I know NYR fans think Lundkvist is the next Adam Fox but personally I just don't buy it - look the Sabres have a goalie prospect who's 6,6 225 has a .935 save and 1.7 goals against playing for probably the best college team in the country - now what if I say he's going to be a top 5 NHL goalie as soon as he's in the NHL and I want him consider like this in any trade I make ? would anyone take that seriously ? or would they tell me if he's so good why isn't he playing for your team that desperately needs goaltending.

Buffalo doesn’t need Dach. The 1st round pick they have this year nets them Beniers if they want another center, or another top end defender if they want that. There’s no guarantee that Dach is anything like Eichel is now in 2 or 3 years either. Keep the known commodity and add to it. Buffalo is pretty set on centers between Eichel, Cozens, Mittelstadt, and Reinhart if they keep him at center.

Well. If Nils Lundkvist becomes an all-star player he’ll more likely be a John Carlson as opposed to an Adam Fox. Secondly, I don’t see how it’s hard to understand why top prospects aren’t in the NHL. It’s always nonlinear. I can tell you now that Lundkvist has always been touted as the better prospect compared to K’Andre Miller since 2019. Consequently, I’d rather have Nils, even though Miller entered the NHL a year earlier while coming from the same draft class.

No Dach isn't going to be the top end center that Eichel can be but I think he will be eventually be a solid 1C maybe Sean Couturier level - I don't consider Reinhart, Cozens, Mittelstadt or Beniers as likely legit 1Cs maybe high end 2Cs - I don't consider an Eichel trade likely but I wanted to acknowledge that this was a trade worth considering as compared to the many random pieces trade I see .

It may not be as bad as some of the trades we are subjected to around here, but that doesn’t make it any more realistic. Due to their depth at center already keeping Eichel is the smartest thing for both the team and him. Any trade involving Jack Eichel would end up crippling the team acquiring him. If it doesn’t it’s not enough of a return, and buffalo wouldn’t accept it.

The reality is with Eichel at #1, using Reinhart as #2 and Mittelstadt in 3rd is as good as most teams can put out there. LW is also loaded with Skinner, Olofsson, and Routsalainen or Bjork. Only the RW could use one more capable player.

Not all first round picks are equal

The NFL has an actual calculator.

But they get exponentially more valuable the closer to first overall

1st overall pick is worth more than two 10th overall picks right? And way more than two 30th overall picks.

Yes it does. There are plenty of players who look great outside of the NHL but for whatever reason can't put it together in the NHL.

It's not the biggest thing ever but it is real

Of course. It's most likely that whoever you trade for will not be what eichel is. That's a fact. Eichel was a 56 pt player draft plus one, ppg draft plus 2 and is a big franchise center. Those are super rare hence you're almost certaibly going to get multiple pieces for him if you trade him.

All trade offers are based on you deciding to trade him for whatever of various reasons.

Eichel/Reinhart/mittlestadt is not as good as most teams can put out and you certainly aren't loaded at left wing.

Eichel is a superstar franchise player, but the forward corps has a lot of flaws.

I think that's pretty apparent from this teams performance over recent years

Bad goaltending (mostly from Hutton) has overshadowed most of our improvement. Unreliable backup goaltending led to overplaying Ullmark and his injury problems. Hutton is finally gone after this year. Fix your goaltending and suddenly the team is significantly better.

Reinhart has also been one of the best players in the league in the past month, doing it at center for an extended time frame. Mittelstadt is coming around, he scored 8 goals last month as well. They’re finding chemistry and production under Granato. Someone who doesn’t watch most of their games won’t know that.

Ok but the article that quoted Buffalo saying "4 1st rd picks or pieces of comparable value" didn't specify beyond that. So if you have issues with that take it up with Buffalo. I was simply repeating what I had read.

Right the Sabres have two for sure top six forwards Eichel and Reinhart after that it's a bunch of maybes - on the other hand we have all the bottom six guys anyone could want lol

They're 28th in a league of 31 in goals for per game. Their issues aren't just tending. A better month doesn't mean everything will be awesome. It could just be a good month.

I get it. I remember thinking bozak was going to be an open and shut 1c when he entered the league with 27 points in 37 gp. Young guy could only go up from there. Of course it didn't and that's his second highest points per game for a season of his career. There are countless examples of that.

I'm all for having hope in ones team but should also be realistic. Buffalo has a lot of flaws that need improvement. If Reinhart can be a top 6 c finally after all these years that is a huge boon but there are still numerous other flaws

I think at the least Reinhart is a known top 6 lock, whether he continues at center or goes back to RW. He has always struggled on face offs, which is why he hasn’t been used as a center until this year. If he can improve his face off percentage he deserves to stay the #2. If he doesn’t, Cozens can still be that guy next season.

Ralph Krueger was the 2nd worst coach we’ve ever had (only Ron Rolston was worse. But he was hired for the AHL and handed the job when Lindy Ruff was fired. He was in over his head because he was never meant for the job). Whatever he tried to teach nobody was picking up, and the team was unwatchable this year under him. Wasting Skinner on the 4th line should’ve been a sign it was time to fire him. In the decade of mediocrity that has been the team was never as bad as they were under Krueger.

That would be the case though CHI draft is potentially top 10 this year where as the other teams who may look at Eichel are likely to be picks 20+.

As a CHI fan, this doesn't work for us and as has been said above, it would create a cap hell. Particularly as Cats qualifying is 9M+. Toews is likely to come back, to what capacity thats not assured but I do think he will return.

That American Line would be what the franchise would love to be able to offer the American fans but again as said above, we don't have the depth to still compete. Have a look at the Oilers for further proof.

I appreciate all the thoughts. Was just something I was musing on. Clearly it won't work

You said it yourself, not all 1st round are consider equally, and in a league they 1st round picks can be used on triple the amount of positional players compare to the nhl, teams can associate value to picks based on that for positional needs, ex runnings backs in the 2nd round vs 1st round

You can not apply that same positional value to picks in the nhl, you have Centre’s wingers dmen and goalie. And in the 1st round any of those positions can be a franchise player turning a team around

Buffalo did say they want 4 1sts or assets with similar value. The 2nd part of my post I wasn't referring to a specific team. It's just he way I'd play it if it was my decision and it wouldn't change team to team. Personally I think Eichel spends at least one more season Buffalo. Just about everyone on the Sabers had a rough season so I'd wait until next season before making any drastic changes.

Sure but all I was really saying is the idea of 4 1st round picks is silly, as it treats all firsts the same

I'd much rather have a first overall and 3rd overall and that's it then 4 picks from 26-30