2023 NHL Draft June 28 and 29, Nashville, TN (Selections - 13, 39, 45, 86, 109, 141, 173, 205)

[MOGlLNY]

Buffalo's almost as bad as both of them. The lottery needs to go.

Maybe that's why I empathize so much

 

[brian_griffin]

NHL will strive to ensure CHI picks first overall. Maybe MTL.

props to @Gabrielor for just-now necro-liking my post from BUF's 2-1 loss down the stretch to the NYR. I'm not often prescient, but when I am it's worth noting...

And effin Chicago won a couple games down the stretch in the last week or so (PIT on the final Tuesay, etc.) to botch finishing last.

 

[sabremike]

Buffalo's almost as bad as both of them. The lottery needs to go.

Hold my beer...

 

[brian_griffin]

Bettman be like "If the Habs and Wings didn't qualify, and the Bruins and Rangers are out, and Leafs are sucking so bad we can't disguise the officiating enough to hand them the Cup, we gotta give Chicago the 1st OA. Make it so. And where's my rouge? - I gotta go on camera and defend this clownshow."

 

[DapperCam]

Top 4 players and 5/6 go out west. Good result for the Sabres I think.

 

[Ehran]

I have serious doubts about Chicago's ability to surround Bedard with decent enough talent. I expect they'll waste his career.

 

[Jim Bob]

Never change, Petey.

 

[MOGlLNY]

People saying its rigged are absolutely ridiculous. Bedard would be in Arizona and McDavid would not be in Edmonton if that was the case.

 

[Club]

Who y'all want fellas?

 

[jc17]

Never change, Petey.

The take that I've seen on Twitter and reddit is that this was rigged to distract from the sexual assault coverup....like what?

 

[Ace]

Who y'all want fellas?

Immediate help

 

[Ralonzo]

Buffalo trades the #13 pick better be the story

I think Sandy Pelican wouldn't be terrible as a Bowen Byram type on the 3rd pair, but Willander seems like a potential fit in the top-4 with either of the #1 d-men.

 

[BuiltTagonTough]

 

[HOOats]

Who y'all want fellas?

Reinbacher, Leonard, Wood, Pellikka, trade back 5-10 spots and use the proceeds to trade up from a 2nd (so picking ~20 and ~25).

 

[Ace]

I bet Michkov falls to 6.

 

[sabresfan129103]

Doesn't the league have someone like KPMG audit the lottery to make sure everything is on the up and up.

 

[Dirty Dog]

What’s the obsesssion with trading the pick? If you want immediate help in a trade, we have a ton of future assets way less valuable to make that happen.

 

[My Cozen Dylan]

People saying its rigged are absolutely ridiculous. Bedard would be in Arizona and McDavid would not be in Edmonton if that was the case.

Honestly McDavid would probably be in Buffalo.

 

[Ace]

What’s the obsesssion with trading the pick? If you want immediate help in a trade, we have a ton of future assets way less valuable to make that happen.

We need to trade a very good asset or collection of assets to get a top 4 D.

I don’t like the 13th pick in this draft more than comparable prospects already in the system. At all.

If you’re listing things I’d trade that have a combination of value and availability…pick 13 is a no brainer.

 

[Chainshot]

If you want to talk about trading the pick, there are about 787 million other threads to do that in. Not here.

 

[Gabrielor]

Who y'all want fellas?

 

[Gabrielor]

If you want to talk about trading the pick, there are about 787 million other threads to do that in. Not here.

Depending on how it falls, there's a big argument for trading back. If Moore, Pellikka, Wood, Reinbacher all go in the top 12, along with the other predictables, I'm interested in talking with DET about the Islanders's pick, since DET also has 3 early 2nds.

Then grab Wallinder/Simashev or one of the many forwards left in that tier.

 

[Weltschmerz]

Who y'all want fellas?

Michkov

 

[Chainshot]

Who do I want?

In the words of one of my former instructors at the forestry school: it depends.

Some of it will be who is there at 13 and then who the Sabres will lean toward at 13. Personally, for forwards, I've been smitten with Leonard for a long time but I don't see him lasting. Same with Reinbacher on defense. Something weird could happen and either could be there (hell, something massively odd could happen and BOTH are there at 13) but I don't expect it.

Axel Sandin Pellikka is very good vs. his age group and has played pro. He's a transition guy and has a lot of the "good Montour" to his game when he's on. And the "bad Montour" when he's off it. He would be pushing up into a lineup that already has two good options for PP deployment and his skills might be under-utilized. And it might be that they need someone like that down the line too - weird things happen.

I like Simashev more than the services have him rated. I could see Gulyayev if they want to just watch the world burn by taking an up-tempo offense-man who is constantly attacking with his speed - really, the guy has one speed and it is Nnnnnnuuuuuuuummmmmmm! I really like Willander but can't see my way to them taking him at 13 but I expect he's gone by 39. I'm not partial to Dragicevic.

Barlow and Ritchie... eh. It's the Curb shrugging gif. I guess. I'm not particularly in love with either one - I can see Barlow being an early maturing player like Rossi and Ritchie is just kind of meh. I try not to be put off by draft prospects (I know I said Dragicevic above, I would add Cristall to the "please no" list too and probably Heidt).

 

[Old Navy Goat]

Just come to the darkside and hop on the Danielson train