Continuing on in this series we move to the Sabres who thanks to the Pominville trade own two first round picks, the 8th and 16th respectfully.
Just as a preamble, these are my opinions and views so feel free to make fun or disagree. If you would like me to take a stab at your team just put a comment asking and I’ll happily oblige.
The Sabres have one of the stronger prospect pools in the NHL in my opinion and have a little bit of everything. At forward they have Mikhail Grigorenko headlining a group with some interesting players; Mobile big man Joel Armia, gritty two-way threat Zemgus Girgensons and two-way calm Johan Larsson. On defense they have a lot of players that project as serviceable defensemen, but lack any real “top-end” prospect, Jake McCabe being the most likely to be a top-4 guy, while Mark Pysyk looks to be a reliable 4-6 dman, the rest are a bit trickier to figure like Brayden McNabb who has all the tools to be a dominant two-way Shea Weber-lite but hasn’t figured it out and Jerome Gauthier-Leduc the PP specialist with some major hiccups to his game. Goaltending prospects are also fairly strong all things considered, especially with the addition of Matt Hackett and the inconsistent but sometimes dominant Andrei Makarov.
So in my view the Sabres with such good first round picks would probably love to come out with a high-potential defenseman and a scoring threat with size…that uses it. Buffalo’s “core” has often been accused of being ultra-soft and very easy to play against, which seeing the trend of Stanley Cup contenders is not really the way to go. With Foligno and Girgensons as the only scoring threats that hit on/in the pipeline they could really do with more grit.
8th pick
Rasmus Ristolainen : The 6’3 tough defenseman played heavy minutes for TPS in the SM-liiga and showed that even at 18 he can compete against men…an unusual task for a defenseman of his age in Europe. He dominated, and I don’t use that word lightly, the WJC’s playing in all situations and anchoring the Finnish defense with Islanders prospect Ville Pokka. He hits, he moves the puck well, he shoots hard and quick and he can make crisp passes, he does it all, which is why he is mostly regarded as the second best defender in this draft. He can be prone to making some blunder breakout passes, but he’s young and that happens even to the best players. He also has been known to step over the line in clearing the front of the net and forgets that 7 crosschecks are 6 too many. Size with mobility is heavily prized in today’s NHL and he has the potential to be a top-pairing defenseman. He is committed to staying in TPS for one more season at least so he’ll have an extra year to develop.
Elias Lindholm : I honestly don’t believe he falls past 6, but if he does the Sabres will be sitting pretty two years in a row with quality fallers. Lindholm plays a cerebral two-way game and is quality all over the ice. He was simply otherworldly in the Elitserien this year putting up some of the best numbers for an 18 year old ever including more than Nicklas Backstrom at the same age. Now numbers aren’t everything of course, but he shows excellent passing abilities and puck control. He really controls the ice when the puck is on his stick and his vision is superb. He could do with shooting more and sometimes you can tell that he is passing first in his mentality which can really frustrate you…so don’t expect too many wrist shot goals off the rush from him. With excellent positioning and awareness he’s a very safe player on the ice. At 6’0 176 though he is a bit on the smallish side and could definitely use more muscle/development.
Hunter Shinkaruk : Once again not really the “ideal” pick that I mentioned earlier, but he’s a guy that would fit Buffalo very well. The 5’10 speedster plays both wings (Sabres could desperately use some LW prospects) and has some serious natural goal scoring ability. He showed great leadership when he donned the C and was in general the best player for the Tiger Cats (especially in the playoffs). He has a strong quick stride that makes him very hard to defend in a one vs one situation and allows him to blow by defenders on the wing. He has very quick hands and is highly unpredictable with creativity in the offensive zone coming out of the wazoo. His playmaking is strong as well, but his quick hard shots and willingness to get around the net are his real strengths. All this being said he is a small player and despite hard work and even some strong backchecking/forechecking abilities, he does need to get stronger and show that he can compete against stronger competition.
Ryan Pulock : Offensively brilliant, defensively above-average with major potential as being the steal of the draft. He has a canon-like shot and runs a PP expertly with creativity and constant movement/adjustment. He has already at 18 clocked slappers at 103 MPH and there really is no other word to describe his shot other than “elite.” He plays with a physical edge to go along with all those offensive tools and isn’t afraid to muck things up in the corners. At 6’0 206 he’s well-built already and very solid due to a really strong lower body (he’s very hard to get off his feet). Like Shinkaruk he showed a lot of leadership on a poor Wheat King’s squad as their captain and leading point getter, a rare feat in junior. His defensive zone coverage isn’t the greatest which is a knock against him and there are concerns about his speed which is definitely not the best. He is fairly mobile despite the average skating and has shown good instincts and tendencies as a puck mover, you just wonder if that will translate as well in the pros where speed is essential.
Bo Horvat : Personally I wouldn’t use the 8th on him, it seems a bit early for such a safe player, but if the Sabres like Steve Ott, they’ll love Horvat. He gives it his all, all the time and is one of the most well-rounded players in the entire draft. He’s tireless in all three zones and relentless in his forechecking and backchecking. He plays physical, he gets in front of the net, he grinds it out and above all he’s shown that he is fairly clutch winning the OHL Playoffs MVP and being the best London Knights forward in the Memorial Cup. He plays in all situations and acts often as the screen on the PP. The 6’0 centre brings the two-way physical game that all NHL teams want. His speed is pretty good, though his top-end isn’t exactly special; he relies on his quick acceleration to get around the ice (very quick start speed). He’s an extremely safe pick and a player that is pretty much destined to have an NHL career. He’s shown that he can play all three forward positions which is some nice versatility. The major concerns are his upside, does he have the offensive flair to move into a top-6 role at the next level…or will he be a great third line centre a la Brandon Sutter or Antoine Vermette?
Valeri Nichushkin : He’s stealing the thunder of imaginations around the mock draftosphere with tidbits of his play and highlights. For a while I was pretty sceptical about where he would end up. I’ve seen Kuznetsov, Tarasenko, Grigorenko (age 17 or 23 if you’re a conspiracy theorist), Slepyshev, Cherepanov (RIP) who all “fell” in their draft years despite long listings high in the draft rankings. I would argue that each were better at this stage respectfully. Nichushkin at the start of the year I would say he’d have been at 20 highest. Then as his MHL year progressed he just wasn’t doing it for me. Playing on the perimeter, making fancy plays and generally being inconsistent…including the most untimely shots from the circle. His WJC performance was also fairly underwhelming, he had two great hits and three amazing net drives, but wasn’t a consistent factor. That said he’s 18 and not expected to destroy such a tournament. What has me changing my mind was his play in the playoffs in the KHL. He took his game to another level and one which I’ve rarely seen from such a young player in a professional league. On the second line of Traktor Chelyabinsk he added 5 goals and 6 points in 12 games. He showed serious passion and amazing net drives using that wide quick stride. He has a stutter step that completely messes with defenders heads as his burst of speed at that size is ridiculous. This has raised his value tremendously in my mind, and no doubt the minds of scouts. I am however still greatly worried by the similarities between Nichushkin and another large speedy skilled winger with consistency issues that went 2nd overall…JVR who is taking a long time to develop and who never had the Russian factor to contend with.
What he possesses is that rare combination of size and speed. Elite stick handling and a great snap shot. His speed off the wing is incredible and looking down the road when he is 6’4 and 230 you begin to see why scouts see him on the rise. My issue is still consistency, he hits like a truck…once per month. He drives the net like an animal, one game out of ten. These are things young players learn, but for every time I see an Ovechkin, I see Andrei Kostitsyn. He has those usual issues in his own zone that many young players do. So if you are expecting a bruising power forward, this is not your guy. My question is, do you pass on such raw ability and size? If so, how far do you let him pass? In my opinion I can see him sliding to 10th and if any further, some GM will look like a smart guy.
16th pick
There is a serious pile-up of players in the 12-25 range that are frequently being lowered and raised in the mockdraft universe. So I’ll just go with a few of my favourites and guys I think the Sabres could use, should they be there.
Alexander Wennberg : He’s flown a bit under the radar despite having an amazing season both internationally and in the Allsvenskan. The 6’1 centre/LW/RW (versatile) has excellent offensive instincts and top-end speed. His speed to me is Grabner like with excellent start and stop movements. That kind of speed has really helped him out on the bigger ice-surface in Sweden. His hockey sense is described as being near elite and this plus his speed have made him one of the top penalty killers in the draft and he’s a master of creating turnovers. He’s a bit of a one shot scorer and likes to shoot off the rush or cut inside for a wrister and I haven’t seen or heard much if anything about a slapshot. Overall he has amazing instincts in both zones and has a high compete level. I thought he looked very good for Sweden in the WJC’s even though he played in the bottom-6 and was used primarily in a defensive role. Any 18 year old player that is trusted to play on the PK against men is alright by me and his 32 points in 46 games is very impressive. I won’t even go into his dominating performance in last year’s U18’s…this kid is so underrated.
Adam Erne : This would be my ideal pick for the Sabres should he last this long as he is exactly what they need…a LW power winger that can slot in the top-6 and has had playing time with Mikhail Grigorenko. He’s very quick and speedy for a 6’1 player and hounds the puck all game long. He is a very physical player that has a reputation for being very clean and just loves finishing his checks hard and legal. He drives the net hard and with full speed is very difficult to be dealt with. He creates a ton of scoring chances from nothing purely by his speed and bulling towards the net, you know something will happen each time he steps on the ice. He is not highly creative nor is he a good playmaker which is one of his downsides and he’s a shooter primarily. He’s fairly reliable defensively as well and isn’t a liability out there. Interestingly enough he has yet to play in an international tournament, though I would assume he gets picked for the WJC’s next time around.
Valentin Zykov : He is pretty much the opposite of the stereotypical Russian winger, he plays like a grinder yet has the skill of a high scoring threat. He has a nasty wrist shot that is highly effective off the rush and he makes quick smart passes when he has to. His shot is bordering on elite levels and I like his versatility in that he is not simply a one-shot scorer. He plays physical and is a great defensive forward, back in Russian before he made the move to the QMJHL he was considered a defensive specialist and minor penalty magnet, which is why his Rookie of the Year (CHL and QMJHL respectfully)…year…was so surprising as he literally came out of nowhere. His strength is excellent and he’s very hard to take off the puck when he’s mucking on the boards. He’s crushed some seriously big players. His major downside is that he is an average skater who when at top-speed is very fast, but he’s a notoriously slow accelerator and looks labored when he begins. That kind of thing is what separates him from the top-10 group. The 6’0 210 RW is one of my personal favourites.
Other Players Considered:
8th Pick : Sean Monahan (C) of the Ottawa 67’s, Darnell Nurse (D) of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds or Nikita Zadorov (D) of the London Knights.
16th Pick : Nikita Zadorov again! Ryan Hartman (RW) of the Plymouth Whalers, Robert Hägg (D) of MODO in the Elitserien, Josh Morrissey (D) of the Prince Albert Raiders, Kerby Rychel (LW) of the Windsor Spitfires and Anthony Mantha (LW) of the Val-d’Or Foreurs.
T
hanks for reading. What's the ETA on GARTH post blocking?
Join the Discussion:
»