Speculation: Reinhart is likely the top forward on the Sabres board

[TehDoak]

Either the Sabres are blowing alot of smoke, or Reinhart is the top forward on their board

From April 15th:

https://twitter.com/BuffNewsVogl/status/456234534778830849

Sabres GM Tim Murray: "We have a forward that we have somewhat of a consensus in the group that is at the top of the forward list."

From Friday:

http://sabres.nhl.com/club/blogpost.htm?id=29839

The only prospect interviewed by Sabres color guy, Dan Dunleavy. The Sabres send a rep to Toronto....he leaves with just one interview, Reinhart.

From Today:
http://audio.wgr550.com/a/92774048/6-3-sabres-assistant-gm-kevin-devine-talks-draft-on-wgr.htm?

Around the 5 minute mark, Devine basically gushes over Reinhart, calling him "Best playmaker I've seen in 10-15 years"

Now, if your scouting group has a 'consensus' and the head scout has an obvious mancrush on Reinhart, and the Sabres send a media rep to the combine and only have an interview with 1 player, i mean, where there's smoke, there's fire, correct?

Click to read more...

 

[Jame]

I sure hope so

 

[buffalowing88]

Either the Sabres are blowing alot of smoke, or Reinhart is the top forward on their board

From April 15th:

https://twitter.com/BuffNewsVogl/status/456234534778830849



From Friday:

http://sabres.nhl.com/club/blogpost.htm?id=29839

The only prospect interviewed by Sabres color guy, Dan Dunleavy. The Sabres send a rep to Toronto....he leaves with just one interview, Reinhart.

From Today:
http://audio.wgr550.com/a/92774048/6-3-sabres-assistant-gm-kevin-devine-talks-draft-on-wgr.htm?

Around the 5 minute mark, Devine basically gushes over Reinhart, calling him "Best playmaker I've seen in 10-15 years"

Now, if your scouting group has a 'consensus' and the head scout has an obvious mancrush on Reinhart, and the Sabres send a media rep to the combine and only have an interview with 1 player, i mean, where there's smoke, there's fire, correct?

Yeah...that seems pretty indicative about where we stand heading into the draft. Couldn't be happier, personally. Reinhart is going to be a major part of this teams success after the rebuild is complete.

 

[stokes84]

I think he's their guy.

 

[Jame]

I think he's their guy.

Mentally preparing for your avatar?

 

[SabresFanNorthPortFL]

Perfect!

Now, Florida do the right thing!

 

[stokes84]

Mentally preparing for your avatar?

Sure. Looking forward to it. SR is a hell of a player.

That said, I always maintained LD was in the top group mix, which I have clearly been proven right about.

 

[boots electric]

Reinhart has always seemed like more of Tim Murray's brand of player. Personal preference aside (I've wavered back and forth between Sam and Samson), I think any internal debate by the Sabres has been between Reinhart and Ekblad, not Reinhart and Bennett.

 

[TehDoak]

To add a bit more smoke, at the lotto at 2:30

http://video.sabres.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=604213

"There's an 80% chance we can get the player at 2 that we want at 1"

Considering that most boards have Ekblad/Bennett at 1/2...

 

[enthusiast]

To add a bit more smoke, at the lotto

http://video.sabres.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=604213

"There's an 80% chance we can get the player at 2 that we want at 1"

Considering that most boards have Ekblad/Bennett at 1/2...

Was it that way at the time?

 

[TossinSauce]

In some odd, probably mistaken way I'm happy we don't have first pick. I really want a forward but it would be hard to pass on Ekblad.

 

[Jame]

Sure. Looking forward to it. SR is a hell of a player.

That said, I always maintained LD was in the top group mix, which I have clearly been proven right about.

You have a funny definition of "clearly" and "proven".

 

[EichHart]

To add a bit more smoke, at the lotto at 2:30

http://video.sabres.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=604213

"There's an 80% chance we can get the player at 2 that we want at 1"

Considering that most boards have Ekblad/Bennett at 1/2...

How do you know what most boards have?

 

[EichHart]

Reinhart has always seemed like more of Tim Murray's brand of player. Personal preference aside (I've wavered back and forth between Sam and Samson), I think any internal debate by the Sabres has been between Reinhart and Ekblad, not Reinhart and Bennett.

I thought everyone was saying Bennett was more of Tim Murray's brand of player?

 

[TehDoak]

Was it that way at the time?

Pretty much, the 'media' ranking has been Ekblad #1 for awhile

How do you know what most boards have?

I meant most media rankings/publicly available rankings not team boards, I obviously have zero idea how teams are rating players

 

[Zip15]

Devine had some glowing things to say about Bennett, as well. He talked about how his passion is what separates him from the others. Now, he could be saying that he's just a much more passionate, heart-on-his-sleeve guy than the other players in that top group, or that's the characteristic that elevates him above those peers.

Like Doak, when Devine first started talking about Reinhart, I thought he was their guy for sure. Then he started talking about Bennett, and I thought he is their guy. We'll see in 23 days.

 

[stokes84]

You have a funny definition of "clearly" and "proven".

Does Kevin Devine talking about a consensus top 4 this morning not do it for ya? It's impossible for you to admit when someone else had it right. Quite the personality flaw.

 

[Jacob582]

The only prospect interviewed by Sabres color guy, Dan Dunleavy. The Sabres send a rep to Toronto....he leaves with just one interview, Reinhart.

This seems telling, but I would have to know what the media setup is to call it evidence.

Was each team able to do a sit down media interview with multiple prospects?
or
Was each team allotted one prospect to do a sit down media interview?

 

[Gabrielor]

Devine had some glowing things to say about Bennett, as well. He talked about how his passion is what separates him from the others. Now, he could be saying that he's just a much more passionate, heart-on-his-sleeve guy than the other players in that top group, or that's the characteristic that elevates him above those peers.

Like Doak, when Devine first started talking about Reinhart, I thought he was their guy for sure. Then he started talking about Bennett, and I thought he is their guy. We'll see in 23 days.

That's where I'm at. I think the argument could be made either way. I've always taken Murray's responses to imply that Bennett is their target.

 

[Wisent42]

In some odd, probably mistaken way I'm happy we don't have first pick. I really want a forward but it would be hard to pass on Ekblad.

This, right here.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

Classic example of people interpreting things to support their POV. No real conclusion of who the "Sabres' Guy" is should be drawn from any of this information.

 

[Bobby Bottle Service]

I think the Dunleavy interview would have been better served with a Buffalo Sabres Golf bag in the background :-P

 

[DazedandConfused]

I think it's a pretty obvious top-3 with Draisatl being the wild-card. I'm sure some teams have him over one or more of the other 3. The others are consistently thought of as the "top" group in the draft.

Reinharts likely the guy, hopefully he's there at 2.

 

[Superhero]

Rienhart maybe a Smokescreen now that it is closer to the draft


Murray said about Bennett --
Bennett has a lot of what the the other two centremen have, and he’s tenacious. He’s a bulldog. He’s on you. He will hit you and he will spear you and he will score on you, he will do what it takes to win

 

[HOOats]

I wish somehow Florida could take both Ekblad and Reinhart before us. In a draft we all know to be murky at the top, the dogmatic belief in the superiority of these two's talents is really a stark example of simple-minded groupthink.

Bennett is the best player in this draft. His lack of a pullup confirmed it. When he gets even his basic level of man-strength that we all get, Ekbladovski going before him will be laughable.

I'll root for Reinhart, but Bennett would be so much more enjoyable. Please make it happen TM...take the Ontario kid, take the kid with more room to grow, take the kid with more grit and heart, take the game-changer.