Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov will win you bumholes a cup one year. (frank)

How about you give us Seguin, and Dougie Hamilton? Oh wait..
- thisisderrik

Oh well, i tried. We'll just take back Tim Horton!

Is this a new record for Kevin's blog?

Is this a new record for Kevin's blog?
- mehetmet

Must be!

Espn gives sabres an A+ is like saying Justin bieber disagrees with Obama care. Doesn't mean anything cause they don't know what they're talking about. They did a Seth jones preview on Espn, and they talked more about his dad than Seth. That being said they did make two solid first round choices, and fleeced Carolina of mcbain (where were you on that one homer?!?!) but I guarantee Espn doesn't know one of the prospects drafted outside of the top two.

Espn gives sabres an A+ is like saying Justin bieber disagrees with Obama care. Doesn't mean anything cause they don't know what they're talking about. They did a Seth jones preview on Espn, and they talked more about his dad than Seth. That being said they did make two solid first round choices, and fleeced Carolina of mcbain (where were you on that one homer?!?!) but I guarantee Espn doesn't know one of the prospects drafted outside of the top two.
- Girouxsalem90

Pierre LeBrun and John Buccigross are't idiots when it comes to hockey. They don't get knowledge-less journalists to look at things like this. That being said, A+ is still a bit high. I'd say A/A-

Espn gives sabres an A+ is like saying Justin bieber disagrees with Obama care. Doesn't mean anything cause they don't know what they're talking about. They did a Seth jones preview on Espn, and they talked more about his dad than Seth. That being said they did make two solid first round choices, and fleeced Carolina of mcbain (where were you on that one homer?!?!) but I guarantee Espn doesn't know one of the prospects drafted outside of the top two.
- Girouxsalem90

No different than you giving us a analysis of ESPN . am i right?

Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov will win you bumholes a cup one year. (frank)
- Winning

I hope so!
I don't think we did an A+, but I would go with an A-/A type of draft.

you guys are gonna be a hell of a team in 2028

you guys are gonna be a hell of a team in 2028
- Crimsoninja

Thanks Crimmy At least we have a date to look forward to. Heard you guys don't have one yet. That sucks . Hang in there.

No different than you giving us a analysis of ESPN . am i right?
- cabin

You are correct, but I don't get paid to do such things and no one takes it seriously, so it's fine

you guys are gonna be a hell of a team in 2028
- Crimsoninja

Meanie.

You are correct, but I don't get paid to do such things and no one takes it seriously, so it's fine
- Girouxsalem90

stop by anytime

you guys are gonna be a hell of a team in 2028
- Crimsoninja

Wont that be the same year Holmgren finally figures out his goalie situation?

I hear DP is available for cheap. Which by the way he will still be getting paid by the Islanders in 2028.

Wow! Because espn knows and covers hockey like nobody else does!

Wow! Because espn knows and covers hockey like nobody else does!

Pierre LeBrun and John Buccigross are't idiots when it comes to hockey. They don't get knowledge-less journalists to look at things like this. That being said, A+ is still a bit high. I'd say A/A-
- LetsGoBuffalo75

Pierre LeBrun is knowledgable no doubt about it and he is a true hockey expert. But when it comes to ESPN's hockey coverage, he's the beginning and end of the line. The rest, Buccigross, Burnside, etc., know poop. And that's a fact. Remember their only true hockey knowledge is solely due to a part-time analyst, who's Canadian who makes his living on TSN and double dips on ESPN just to give their network credibility. Other than that, their hockey coverage is crap.

As for the Sabres' draft, A- is a good rating, they drafted well so be happy with it Sabre fans! Most teams, Leafs included, would love to get that high a rating. But as the old saying goes, the proof's in the pudding. So we'll see in 2-4 years how this draft class really turns out and which team will really turn out to be the true winners or losers.

013 NHL draft: Team grades
Buffalo Sabres among several teams scoring big in loaded prospect class
Updated: July 1, 2013, 11:44 AM ET
By Grant Sonier | ESPN Insider



Evaluating draft classes a few hours after the conclusion of the draft may seem a little hasty, since we won't see many of the 2013 picks on NHL ice for quite some time. But there are still a number of factors that illustrate how well teams did with their selections.

In compiling these grades, I look at the following areas:

The value: First and foremost, the draft is about acquiring assets. Did a team add the most valuable prospect at that given point in the draft?

Team needs: Organizational needs come into play as well. By that I don't mean a team needs a second-line center and fill it with a center in the draft. I mean, how does this player fit into their pipeline? Do they need size? Scoring? More defensive depth? That's what I'm looking at there.

Total talent added: Simply put, how much total talent did a team bring in during this draft? This last part is key, because there was a lot of talent in this draft, even well into the third round.

There is a very good possibility that these grades will change over time, when these prospects get some more time under their belts. But right now they're based off my evaluation of the prospects as they entered the draft and other potential picks teams could have made in certain draft positions. So with that as a primer, here's a look at my 2013 draft grades, where the teams with multiple early picks in a very deep draft made the most of their extra opportunities.

Buffalo Sabres: A+

Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov gives Buffalo two elite-sized, gritty D-men with picks No. 8 and No. 16 and, over time, will have a major impact on the back end. The blue line was a big need for the Buffalo system, and they addressed it as well as they could with their first two selections. In the second round, the Sabres add skilled, blue-collar forward J.T. Compher, and two big hard working forwards in Connor Hurley from Edina High School and Justin Bailey from Kitchener of the OHL -- both give added size. This was a really strong draft for the Sabres.