in exchange for their first overall pick which will be Connor McDavid?
Anything can happen in the next two months. There will be a lot of chatter and some horse trading that will occur between now and then. One thing is for sure:
Tim Murray isn't going to sit idly by and wait for the June 26 NHL Draft to get here. Murray's job just got more complex and complicated. That's the way taht he likes it.
Thanks, Sabres.com
John "Jack" Eichel is going to dominate at the next level. His size, skill, strength and attitude will guide him to a long and prosperous NHL career.
Eichel became the first freshman to win the Hobey Baker Award as the top collegiate hockey player since Paul Kariya in 1993. In 40 games played, he recorded 26 goals and 71 points. He and his Boston University Terriers lost to Providence College in heartbreaking fashion at last weekend's NCAA mens ice hockey championship.
“They’re both exciting players,… Murray said. “To be in a position to get one of them has to make us happy.…
Murray said he thinks that Eichel could play in the NHL next season.
“He’s as ready as 99 percent of the 18-year-old kids that have jumped into the National Hockey League,… Murray said. “You could say Sidney Crosby was more ready. You could count them on one hand, I guess, that you could have an argument of guys that were maybe more ready than he is today.…
"It's tough to think about playing for a team next year when the draft hasn't happened yet," said Eichel, who did not watch the lottery on television because he was attending a family function. "A lot of things can happen on draft day. Nothing is set in stone yet. It would be really nice to play (in Buffalo). There is so much tradition there and it is a great hockey city."
Eichel was asked about the possibility of a rivalry between him and McDavid when they make the NHL because they have been regarded for so long as the probable top two picks in the 2015 draft.
"It's tough to think about that because it is so far away," Eichel said.
"I feel like everybody has been linking us together for a while now. I don't even really know him, which is kind of weird. We have only played against each other for a few years."
My gut tells me that Eichel will cherish playing McDavid head to head. Eichel will no doubt want to get the better of #97.
"Obviously it is my dream to play in the NHL, but I don't think there's a rush to go anywhere," Eichel said. "I am sure the decision will be made at the right time. I have a long way to go. It's a dream and I'd love to play in the National Hockey League."
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Now more than ever, I fully and completely expect Murray to target Colorado Avalanche center ice man Ryan O'Reilly in a trade at this June's entry draft. O'Reilly has one year remaining on the 2-year, $12 million that he autographed last summer. Murray will pull out all of the stops in an effort to land the high productive, full value 23 year old difference make. Assuming Murray keeps the #2 overall pick in the draft, his projected 2015 centers will be:
Zemgus Girgensons Jack Eichel Sam Reinhart Johan Larsson
This is center quartet is a far cry better than the ever-changing group that Buffalo iced this season.
Trading for O'Reilly will give Murray additional strength and flexibility down the middle of his lineup. Tyler Ennis can play a wing, as can Reinhart, if need be.
With O'Reilly, the Sabres would like very dominating down the middle:
O'Reilly (Ennis wing) Girgensons Eichel (Reinhart win) Larsson
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If Edmonton drafts McDavid, odds are the Buffalo Sabres, choosing second, will take Eichel.
"It's tough to think about playing for a team next year when the draft hasn't happened yet," said Eichel, who did not watch the lottery on television because he was attending a family function.
"A lot of things can happen on draft day. Nothing is set in stone yet. It would be really nice to play (in Buffalo). There is so much tradition there and it is a great hockey city."
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If the Edmonton Oilers choose Connor McDavid with the #1 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, the Erie Otters center says he will be very happy.
"It's going to be a dream come true and it's a great situation to be in," McDavid said Saturday after the Oilers won the NHL Draft Lottery and the right to pick first.
"They have had fan support even through a little bit of a tough slide they have gone through for a few years. The fan support they still receive is amazing and the group of guys they have there is pretty special. If it happens to be me that is selected there it would be a tremendous honor to step in with a group of talent like that."
McDavid was asked point blank if there is any disappointment in possibly being chosen by Edmonton, which has not made the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2006.
"No, why would there be disappointment?" McDavid said. "I mean, any of those 14 teams (in the lottery) it would have been an absolute honor. If I am selected by Edmonton it will be amazing, a dream come true. They have a lot of amazing young players there."
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The Edmonton Oilers won the 2015 NHL Draft Lottery tonight and earned the first drafting position for the First Round of the 2015 NHL Draft. This will be the fourth time the Oilers have selected first overall, after drafting Taylor Hall (2010), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2011) and Nail Yakupov (2012) in consecutive years. The order of selection for the first 14 drafting positions in the First Round, only, of the 2015 NHL Draft is as follows:
1. Edmonton Oilers 2. Buffalo Sabres 3. Arizona Coyotes 4. Toronto Maple Leafs 5. Carolina Hurricanes 6. New Jersey Devils 7. Philadelphia Flyers 8. Columbus Blue Jackets 9. San Jose Sharks 10. Colorado Avalanche 11. Florida Panthers 12. Dallas Stars 13. Los Angeles Kings 14. Boston Bruins The remaining positions are determined by the results of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The drawing was conducted at Rogers Sportsnet’s studio in downtown Toronto and the winning team was revealed live on CBC and TVA Sports in Canada and NBC in the U.S. prior to their broadcast of Game 2 of the Penguins-Rangers First Round series. Fourteen balls, numbered 1 to 14, were placed in a lottery machine. The machine randomly selected four balls. The resulting four-number series (without regard to selection order) was matched against a chart that shows all possible combinations and the Clubs to which each was assigned. The chart (available on NHL.com) showed that the Oilers had been assigned the numbers (1-5-6-14) that were expelled. The Oilers would have picked third based on inverse order of regular season finish, representing an 11.5% likelihood that their combination would emerge. Full odds of winning can be found here. The 2015 NHL Draft will be hosted by the Panthers at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida from June 26-27. Results of Draft Drawings Year Selected Effect on Draft Order Player Selected 1995 Los Angeles Moved from 7th to 3rd D Aki Berg 1996 Ottawa Retained 1st selection D Chris Phillips 1997 Boston Retained 1st selection C Joe Thornton 1998 Tampa Bay Moved from 3rd to 1st via trades C Vincent Lecavalier 1999 Chicago Moved from 8th to 4th RW Pavel Brendl * 2000 NY Islanders Moved from 5th to 1st G Rick DiPietro 2001 Atlanta Moved from 3rd to 1st LW Ilya Kovalchuk 2002 Florida Moved from 3rd to 1st LW Rick Nash ** 2003 Florida Moved from 4th to 1st G Marc-Andre Fleury *** 2004 Washington Moved from 3rd to 1st LW Alex Ovechkin 2005 Pittsburgh n/a C Sidney Crosby 2006 St. Louis Retained 1st selection D Erik Johnson 2007 Chicago Moved from 5th to 1st RW Patrick Kane 2008 Tampa Bay Retained 1st selection C Steven Stamkos 2009 NY Islanders Retained 1st selection C John Tavares 2010 Edmonton Retained 1st selection LW Taylor Hall 2011 New Jersey Moved from 8th to 4th D Adam Larsson 2012 Edmonton Moved from 2nd to 1st RW Nail Yakupov 2013 Colorado Moved from 2nd to 1st C Nathan MacKinnon 2014 Florida Moved from 2nd to 1st D Aaron Ekblad 2015 Edmonton Moved from 3rd to 1st
Thanks, NHL.com
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I find it peculiar that the Erie Otters, McDavid's OHL team, filed for bankruptcy protection two weeks ago. The Otters borrowed $4.5 million in loans from a subsidiary of the Edmonton Oilers and they want their money back. The bankruptcy court judge will sell the Otters to the highest bidder for between $ million and $12 million dollars in the coning months. The Oilers will be getting their $4.5 million back with interest in the form of Connor McDavid.
Strange how it all works out, eh?
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