Prospect Info: Luke Hughes (#4 overall)

[StevenToddIves]

I feel a little bit bad for Power since going #1 comes with higher expectations. If he had been a few months older, he'd probably have gone #3 or #4 in the 2020 Draft and he wouldn't be under the same microscope. Sorta reminds me of Aaron Ekblad's draft year, nobody thought he was a perennial Norris guy to the point where Florida GM Dale Tallon explored trading the pick (apparently ownership didn't approve). It's easy to say now that Leon Draisaitl should have gone first but lots of people were thinking Sam Reinhart or Sam Bennett had higher upside than Ekblad at the time. I still enjoy my beer league teammate / Flames fan telling me how Bennett was by far the best prospect in that draft.

Matty Beniers is a guy everybody would like to have but probably profiles more like a Bo Horvat / Ryan O'Reilly than a typical #1C. I think San Jose said they had Beniers ranked over Power for what it's worth. William Eklund and Kent Johnson have tantalizing skill but we'll see how they pan out. Hopefully Luke puts himself in that conversation over the next couple of years, we might have lucked out with him being injured for the U18s. Mason McTavish had a big tournament to vault himself to where he went.

I'd say Beniers has more upside than Horvat or O'Reilly on account of his electrifying speed. This quality also puts him around a similar offensive ceiling to Eklund, who has greater puck skills than Beniers, but not by as much as some of led us to believe. Beniers is a terrific prospect.

Johnson might have been the most talented offensive player in the entire 2021 draft, but I had him ranked behind Eklund on account of Eklund's higher IQ and more complete game. But Johnson certainly is the first guy I'd bet on in the entire class so far as having a shot at a 90+ point season one day in the NHL.

McTavish gets a lot of flak for his outstanding tournament performance vaulting him up the draft ranks, but we need to keep in mind that, after his OHL season was cancelled, it pretty much offered McTavish's only opportunity to strut his stuff. I agree that tournament play can be overstated when prospects have a full season, but McTavish did not. It's very possible he really is as good as he played in the tourney last year, though I suppose time will tell.

 

[JimEIV]

Power was the right pick in my mind at #1. Hughes and Clarke might have a bit more upside, but Power has quite a bit of upside on his own as a 50+ point D who is a beast in his own zone and a match-up impossibility, while offering the highest floor of all 2021 draft-eligible D.

That 50+ point part is the sticking point for me. If that is correct he'd make an excellent #1 selection....I am just not convinced he has that kind of offensive upside.

 

[Guttersniped]

I feel a little bit bad for Power since going #1 comes with higher expectations. If he had been a few months older, he'd probably have gone #3 or #4 in the 2020 Draft and he wouldn't be under the same microscope. Sorta reminds me of Aaron Ekblad's draft year, nobody thought he was a perennial Norris guy to the point where Florida GM Dale Tallon explored trading the pick (apparently ownership didn't approve). It's easy to say now that Leon Draisaitl should have gone first but lots of people were thinking Sam Reinhart or Sam Bennett had higher upside than Ekblad at the time. I still enjoy my beer league teammate / Flames fan telling me how Bennett was by far the best prospect in that draft.

Matty Beniers is a guy everybody would like to have but probably profiles more like a Bo Horvat / Ryan O'Reilly than a typical #1C. I think San Jose said they had Beniers ranked over Power for what it's worth. William Eklund and Kent Johnson have tantalizing skill but we'll see how they pan out. Hopefully Luke puts himself in that conversation over the next couple of years, we might have lucked out with him being injured for the U18s. Mason McTavish had a big tournament to vault himself to where he went.

Yeah, it really depends on who the Sabres draft this year and the next, but the expectations seem to have been kind of realistically lowered for Power.

He’s not playing in the NHL and lack of clear top elite talent is pretty well understood among fans who follow this sort of thing. It’s easy to say Power is a bad choice but it’s harder to say who they were supposed to choose, I guess Beniers? I still think Guenther is super intriguing, I can’t quit you Dylan, but I’m not even super confident he’s going do better than Cole Sillinger, who’s also pretty intriguing. It’s just wasn’t the year to pick 1st.

I don’t see people holding this against Power unless he full-on busts or Sabres have horrific future lottery luck plus shit drafting. They can’t be pushed back too far though with only two lottery spots, the fixed odds and teams being only able to move up 10 spots. The days of when, say, the 3rd worst team could easily pick 5th are over, that was a product of the post-2016 juiced odds. (Yes, I’m envisioning an upbeat hypothetical future where the Sabres are only the 3rd worst team.)

It’s easy to say Drais should have gone first, but there’s no reason statistically that Reinhart shouldn’t have gone 1st ahead of him, if you want to go by how they both did in the WHL their draft year and how much better his D-1 year was. Hindsight doesn’t count. It’s always tough taking a defenseman first though, that’s why Power is little iffy for me.

 

[Hisch13r]

I don't think I would've drafted Power #1 overall. He strikes me as someone who is solid and will be very good but with not a big enough upside to have gone #1. You never know how someone is going to progress but that's just my impression of him.

I'm with you. I think he'll be a perfectly fine 2/3D but I don't think he'll ever be anything special. He got overrated because size

 

[Hisch13r]

I feel a little bit bad for Power since going #1 comes with higher expectations. If he had been a few months older, he'd probably have gone #3 or #4 in the 2020 Draft and he wouldn't be under the same microscope. Sorta reminds me of Aaron Ekblad's draft year, nobody thought he was a perennial Norris guy to the point where Florida GM Dale Tallon explored trading the pick (apparently ownership didn't approve). It's easy to say now that Leon Draisaitl should have gone first but lots of people were thinking Sam Reinhart or Sam Bennett had higher upside than Ekblad at the time. I still enjoy my beer league teammate / Flames fan telling me how Bennett was by far the best prospect in that draft.

Matty Beniers is a guy everybody would like to have but probably profiles more like a Bo Horvat / Ryan O'Reilly than a typical #1C. I think San Jose said they had Beniers ranked over Power for what it's worth. William Eklund and Kent Johnson have tantalizing skill but we'll see how they pan out. Hopefully Luke puts himself in that conversation over the next couple of years, we might have lucked out with him being injured for the U18s. Mason McTavish had a big tournament to vault himself to where he went.

I doubt he goes that high in the 2020 draft. Can't see the Sens taking him over Stutzle at 3 or the Wings taking him over Raymond at 4. Maybe the Sens take him over Sanderson at 5 but even then I wouldn't be certain. Same for Ducks and Drysdale at 6. Had he gotten there he wouldn't have slipped by us at 7

 

[StevenToddIves]

That 50+ point part is the sticking point for me. If that is correct he'd make an excellent #1 selection....I am just not convinced he has that kind of offensive upside.

Power has an excellent shot and is a very good passer. When he enters the zone with possession, he is extremely adept at protecting the puck. While I feel his likely projection is as a 40+ point, all-situations D who is a defensive stalwart, I would certainly say if he reaches his talent ceiling he can be a 50+ point player from the blueline. My big question now would be: does any prospect approach their talent ceiling in Buffalo?

 

[StevenToddIves]

I doubt he goes that high in the 2020 draft. Can't see the Sens taking him over Stutzle at 3 or the Wings taking him over Raymond at 4. Maybe the Sens take him over Sanderson at 5 but even then I wouldn't be certain. Same for Ducks and Drysdale at 6. Had he gotten there he wouldn't have slipped by us at 7

Agreed Power had no chance for the top 3 in 2020. Detroit quite possibly would have taken him at #4, however. Personally, I would not have ranked Power ahead of Sanderson or Drysdale, but Stevie Y built a D core with huge physical size in Tampa, and appears to be trying the same path in Detroit.

 

[Darkauron]

Power has an excellent shot and is a very good passer. When he enters the zone with possession, he is extremely adept at protecting the puck. While I feel his likely projection is as a 40+ point, all-situations D who is a defensive stalwart, I would certainly say if he reaches his talent ceiling he can be a 50+ point player from the blueline. My big question now would be: does any prospect approach their talent ceiling in Buffalo?

Nope.

 

[JimEIV]

Power has an excellent shot and is a very good passer. When he enters the zone with possession, he is extremely adept at protecting the puck. While I feel his likely projection is as a 40+ point, all-situations D who is a defensive stalwart, I would certainly say if he reaches his talent ceiling he can be a 50+ point player from the blueline. My big question now would be: does any prospect approach their talent ceiling in Buffalo?

I didn't even think about the "Buffalo factor" but that is a very valid point.

 

[AfroThunder396]

Especially considering Buffalo already has Dahlin, who has become the de facto face of the franchise. He's going to get all the big minutes and PP time. So I'm not sure where Power's points will be coming from. Buffalo's #1 unit is going to have a hard enough time producing.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Especially considering Buffalo already has Dahlin, who has become the de facto face of the franchise. He's going to get all the big minutes and PP time. So I'm not sure where Power's points will be coming from. Buffalo's #1 unit is going to have a hard enough time producing.

Power will not even be in Buffalo until 2022-23, so it's not really an issue right now. I'm guessing Dahlin is heading the 1PP and Power heading the 2PP for the foreseeable future. The problem in Buffalo is that they are a mess all the way down -- ownership, management, coaching, prospect development... even the medical staff. It might be years before they collect enough high-end prospects to compete. Eichel should have been traded by now, and the Sabres were robbed in deals for Reinhart, Montour etc. etc. That Skinner contract is just brutal.

There is some hope. Dylan Cozens has all the makings of a stud, top-line forward. Dahlin and Power can anchor the blueline for years to come. I feel Jack Quinn and Casey Mittelstadt, despite both having been overdrafted, could become productive scoring forwards. I felt Isak Rosen was a terrific pick this year later in the first round, and Buffalo did very well in the 2nd round with Poltapov and Kisakov.

But this team is still years away from even being interesting, and given what a tremendous fan base they have, it's pretty sad and speaks as a cautionary tale on bad management. The bright side I suppose is that at least they're not Arizona.

 

[MartyOwns]

Power will not even be in Buffalo until 2022-23, so it's not really an issue right now. I'm guessing Dahlin is heading the 1PP and Power heading the 2PP for the foreseeable future. The problem in Buffalo is that they are a mess all the way down -- ownership, management, coaching, prospect development... even the medical staff. It might be years before they collect enough high-end prospects to compete. Eichel should have been traded by now, and the Sabres were robbed in deals for Reinhart, Montour etc. etc. That Skinner contract is just brutal.

There is some hope. Dylan Cozens has all the makings of a stud, top-line forward. Dahlin and Power can anchor the blueline for years to come. I feel Jack Quinn and Casey Mittelstadt, despite both having been overdrafted, could become productive scoring forwards. I felt Isak Rosen was a terrific pick this year later in the first round, and Buffalo did very well in the 2nd round with Poltapov and Kisakov.

But this team is still years away from even being interesting, and given what a tremendous fan base they have, it's pretty sad and speaks as a cautionary tale on bad management. The bright side I suppose is that at least they're not Arizona.

funny you mention arizona, because i might recommend buffalo go that route. blow everything up and acquire a ridiculous amount of draft picks (i believe arizona has 14 top 60 picks in the next 2 years- nearly an entire roster.) and if they wanted to, they could trade guys like kessel, chychrun, etc and get even more picks.

then again, i wouldn't trust buffalo's ownership or management teams to not f*** up a rebuild entirely, so probably best they stand pat.

 

[StevenToddIves]

funny you mention arizona, because i might recommend buffalo go that route. blow everything up and acquire a ridiculous amount of draft picks (i believe arizona has 14 top 60 picks in the next 2 years- nearly an entire roster.) and if they wanted to, they could trade guys like kessel, chychrun, etc and get even more picks.

then again, i wouldn't trust buffalo's ownership or management teams to not f*** up a rebuild entirely, so probably best they stand pat.

Perhaps, but Arizona was left with a questionable scouting crew after the historically bad reign of ex-GM John Chayka, and it really showed in an awful 2021 draft.

Arizona made a terrific -- albeit obvious -- pick of Dylan Guenther at #9 overall. But thereafter? They made not just bad, but terrible picks with every other pick in the entire draft. With three 2nd round picks, the Coyotes took 3 players who likely could have been had in the 5th round. It was embarrassing -- though not as embarrassing as the 2020 draft, when they had 5 picks and took one player with even a modicum of an NHL future (Carson Bantle). And let's not even go into the Mitch Miller selection, which was probably the worst mid-round pick in the entire 21st century.

This team needs to completely clean house if they are to have any future at all. They are just poorly staffed and poorly run.

 

[Guttersniped]

funny you mention arizona, because i might recommend buffalo go that route. blow everything up and acquire a ridiculous amount of draft picks (i believe arizona has 14 top 60 picks in the next 2 years- nearly an entire roster.) and if they wanted to, they could trade guys like kessel, chychrun, etc and get even more picks.

then again, i wouldn't trust buffalo's ownership or management teams to not f*** up a rebuild entirely, so probably best they stand pat.

The Coyotes are definitely trading Kessel for sure, he’s a UFA.

They’re keeping Chychrun for now, he’s only 23, so they should only really move him for an overpay. You need some base to play with the kids you draft, most people here are happy that Severson is still here.

They’ve blown it up pretty damn good.

 

[Eggtimer]

When is Luke’s first regular season game ? Looking like he is going to be on the right side of the second pairing or did I look at their projected rosters wrong .

 

[JK3]

When is Luke’s first regular season game ? Looking like he is going to be on the right side of the second pairing or did I look at their projected rosters wrong .

Friday is Michigan’s season opener. Luke had an assist, 5 shots and a was a +2 the other day in their exhibition game. Looks like he was playing on the right side.

 

[StevenToddIves]

The Coyotes are definitely trading Kessel for sure, he’s a UFA.

They’re keeping Chychrun for now, he’s only 23, so they should only really move him for an overpay. You need some base to play with the kids you draft, most people here are happy that Severson is still here.

They’ve blown it up pretty damn good.

You can have all the draft picks in the world, but if you draft like Arizona has in 2020 and 2021, it's still going to be an eternal rebuild. Again, the Guenther pick was great, but also obvious. This organization is still reeling a bit from the absurdly ill-advised trade for Taylor Hall. They have a few high-end prospects in Guenther, Soderstrom, Hayton, Jenik and Farinacci -- and a couple of excellent young players in Chychrun and Keller. But I'd say overall, they're even behind Buffalo in terms of future hopes -- I'd prefer the Sabres young duo of Dahlin and Cozens, plus Buffalo is likely to get a huge haul in return for Eichel.

 

[Lou is God]

Friday is Michigan’s season opener. Luke had an assist, 5 shots and a was a +2 the other day in their exhibition game. Looks like he was playing on the right side.

Won't be on the BTN, they have women's volleyball. That sucks.

 

[AfroThunder396]

Yeah a rebuild isn't just one thing, it's a process with multiple stages.

Buffalo under Tim Murray did amazing at the liquidation part of the rebuild, they stockpiled a ton of assets. But the second part, identifying and developing the core, was a colossal failure for them. Arizona is in a similar situation right now, yes they have an insane amount of draft/trade capital but they don't have a core to build around.

Now obviously they can go out and buy just about anyone they want with all the picks they have, but choosing the right players to bring in and build around is easier said than done.

 

[JK3]

Won't be on the BTN, they have women's volleyball. That sucks.

I'd love to check out some of their games but I have no idea where to watch, I has to be on somewhere.

 

[Lou is God]

I'd love to check out some of their games but I have no idea where to watch, I has to be on somewhere.

What service do you have? I think if the games or not on BTN you can watch it on BTN+, you might have to pay extra for that but supposedly Hulu carries BTN+ but I never could find their game from Saturday night on there.

 

[JK3]

What service do you have? I think if the games or not on BTN you can watch it on BTN+, you might have to pay extra for that but supposedly Hulu carries BTN+ but I never could find their game from Saturday night on there.

I have Fios, I don't watch any other sports (college or pros) other than hockey so it's not worth it to me to add another service. I'll poke around the web and see if I can find it but if not I'll just catch the highlights.

 

[Eggtimer]

What the hell is BTN.

 

[Lou is God]

What the hell is BTN.

Big 10 Network

 

[Billdo]

What the hell is BTN.

Biomechanical Tibia Nico