La Cosa Nostra
Caporegime
- Jun 25, 2009
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But there aren't any dmen outside of Makar and Heiskanen who are considered surefire high first rounders among dmen. Liljegren went from surefire top 2 pick to anywhere from 7-mid 20s. Valimaki isn't a top 10 prospect. You simply cannot draft what isn't there. I know we need defense. I know defense is a bigger need then wing. It doesn't mean we can't upgrade the wing. It doesn't mean we can't acquire established dmen to improve the blue line, this team needs D help now. Drafting a D in 2017 does nothing to change that. Guhle making the team (as in earning it), Antipin crossing the pond and adding another top 4 D be it signing Alzner or trading for a Brodin is what we need. Kane has a year left. Tippett is the best pure goal scorer in his draft class. If Reinhart is indeed a center long term that leaves Okposo and a bunch of question marks at wing in the top 6/9 long term. I'm assuming Nylander does pan out and our wingers still aren't that great. I know people will point at Pittsburgh but Jack isn't Crosby, as awesome as he is. He won't turn a marginal winger into a 60+ point winger a la Guentzel and Sheary. I'm not saying we need to have 4-5 wingers making millions. But we can't rely on just Okposo and Nylander long term. I'd like to place a legit high end winger on each of the top 3 lines, RoR Eichel and Sam should all have a top end winger to play with. RoR has Okposo, Nylander can play with Sam and a guy like Tippett is perfect with Eichel. I'm just imagining Jacks sublime playmaking and passing and invisioning Eichel setting up Tippett 30 times a season. He also played with Nylander last year.
I get the Virtanen vibes from Tippett that people have but you can't just assume every big goal scoring winger is going to turn into the next Virtanen or Crouse or Ritchie. That list Zip posted is damn impressive. Every single player on that list aside from one is an established NHL star and the one who isn't had to retire due to cardiac arrest. I just know that this teams offense still isn't good enough for a cup run. We haven't scored 200+ goals in a season in how long, 4-5 years? If Tippett can turn into that big 30 goal scorer then that's a home run at #8 in a weak draft.
As for trading up for Makar, unless the team trading down doesn't grade him good there is zero chance they are moving out of him for #37 and a pick in the 50s in a weak draft with no depth. Better off trying to package stuff with #37 to try and move up high in the 2nd a la Asplund and get a D who falls into round 2 that was projected to be a first round pick. Either way, I'm not banking on a Dman from this draft into helping the Sabres any time soon. We can't wait for a D to develop while we waste Eichel and Reinharts prime and wait to contend when RoR is in his 30s. Our window isn't 5 years from now. Our window is right now, we need to make the playoffs next year. We need a conference finals appearance by 2020. A cup within 5-6 years, not starting to compete in 5 years.
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