2024-25: Phantoms (AHL), Reading Royals (ECHL), NCAA, Jrs., Int'l, etc.

[JojoTheWhale]

Why should I despair?
Either they turn it around and the young guys are back on track or they pick high.
It's win-win.

I'm sorry. I can't resist a polite oppurtinity this snarky.

Exactly. This is why the Sabres are in great shape.

 

[deadhead]

I'm sorry. I can't resist a polite oppurtinity this snarky.

Exactly. This is why the Sabres are in great shape.

Buffalo is sui generis, I think they've traded away more good players than the rest of the league combined.

The hardest part during a rebuild is being patient, NJ traded Zacha (#6) b/c they got tired of waiting, and he's doing fine in Boston. It's easy to get frustrated with players when you start slowly, but they're not trying to win anything, so there's no excuse to panic (the big part of announcing a rebuild is to take the pressure off your GM to do "something, anything" when you start losing).

Now there are times when it makes sense to trade my headache for your headache, I could see a Frost and Laughton for Cozens type deal, for example.

 

[mja]

Why should I despair?
Either they turn it around and the young guys are back on track or they pick high.
It's win-win.

Yay, more Cutter Gauthiers and Jett Lunchankos!

By the time this team figures it out, you'll be long dead and I'll be getting damned close to it.

 

[deadhead]

Yay, more Cutter Gauthiers and Jett Lunchankos!

By the time this team figures it out, you'll be long dead and I'll be getting damned close to it.

I'd love to land a few more Jetts, give me a high IQ, really fast forward group and all I need are a couple guys like Michkov and TK.

Even if you're incredibly lucky like NJ (#1 twice), you have to build a team, most of their key players are from trades (Meier, Markstrom, Haula, Cotter, Kovacevic) and older free agents (Hamilton (31), Palat (33), Noeson (31), Tatar (34), Dillon (34), Seigenthaler, Pesce. That's because they've missed on a number of top ten picks (Zacha #6, Holtz #7, McLeod #12, Smith #17).

If the Flyers were to tank, what are the odds they'd end up with the next Bedard v the next Kakko?

Anaheim is now in their 7th year of their playoff drought:
Zegras (#9), Drysdale (#6)/Gauthier, McTavish #3, Mintyukov #10, Carlsson #2, Sennecke #3.

So of course their best players are Terry #148, and Dostal G #85.

They also added a lot of veterans, Strome (31), Killorn (35), Vatrano (30), McGinn (30), Fabbri (29), Fowler (33), Dumoulin (33), Gudas (34).

Silly me, I thought rebuilding teams traded all their veterans, instead of adding them?

 

[mja]

I'd love to land a few more Jetts, give me a high IQ, really fast forward group and all I need are a couple guys like Michkov and TK.

Even if you're incredibly lucky like NJ (#1 twice), you have to build a team, most of their key players are from trades (Meier, Markstrom, Haula, Cotter, Kovacevic) and older free agents (Hamilton (31), Palat (33), Noeson (31), Tatar (34), Dillon (34), Seigenthaler, Pesce. That's because they've missed on a number of top ten picks (Zacha #6, Holtz #7, McLeod #12, Smith #17).

If the Flyers were to tank, what are the odds they'd end up with the next Bedard v the next Kakko?

Anaheim is now in their 7th year of their playoff drought:
Zegras (#9), Drysdale (#6)/Gauthier, McTavish #3, Mintyukov #10, Carlsson #2, Sennecke #3.

So of course their best players are Terry #148, and Dostal G #85.

They also added a lot of veterans, Strome (31), Killorn (35), Vatrano (30), McGinn (30), Fabbri (29), Fowler (33), Dumoulin (33), Gudas (34).

Silly me, I thought rebuilding teams traded all their veterans, instead of adding them?

Nope, not falling for this, I have better things to do with my time.

 

[FLYguy3911]

Jett. High IQ. Low PPG.

 

[freakydallas13]

I don't see him as a 1C, more of a two way 2C, a 40 point ES scorer who's above average defensively.
But we'll see, he's got raw tools, he can pass, needs to work on his shot.

It would help his development to play on a team with skilled wingers, and even better, a team that can go deep into the CHL playoffs.

I legitimately cannot reconcile how you say Zavragin is comparable to the best goalie in the world because of his KHL stats at a similar age, but not be worried about what Luchanko's lack of production projects him as. How many centers in their D+1 go back to the CHL with poor offensive results like Jeff's, and end up as second like centers? Give me the numbers on centers below a ppg in their D+1, and how often they turn into second line NHL centers. I would love to see them.

I know it's early, but if he doesn't produce (and produce a lot), it's folly to project him as anything more than a bottom 6 center at the NHL level based on his stats.

 

[volnoir]

Jett. High IQ. Low PPG.

And all while Buium is quietly at 10A in 8 games.

 

[deadhead]

I legitimately cannot reconcile how you say Zavragin is comparable to the best goalie in the world because of his KHL stats at a similar age, but not be worried about what Luchanko's lack of production projects him as. How many centers in their D+1 go back to the CHL with poor offensive results like Jeff's, and end up as second like centers? Give me the numbers on centers below a ppg in their D+1, and how often they turn into second line NHL centers. I would love to see them.

I know it's early, but if he doesn't produce (and produce a lot), it's folly to project him as anything more than a bottom 6 center at the NHL level based on his stats.

3 games? Really.

 

[DAVIDE1333]

And all while Buium is quietly at 10A in 8 games.

This may be their biggest regret (although they will never admit it).

 

[freakydallas13]

3 games? Really.

Did you even read the last paragraph I wrote?

Edit: You're the one asserting you see him as a future 2C, I'm just pointing out that if that's what you think he is then he has to show more than he has to this point in his CHL career.

 

[deadhead]

And all while Buium is quietly at 10A in 8 games.

He's on a team with 15 NHL draft picks.
Eric Pohlkamp, an undrafted 20 year D-man has 8g 4-5 9 for Denver.

 

[NYCFlyer]

This may be their biggest regret (although they will never admit it).

BIGGEST regret. Thats a bold statement considering all of the gaffes by the organization.
We have NO centers and York Drysdale Andrae and Bonk all developing young defensemen. After going to a few of the DU games he may be better than all of them but not by enough to make up the disaster at center.

 

[DAVIDE1333]

BIGGEST regret. Thats a bold statement considering all of the gaffes by the organization.
We have NO centers and York Drysdale Andrae and Bonk all developing young defensemen. After going to a few of the DU games he may be better than all of them but not by enough to make up the disaster at center.

He may, I stress may, be the best defenseman drafted in a few years. They have never had to opportunity to draft the best center.

 

[deadhead]

He may, I stress may, be the best defenseman drafted in a few years. They have never had to opportunity to draft the best center.

I think if Dickinson fell to them they would have taken him over Luchanko.
Think they were hoping Buium would go at #11.
Dickinson has the combination of size, speed and skill to be a #1, 25+ D-man.

 

[FLYguy3911]

Rebuilding teams shouldn’t draft for need in the first round.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

Rebuilding teams shouldn’t draft for need in the first round.

Terrible management drafts for need in the first round.

 

[deadhead]

Both defense and center were positions of need.
I just think they weren't as impressed with Buium as the amateurs.

 

[Magua]

He's on a team with 15 NHL draft picks.

Holy disingenuous Batman. Here's the 12 other NHL picks on his team and where they were drafted. A real murderer's row of future AHL/Euro guys:

1st round: N/A
2nd round: 1
3rd round: 2
4th round: 3
5th round: 2
6th round: 2
7th round: 2

BU has 13 NHL picks; BC has 12. That applies to every top college program. Denver isn't some outlier, if anything they're worse in accounting for high end talent. The 6th rounders tend to just stay longer. I sure as shit know you weren't minimizing Gauthier's production on a team with 3 other 1st rounders, including 2 top 10. Come up with whatever half-baked justification you want: Buium was the best defenseman in college hockey as a freshman -- historically good.

 

[deadhead]

Holy disingenuous Batman. Here's the 12 other NHL picks on his team and where they were drafted. A real murderer's row of future AHL/Euro guys:

1st round: N/A
2nd round: 1
3rd round: 2
4th round: 3
5th round: 2
6th round: 2
7th round: 2

BU has 13 NHL picks; BC has 12. That applies to every top college program. Denver isn't some outlier, if anything they're worse in accounting for high end talent. The 6th rounders tend to just stay longer. I sure as shit know you weren't minimizing Gauthier's production on a team with 3 other 1st rounders, including 2 top 10. Buium was the best defenseman in college hockey as a freshman.

It's still a deep team for college, and that matters more for defensive production (on offense, you just need one top line to pad your numbers, as Crosby shows, play with a top center and average guys look great).

He's not doing anything so far this season to make you go wow!
Maybe he will, maybe he won't.

 

[Magua]

He's not doing anything so far this season to make you go wow!

3 games? Really.

A little consistency would be nice. And Buium is currently 2nd among NCAA D in points behind a 23 year old. 2nd! It would be a better pace than last year. Imagine that being a criticism in 8 games but defending Luchanko's last year+. The cognitive dissonance just knocked me out of my chair.

 

[FLYguy3911]

He’s only second in the country in defense scoring and will probably be leading in a few days but yeah other than that nothing makes you say wow.

Btw York was…checks notes…70th in his D+1!!

 

[Magua]

Also, for the Dickinson talk because we must minimize Buium at all costs....

I'm a Dickinson fan as a 2/3 type, but my criticisms of his game are a lack of creativity and soft area skill. I've never been a huge fan of his PP work as a future PP1 guy. With that in mind, strong as his stats are at a glance, 5/17 points are 5v5. He's leading the OHL with 64 shots in 12 games (London post draft special), and I already thought he could turret last season. I haven't watched this season, but I don't know if this is growth scaling to projection.

I'm not even saying Buium is some 1D lock or without flaws, but his baseline skill is so high it doesn't come every draft.

 

[deadhead]

A little consistency would be nice. And Buium is currently 2nd among NCAA D in points behind a 23 year old. 2nd! It would be a better pace than last year. Imagine that being a criticism in 8 games but defending Luchanko's last year+. The cognitive dissonance just knocked me out of my chair.

And he's one point ahead of a 20 year old undrafted teammate.
Maybe playing for Denver inflates scoring, ask Rizzo.
Check back in a couple months.

 

[blackjackmulligan]

And he's one point ahead of a 20 year old undrafted teammate.
Maybe playing for Denver inflates scoring, ask Rizzo.
Check back in a couple months.

Has there ever been a Flyers draft pick over the last 5 years you didn't like or criticize?