2017 Draft Discussion - Sabres Pick 8th

[Paxon]

I think there are very good players into the 2nd. The only thing wrong with this draft is the top, which is pretty weak. I think the 2nd tier is quite a bit bette than last year, not as good as 2015, and about on par with 2014. The 3rd tier it good as well. But it gets pretty thin after that. This would be a good year to have a stockpile of picks between 5-45.

The talk about the draft is so exaggerated, probably in large part due to the likes of McDavid, Eichel, Mathews, and Laine towering over it. It's not deep, but it's not barren. The Sabres have every chance of walking away with as good or better a prospect as they got last season, provided, of course, that they pick the right one. Given how all over teams' boards are said to be, there are going to be some serious hits in the mid-to-late 1st and 2nd rounds.

 

[1972]

The talk about the draft is so exaggerated, probably in large part due to the likes of McDavid, Eichel, Mathews, and Laine towering over it. It's not deep, but it's not barren. The Sabres have every chance of walking away with as good or better a prospect as they got last season, provided, of course, that they pick the right one. Given how all over teams' boards are said to be, there are going to be some serious hits in the mid-to-late 1st and 2nd rounds.

I agree, in my mind it's pretty similar to what we saw in 2014. There will be some very good players in the top 10 (Draisaitl, Nylander, Ehlers, Ekblad). But there's no McDavid, Matthews, Eichel or Laine at the top. Unless you are picking 1/2 who really cares though, assuming we are picking in that 6-10 range we should be getting a core player.

 

[sjci]

http://www.tankathon.com/nhl

 

[Samsonite23]

Ha. The first sim I did got:

1. Tampa
2. Arizona
3. Carolina
4. Colorado
5. Vegas

Could you imagine?

 

[1972]

2011 was a "weaker than normal" top 10 which produced Scheifele, Hamilton and Brodin in that 7-10 range.

2012 was a "weak draft" which produced Lindholm, Rielly, Trouba and Forsberg in the back half of the top 10.

2014 was a weaker draft which produced Nylander and Ehlers in the back of the top 10.

Having a good scouting staff and making the right pick is what's important, not whether a scouts deems a draft "weak" or not. I guarantee we will be sitting here next year at this time and a couple guys drafted in that 6-10 range will look like absolute studs. Not many considered David Pastrnak an elite prospect for 2014 draft, Charlie McAvoy was not considered an elite D in the 2016 draft either...with 18 year old players an awful lot can change in 6 months let alone a year or two.

 

[NotABadPeriod]

Ha. The first sim I did got:

1. Tampa
2. Arizona
3. Carolina
4. Colorado
5. Vegas

Could you imagine?

I got LA going 1st overall with my first sim. And then 3rd overall with my 2nd sim.

But Buffalo went 1st on my 3rd sim!

 

[Reddawg]

1. Jersey
2. Dallas
3. Colorado
4. Arizona
5. Vegas
8. Buffalo

 

[OkimLom]

1st Sim:

1. Las Vegas
2. Buffalo
3. Colorado
4. Arizona
5. Vancouver
6. New Jersey

 

[Sabretooth]

1st Sim:

1. Florida
2. Carolina
3. Colorado
4. Arizona
5. Vegas

Buffalo drops 2 places to 9th

lol

 

[EichHart]

1st Sim:

1.) Vegas
2.) NJ
3.) Colorado
4.) Arizona
5.) Vancouver
6.) Detriot
7.) Buffalo

 

[DazedandConfused]

1. Detroit
2. Buffalo
3. Arizona
4. Colorado
5. Vegas

I'll take my money and run.

Agree with the above sentiments. There will be good players picked in the top 10, just have to be sure to be one of the crews that nail their pick.

 

[ende]

He said a 1st + player(s) for a D.

That makes sense depending on the player(s) part of the equation.

Fair enough, but what players? Our 'expendable' forward depth (Girgs? Larrson?) + the 1st wouldn't bring back anyone worth the trade, and 1st + Reinhart/Nylander would just trade a problem on D for a problem in the top 6F.

 

[EichHart]

If we get another 10 pick your hoping to get a top 6 forward or top 4 dman. The expectations are not as great this year as the draft is not as good.

 

[hizzoner]

If we get another 10 pick your hoping to get a top 6 forward or top 4 dman. The expectations are not as great this year as the draft is not as good.

This. And then pick a lot of D in next couple rounds. There are likely 2 or 3 Dmen who will play in the nhl chosen in those rounds--let's get the best of them.

 

[AustonsNostrils]

1. Vancouver
2. Las Vegas
3. Colorado

9. Buffalo

 

[ende]

These sims are cool but I wish they would let you do repeated sims.

 

[DJN21]

Fair enough, but what players? Our 'expendable' forward depth (Girgs? Larrson?) + the 1st wouldn't bring back anyone worth the trade, and 1st + Reinhart/Nylander would just trade a problem on D for a problem in the top 6F.

This^

 

[Sabre Dance]

Fair enough, but what players? Our 'expendable' forward depth (Girgs? Larrson?) + the 1st wouldn't bring back anyone worth the trade, and 1st + Reinhart/Nylander would just trade a problem on D for a problem in the top 6F.

It is a lot easier to find a wing for Eichel or O'Reilly then it is to find a #2 D.

If trading Reinhart brought back the type of D that could develop into or already is a #1 or #2 D then you probably have to do it.

 

[ende]

It is a lot easier to find a wing for Eichel or O'Reilly then it is to find a #2 D.

If trading Reinhart brought back the type of D that could develop into or already is a #1 or #2 D then you probably have to do it.

That would be an incredibly shortsighted move.

 

[Der Jaeger]

These sims are cool but I wish they would let you do repeated sims.

Hit the reset button on the page.

 

[ende]

Hit the reset button on the page.

Nah I'm talking about calculating statistics on repeated trials.

 

[UnleashRasmus]

Wherever the selection is, it should still be BPA. However, if it's a defensemen on the same scale I hope that Tim Murray selects the defensemen. As he's shown he's going after any defensive options that have come open (Bayreuther, Antipin). So it would be safe to assume he's done trying to solve the problem with short term fixes (see Bogosian, Gorges, Franson).

 

[dotcommunism]

Nah I'm talking about calculating statistics on repeated trials.

There's literally no point to that. You'd be, essentially, just reconstructing the actual odds tables using a sim that's based on those very same odds tables.

 

[OkimLom]

Wherever the selection is, it should still be BPA. However, if it's a defensemen on the same scale I hope that Tim Murray selects the defensemen. As he's shown he's going after any defensive options that have come open (Bayreuther, Antipin). So it would be safe to assume he's done trying to solve the problem with short term fixes (see Bogosian, Gorges, Franson).

I feel the top two are similar in talent level, when taking into account the injury history of Nolan, and then the next tier are pretty much equal for me. If we were to draft in the 4-6 range I think you're drafting for style as I believe they are of similar talent level.

 

[1972]

Sure looking like we will be 9th pre lottery. Which is probably a decent spot to be in this years draft.