Welcome to Colby’s Corner, where the next best thing we could afford (we actually don’t pay him at all), Colby Kephart, pretends to be Don Cherry and presents his thoughts on various tidbits in hockey. While he currently doesn’t have any flashy suits- we’re working on that- he does have a flashy style, short and to the point.
Check out every Colby’s Corner in existence below and, while you’re at it, let us know if you want him to address something in the future. Tweet to @DtFrozenRiver and use the hashtag #ColbysCornerDTFR to join the conversation or you can always send an email to downthefrozenriver@gmail.com and hope for the best.
Bold Predictions will be a two-part series where I, Colby, will discuss who I think will and won’t make the playoffs this season and why. The first part will be the teams who will make the playoffs and the order I think we will see them in. Now remember, these are my opinions. If you disagree, feel free to leave a comment; we always appreciate feedback.
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Metropolitan Wild Cards
Tampa Bay Lightning 1. Washington Capitals 1. Columbus Blue Jackets (M)
Montreal Canadiens 2. Pittsburgh Penguins 2. New York Islanders (M)
Ottawa Senators 3. New York Rangers
The real surprises in my predictions for the Eastern Conference playoff teams are first, choosing five teams from the Metropolitan, and secondly, Ottawa having the number three division spot.
Five teams from Metropolitan- I chose these five teams because I believe these teams have improved dramatically. With the Capitals and Penguins’ additions this off-season, they will be top two in this division without a doubt. The Islanders’ sliding down to the last wildcard spot was a tough choice of mine; I looked at the teams left from both divisions and felt like the Islanders were the best team left of both divisions.
Ottawa at number three- The Senators deserved to make the playoffs last season and no one can debate the fact that they were good enough even with their 3rd string (at the time) goalie. This season, with Craig Anderson and Andrew Hammond healthy, they should be able to add more points than last season and take that division spot away from the other teams in the NHL.
Western Conference
Pacific Central Wild Cards
Anaheim Ducks 1. Dallas Stars 1. Chicago Blackhawks (C)
Calgary Flames 2. St Louis Blues 2. Colorado Avalanche (C)
Los Angeles Kings 3. Minnesota Wild
The major surprises I feel in my Western predictions are Dallas at the top of the Central and Colorado getting a wild card spot.
Dallas to the top- Dallas is at the top because of one word: OFFSEASON. The additions of two multiple Stanley Cup champions—Patrick Sharp and Johnny Oduya—not to mention another Stanley Cup champion in Antti Niemi between the posts, leaves Dallas with an advantage. So with two number one goalies with experience paired with the young talent of Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, there is no way Dallas doesn’t make the playoffs. If Dallas tops their division, I know that GM will be getting a raise, and he’s got an A in my book.
Colorado as a wild card- I like Colorado and I like how they have built up their organization. This offseason they knew an upgrade was needed at the blue line and they got this with young kids Nikita Zadorov and Brandon Gormely along with veteran defenseman Francois Beauchemin. I think with these additions they will be able to protect Semyon Varlamov better and get the puck to bounce in the right direction, giving them a chance at the playoffs again.
In the final edition of Colby’s Corner for the 2014-2015 season- and unofficial first edition of Colby’s Corner for the 2015-2016 season- Colby Kephart takes a look into the future of the Buffalo Sabres based on their offseason moves. Don’t fret, Colby’s Corner will return next season on an even more regular basis!
#EmbraceTheTank –> #2016StanleyCupPlayoffs?
By: Colby Kephart
I have been holding back on writing about the rumor that the Sabres might be playoff-bound next year. I may not have that answer, but I do know that this might be one of the most controlled rebuilds I have ever seen.
Sabres fans were excited going into this year’s draft, knowing that they would almost definitely be drafting Jack Eichel. However, the day turned out even better as Sabres general manager, Tim Murray, the mastermind that he is, pulled off his first trade on draft day- acquiring goaltender, Robin Lehner, and center, David Legwand, from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for the 21st overall pick in the draft.
Robin Lehner has a chance to become a number 1 goaltender with the Buffalo Sabres in the 2015-2016 season. Photo via QMI Agency
Robin Lehner is 6’4”, 23 years old and has experience in the NHL, having started in 86 games as the backup for the Senators for nearly 3 seasons. Lehner has a career save percentage of .914. With Lehner only being 23 years old and having a chance as the Sabres’ number 1 goalie, the big Swede has an opportunity to continue to improve, and for Sabres fans’ sake, he will become their new franchise goalie.
Also part of the deal was David Legwand, a veteran center at 34 years old, who according to Tim Murray, was “part of the deal, a take it or leave it situation”. Most people write him off and do not think he will have an impact on the team. As for me, I believe that his impact will be big off the ice.
He has more than a thousand games in the NHL under his belt. With young centers like Zemgus Girgensons, Sam Reinhart, Eichel, and Johan Larsson, Legwand will be able to give little tips and tricks, as well as show guys like Reinhart and Eichel that they don’t have to be center stage to be successful. Legwand was in Nashville for years racking up points, but still the average fan wouldn’t even know his name.
So at this point, the Sabres have their goalie, and I finally was able to breathe knowing Buffalo’s future. Then the mastermind, Tim Murray, struck again with the man everyone in the league wanted: Mr. Ryan O’Reilly. Murray traded defenseman Nikita Zadorov and forwards Mikhail Grigorenko and J.T. Compher, as well as the No. 31 pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft to the Colorado Avalanche for Ryan O’Reilly and Jamie McGinn.
O’Reilly, a 24 year old center, is a high-caliber player who might turn out to be the Sabres’ first truly number one center in years, dating back to the days of Daniel Briere and Chris Drury. O’Reilly comes with a year remaining on his $6 million AAV contract.
However, Tim Murray didn’t waste much time on locking him up longterm, giving O’Reilly a 7 year, $7.5 million AAV contract extension. Critics believe he was overpaid, as he received a front loaded contract, noting that when the contract kicks in beginning in the 2016-2017 season, O’Reilly will receive 11 million dollars (without a bonus).
Also included in the deal was 3rd/4th liner Jamie McGinn, a power forward with a scoring touch and is only 26 years old. In the 2013-2014 season, McGinn had a great total of 38 points (19 goals and 19 assists). He can provide some offense to 3rd or 4th lines, and could also be played with Marcus Folgino, as they have a similar style of play.
Or he could be put on the 4th line and hold his own with the big guys of the league and become a spark plug for the Sabres’ offense in games where they start off slow.
Finally, free agency opened up with the hopes of Sabres fans centered on finding a defenseman and, more importantly, a defenseman with a left-handed shot. Looking at big names like Johnny Oduya and Paul Martin (both of whom shoot left), the bar was set high and fans might have felt let down when the only moves made on July 1st were the signings of forward Jason Akeson and defenseman Matt Donovan, to one-year deals, while Martin signed a 4-year contract with the San Jose Sharks.
Both players are depth players, but Donovan has a chance to bust into the D pairs. He has some NHL games under his belt, but I, like the rest of all the Buffalo fans, was still waiting for a bigger name to help solidify the defense. The 3rd of July saw the Sabres sign 27-year-old Bobby Sanguinetti to a one year deal, who will more than likely be playing with the Rochester Americans in the AHL.
On our nation’s birthday, the 4th of July, the Sabres announced the signings of forward Cal O’Reilly (older brother of Ryan O’Reilly) to a two year deal. This adds another depth player to the Sabres and similar to Akeson, he will spend time in the AHL.
Buffalo signed another defenseman with a lot of NHL experience, and mileage around the league, Carlo Colaiacovo. Colaiacovo spent last year with the Flyers and played 33 games, amassing 8 points during that period.
The 32-year-old signed a 1-year deal worth $900,000. Colaiacovo is a left-handed shot, and with the experience that he has, will make the team on the Sabres 3rd defensive pair.
I envision Buffalo’s first D-pair will be Zach Bogosian and Josh Gorges, followed by Rasmus Ristolainen and Mike Weber, with the 3rd D-pair of Mark Pysyk, if he re-signs, (he’s a current RFA with a qualifying offer having already been tendered by the Sabres) and Colaiacovo. I would imagine other depth defensemen would be Donovan and Jake McCabe, which would be perfect with the injury issues the Sabres usually face during the season.
Obviously, all of this could change since as of July 7th Cody Franson and Johnny Oduya are both still unsigned, left-handed shot, defensemen. If either are signed by the Sabres, they would walk into their defensive plans and into the fans’ open arms. Yet, both want long-term deals, and in this off-season, Murray has only been handing out one-year deals to players.
Other defenseman that could be targets would be Matt Irwin, Tim Gleason, David Schlemko and Ryan Wilson, all left-handed shots ages 27-31 and with cap hits around $1m- $2.2m. All of them also have experience within the NHL and could be a replacement if Pysyk doesn’t sign with the Sabres.
Now to the person that’s been all over Buffalo’s media, 2015 2nd overall pick: Jack Eichel. On July 1st, the Buffalo Sabres signed Eichel, or ‘the future’, as Sabres fans will eventually start calling him, solidifying himself onto the team. My expectation would be that Eichel slides into the second line center with a chance to play on the first line if he shines and has chemistry with Evander Kane or Tyler Ennis.
Jack Eichel is ready for a big debut season as the 2nd overall pick in this year’s draft behind Junior superstar, Connor McDavid. (Getty Images)
Speaking of 2nd overall picks, Sam Reinhart (taken 2nd overall in 2014), after having an amazing World Junior Championship tournament- leading the tournament in points- has a legitimate chance at making this year’s roster, according to some. But I am not one of those people.
I believe he will get all of the preseason to prove something, and depending on how he performs in the AHL with the Amerks, he will have a chance about midway through the season to make a run at truly breaking into the lineup.
Obviously, he will be one of the first choices to be called up should the team run into injury problems, like last season.
As for all the talk about the playoffs, here are my thoughts: I feel like the Sabres are one Top-4 defenseman away- and if everyone plays as expected, the Sabres will be looking at a wildcard spot or will be just out of the playoffs. The major issue is that nobody knows exactly how well Eichel will perform alongside Evander Kane; let alone how Kane will play in a new location. Everyone should be happy if Eichel puts up 15 goals and 20 or more assists in his first season. Another player to watch will be Girgensons. If he puts up a 20-goal season, then the Sabres will be set and fans should be eyeing a playoff run and a bright future.
As for the thinking surrounding a deep playoff run, I don’t think so. They will be matched up against a high seed, and fans should hope for a deep series to stand a chance. I understand this is a lot to think about, seeing how development camps just began. But this is for the Sabres fans who are unsure about next season and the other fans who will be caught off-guard by the Sabres next season.
I will end my prediction for next season with this; I believe the Sabres will be in an end-of-the-season battle for points, and we will either miss the playoffs by 2 or 3 points, or will steal a wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.
Colby Kephart is pleased with the hiring of Dan Bylsma as head coach of the Buffalo Sabres, but he wants to know what’s next for the Sabres (and tries to answer that question) in this edition of…
Colby’s Corner
By: Colby Kephart
Well it’s official, on Thursday May 28th, The Buffalo Sabres announced Dan Bylsma as their 17th head coach in franchise history. Bylsma had a Stanley Cup, in 2009, under his belt and won the Jack Adams Award in 2011, during his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was fired from the Penguins after 2013-2014 season after they lost in the playoffs to the New York Rangers in the 2nd Round.
Photo Credit: Bill Wippert
However, despite being fired from his last head coaching position, Bylsma brings an impressive coaching record to Buffalo.
In 401 regular season games in Pittsburgh, he had a 252-117-32 record. Bylsma recently served as an assistant coach to the US 2015 IIHF team.
He worked with this year’s expected 2nd overall pick, and soon to be prospect of the Sabres, Jack Eichel, who had a terrific tournament. Bylsma signed a long term five-year deal, as Tim Murray continues to add the pieces to get Buffalo on the right track.
Why is this good for the Sabres?
This is great for the Sabres because this gives them a coach who has dealt with franchise centers, like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Bylsma has worked with Jack Eichel and he will be able to make Eichel a franchise center, a position Buffalo has lacked for years. Bylsma doesn’t just improve the players the Sabres already have, but also attracts the attention of bigger name free agents to strengthen the team.
It’s no secret that the Sabres do not have a Stanley Cup in their history, but they now have a coach who does. Bylsma brings experience to the table that words can’t describe, he knows what it will take to make the Sabres a top level team in the league.
Bylsma coached the Penguins to four 100-point+ seasons and finished no worse than second in their division during that span. After watching the press conference, it looks like Tim Murray and Dan Bylsma will have a good relationship and should agree on moves that the team will make down the road.
So what’s next for the Sabres?
Antti Niemi could be on his way out of San Jose, but would Dan Bylsma be enough to attract him to Buffalo? (Getty Images)
The Sabres need a goalie- a true number one goalie that can handle the playing time and get the team the wins to make the playoffs. There were a few reports of the team trading with Ottawa for Robin Lehner or Craig Anderson that have since quieted down.
If Tim Murray decides to rebuild through free agency, he has to look at goalies like San Jose’s pending UFA, Antti Niemi (who has a Stanley Cup too). There are other big names out there, however, none of them have a ring on their finger.
Buffalo also needs help defensively. They will have a solid top 2 pair in Josh Gorges and Zach Bogosian next season and they also have young prospects, Nikita Zadorov and Rasmus Ristolainen, who both played this season.
The team could have a lot of defensemen leaving with Andre Benoit, Tyson Strachan, and Andrej Meszaros’s contracts ending on July 1st. The Sabres have two top prospects (Mark Pysyk and Jake McCabe) who could possibly be called up and play next season; otherwise they need to sign a top 4 player who can be a shutdown defender.
Offensively, the addition of Evander Kane and Jack Eichel (assuming all goes as planned) the Sabres would be one or two top wingers from having a complete offensive presence. Tyler Ennis played for Team Canada in the IIHF 2015 World Hockey Championship and shined like the star he was this past season. Ennis will likely be one of the wings of the 1st line with Evander Kane on the opposite side- with either Eichel or Zegmus Girgensons as the center.
What will the future bring for Justin Williams this offseason? (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Sabres need a second line right-winger that can go out and score 10-15 goals and get 15-20 assists. Some potential free agents who could fit this role would be UFA Justin Williams or RFA Tyler Toffoli of the LA Kings.
Another leading candidate would be pending RFA Brandon Saad of the Chicago Blackhawks. The Sabres have plenty of salary cap space to land these big targets.
I’m not saying the Sabres will be competing for the Stanley Cup next season, yet I feel like if you give Eichel and even Sam Reinhart 2-3 years of experience in the NHL, they will become good playmakers and could make a deep playoff run.
If Buffalo can add a few more pivotal pieces to the team the Sabres could be looking good for the future. They could even be looking at an Atlantic Division or Eastern Conference title within the next 3-4 seasons under Dan Bylsma’s leadership.
Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, and the Calgary Flames led hockey fans on a short-lived, but exciting, journey this season. Although they succumbed to the much more dominant and playoff experienced Anaheim Ducks in the 2nd Round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Colby Kephart thinks they’ll be contenders for the Cup within a few years if they keep things up. See what else he has to say about Calgary’s future in this edition of Colby’s Corner.
Courtesy: Candice Ward, USA TODAY Sports
The Calgary Flames finally made the playoffs again, closing out the regular season hot and shutting the door on the Los Angelese Kings chances of defending their title. The fans in Calgary found that a win in their books was making the playoffs for the first time since the 2008-2009 season-to begin with- where they lost in the first round to the Blackhawks. But then Calgary did something not many people saw coming and they beat the Vancouver Canucks in six games. The young kids like Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Sam Bennett had amazing playoff appearances for the first time in their careers. Even though Anaheim beat Calgary in five games, you still have to respect Calgary for their first time in Playoffs in six years.
Another feature people need to remember Calgary played all of these playoffs without their number one defenseman, and captain, Mark Giordano. This forced Calgary to resort to Tyler Wotherspoon, a 22-year-old defenseman without much experience. Wotherspoon never saw much ice time as Calgary played with 5 defenseman in most games, with Wotherspoon getting about 3-5 shifts a game. However, I am not saying if Giordano were in the playoffs, Calgary would be in the Western Conference Finals. I am saying they would have stood a better chance and forced a Game 6 at least.
My Reaction
Daniel Briere: “Why me?”
Yes, it is very sad to see this Cinderella story out, however I am very excited to see what Calgary can do in the next few seasons. When your first line is as crafty as Calgary’s and has a 20 and 21 year old on it, you know your future will be great. This is a young team with great talent and they brought in the right experience players in Matt Stajan and Jiri Hudler to make this team shine.
People have compared this year’s Calgary team to Colorado’s team of last season, however I disagree. This Calgary team is winning with younger players and I don’t see Calgary bringing in old players on their way out like Colorado did this year- hello Daniel Briere. I see Calgary in the playoffs again next season, it might be by a wildcard spot but they will make it. If their matchup is right, they might be able to take out a top seed again.
The only place Calgary needs help is on the defensive end. I think they need another top 4 mid-twenties defenseman. Dennis Wideman and Mark Giordano are both aging and will start to experience more injuries. If Calgary can keep most of their core together and stay healthy from this season on, they could be a team in the Western Conference Finals next year.
Minnesota just couldn’t pull it off (again). So why haven’t things worked out for a team built through free agency? Colby Kephart explores the possibilities for the Wild to make sense of their season and make changes accordingly this offseason in this edition of Colby’s Corner.
The Story
Chicago eliminated Minnesota from the Stanley Cup Playoffs again, again. This was the third year in a row that Minnesota was eliminated by Chicago. Even though the faces on both rosters have changed, what hasn’t changed is the team moving onto the next round. This year was even worse than the past 2 years, they got swept and lost on home ice. Last year they battled six games and the year before they battled for five games, having at least earned one win.
Minnesota landed big name forward, Thomas Vanek, in free agency on a multi-year deal to help boost their attack. They hoped with the development of their young talent and bringing in better role players would help them in the playoffs.
Then at trade deadline they added an upgraded defenseman in Jordan Leopold and another now former Buffalo Sabres forward in Chris Stewart. Devan Dubnyk also emerged with a spectacular performance and led the Wild to the playoffs, earning him a Vezina nomination (and now a finalist for this year’s Vezina Trophy).
So Minnesota fans had high hopes coming into the playoffs, with big name forwards Zach Parise, Jason Pominville, Mikael Granlund and others in company.
It was going as planned as they beat the St. Louis Blues in the first round, forcing a second round rematch with Chicago again. Then Patrick Kane and company showed the Wild why they have the rings and took them in 4 games with Kane getting a goal in all of them.
What’s next for Minnesota?
My Reaction
Minnesota has old players under huge contracts; most of them are from free agent signings similar to Vanek. The Wild can place the blame on Vanek for a lack of offense in the playoffs, but what about Mikko Koivu? Koivu had just as many point as Vanek (4).
It gets worse though. Charlie Coyle may be young, but last year he put up 7 points, this year Coyle had a whopping 2 points. Minnesota needs to make decisions on some of these forwards. They need players who feel like their playing for their job.
They don’t have the grittiness in their 3rd line that can spark the team. The only player who showed up offensively was Zach Parise. They need more from current players and they need players who want to be back next season.
Defensively, Minnesota needs to bring help for Ryan Suter, who is useful in 5 on 5, penalty kill, and power play situations- if they could, he probably would play goalie for them too. Suter finished -8 in plus/minus, a career worst in the playoffs. Suter only had 3 assists, but it wasn’t only him who struggled.
Only one defenseman was positive in plus/minus, the Wild had another defenseman finish even, and the rest were all minuses. What bothers me the most is your best defenseman finishes -8, what does this say? Your best D unit didn’t cut it, you need to spend the money and land a true number two defenseman like Keith Yandle, who is a pending UFA at the end of this season.
Goaltending, I’m going to upset all you Wild fans with this one, but Devan Dubnyk is a ONE SEASON WONDER. I’m sorry, but this kid came from nowhere and I believe he will disappear again. Dubnyk bounced from team to team, and in most cases wasn’t even a backup. Minnesota was so desperate for a goalie, they gave him a chance. Just like Darcy Kuemper and Ilya Bryzgalov received in the years past. Dubnyk will repeat history again and Minnesota will be looking for another goalie.
Overall making Minnesota a team that can beat the Chicago Blackhawks will not be an easy process. They need to find a true number one goalie. They need to add a true partner for Ryan Suter, so they can lower his playing time. They also need to trade a big contract player, and bring in a clutch, sparking, scorer like Justin Williams, who is also a pending UFA.
Images courtesy of sportslogos.net, USA TODAY Sports, and nhl.com.
You know how the saying goes, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything.” Well apparently, someone could use a reminder. But who’s at fault? Colby Kephart investigates in this edition of Colby’s Corner.
The Story
Stupid penalties by Montreal were a major problem in Game 2 of the Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens series. Tampa finally got their powerplay firing on all levels with 4 powerplay goals, while the Canadiens penalty kill was nonexistent. However, a story emerged in the post-game comments from Brandon Prust, who had received a game misconduct and totaled 31 penalty minutes for just himself in the game. Prust expressed his displeasure with the conduct of referee, Brad Watson, and told Sportsnet reporters:
“I thought the original call was kind of soft, and I let [Watson] know on the way to the penalty box. He kept provoking me. He came to the box and called me every name in the book. He called me a piece of you know what, a mother f***ing coward, said he’d drive me right out of this building. I just kept going, ‘Yeah, OK, yeah, OK, yeah, OK.’ He just kept on me, kept on me. I kept saying ‘Yeah, OK.’ I wasn’t looking at him. He teed me up. That’s the ref he is. He tries to play God. He tries to control the game and he did that tonight.”
Brandon Prust was fined $5,000 by the league. The NHL said Prust’s comments were demeaning to Brad Watson and baseless. Brad Watson is a 20-year veteran in the NHL and has high respect from other players and refs around the league.
My Reaction
Now can we say that Prust is completely a liar? I don’t think so. Prust might have some truth to his statement. However, where I believed he lied is when he states he only said “yeah OK”. If you’re going to claim that a ref is calling you every name in the book, obviously you are saying stuff back to him, or you said something beforehand to set him off.
Now, anyone who can read lips can see the abuse that refs put up with whenever they call a penalty. They get an f-off or derogatory names thrown at them. They get this treatment from the players, coaches and fans. How does anyone expect a ref to take this and never give it back? Personally, I love when a ref will give it back. Of the chirp videos listening in on the players during the game, my favorite video is when the ref decides to give both players a penalty and he says “F*** both of you, both going in the box”. (That video can be seen here. Fair warning, it’s full of expletives).
Even if the NHL finds out that Watson did call Prust a few names, I don’t think you can punish him for it. If we aren’t calling the players for cussing out the refs, we can’t punish the refs for giving a little back. Brad Watson only called the penalties he saw, he wasn’t calling fake calls. Prust took all the penalties that were called against him. If Montreal wants to stay in this series, they need to clean up their acts and let Game 2 go, otherwise they’ll be swept by the Lightning.
Colby Kephart sounds off on the current NHL Entry Draft Lottery process. We want to know what your thoughts are. How would you format the NHL Draft Lottery system?
2015 NHL Draft Lottery By: Colby Kephart
Structure: This year they changed the lottery system, giving every team a chance to win the 1st overall pick. The team that finishes last this year in regular season standings is guaranteed the 1st or 2nd overall pick. That means there’s some hope for Buffalo. Buffalo has a 20% chance of winning the lottery and getting the 1st overall pick.
Last year Buffalo, the last place team, had a 25% chance to get the 1st pick even though Buffalo lost (the lottery) and ended up with the second pick. This year’s odds were increased for the teams who almost made the playoffs. The team that just missed the playoffs now has a full 1% chance to get the 1st overall pick. The Arizona Coyotes finished 2nd to last this season and have a 13.5% chance of getting the 1st overall pick. The odds are as follows:
Buffalo 20%
Arizona 13.5%
Edmonton 11.5%
Toronto 9.5%
Carolina 8.5%
New Jersey 7.5%
Philadelphia 6.5%
Columbus 6%
San Jose 5%
Colorado 3.5%
Florida 3%
Dallas 2.5%
Los Angeles 2%
Boston 1%
My opinion: As a Buffalo fan, I am already sick of the Draft Lottery. I was upset last year when Buffalo didn’t get the 1st overall pick and now the NHL lowers the last place teams’s odds- this is crap. They would decide to do this when the next franchise changer comes along in Connor McDavid. I’m glad they made it so we can’t fall out of the second overall pick, because then we have a chance for Jack Eichel.
It is horrible when I run a draft simulator 10 times and I see teams like LA and Florida win the 1st overall pick. Both of those teams were eliminated with a few weeks left in the season. Buffalo was eliminated before it even started and you’re telling me LA can add Connor McDavid. COME ON!!!!! Pull yourself together NHL.
They need to go back to when only the bottom 5 teams got a chance for 1st overall pick. How about a team who actually needs help? Yes, when I ran the simulator 10 times Buffalo got the first pick 3 times, but if tomorrow turns out differently and Buffalo doesn’t end up with the 1st overall pick. I will be one pissed off fan.
Down the Frozen River 
You must be logged in to post a comment.