Just for once (since 1970) I'd like something to work out in this team's favor, but being Buffalo fans its expect and experience the worse. I can just picture how it'll go down, Buffalo will pass up Wilson and Boychuk to pick up Myers and then will grab Staal with their second 1st rounder.
Ugh, I will cry.
This is something I should know, but how exactly does the lottery work? How many teams are involved and how many have a shot at #1?
As for guys I would be targeting with our pick, I'm going to assume Stamkos, Bogosian, Doughty, Pietrangelo, Filatov, Beach, and Schenn are all gone. The following is who I would be looking at (this is all assuming we're picking in the range of 8-14):
Zach Boychuk - Not big but he's jacked, not afraid to get physical or use his body to protect the puck. Fantastic stickhandler with great vision, could be a great 1/2 punch with Roy up the middle for years to come.
Cody Hodgson - I'm not as high on this kid as some people are. He's a great passer but he's not the greatest skater which I think could hinder him at the NHL level. There's quite a few guys that I would take over him.
Mikkel Boedker - Tremendous offensive talent, possibly the 3rd best offensive talent in this draft behind Stamkos and Filatov. He's a ton of fun to watch, can skate like the wind (reminds me a little bit of Gaborik in that sense), can dangle as well as anybody in this draft, the only knock on him is that he's not the greatest finisher.
Tyler Ennis - Small but extremely talented and plays with a ton of heart. He's not afraid to grind it out in the corners despite his size, willing to get pounded to make a play, and he never stops moving his legs. He's also a great skater with very good vision, potential captain material IMO. The only thing that could hold him back is his size but I don't think it will. He's one of my favorite guys in this draft though taking him with our pick may be a tad too soon but I don't think we could get him with SJ's pick.
Colin Wilson - I've said it before somewhere here, but this is the kind of guy you need on your team to win championships. He plays a great two-way game, he's not incredibly talented but he does all the little things you need to do to win games, comparable to Chris Drury in that sense. He works hard every shift and never gives up, another guy that could wear a C somewhere down the road in his career.
Michael Del Zotto - Not putting up quite the offensive numbers people expected him to this year but a lot of that has to do with him shoring up some defensive problems in his game. He's your prototypical offensive first dman. He's got a great point shot, he's very agile and a good puckhandler, making him a perfect PP QB. There's absolutely no panic in his game. He could stand to improve positioning in his own end, hopefully that's something that will come with experience.
Mattias Tedenby - One of the most exciting players to watch on offense in this draft. Blazing speed and very creative with the puck, able to pull moves off at top speed. Despite his small stature he's actually pretty strong on the puck, has quite a bit of offensive upside.
Joe Colborne - I'm not as high on Colborne as some people. It would be great to have a big center in the system but what good is it if you don't use your size effectively (cough - Mancari - cough). He's a good skater for a guy his size uses his long reach well, but if he could learn to use his body he could absolutely dominate. Again, that could be something that comes with experience and maturity.
wow, having the 8th pick would really suck.
Boedker or Wilson if we really are stuck in that spot.
Boedker or Wilson if we really are stuck in that spot.
Well, there's always the possibility of somebody falling out of the top 7? Stranger things have happened such as Thomas Hickey at #4 last year, nobody expected that.
Well, there's always the possibility of somebody falling out of the top 7? Stranger things have happened such as Thomas Hickey at #4 last year, nobody expected that.
it was a crapshoot after the top 3 guys last year. No one wanted to trade up for that 4th pick. this years draft is much deeper.
Id be happy if Schenn fell to us. His game has dropped off lately and he could be sliding down as guys move up
it was a crapshoot after the top 3 guys last year. No one wanted to trade up for that 4th pick. this years draft is much deeper.
Id be happy if Schenn fell to us. His game has dropped off lately and he could be sliding down as guys move up
A small drop off but Alzner, Voracek, and Gagner weren't far behind. It was pretty much just a consensus top 6 (top 8 if you include Cherepanov and Esposito).
This is something I should know, but how exactly does the lottery work? How many teams are involved and how many have a shot at #1?
Unless I'm mistaken, the bottom 8 teams participate in the lottery. The team winning the lottery can move up a maximum of 4 slots so only the top 5 have any chance at drafting number 1.
Unless I'm mistaken, the bottom 8 teams participate in the lottery. The team winning the lottery can move up a maximum of 4 slots so only the top 5 have any chance at drafting number 1.
Actually, all 14 teams out of the playoffs have a chance to move up a maximum of 4 spots.
The 1001 ball combinations are divided up from worst to 14th with the following chances: 25%, 18.8%, 14.2%, 8.1%, 6.2%, 4.7%, 3.6%, 2.7%, 2.1%, 1.5%, 1.1%, 0.8%, and 0.5% Basically team #14 has 5 combo's.
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It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. - Aristotle
As for guys I would be targeting with our pick, I'm going to assume Stamkos, Bogosian, Doughty, Pietrangelo, Filatov, Beach, and Schenn are all gone. The following is who I would be looking at (this is all assuming we're picking in the range of 8-14):
Zach Boychuk - Not big but he's jacked, not afraid to get physical or use his body to protect the puck. Fantastic stickhandler with great vision, could be a great 1/2 punch with Roy up the middle for years to come.
Cody Hodgson - I'm not as high on this kid as some people are. He's a great passer but he's not the greatest skater which I think could hinder him at the NHL level. There's quite a few guys that I would take over him.
Mikkel Boedker - Tremendous offensive talent, possibly the 3rd best offensive talent in this draft behind Stamkos and Filatov. He's a ton of fun to watch, can skate like the wind (reminds me a little bit of Gaborik in that sense), can dangle as well as anybody in this draft, the only knock on him is that he's not the greatest finisher.
Tyler Ennis - Small but extremely talented and plays with a ton of heart. He's not afraid to grind it out in the corners despite his size, willing to get pounded to make a play, and he never stops moving his legs. He's also a great skater with very good vision, potential captain material IMO. The only thing that could hold him back is his size but I don't think it will. He's one of my favorite guys in this draft though taking him with our pick may be a tad too soon but I don't think we could get him with SJ's pick.
Colin Wilson - I've said it before somewhere here, but this is the kind of guy you need on your team to win championships. He plays a great two-way game, he's not incredibly talented but he does all the little things you need to do to win games, comparable to Chris Drury in that sense. He works hard every shift and never gives up, another guy that could wear a C somewhere down the road in his career.
Michael Del Zotto - Not putting up quite the offensive numbers people expected him to this year but a lot of that has to do with him shoring up some defensive problems in his game. He's your prototypical offensive first dman. He's got a great point shot, he's very agile and a good puckhandler, making him a perfect PP QB. There's absolutely no panic in his game. He could stand to improve positioning in his own end, hopefully that's something that will come with experience.
Mattias Tedenby - One of the most exciting players to watch on offense in this draft. Blazing speed and very creative with the puck, able to pull moves off at top speed. Despite his small stature he's actually pretty strong on the puck, has quite a bit of offensive upside.
Joe Colborne - I'm not as high on Colborne as some people. It would be great to have a big center in the system but what good is it if you don't use your size effectively (cough - Mancari - cough). He's a good skater for a guy his size uses his long reach well, but if he could learn to use his body he could absolutely dominate. Again, that could be something that comes with experience and maturity.
Nicely done B87. As Buffalo reps out on the Prospect Board, I enjoy your take on things. I'd expect Hodgson to be gone -- such mixed messages but it only takes one team high on him for him to be gone.
if the Sabres are making that kind of move then I'd hope it would be for a guy like Filatov, or better still Stamkos.
the only problem is that those are top 5 guys, where as I can see bogosian falling between 8 and 10. it would be a lot easier moving down 3-4 spots then 8-10 spots. besides the sabres would have to give up a ton to get into the top 5 anyways.
the only problem is that those are top 5 guys, where as I can see bogosian falling between 8 and 10. it would be a lot easier moving down 3-4 spots then 8-10 spots. besides the sabres would have to give up a ton to get into the top 5 anyways.
yeah, you're right.
I should have said i'd only do a package like that FOR a top 5 pick. An extra 1st rounder plus something else of value on top is a lot to give up to move only a couple of spots to draft a guy we don't really have a huge need for.
the only problem is that those are top 5 guys, where as I can see bogosian falling between 8 and 10. it would be a lot easier moving down 3-4 spots then 8-10 spots. besides the sabres would have to give up a ton to get into the top 5 anyways.
I seriously doubt Bogosian is available at 8. He's pretty much a lock for top 7 with a good shot at top 5.
damn, i didn't realize he would go that soon. I know your pretty well versed on prospects whats you take on him B87. does he merit to go that high?
I like him a lot, all things considered I'd rank him 5th behind Stamkos, Doughty, Pietrangelo, Schenn (toss up with Schenn IMO) but ahead of Beach and Filatov. He has more points than Doughty and Pietrangelo, and he'll play a physical game with an edge, willing to drop the gloves as well. Though as I said before, you never know how things will play out but I definitely wouldn't count on him being available at 8.
With 6 teams in position to overtake the Sabres and a few more just below that we could be looking at a much better draft slot sooner rather than later.
Last edited by Freezerburn: 03-12-2008 at 09:35 PM.
With 6 teams in position to overtake the Sabres and a few more just below that we could be lookig at a much better draft slot sooner rather than later.
Don't want them to take Staal. Remember ~25 years ago when they took Keith Gretzky? Well, that never panned out either.
Now, if they somehow traded for Jordan Staal, maybe because PIT is going to have trouble keeping all their high-end high $ players, then I'd be all for it. But surely PIT is bright enough to find a way to keep him.
Talk about a complete overpayment. Buffalo will be drafting in the top 6 so it wouldn't take that much to move up.
Do you realize how many thing will have to fall perfectly into place for us to draft in the top 6? Right now we would draft 12th, we need a lot to happen to even draft in the top 8.
A top 15 pick, a 25-30 pick, a skilled but unproven winger and a 1st round disappointment for a franchise player?!I would add Sekera even if it was needed to get the deal done.
So it seems as if we should have the 45th pick for not signing Kriukov and if we do decide not to sign Persson we could also have another late 2nd round (56ish?) compensetory for him? That could give us 5 picks in the top 56 (roughly)? I would assume that comp picks are not able to be traded, correct? I wouldnt mind trading both firsts and our regular second and/or players to climb up and take a shot at Stamkos, what do you think? Getting Stamkos and still having 2 seconds and an early 3rd would be great IMO...
A top 15 pick, a 25-30 pick, a skilled but unproven winger and a 1st round disappointment for a franchise player?!I would add Sekera even if it was needed to get the deal done.
Yep, all that for the potential to draft another Alexander Daigle or Patrick Stefan. There's no guarantee that he won't bust, just like there's no guarantee that Zagrapan isn't a late bloomer. His stats improved from last year on that fiasco we call the Amerks.
