It’s no secret that the Buffalo Sabres are not a good team right now. In fact, they are down right hard to watch some nights. This coming from a life long Sabres fan.
Much has been said about the Sabres prospect pool depth, not only how large it is, but how deep. Many of those prospects are developing very nicely in Major Junior, the AHL, and NCAA. Some of those prospects are also getting in their time with the big club this year to get them ready for next year.
While it certainly looks like the Sabres will be drafting first or second this June in Sunrise Florida, the question is will the “sun rise” on the Sabres in the 2015-2016 season.
Now as a Sabres fan, I hate to get my hopes up too much. It’s been fifteen years since I personally had a whole lot of optimism regarding a Stanley Cup run. The roster just hasn’t been the same since the days of Hasek and company, no matter how good Miller and company were at times.
As we look to the Connor McDavid-Jack Eichel sweepstakes, the one thing I haven’t read much of, is just how different these two players are. They are both “generational” type prospects, but vastly different in style of play and skill set allocation.
So if I am Sabres GM Tim Murray, I have to first decide who fits best with my existing prospects to actually build a long term franchise winner.
Let me qualify this by saying I am a big fan of how Tim Murray handles business. He is no nonsense, and I have not seen an instance where he even appears to question himself or his decisions. That is what makes a leader successful. Its show business, not friend business, and he gets it.
But who does Murray really like better? Last years draft saw him picking Sam Reinhart. Make no mistake, Reinhart was his guy even if he were picking at number one last year instead of number two.
Reinhart is a play making forward with exceptional hockey sense. He was arguably the best forward for Canada at the World Junior Championships this year with eleven points in seven games. On any other NHL team he would be a future first line Center. And if your talking about Sam Reinhart being a second line guy for you down the middle, you are building an incredible forward corps.
So the Sabres have Reinhart who should be ready for a full time role next season, and Zemgus Girgensons who is already playing a major role. Reinhart is skilled and has incredible hands to go along with his vision, while Girgensons is big, physical and plays a solid two way game.
If the comparisons of Reinhart and Girgensons sound similar to some comparisons to McDavid and Eichel, you are probably reading a lot of the same reports I am reading. Two different players who have the potential to be “generational”.
But who does Tim Murray really want?
If the Sabres do not win the lottery and slip to the second pick will the be disappointed with Eichel? If the win the lottery, are the completely sold on McDavid? Murray has been silent on this. True to his character he hasn’t speculated on either.
Sitting with friends the other day I posed the question “Would Murray try to trade up to number one if he fell to number two?”. If so, and he was completely sold on McDavid, what would he be willing to give up? Would the team holding the number one pick take the number two pick and maybe the Sabres next three number one picks? The next four number one picks?
The NHL draft and the lottery will certainly hold a lot of intrigue until the first few picks are complete. But if you’re the Sabres, and you end up with either McDavid or Eichel, you have to love the way the team looks moving forward. The only question to answer is; Who does Murray like the most?
Joseph Kolodziej – Publisher
