2017 Draft Discussion - Sabres Pick 8th

[Der Jaeger]

Can Sabres get Foote in the 9-15 range?

Possibly. Lots of forwards trending up. Hirscher, Tippett, Petterson, etc.

I also think this is a great year for defensemen, in terms of 1st round depth. Liljrgren, Foote, Hague, Heiskanen, Valimaki, Vaakanainen, Martin, Brannstrom, Salo, Westerlund, etc. are all 1st rounders or high second rounders.

I think this is a great year to reply 2013, if GMTM can get another 1st.

 

[1972]

I'm really liking what I see on video of this Casey Mittelstadt. His offensive skills look off the charts, Patrick Kane esque. Him and Nylander would really help in the goal scoring department.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[Push Dr Tracksuit]

too early to jump on the "gimme D" bandwagon?

 

[La Cosa Nostra]

BPA as always. This team needs help all over the lineup. We need top 6 wingers, top 4 dmen, hell even a center in round 1 isn't out of the question with Reinhart looking like a winger long term. With Kane gone after next year I'd like a top 6 winger with some size. That way Nylander can come up by 18-19 if not next year.

 

[Der Jaeger]

GMTM is going to go BPA. He had Nylander as his BPA with Sergachev available this last draft. No reason to think he's going to deviate.

Tippett or Tolvanen would look good at wing next to Reinhart, but I think both are gone by the time Buffalo picks. If the Sabres pick it up and draft 10-18, Foote would be a good pick. I suspect his last name and being right handed might push him higher though.

Luke Martin would be a really solid pick. Also, if GMTM could swing a deal to get into the late first, I'd take a look at Robin Salo.

This draft would be the one to repeat a dual defenseman first round, a la 2013. Lots available and worthy of the pick after about 10.

If GMTM could go Foote/Salo or Martin/Salo, he'd fix the prospect organizational depth issue in one day.

 

[thewookie1]

I'd love Foote if only because ROR played with his father as a rookie and would get to play with his son in 3 or 4 more years in theory.

 

[Jim Bob]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/juniors/sportsnets-2017-nhl-draft-prospect-rankings-december/

Sportsnet’s 2017 NHL Draft Prospect Rankings for December

arrowneutral 1. (1) Nolan Patrick, C, Brandon (WHL)

arrowneutral 2. (2) Timothy Liljegren, D, Rogle (SHL)

arrowup 3. (6) Nico Hischier, C, Halifax (QMJHL)

arrowneutral 4. (4) Eeli Tolvanen, LW, Sioux City (USHL)

arrowdown 5. (3) Gabriel Vilardi, C, Windsor (OHL)

arrowup 6. (8) Klim Kostin, C, Moscow Dynamo (KHL)

arrowup 7. (9) Casey Mittelstadt, C, Eden Prarie (Minnesota HS)

arrowup 8. (13) Kristian Vesalainen, RW, Frolunda (SHL)

arrowdown 9. (5) Owen Tippett, RW, Mississauga (OHL)

arrowup 10. (12) Michael Rasmussen, C, Tri-City (WHL)

arrowup 11. (17) Juuso Valimaki, D, Tri-City (WHL)

arrowdown 12. (7) Maxime Comtois, LW, Victoriaville (QMJHL)

arrowup 13. (23) Urho Vaakanainen, D, JYP (Liiga)

arrowup 14. (15) Erik Brannstrom, D, HV71 U-20 (SuperElit)

arrowdown 15. (10) Nic Hague, D, Mississauga, (OHL)

arrowdown 16. (14) Kailer Yamamoto, RW, Spokane (WHL)

arrowdown 17. (16) Martin Necas, C, HC Kometa Brno (Extraliga)

arrowup 18. (19) Elias Pettersson, C, Timra (Allsvenskan)

arrowup 19. (20) Shane Bowers, C, Waterloo (USHL)

arrowup 20. (22) Nikita Popugaev, LW, Moose Jaw (WHL)

arrowdown 21. (18) Ryan Poehling, C, St. Cloud State (NCAA)

arrowdown 22. (11) Cal Foote, D, Kelowna (WHL)

arrowdown 23. (21) Lias Andersson, C, HV71 (SHL)

arrowup 24. (NR) Miro Heiskanen, D, HIFK (Liiga)

arrowup 25. (NR) Cody Glass, C, Portland (WHL)

arrowup 26. (NR) Nick Suzuki, C, Owen Sound (OHL)

arrowdown 27. (26) Robin Salo, D, Vaasan Sport (Liiga)

arrowdown 28. (27) Matthew Strome, LW, Hamilton (OHL)

arrowdown 29. (25) Antoine Morand, C, Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)

arrowup 30. (NR) Marcus Davidsson, C, Djurgardens J20 (SuperElite)

arrowneutral 31. (31) Jake Oettinger, G, Boston University (NCAA)

 

[Samsonite23]

too early to jump on the "gimme D" bandwagon?

I'm leaning that way, definitely in the 2nd-3rd rounds. The reason not being that "our defense sucks," but defensemen are so valuable (hard to get) at this point in time.

 

[Crazy Tasty]

As long as we never ever, ever draft another Rasmussen.

 

[Zip15]

So which Scandinavian defenseman are we drafting in Round 1?

 

[Crazy Tasty]

So which Scandinavian defenseman are we drafting in Round 1?

Timothy Liljegren, obviously.

 

[DJN21]

GMTM is going to go BPA. He had Nylander as his BPA with Sergachev available this last draft. No reason to think he's going to deviate.

Tippett or Tolvanen would look good at wing next to Reinhart, but I think both are gone by the time Buffalo picks. If the Sabres pick it up and draft 10-18, Foote would be a good pick. I suspect his last name and being right handed might push him higher though.

Luke Martin would be a really solid pick. Also, if GMTM could swing a deal to get into the late first, I'd take a look at Robin Salo.

This draft would be the one to repeat a dual defenseman first round, a la 2013. Lots available and worthy of the pick after about 10.

If GMTM could go Foote/Salo or Martin/Salo, he'd fix the prospect organizational depth issue in one day.

I'd trade up to get foote. He's exactly what we need.

 

[1972]

So which Scandinavian defenseman are we drafting in Round 1?

I can't see Murray going anything but BPA in the first round. But ya, we definitely need to come out with 2 D in the top 60.

I'd love to get a pure finisher like Tolvanen or Tippet.

 

[truthbluth]

This draft looks bad. 2014 looks stacked in comparison. Bad at the top. Bad depth. Very thin on D. I would be on board with trading the Sabres 1st right now for an impact player, unless the Sabres are going to bottom out again with a good shot at Patrick, Hischier or Liligren.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[Der Jaeger]

Jusso Valimaki looked good in the WJC despite Finland's struggles.

 

[Ralonzo]

Wonder why Hague is falling. Looked pretty good the one game I watched, kinda like a mirror image of Ristolainen.

 

[dkollidas]

If we manage to luck into it I'd love to see Liljegren come here. He'd be the perfect guy to 1) Be our top puck mover on the back end, and 2) give us a 2nd top-end RHD, which could eventually give us a tandem like Fowler-Lindholm on Anaheim that run two "top-pairings".

Also, if we can manage to deal Kulikov at the deadline for a late first, I'd love to see either Vaakanainen/Salo/Heiskanen/Valimaki. All lefties who could eventually pair with Ristolainen. And eventual defense of...

"2017Fin"/Ristolainen
Guhle/Liljegren
McCabe/Borgen

 

[Der Jaeger]

Starting to watch Makar to see what the hype is all about. Only have videos of the WJAC and games in the AJHL. From the admittedly small amount of what I've seen, the kid looks like a Ghost style offensive defenseman.

I've read he grew three inches from last year, so his size may eventually not be an issue.

Anyone seen more of him? Thoughts?

 

[aristocrat]

so who's ready to play right away? we could be drafting 3 after today. if liegren could play right away we could see...guhle risto, mccabe liegren next year. that's young though.

 

[Jame]

so who's ready to play right away? we could be drafting 3 after today. if liegren could play right away we could see...guhle risto, mccabe liegren next year. that's young though.

The defensemen we trade this pick for....

 

[Havok89]

The defensemen we trade this pick for....

Hopefully it works out better than the last two defenseman Tim Murray traded for.

 

[dkollidas]

Could see us getting another 2nd rounder. Defensemen i like in the 1st or 2nd...
Valimaki
Vaakanainen
Salo
Heiskanen

But I would trade players/picks to move from say 6th or 8th to #3 if it meant getting Liljegren. He could play the year in Rochester and come up if he was ready towards the end of the year.

 

[CaseyMitts37]

We'l probably picking in the top 8, so outside of Liljegren there is really no defenseman worth taking

I'm really hoping for Liljegren