Roster Speculation 2013-14 Part III

[stokes84]

Anyone else think Girgensons move to center could be a precursor to a Hodgson or Ennis deal?

 

[Mit Yarrum]

Anyone else think Girgensons move to center could be a precursor to a Hodgson or Ennis deal?

Nope. I think it's a precursor to Girgensons leaning to play center in the NHL.

They might trade one of those guys eventually, but this is totally unrelated IMO.

 

[Jame]

Anyone else think Girgensons move to center could be a precursor to a Hodgson or Ennis deal?

I Doubt it's related.

Center depth is critical... moving a young player back to his natural position at center when you only have 1.5 top 9 centers on the roster to begin with, shouldn't change anything

 

[1972]

McDavid, Eichel, Strome, Barzal. There are 4 franchise centers in next years draft. We will be getting one of those 4 guys. With either the Sabres or Isles pick.

Ive seen Strome play live twice this year. He is no where near what you would consider a franchise center in the NHL. And he isn't even in the top 10 right now in some scouts eyes. Guys like Hanifin, Konecny and Zacha would be clearly ahead of him right now.

Their is one franchise player in the draft in McDavid, Eichel has a very good chance to become one.

 

[ZeroPT*]

I'd say Eichel and McDavid are the top guys and have franchise potential and guys like sarelaa,Barzal,Konecny,Strome have top line potential. Hanifin also is a franchise D in the Pietrangelo mold

 

[BananaSquad]

Anyone else think Girgensons move to center could be a precursor to a Hodgson or Ennis deal?

Maybe, but if you read the Vogl piece on why Girgensons was moved to Center is because Murray wants him there and talked to Nolan about moving him to center.

 

[Sabre the Win]

Ive seen Strome play live twice this year. He is no where near what you would consider a franchise center in the NHL. And he isn't even in the top 10 right now in some scouts eyes. Guys like Hanifin, Konecny and Zacha would be clearly ahead of him right now.

Their is one franchise player in the draft in McDavid, Eichel has a very good chance to become one.

Barzal might be better than Eichel.

 

[OkimLom]

Barzal might be better than Eichel.

Care to explain why? I have not really dived into watching Barzal. Just curious why you think he may be better?

 

[Sabre the Win]

Care to explain why? I have not really dived into watching Barzal. Just curious why you think he may be better?

He's been a special hockey player since he was born. Everyone that knows him knows he's going to be big. Before he was drafted first overall to the Seattle Thunderhawks he scored 103 points in 34 games and was the only player in the league to that. He's got a strong family and great supporters and isn't being weighed in with all the hype that is McDavid.

Granted he might be a bit more of a project than say McDavid or Eichel but he has the makings of a great 1st liner. Granted he is only 16 but in the WHL he already has 31 points in 34 games. I see him as a Toews.

EDIT: This is his first season in the WHL and off to a great start.

 

[couture23]

He's been a special hockey player since he was born. Everyone that knows him knows he's going to be big. Before he was drafted first overall to the Seattle Thunderhawks he scored 103 points in 34 games and was the only player in the league to that. He's got a strong family and great supporters and isn't being weighed in with all the hype that is McDavid.

Granted he might be a bit more of a project than say McDavid or Eichel but he has the makings of a great 1st liner. Granted he is only 16 but in the WHL he already has 31 points in 34 games. I see him as a Toews.

EDIT: This is his first season in the WHL and off to a great start.

Agree with everything you said. He is like the McDavid of the WHL but with less hype.

 

[Sabre the Win]

Great little article for the future of the Sabres.

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/jr...enson-lead-whl-offensive-surge-232710063.html

Reinhart is a very unique first overall candidate, but this is a very unique draft,” says Ross MacLean, head scout of International Scouting Services. “There are a lot of high-end players toward the top of the draft that have shown consistency issues. Guys that can absolutely dominate from time to time, but can also be difficult to spot at others. I’m not sure if I’m ready to call Reinhart a franchise player at this point yet or not.

Since the Thunderbirds selected him first overall in the 2012 bantam draft, Barzal has lived up to the high expectations laid on his shoulders. In his first and only season in the BCMML last year, the 5-foot-11, 171-pound centre scored 29 goals and 103 points in 34 games with the Vancouver NE Chiefs. To put into perspective how impressive these stats are, he topped the major midget rookie seasons of Nugent-Hopkins (87 points, 36 games, 2008-09), Reinhart (78 points, 34 games, 2010-11) and Winnipeg Jets star Evander Kane (54 points, 30 games, 2006-07).

Just saying for 2015 I haven't seen anyone mention Barzal's name just Eichel. I hope Islanders differ to next year and they miss playoffs and with their pick we get 1st overall and finish last with 2nd overall and get McDavid and Barzal even 2nd and 3rd with Barzal and Eichel. 2015 is the draft that will change the face of the Sabers not so much the 2014.

 

[B U F F A L O]

Great little article for the future of the Sabres.

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/jr...enson-lead-whl-offensive-surge-232710063.html





Just saying for 2015 I haven't seen anyone mention Barzal's name just Eichel.

I've definitely heard Barzal mentioned, a lot.

 

[jfb392]

Ive seen Strome play live twice this year. He is no where near what you would consider a franchise center in the NHL. And he isn't even in the top 10 right now in some scouts eyes. Guys like Hanifin, Konecny and Zacha would be clearly ahead of him right now.

Their is one franchise player in the draft in McDavid, Eichel has a very good chance to become one.

Yep, a 6'3'' center with passing ability and vision that is probably second only to McDavid amongst 97's is not a potential franchise center.
It's only the exact skillset NHL teams drool over..

 

[1972]

Yep, a 6'3'' center with passing ability and vision that is probably second only to McDavid amongst 97's is not a potential franchise center.
It's only the exact skillset NHL teams drool over..

The "no where near" shouldn't have been in my post.

And I didn't say he doesn't have the potential to be one(I've mentioned before he does, IIRC), I was responding to where he said "their are 4 franchise centers in the draft". Could he be one? Sure. Is he a lock to be one? It's possible.

He is a tremendous prospect but it's way to early to say he is a franchise player. He is going to be a very good player, he has the tools.

 

[gallagt01]

The "no where near" shouldn't have been in my post.

And I didn't say he doesn't have the potential to be one(I've mentioned before he does, IIRC), I was responding to where he said "their are 4 franchise centers in the draft". Could he be one? Sure. Is he a lock to be one? It's possible.

He is a tremendous prospect but it's way to early to say he is a franchise player. He is going to be a very good player, he has the tools.

Every prospect in the draft is nothing but potential right now, McDavid included.

I'm sure Awwufelloff typed that post under the implication that everyone knew he was talking about potential when he labeled them franchise players.

 

[OkimLom]

He's been a special hockey player since he was born. Everyone that knows him knows he's going to be big. Before he was drafted first overall to the Seattle Thunderhawks he scored 103 points in 34 games and was the only player in the league to that. He's got a strong family and great supporters and isn't being weighed in with all the hype that is McDavid.

Granted he might be a bit more of a project than say McDavid or Eichel but he has the makings of a great 1st liner. Granted he is only 16 but in the WHL he already has 31 points in 34 games. I see him as a Toews.

EDIT: This is his first season in the WHL and off to a great start.

I'm hope I'm not coming off nasty, but what are his qualities? How is his skating, Hockey IQ, Size(does he look like he will have the frame to carry some good weight), how's his defensive game, How's his willingness to go into areas to get the puck(aggressive, hesitant).

I will, when I have time, check his game out, just curious what kind of game I'm supposed to be looking for. If his game is based on speed and the game I choose he happens to have a tough time finding open space, I don't want to diminish his play and say its complete bs.

 

[B U F F A L O]

I'm hope I'm not coming off nasty, but what are his qualities? How is his skating, Hockey IQ, Size(does he look like he will have the frame to carry some good weight), how's his defensive game, How's his willingness to go into areas to get the puck(aggressive, hesitant).

I will, when I have time, check his game out, just curious what kind of game I'm supposed to be looking for. If his game is based on speed and the game I choose he happens to have a tough time finding open space, I don't want to diminish his play and say its complete bs.

I think you should catch more than 1 game before you form an opinion on a player. And realistically probably a minimum of 5, and even then that's a small sample size.

 

[OkimLom]

I think you should catch more than 1 game before you form an opinion on a player. And realistically probably a minimum of 5, and even then that's a small sample size.

Which is completely fair, that why I like to get an idea what kind of game he plays beforehand. Its just tough trying to find time to watch video of players with limited internet connectivity.

 

[Sabre the Win]

I'm hope I'm not coming off nasty, but what are his qualities? How is his skating, Hockey IQ, Size(does he look like he will have the frame to carry some good weight), how's his defensive game, How's his willingness to go into areas to get the puck(aggressive, hesitant).

I will, when I have time, check his game out, just curious what kind of game I'm supposed to be looking for. If his game is based on speed and the game I choose he happens to have a tough time finding open space, I don't want to diminish his play and say its complete bs.

The kid is 16, this year is his first year in the WHL. I posted an article a few posts above that explained Barzal a bit but I will re-quote it for you.

ince the Thunderbirds selected him first overall in the 2012 bantam draft, Barzal has lived up to the high expectations laid on his shoulders. In his first and only season in the BCMML last year, the 5-foot-11, 171-pound centre scored 29 goals and 103 points in 34 games with the Vancouver NE Chiefs. To put into perspective how impressive these stats are, he topped the major midget rookie seasons of Nugent-Hopkins (87 points, 36 games, 2008-09), Reinhart (78 points, 34 games, 2010-11) and Winnipeg Jets star Evander Kane (54 points, 30 games, 2006-07). His second-to-none hockey sense and play-making abilities have made his transition to major junior puck quite smooth. He currently sits just one marker shy of a point-per-game ratio as he has five goals and 29 points in 30 matches.

The odds are clearly stacked against Barzal to go first overall in 2015 because he’s in the same draft class as Erie Otters superstar Connor McDavid. Nonetheless, based on what he has done so far in the Dub and Seattle general manager Russ Farwell regarding him as the franchise’s best rookie since San Jose Sharks star Patrick Marleau in 1995-96, it seems he should be in the running to be a top-10 selection.

source: http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/jr...enson-lead-whl-offensive-surge-232710063.html

I also found some footage from a scout reel during one of his games pre WHL



Another article written on Barzal

Across the Canadian Hockey League – encompassing the WHL, OHL, and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League – Barzal leads all rookies in assists and ranks second in rookie-scoring among '97-born players.

It's pretty amazing to see the kid from the Burnaby Winter Club living up to the hype that has surrounded him since he was just 12- or 13-years-old.

The 5-11, 171-pounder may well be on track to play in the NHL as an 18-year-old, just as fellow Burnaby Winter Club alum Ryan Nugent-Hopkins did. For a few years, now, Barzal has heard plenty of scouts and coaches draw that comparison, especially because of the pair's superb and unique playmaking vision.

source: - http://hockeynow.ca/major-junior/barzal-living-up-to-billing-as-top-2-pick-for-2015-draft

 

[Rebirth]

Why haven't anyone shown any interest in Jan Kovar. He isn't even drafted and is a standout in KHL. 23 years and has 66 points in 50 games.

http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=18083

I think this is something for the Sabres to look into.

 

[Sabre the Win]

Why haven't anyone shown any interest in Jan Kovar. He isn't even drafted and is a standout in KHL. 23 years and has 66 points in 50 games.

http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=18083

I think this is something for the Sabres to look into.

Because he plays in the KHL and I think there is an agreement between the NHL and KHL about stealing players.

 

[Rebirth]

Because he plays in the KHL and I think there is an agreement between the NHL and KHL about stealing players.

But I'm not talking about this season.. Next year for example.. Staggering that no one has picked him up earlier though.

 

[Jim Bob]

Because he plays in the KHL and I think there is an agreement between the NHL and KHL about stealing players.

If his contract expires, he's fair game.

If it expires in a year or two, I think he can be drafted, just not brought over.

 

[Rebirth]

If his contract expires, he's fair game.

If it expires in a year or two, I think he can be drafted, just not brought over.

Isn't this the same situation as Brunner. He wasn't drafted before he signed for the red wings.

 

[Jim Bob]

Isn't this the same situation as Brunner. He wasn't drafted before he signed for the red wings.

The key is if his contract has expired or not, I believe.