I don't see buffalo going that way they will go with the safe pick that will probably be in NHL for a lifetime ..

go against the top lines in the NHL and fill the void left by ROR and have 3 centers for the future

😭😭🦄🦄
- gerbe75pts

I think they have their future ROR in Cozens.
I believe in the kid...just will take 2 or 3 years to fully get there.
IMO they now need more finishers on the right side especially.

That's not true you have 3 superstars
Rossi, Holtz, Raymond

There is zero chance they (frank) up the draft
You get one we're Set up for a future Stanley cup run
- gerbe75pts

Where have I heard this nonsense before.

What’s wrong with Lundell ?

Between him and Cozens we’d have two guys capable of playing 2C.

In a league where you need 3 scoring lines having Eichel-Cozens-Lundell down the middle would be quite the coup imo.
- Pegullaville

Isn't his skating his weakness?
Kind of sounds like Sam in his draft year?

I heard a rumor from a source that whoever we draft will be a superstar but we will ruin him.
- BeadyEyedDouche

Throw em into the Lockport pile.

Throw em into the Lockport pile.
- TheSabresTaco

Love Canal pile......

Where have I heard this nonsense before.
- TheSabresTaco

2015...?

Isn't his skating his weakness?
Kind of sounds like Sam in his draft year?
- IonSabres

He isn’t a speed demon but I wouldn’t say he’s slow either. Right around the NHL average. However his defensive awareness and IQ could help him in that regard.

People confuse flashiness with effectiveness.

Cozens isn’t particularly flashy either but he’s looking like a great pick at 7 a year later.

Lundell was trusted enough to play high minutes in a very respectable Finnish league. I see offensive upside with him as well. He had good offensive production along with displaying strong defensive zone awareness
- Pegullaville

Everything I have read about him says his skating is his weakest point, but he has very good edge work and a good initial burst. We could do a lot worse.

2015...?
- kingcong39

nailed it. Oh, and 16, 17, 18 and probably 19. But definitely 18.

It was out all over the place that Botterill thought Brady Tkachuk was the 2nd best player in that draft, and people were mocking the Sabres incessantly about possibly taking Tkachuk if they didn't win the lottery that year due to Tkachuk having a very limited offensive game.

Similar to this year with the clown jokes about them taking Sanderson (they won't).

How does your model accurately predict somebody like Stutzle coming from an unheralded league?
- kingcong39

Very poorly, i mean all predictive work with prospects is just about edge over the norm. The actual success rate or whatever ends up much lower.

Stutzle was hard because not only is the DEL not great with public data but like i mentioned in the article, typically players with his talent level make the jump to another league before they get drafted.

The best I and one other person I know could find in terms of comparison is Tomas Hertl. Their NHLe is very similar

Im hoping he's the start of a new trend so that we can get more data from these other leagues.

nailed it. Oh, and 16, 17, 18 and probably 19. But definitely 18.
- TheSabresTaco

It’s an over exaggeration, however we are in a good spot to add another impact forward prospect that gets us one step closer to our goal.

In time we may look back on this and say that this years pick put us over the top, Gerbe is shooting his shot early but we won’t know for years if he’s wrong.

Regarding what you wrote about Perfetti below, isn't that what you want to see from a player? The ability to perform when it matters most, which in this case would be the second half of his draft year?

Perfetti rounds out the top 5 because of his game changer/playmaking abilities but I’m always hesitant about picks who turn it up in the home stretch of their draft years.
- kingcong39

We'll never really know if thats true with the playoffs gone but late risers in the rankings because they heated up in the last month or so tend to get overvalued by scouting because they're heating up at a time where everyone is watching.

Ideally you want your top prospect to be consistently good. Although schedule strength plays a large part too. If he's heating up against the best, that's one thing, If he's slugging the bottom third, that's another.

It's just harder to know what you have in the player, which part is the real him as far as true impact ya know?

Very poorly, i mean all predictive work with prospects is just about edge over the norm. The actual success rate or whatever ends up much lower.

Stutzle was hard because not only is the DEL not great with public data but like i mentioned in the article, typically players with his talent level make the jump to another league before they get drafted.

The best I and one other person I know could find in terms of comparison is Tomas Hertl. Their NHLe is very similar

Im hoping he's the start of a new trend so that we can get more data from these other leagues.
- Michael Ghofrani

On your comparison between Mittelstadt and Raymond, I don't think it was meant as Gerbe took from this respect:

Raymond played in a men's league this year and a few games last year while Casey was playing in a totally different environment.

But really, Raymond should be the Sabres pick for one important reason: Eichel shouldn't be the only Sabres to have to endure that hairdo

We'll never really know if thats true with the playoffs gone but late risers in the rankings because they heated up in the last month or so tend to get overvalued by scouting because they're heating up at a time where everyone is watching.

Ideally you want your top prospect to be consistently good. Although schedule strength plays a large part too. If he's heating up against the best, that's one thing, If he's slugging the bottom third, that's another.

It's just harder to know what you have in the player, which part is the real him as far as true impact ya know?
- Michael Ghofrani

Difficult to tell, but looking at his numbers, and watching videos, he sure looks like the goods.

On your comparison between Mittelstadt and Raymond, I don't think it was meant as Gerbe took from this respect:

Raymond played in a men's league this year and a few games last year while Casey was playing in a totally different environment.

But really, Raymond should be the Sabres pick for one important reason: Eichel shouldn't be the only Sabres to have to endure that hairdo
- kingcong39

I don't dislike Raymond or his potential but this years drafted is loaded up front. I used Gunler as the example, who in the same amount of EV ice time per 60, out scored him at the same rate.

He only played 9 games in the SuperElit unfortunately so we won't know how well he would've stacked there, but even in just that sample his EV primary ppg was lower than guys like Eriksson Ek

It's not a dig at his talent, but there are question marks there. Answering those questions may make a team feel more comfortable picking him higher, or they may scare them away. I unfortunately don't have that kind of access.

Oh yikes I just saw the pic, is he just swedish eichel?

The best I and one other person I know could find in terms of comparison is Tomas Hertl. Their NHLe is very similar

- Michael Ghofrani

Good article in the Athletic on him.

"Though Marcel Goc, who was selected 20th overall by the San Jose Sharks in 2001, played a prominent role in the league in his draft year, those involved in German hockey will tell you things have changed a lot in the two decades since, and that Stützle is up against much stronger competition, while also playing at a higher point-per-game rate (0.92 to 0.71 at the same age). The only other German player to take a similar path was Marco Sturm (0.62 points per game), who was selected 21st overall by the Sharks five years before Goc."

https://theathletic.com/1...eamp&access_token=4672712

Who could the Sabres trade to land back into the top 10 or 12?
- IonSabres

I think this is the year to trade Sam and Risto for draft picks. Do a minor retool and build around Jack/Cozens/Dahlin and multiple picks this year.

It’s an over exaggeration, however we are in a good spot to add another impact forward prospect that gets us one step closer to our goal.

In time we may look back on this and say that this years pick put us over the top, Gerbe is shooting his shot early but we won’t know for years if he’s wrong.
- Pegullaville

Find a GM who can run and build a decent team and get back to me.

2015...?
- kingcong39

Lol good times😁😁🤣🐈🤣🤣

I just listened to Tyler Dunne on one bills live (the guy who wrote the Watkins article)

He was basically like "lol, what a kooky guy."

No man, it sounds like he's schizophrenic or he has CTE

I think this is the year to trade Sam and Risto for draft picks. Do a minor retool and build around Jack/Cozens/Dahlin and multiple picks this year.
- Fattony1187

That may have made more sense before everything was shut down, but I've read several articles about the draft that said after the top dozen or so picks it is going to be a lot more difficult.
No playoffs, no tournaments and no combine takes away a lot of the scouting opportunities that teams count on.

Great write up Mike!

I don't dislike Raymond or his potential but this years drafted is loaded up front. I used Gunler as the example, who in the same amount of EV ice time per 60, out scored him at the same rate.

He only played 9 games in the SuperElit unfortunately so we won't know how well he would've stacked there, but even in just that sample his EV primary ppg was lower than guys like Eriksson Ek

It's not a dig at his talent, but there are question marks there. Answering those questions may make a team feel more comfortable picking him higher, or they may scare them away. I unfortunately don't have that kind of access.

Oh yikes I just saw the pic, is he just swedish eichel?
- Michael Ghofrani

Raymond is also a Natural center that's a bonus point so he switch if needed

And back in the day ... we could of had the 3 Jack step brother line

GTFO! Really?

/s


So you're really calling him John John. I don't see how that makes any more sense.
- Wetbandit1

It doesn't, and for those who are offended. My apologies.

Tough crowd 🤛

Don't you ever say an unkind word about Tom Wilson again! You hear me! And he doesn't do the thing Boss complains Reinhart does either! Coincidence!
- Wetbandit1

Soft post
Softer poster