With 3 First round picks, would you rather....

[sincerity0]

To be a consistently strong team the Sabres need young, cheap, talent coming up every year. Murray’s biggest fault was trading SO MANY of our high picks for “his guys”. Not one of those trades was crippling but the problem was that it took out a lot of tickets in getting great prospects.

Trades are exciting. Trading those extra picks for an established players is fun (ROR/Kane) but it’s time to be realistic. Buffalo needs to commit to the Eichel/Dahlin core. We don’t need to make another “ROR” trade.

The one thing I give Botterill credit for is that he’s attempted to bring in a lot of decent prospects for cheap. Buffalo has an opportunity here (assuming we get both picks next year) to pick 3 solid prospects in the first round. Buffalo could realistically have 4 picks in the top 40-50. Those are great prospects.

 

[jc17]

If we hit on 2/3 of those 1st rounders, our prospect pool will finally be one of the deepest in the league. Add to that a good, young core - we'll have the foundation to compete for a long time. Once Bogo & Moulson are off the books, we'll be in the position to take on a bad contract without impacting the ability to sign our key guys. That will help us get the top 6 winger we need.

Hitting on 2/3 is a really big if

 

[Jim Bob]

Hitting on 2/3 is a really big if

A lot would depend on where the Sabres 1st lands.

If it is a top 3 to 5 pick, then you can count on that pick working out. And expecting 1 of 2 late round 1sts working out is about average.

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

Tim Murray just called. He's invoking the Mulligan clause that was in his contract. He wants a do over. He'll be by sometime next week to trade away those worthless picks.

I heard he's looking for places to send Asplund, Guhle, and Olafsson too.

 

[SundherDome]

Where is the trade all of them option?

 

[SundherDome]

A lot would depend on where the Sabres 1st lands.

If it is a top 3 to 5 pick, then you can count on that pick working out. And expecting 1 of 2 late round 1sts working out is about average.

You can't count on shit in this league when it comes to prospects.

 

[Jim Bob]

You can't count on **** in this league when it comes to prospects.

You can base things on how things work out historically to try and make decisions.

By the "trade 'em all logic", the Lehner trade was a steal for the Sabres.

Good luck getting that idea to fly right now.

 

[Djp]

Maybe half of picks 21-30 turn into top-6/top-4 guys. Is this draft actually going to be so deep that it wouldn't be worth trading a pick for either of those things?

maybe half the picks turn into serviceable NHL players who are replaceable. of those only about 20% turn into solid top 6/top 4 players. usually those drafter 21=23 are more successful than those picked 24-31.

I think the STL pick will be 13-21 while San Jose 20-31 range

If I trade a 1st id want a Dman ---what side depends on what Dahlin is long term

 

[nickdawg95]

i mean we gonna be trash anyways might as well Keep all the picks and draft a Lw, Rw and a RHD with the first round picks

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

I don't think the list of top 4 RHD available for a mid 1st is long.

 

[Howie Hodge]

It seems unlikely we could acquire a good young top four defenseman or good young top six forward for San Jose's or St' Louis's 1'st rounders. (Both cost effective)

But if it were possible, per the OP's proposal, then why would you not do it, it fits your rebuild quite well.

Only "negative" is you probably lose a few spots in the draft on our own number #1 pick.

 

[Yatzhee]

Keep the picks, go BPA regardless of position. Build a strong foundation from within. This is firmly what I believe Botterill will do.
Pegula gave his mandate back when he bought the team, "multiple Stanley Cups". He tried throwing money at it, didn't take. He tried a fast rebuild, utter failure. The only logical next stop is a building from within philosophy, and it would be the correct avenue to travel.

 

[La Cosa Nostra]

No matter how good you are/far along the process it is always incredible to own 3 1st round picks. We can always use 3 high end prospects/young players on ELCs. Imagine sprinkling in 3 impact young players in ELCs in 2-3 years when Jack is in his prime. That's how you win cups. The big $ players like Jack and Dahlin carry you to a high seed and the high end young players like Casey, Sam, Thompson and the 4-5 players we will most likely draft in the 1st round over the next 2-3 years help you win the cup.

Since I expect us to pick top 10 again this year I am against moving all 3 1sts. Though if we can move the two extra 1sts for a top 4 D and/or top 6 LW in the 23-27 age range I am all for it. Obviously the top 4 D is going to be more a #3/4 then 1/2.

 

[Vito_81]

No matter how good you are/far along the process it is always incredible to own 3 1st round picks. We can always use 3 high end prospects/young players on ELCs. Imagine sprinkling in 3 impact young players in ELCs in 2-3 years when Jack is in his prime. That's how you win cups. The big $ players like Jack and Dahlin carry you to a high seed and the high end young players like Casey, Sam, Thompson and the 4-5 players we will most likely draft in the 1st round over the next 2-3 years help you win the cup.

Since I expect us to pick top 10 again this year I am against moving all 3 1sts. Though if we can move the two extra 1sts for a top 4 D and/or top 6 LW in the 23-27 age range I am all for it. Obviously the top 4 D is going to be more a #3/4 then 1/2.

Im right there with you.

Love your point on young ELC’s joining the team to play with prime aged Jack. Definitely the way to win cups in a cap world

We absolutely need a top line LW, but if the right move isnt there with the SJ/STL pick, I am more than happy to use it in June.

Botts has the ammo to make moves, that’s for sure.

 

[sandybridge]

Where is the trade all of them option?

That better be a primo asset coming back.

What do you have in mind, Patty Kane + ?

 

[AustonsNostrils]

The San Jose and St. Louis picks are most likely to be late first round. I'd trade either of them for a good winger or dman 25 and under.

 

[sandybridge]

The San Jose and St. Louis picks are most likely to be late first round. I'd trade either of them for a good winger or dman 25 and under.

Any ways, we should have tried to get Parayko, even if a significant asset needed to be added to ROR.

 

[AustonsNostrils]

Any ways, we should have tried to get Parayko, even if a significant asset needed to be added to ROR.

we weren't going to get Parayko without giving up something like Mittelstadt or our own 2019 first rounder.

I wanted Vince Dunn or Thomas and Botterill should have been able to pull that off or been patient and looked for other trading partners for ROR.

 

[sandybridge]

we weren't going to get Parayko without giving up something like Mittelstadt or our own 2019 first rounder.

I wanted Vince Dunn or Thomas and Botterill should have been able to pull that off or been patient and looked for other trading partners for ROR.

Not sure, but possibly could have swung ROR + SJ 1st/Nylander for Parayko. He really is the only clear upgrade, and one that really filled a need, and one that fits into the age range of the core.

 

[NotABadPeriod]

You're very unlikely to get a long term core player for a mid to late first.

Not by itself, but if you package it with your 5th best prospect, a 2nd rounder, and a couple contracts you want to get rid of, you could get Ryan O'Reilly!

 

[sabremike]

The fact that we have a franchise center and just had a guy who many feel is a generational talent at the most important position in the entire sport dropped into our laps and the plan is to continue to lose for another half a decade is both maddening and depressing as all hell.

 

[SundherDome]

You can base things on how things work out historically to try and make decisions.

By the "trade 'em all logic", the Lehner trade was a steal for the Sabres.

Good luck getting that idea to fly right now.

Trends carry weight when something can be predictable or at least not supremely volatile. You can spend three years scouting but at the end of the day it is an educated guess. Dahlin could be a huge bust.

 

[SundherDome]

Apologies if you have a personal connection to him, but this comment is really funny considering your username.

No connection. I have always been drawn to mid-tier prospects. It is easy to root for them. Sundher was one of my favorites along with Gregg Sutch. I am on the Cornel bandwagon now.

 

[sabremike]

You can base things on how things work out historically to try and make decisions.

By the "trade 'em all logic", the Lehner trade was a steal for the Sabres.

Good luck getting that idea to fly right now.

I think you are guilty of using a straw man here. Nobody is advocating trading the picks just to trade them, but if you can get the right offer don't hesitate to make the move. The Lehner trade was questioned by many the moment it was made because people (rightly) thought it was a gigantic overpay for someone who was far from a sure thing. The fact that we made a bad trade of a pick doesn't automatically mean any trade of a pick has to be a bad trade.

 

[slip]

Apparently there was a GM at the draft offering up one of his best players for 3 first round picks.