Sabres early round drafting 2002-2007

[Husko]

It almost goes without saying, but at the risk of making the Kaleta thread go way off topic, I present this thread. It just strikes me how we managed to draft so poorly for such a stretch of time. I wonder of Tommy G was really pulling the purse strings tight? Anywho, it makes why we suck now so painfully obvious:

2002
1: Keith Ballard and Daniel Paille*
2: None
3: Michael Tessier*** and John Adams***

2003
1: Vanek
2: Branislav Farby***
3: Clarke McCarthur

2004
1: Drew Stafford
2: Michael Funk**
3: Andrej Sekera

And here's where it get's really really bad.

2005
1: Marek Zagrapan***
2: Phillip Gogulla***
3: MA Gragani*

2006
1: Dennis Perrson***
2: Enroth & Weber
3: None

2007
1: Traded
2: TJ Brennan** & Drew Schiestel***
3: Tropp

***Zero NHL games player
**LEss than 50 NHL games played
*Husko calls it a bad pick


Just think, these are the players that should be our main core, with just a few vets left from the older core still leading. I would offer, the "Rochester core" didn't fail that bad, Vanek, Roy, Pominville, Gaustad while not ideal, wouldn't be awful if players from this era, especially 05-07, were filling out the roster behind them. Blah, what an atrocious era.

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[Jame]

It almost goes without saying, but at the risk of making the Kaleta thread go way off topic, I present this thread. It just strikes me how we managed to draft so poorly for such a stretch of time. I wonder of Tommy G was really pulling the purse strings tight? Anywho, it makes why we suck now so painfully obvious:

2002
1: Keith Ballard and Daniel Paille*
2: None
3: Michael Tessier*** and John Adams***

2003
1: Vanek
2: Branislav Farby***
3: Clarke McCarthur

2004
1: Drew Stafford
2: Michael Funk**
3: Andrej Sekera

And here's where it get's really really bad.

2005
1: Marek Zagrapan***
2: Phillip Gogulla***
3: MA Gragani*

2006
1: Dennis Perrson***
2: Enroth & Weber
3: None

2007
1: Traded
2: TJ Brennan** & Drew Schiestel***
3: Tropp

***Zero NHL games player
**LEss than 50 NHL games played
*Husko calls it a bad pick


Just think, these are the players that should be our main core, with just a few vets left from the older core still leading. I would offer, the "Rochester core" didn't fail that bad, Vanek, Roy, Pominville, Gaustad while not ideal, wouldn't be awful if players from this era, especially 05-07, were filling out the roster behind them. Blah, what an atrocious era.

horse duke....

 

[OcAirlines]

In response to Jame (couldn't quote your original post, was it deleted or just moved?):

I'm not just talking about busts, who are indeed quite common even in the first half of the 1st, but especially in the second half. I'm talking about two picks in a row who didn't play a single NHL-game, didn't have an impact in the AHL and now even suck in their respective European leagues. I think this is pretty uncommon, since even guys like Bacashiuha, Chistov or Olsen at least played some games at the NHL-level and/or played good in weaker leagues.

 

[Djp]

Ive done this analysis extensively.

During the 2002-2004 draft period Buffalo had one of the best success in drafting in rounds 1-3. They produced 6 NHL players.

Remember once you get past pick 20 it's less than a 50/50 shot to even draft an NHL player that plays more than a cup of coffee.

Round 3 is even less

You get any NHL player in rounds 4-7 it's a big bonus.

2005-2007 they did poorly in their success. They were one f the lowest in nly drafting Weber, Enroth, and Tropp.

A big factor in this was the serious cuts n scouting that they have since restored.

Now frm 2008-2010 they have been one of the best in picking players

2011-2013 is very strong so far.

You also have to ake nto account where you pick. Generally you pick top 6 / top 9 player. If you pick a top 5 you should get a top line/top pairing player, pick 6-14 you get a second pair/second line player and the rest of the draft it's top 6/top 9,,, you get top 6/ top 4 later then that s a success.

 

[Djp]

As for 2005-2007

They cut scouting.

If you look at where they picks and what came out a few picks after them, it wasn't as f they passed over players.

The nly ssue was 2006 when they drafted Perrson. They passed over nick Foligno and Perron IIRC

 

[yahhockey]

Overall those picks aren't that bad and would probably be considered above average for their returns based on the draft positions.
The first rounders were taken 11, 20, 5, 13, 13 and 24. We had one top ten selection and he is a proven first line scorer. Three of the other picks were serviceable NHLers worthy of a roster spot and two were duds.
The second rounders had two hits, three misses and the jury is still out on Brennan.
The third rounders had two hits, three misses and maybe another hit with Tropp.
Do you know how many teams would give anything to draft NHL caliber players in the second and third rounds in the 40-50% range? There is only one superstar out of all of those draft picks and there was only only one top ten pick out of all of those draft picks. This is the problem the team faces today with a lot of NHL worthy players on the team or in the system but not really any superstars. We need to tank for two seasons and hope that there are a few offensive superstars in the next two drafts.

 

[dotcommunism]

The nly ssue was 2006 when they drafted Perrson. They passed over nick Foligno and Perron IIRC

Are you seriously criticizing the Sabres for not picking Perron in the first round in 2006 when he didn't get drafted until 2007 and didn't even play major junior in 2005-2006?

 

[Ruman Ndur]

Are you seriously criticizing the Sabres for not picking Perron in the first round in 2006 when he didn't get drafted until 2007 and didn't even play major junior in 2005-2006?

I'm assuming he meant Berglund.

 

[jBuds]

Byuckkak

 

[Djp]

I'm assuming he meant Berglund.

I was writting that off the top of my head---the issue was an NHL player was picked a few players after Buffalo's pick by St Louis.

 

[Chainshot]

I'm curious how you can call a quality NHL like Paille a "bad" pick? Also, if the selectivity is only back to 2002 since the 2001 draft wound up being strangely productive in the second round (Roy, Pominville, Thorburn all NHLers), 2000 and '99 were also lacking effectiveness at the top end of there selection process.

 

[jc17]

Also adding on to what a lot of the responses have said, its not like the Sabres passed on great players that were obvious picks.
In 2002 Semin and Steen were the only players they passed on that had much success.

Vanek was a great pick in 2003.

In 2004 there weren't many good picks right after stafford was picked.

2005 was pretty bad, but again few good players were taken directly after Zagrapan.

2006-same story. In fact the 6 defensemen taken after Persson have played a combined a combined 69 games in the NHL.