I am not arguing that he likely becomes good role forward some day. My point is we have many of those in the organization and we should have gone with something else with that pick, be it D prospect or at least someone more risky with higher scoring upside. I guess the low TOI contributes to why he seems invisible to me...but again thats what you get with depth, role players like him. Would have much rather taken a risk at some D with middle pairing upside there (be it shutdown or puck mover, we need both). Someone bumped the draft rating thread and I think I said C there. I am still at that grade for that pick even if he becomes some sort of middle 6 NHL forward in a couple of years. Once again we completely ignored organization need and went for some safe pick in a position that we didn't actually need.
The thing is Asplund and Pu are not too dissimilar for me so we just got a third guy of the same type. While at D we are a bit desperate if one of say Fitzgerald/Borgen doesnt turn into a solid bottom 4D in a couple of years. Id hazard a guess Bryson is no less than 3-4 years away from making it (if ever). I'm sick of having to watch Bealieu on this team. Antipin is not working out for one reason or another and McCabe is not improving. Hence my disappointment on this one. Maybe some GM that lacks C depth likes what he sees in Davidsson and by next season we have exchanged him for an equivalent D prospect.At the time, it seemed like Botterill was going for speed and smarts which has been what he said he wanted. Given how so much of both the Sabres and Amerks is not all that fast, having an expanded pipeline of those sort of players seems like a natural fit. Speed is an organizational need all over the lineup. He's a smart, fast player who can fill wing or center rolls in both checking and scoring rolls. They can slow cook him if they want. I was partial to Samberg at that pick, but watching Davidsson, I have no complaints in that regard.
As an aside, Bryson's the straw that stirs the Friar's drink with Providence. He does it all and they can sit on him for now. I'm much more pleased with him than skipping local product Farrance and going with the relatively unknown Laaksonen.
The thing is Asplund and Pu are not too dissimilar for me so we just got a third guy of the same type. While at D we are a bit desperate if one of say Fitzgerald/Borgen doesnt turn into a solid bottom 4D in a couple of years. Id hazard a guess Bryson is no less than 3-4 years away from making it (if ever). I'm sick of having to watch Bealieu on this team. Antipin is not working out for one reason or another and McCabe is not improving. Hence my disappointment on this one. Maybe some GM that lacks C depth likes what he sees in Davidsson and by next season we have exchanged him for an equivalent D prospect.
I wonder given his pro-style game and lack of contract for next year whether there’s a chance he’s on the Amerks next year. Obviously SHL is fine for his development too, but I don’t think he’d be in over his head in the AHL.
Maybe so. But when over the course of a four year stretch you make 7 second round picks and only one of them is a defensemen (and none of your first rounders were defensemen), an issue starts to develop.Drafting for need in the second round is a fools errand. No team does this. Top 10-15 picks I could hear an argument. Also our bottom six has been completely awful this year so it is a need anyway.
Stepped of the ice today midway through the first period. By the looks of it possibly a concussion