We’re just about two weeks into the NFL free agency period, and after starting off with a flurry of signings, the market has dried up considerably in terms of cash being committed; there are still quite a few quality players available.

The Saints haven’t exactly been the most active team in free agency, but they’ve made a few moves and are likely to make a couple more. I decided that I’d pour basically everything I’m thinking of about the Saints into this. I’ll split this up into players they’ve signed, and players I want them to sign.

Read more …

I’ve had some varying levels of success buying knock-off shoes from China, so after not buying any kicks for a while I decided to dive into the waters again and order a couple more pairs. The other two times I’ve ordered from China, they were from a seller named kicks123 on the website www.tradetang.com - I bought three pairs, one that was very good, one that was pretty solid, and one that was very bad.

I decided to switch up who I bought them from, and I don’t even remember how I found the site, but I stumbled upon www.airflykicks.com. It’s your pretty typical sketchy looking Asian site, but the seller had a ton of selection and the thing that ultimately sold me on his site was that they have a YouTube channel on which they post videos of their shoes, showing several different angles, giving you a very good idea of what they’re selling. The guy that runs the site, Peter, was also pretty helpful and nice.

The two pairs of shoes I ordered were: the Penny 5 in the Orlando colourway, and the LeBron X in the Lava (also called Mango) colourway. Obviously, I don’t own an authentic pair of either of these shoes and I’m basing my judgement on pictures of the actual shoes.

Some general info:

Penny 5:

Total cost: $52.00 (Shipping was around $20 for two pairs)
Shipping time: Ordered Dec 7, received Dec 21. 14 days. 11 business days. Plus, factor in that this is Christmas time so this took a little longer than normal, I’m assuming.
Link to shoes: Here

Lebron X:

Total cost: $55.00
Shipping time: Same as above.
Link to shoes: Here

Total cost for everything (both pairs, shipping, taxes, etc. = $145.22) 

 

I’ll start with the Penny’s.

Same order as my other review.. starting with the box. Just to be clear, I don’t really care about the box. If I spent all my money on authentic shoes, I’d probably care a lot more. But, I mean, it’s part of the package. I don’t really know what the original Penny box looks like, and Google isn’t helping me, but it looks like a standard brown Nike box, which is what this is. This box is actually in really good shape considering EMS shipping, but again… I don’t really care.

Note: I made all of the pictures clickable to see the full-size images.

Moving on to the shoes. As I’ve come to expect when ordering these, they’re very good knockoffs with a few minor details leaving them from being exact replicas. These Pennys are probably the closest I’ve ever seen to the actual thing. Here are several pictures of them:

Now, here is a picture I found from an eBay seller of the actual shoes:

Good:

• Honestly, looking at the entire upper of the shoe, I don’t see a flaw. They look EXACTLY the same and I am thoroughly impressed by the job they did replicating these. They are 1:1. The only gripes I have are minor ones.
• They are ridiculously comfy. They’re true to size and fit on my feet perfectly; I was a bit worried about these ones in particular because the bottom of the Penny V’s are a bit weird, with the indented middle section and all. But they are really, really comfortable.

Bad:

• One of my favourite parts of the Penny’s is a really subtle little message on the back of each heel tab. Look at the image of the real one, the left shoe says “PART II HEAVEN CENT” and the other says “THE STORM IS OVER.” Unfortunately, with the replicas it says the same thing on both heel tabs.
• Similar to the heel tab message, the real Penny’s say “Ballin is what I was born to do” on the insole of the right shoe, with a cool little Penny V/Tennessee logo in the left shoe. In both of these, it’s just a traditional Nike wordmark with a swoosh underneath. (Picture of the insoles)
• The only major problem I have with these is the outsole. On the actual shoe, it’s a light blue/greyish icy sole. On these, it’s some ugly greyish colour with random patches of blue. It also looks to be cheaply made, something that worries me a bit. I mean, I’m not going to wear these all the time, so I doubt I’ll wear them out, but it’s still an issue. (Pictures of the outsoles, 1, 2, 3, 4)

And that’s really it. They did a tremendous job replicating these shoes and for $52.00, seem certainly worth that price. Out of the four (not counting the LeBron’s which I’ve yet to look at closely) pairs of shoes I’ve purchased from replica wholesalers, these are probably the best looking.


 

Now, moving on to the X’s.

The box is an actual LeBron X box, but clearly not even close to the quality of the actual one. I don’t even know why I continue to write about boxes…

On to the shoes. Just to be clear, I don’t have a great idea of how close these are to the actual shoes. This is the first time I’ve ordered a pair of kicks that has been recently released, so I’m basing this entirely off of pictures that I hope are the real shoes and not just other knockoffs.

But, once again, they look great except for a few minor details.

Pictures of the shoes:

Pictures I found online:

Good:

• Once again, another amazing job of making them look 1:1. I just said the Penny’s were probably the best I’ve ever seen… well now these are. There are zero major issues.
• The orange spots on both swooshes might be a bit big, just a bit, but overall they look very similar. I have the Jordan 4 Cement’s, and the speckle looked awful on those. These look very good.
• Like the Penny’s, also very comfortable and true to size.

Bad:

• I’m not sure if they’ll fix themselves, but there’s some weird crease type looking things on these shoes. Might be from bouncing around during shipping, but not a huge deal.
• I think the colours might be a TAD off, but that is probably just nitpicking.
• There’s some random spots where you can see the lack of quality, but not nearly enough to make it an issue. Only visible when looking VERY closely.

So… in conclusion. Two great pairs of replicas. I’m very happy with my purchase, and I’d definitely recommend using www.airflykicks.com, I will most certainly be buying more shoes from them again.

Hi. It’s less than a week away from Madden-mas, we’re in the midst of the preseason, and with the regular season just over the hill, I’m understandably foaming at the mouth for football. Last offseason, I tried to do a post about every team in 32 days - it didn’t really work out like that, and I got SO tired of doing it by the end… but I’m back. Now, I can guarantee I won’t do all 32 teams again. But, if there’s a team I find interesting and I feel like I could write a post about them, then, sure. Also, I haven’t gone through the schedule to predict games and such, so my projected record is even more of a mess.

The first one was obvious.

New Orleans Saints 
Projected record: 11-5

Key additions: LB Curtis Lofton, LB David Hawthorne, DT Brodrick Bunkley, OG Ben Grubbs
Notable draft picks: DT Akiem Hicks, WR Nick Toon 

Team awards:

MVP - Drew Brees, QB: Brees has been a league-wide MVP candidate almost every season he’s been in New Orleans, so this was pretty obvious. This upcoming season the Saints won’t have Sean Payton on the sidelines, making Brees’ role even more astronomical; he’ll basically be armed with the task of playing quarterback and offensive coordinator. He probably won’t come close to breaking his own passing record but anything less than 4800 yards and 38 TD’s would be a disappointment. It’s also interesting to note Brees is only five games away from breaking Johnny Unitas’ consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass record.

OPY - Jimmy Graham, TE: As expected, Jimmy Graham broke out last season, but the level at which he dominated was certainly not expected. In only his third year of college and NFL football combined, Graham broke the receiving yards for a tight end record (but was eventually taken over by Rob Gronkowski) and finished third in the entire NFL with 99 receptions… in his first year as a starter. It’s scary to think of what he could accomplish once he becomes a more polished player, as he is already unguardable this early into his career.

DPY - Curtis Lofton, LB: The Saints made quite a splash in free agency this offseason, and Lofton was probably the best get of them all. An extremely impressive linebacker in his four years with the Falcons, New Orleans managed to lure him to the Big Easy and improved their inside linebacker spot about ten times over. Lofton is taking Jonathan Vilma’s role as the heart and soul of the defense, and in brief preseason action he’s looked awesome. He’ll be relied upon heavily by Steve Spagnuolo to be the defensive coordinator on the field.

ORY - Travaris Cadet, RB: After trading up for Mark Ingram last season and losing their second round pick this offseason, the Saints didn’t pick until the third round of the draft, which makes picking impact rookies pretty damn hard. The only skill player they drafted, Nick Toon, hasn’t played a snap in the preseason because of a foot injury. So, that leaves the undrafted rookie Travaris Cadet to earn this preseason award. Cadet has been great in camp and in games, showing tremendous versatility. There’s a chance that Chris Ivory could be cut in favour of Cadet, and although he wouldn’t get many snaps behind Sproles, Ingram and Thomas, there really aren’t many better options.

DRY - Akiem Hicks, DT: Hicks was the Saints’ first draft pick this year, and although he’s still incredibly raw, it looks like they may have struck gold with Hicks in the third round. When he’s been able to stay on the field, he’s incredibly disruptive on the line and simply gets the job done. Unfortunately, his issue has also been staying on the field, but he should be able to get into the DT rotation.

BOP - Mark Ingram, RB: Picking the teams first round pick last year as a breakout player… yep. Ingram had a ton of expectations going into his first NFL season, but couldn’t live up to those expectations as he had injury issues and Sean Payton, a coach notorious for not really using rookies in their first year, admittedly held him back. This offseason, the team is being much more cautious with Ingram and even when he’s healthy holding him out of practises. He’s looked good in the preseason, and with the team stating they wanted to get him 200 touches, I think we could see the Alabama version of Mark Ingram in the Saints backfield this season.

Some interesting stats that I thought I’d bring up with Ingram: he played in four games when Pete Carmichael took over the play calling. In those four games:

- (IND) 14 rushes, 91 yards, 1 catch, 6 yards.
- (@ATL) 8 rushes, 11 yards, 1 catch, 6 yards.
- (NYG) 13 rushes, 80 yards, TD, 2 catches, 14 yards.
- (DET) 16 rushes, 54 yards, TD.

Besides the obvious dud in Atlanta, those are three pretty solid games, and three of his four best games of the season (the other being 17 for 55 against Jacksonville). That amounts to 236 rushing yards on 51 carries, or 59 yards a game, 4.6 yards per carry. Those numbers amount to 944 rushing yards over a full season. I’d pencil him in for 900+ yards and 8+ TD’s if he can play 14-16 games.

BDP - Cameron Jordan, DE: The other first round pick? Really? Yeah. I’ll take a look at one of my favourite non-Saints in the NFL for a second, Justin Tuck. Tuck went from one sack in his first 20 NFL games to forty-five sacks in his next five seasons. Steve Spagnuolo was his defensive coordinator throughout the early portion of his career, and Spags is known as a guy who gets the most out of his defensive line, and I think he’ll be perfect for Jordan. Jordan was a lot more polished and talented than Tuck coming into the NFL, and now armed with the right coaching, we could see him turn into the beast that Tuck is.

Honorable mentions: DE Junior Galette, CB Johnny Patrick

Offensive preview:

It’s still largely the same unit as last year, minus Robert Meachem. Pete Carmichael called the plays from week seven on last season, but obviously Payton’s input will be missed. Brees is now armed with the most lucrative contract in NFL history. Jermon Bushrod, Brian de la Puente, Jahri Evans and Zach Strief are all returning starters on the OL with Ben Grubbs coming in to replace the money hungry Carl Nicks. Marques Colston stayed with the Saints before going to free agency, while Lance Moore and Devery Henderson are behind him and Joe Morgan, Nick Toon, Adrian Arrington and a million other guys battle for the 4th spot. The three headed monster is back at RB with Darren Sproles, Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas, while Chris Ivory and Travaris Cadet are in a war for the #4 RB slot. Jed Collins returns as arguably the NFL’s most underrated fullback.

Defensive preview:

The Saints’ lynchpin forever, this unit got a pretty significant overhaul. The best run stuffing DT in the NFL last season, Brodrick Bunkley, now anchors this defensive line that has a lot of potential. Will Smith is still solid, while Cameron Jordan and Junior Galette are both potential breakout candidates. Sedrick Ellis and Akiem Hicks join Bunkley in the middle. Linebacking has been horrible in New Orleans since forever, and this area got significantly improved upon with stud free agent linebackers Curtis Lofton and David Hawthorne, while Barrett Ruud was added in a trade with the Seahawks recently. Tracy Porter is gone, but Jabari Greer and Patrick Robinson were a formidable duo last season and Johnny Patrick is expected to step up. Roman Harper and Malcolm Jenkins should have an easier time in Spagnuolo’s new scheme.

Final thoughts:

I already wrote a blog post on why I think the Saints will still be one of the leagues elite teams. To sum that up, I think that a) the offense won’t drop off very much if at all, b) the defense will be a LOT better and c) football teams thrive off of adversity. I think the Saints will want to show up everyone who is doubting them and the Super Bowl being in the Superdome is just the icing on the cake.

Throughout the 2012 offseason, the New Orleans Saints were the scum of the media and only recently have the headlines surrounding bountygate died down. Many are calling this the ‘offseason from hell’ for the Saints - not only was their reputation severely damaged, but more importantly for the prospects of their 12-13 season, head coach Sean Payton was suspended for the full season, along with general manager Mickey Loomis and assistant coach Joe Vitt for eight and six games, respectively.

Payton’s undoubtedly been the most important figure in New Orleans since the Saints became a contending team, yes, even moreso than Drew Brees, so his absence will be missed. Drew Brees and Payton have a relationship that is unmatched amongst NFL head coaches and their quarterbacks. But it’s still not the season-destroying absence that many seem to make it out to be.

Read more …

As I write this, it’s roughly two hours from being July 21st, 2012 which means free agency has been open for twenty-one days… and Shane Doan is still free for any team in the league to sign. Obviously, the lack of a contract isn’t due to a lack of interest, in fact, I think it’s fair to say every team in the league would be interested in adding Shane Doan to their roster. It’s because Doan, a sixteen-year Coyote, is understandably attached to the organization and preferably he’d finish out his career in Phoenix. Under the current circumstances, it’s not clear if that will even be possible, however, as the Coyotes have been surrounded by relocation rumours for years now. Currently, Greg Jamison is trying to buy the team with the intention of keeping them in Glendale, but there’s been an endless list of complications and Doan’s visit to the Rangers today (Update: he’s also visiting with the Flyers tomorrow) confirms that he may finally have given up on waiting it out.

The interest in Doan, despite the fact he’s turning thirty-six this season and is at the decline stage of his career, is completely understandable. He’s one of the most respected players in the NHL, and he’d bring instant leadership to any team, he keeps himself in great shape and misses very few games per year, while still being a good bet for 50-60 points and 20+ goals. As far as intangibles go, he’s everything you want in a hockey player.

According to Doan’s agent, as many as sixteen teams have at least reached out to his camp to establish their interest.

The reason I’m even bothering to write a post about Shane Doan is because the Sabres are one of said teams who established interest, and have even gone as far as making an offer- potentially a fairly substantial offer.

John Gambadoro, aka @Gambo620 on Twitter, is a sports radio show host in Arizona who is connected within the Coyotes organization. It’s a different sport, but he made a name for himself nationally when he broke the Steve Nash to the Lakers trade a few weeks ago. Gambadoro has shared his insight on Twitter, and this particular tweet sent shockwaves through the hockey media:

NHL source just confirmed to me that an Eastern Conference team has offered Coyotes Captain Shane Doan a 4-year deal worth more than 30 mill

Doan is a good player for the reasons I’ve listed and because of many more things, but the general consensus is that 7.5 million per year for Doan is absurd. These are some of the players who have a cap hit around that number:

• 7.0-7.2 - Drew Doughty, Joe Thornton, Pekka Rinne, Jarome Iginla, Thomas Vanek, Jason Spezza, Brian Campbell, Scott Gomez
• 7.3-7.5 - Scott Gomez (lol), Steven Stamkos, Marian Gaborik, Dany Heatley, Ryan Suter, Zach Parise

* I’m making an assumption that all of Gambadoro’s information is accurate, which may not be the best route to go, but I’ll roll with it.

In Gambadoro’s tweet I quoted above concerning this 4/30+ offer, he specifically stated that an Eastern team was the one to make the offer. In a tweet a few days later, he stated that these were the teams that have made offers to Doan:

Add Pittsburgh to the list so Coyotes Captain Shane Doan has received confirmed offers from LA, SJ, Vancouver, Detroit, Buffalo & Pittsburgh

The two teams I bolded are obviously the only two Eastern teams mentioned. If this is entirely accurate, that means there’s already a 50/50 chance that this offer came from Buffalo.

So why couldn’t this offer have come from Pittsburgh?

I’m not ruling it out, but looking at their cap situation: with a full roster (13F, 7D, 2G) they still have 9.9 million dollars in cap space, which is obviously is enough to handle a 7.5 cap hit. The team was also in the running to sign guys like Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, as well as offering Jordan Staal 6 million per season prior to his trade, so they’re a team that’s willing to spend money.

But are they that desperate for a winger to play with Sid? In 2014, they’re going to have two incredibly important contracts to handle: both Malkin and Letang become free agents. Not to mention some of their glue guys like Brandon Sutter, Chris Kunitz, Tyler Kennedy, Matt Cooke, Brooks Orpik, etc., will all have reached free agency or have been free agents since then. This is a team that spends money, but Ray Shero is a smart guy and I have to imagine he’d looking towards the future before tying up 7.5 million dollars for someone like Doan, as good as a fit as he is. You can understand giving a big contract to Staal, Parise and Suter because those would be long-term, cornerstone players for the franchise. Doan is essentially a rental as he rides out his career.

Why do the Sabres make more sense than the Penguins?

It’s pretty obvious… Pegula. This offseason has been relatively quiet for the Sabres, the only moves they’ve made have been the Steve Ott trade and the John Scott signing. Many might point to Ville Leino’s abysmal season and claim Pegula may have backed off a bit with the spending, but according to a report from Elliotte Friedman, Pegula was willing to commit $200 million to Zach Parise and Ryan Suter:

*Sounds like the bidding on Parise was instantly insane, with multiple immediate $100 million US bids. (Suter was slightly less crazy, lots of suitors but fewer nine-figure ones.) In horse racing, those that jump out to a quick pace are called “rabbits,” and there were multiple hares here. Philadelphia’s interest has been heavily reported, and at the end of the day, was the probably the highest bidder. But it’s believed Buffalo also let both players know they would get $100 million apiece to dress for the Sabres. (Darcy Regier politely declined to comment.) There may have been others.

It’s understandable that Pegula was unhappy with his teams performance in his first full year as the owner, and as bright as their future is, he wants to continue to field a competitive team until some of their young guys are ready to take over. It’s fair to say that if the Sabres can stay healthy and have guys like Myers, Hodgson, and Ennis continue to improve, that they can contend for their division and definitely be a playoff team. With Doan? It improves their chances that much more.

So, the math is pretty simple. Ridiculously rich owner that wants his team to be competitive + money not being an object for the team + an extremely sought after player is a free agent = massive offer from the Sabres.

Also, I just wanted to point something out that probably would’ve been smart to start off with. John Gambadoro said that the offer was “four years, more than 30 million dollars.”  Everyone is pegging this as a 7.5 million dollar per year cap hit. What I think is the most likely scenario, and ties it in with the Sabres even more, is that the 30+ number is including bonuses, something that Darcy Regier has done with his three big contracts since Pegula took over (Ehrhoff, Leino, Myers).

For instance, the Sabres could have offered Doan a deal that was 4 years, 25 million - a 6.25 million dollar cap hit, but still a lot less than 7.5 - with a 10 million dollar signing bonus, which would bring the value of the contract to $35 million. Or maybe it’s 21/10, or  25/6, but I think it would make a LOT more sense if that was the case.

Somehow, I’ve managed to ramble on for about 1000 words about Doan without actually mentioning if he’d fit with the Sabres, or if he’s worth the kind of money I believe they’ve offered him.

The short answer is, well… yeah.

The long answer: In today’s day in age, it’s almost impossible to not overpay a free agent in the sports world. Agents are able to weigh offers against each other and teams looking to make a splash eventually give in to their demands. Doan’s case is no exception to this trend, but there is one difference - he’s the kind of player worth overpaying. Looking specifically at Buffalo:

• Leadership: Doan’s considered one of the hardest working players and best leaders in the NHL. He’s the guy I want in the locker room with Cody Hodgson, Marcus Foligno, Tyler Ennis, Zemgus Girgensons, Mikhail Grigorenko, etc, etc, every night. He’s the guy I want to have his brain picked apart every day by those guys, the guy I want to be setting an example. I want him to chew them out if they’re not backchecking or if they take a shift off.
• Perception of Buffalo: Obviously last offseason changed the perception of this team quite a bit, but not quite enough. You want to change the perception of players coming to play in Buffalo? Go out and land one of the NHL’s most respected players when more than half the league is vying for his services. Maybe they’ll scream overpaid, but at the end of the day, he’s on your side, not theirs.
• Makes Buffalo better now: He’d be absolutely great for the young guys on the team to have around, but that’s not to say he wouldn’t make the Sabres a better team. He’s only been a 20 goal guy the past three seasons, but that’s playing for an offensively defunct Phoenix squad who plays defensive-oriented hockey. Playing with a more offensively talented team, he could easily improve his numbers.

For guys like Shane Doan, I wouldn’t call him priceless but it’s pretty hard to put a dollar value on everything they bring to a team. Doan’s a guy I’d overpay. Period. 30+ million over four years may seem like a ton for a soon-to-be thirty-six year old winger, but the value he’d bring short-term to make the Sabres more competitive and long-term by helping the younger guys become professionals would ultimately make it worth it.

One final wrap-up to this pretty meaningless post; I don’t even really think the Sabres have much of a shot at Doan. He’s already made enough money to be set for life, and with his last contract I’d imagine he wants to play for a contender. Now that Doan is making visits to teams, it appears as though we’re coming to the end of his reign as a free agent, so it’ll be interesting to see where he winds up.

If I had to guess… I’d say he goes back to Phoenix, even if it’s for a year. If not Phoenix, I think he’ll stay in the West.

Following the Sabres development camp, a somewhat unexpected announcement came out of Buffalo - the team had signed Zemgus Girgensons to his entry-level contract. Girgensons had a very firm commitment to the University of Vermont, but signing a professional contract means he is no longer eligible for NCAA hockey and he’ll other be playing for the Sabres, the Rochester Americans, or the CHL next season, with the latter being very unlikely.

Signing: Sabres sign Zemgus Girgensons to a three-year entry-level contract.

The Good:
- After seeing Girgensons at the development camp, I thought he was the most NHL ready prospect (not counting guys like Hodgson, Adam, Tropp, Foligno, McNabb) at the camp, and I guess the Sabres agreed. He seems to be ready physically and more importantly, mentally ready. I honestly think he could be more than serviceable as a bottom six forward in the NHL right now, but I’m assuming this move is so he can go to the AHL.
- Ron Rolston, in only a season as the Amerks coach, has done a really good of developing prospects. Marcus Foligno, Brayden McNabb, and Corey Tropp all played very well in their call-ups to the NHL this past season, and all three could make the Sabres in October. I’m sure he’ll be good for Girgensons.
- This was Girgensons’ choice in the end, so it’s not like this was forced upon him. His intangibles and work ethic were one of the things that made him such an intriguing player, so if he doesn’t succeed, it won’t be because of a lack of effort.

The Bad:
- It’s obviously pretty risky to play an 18 year old in the AHL, let alone the NHL. Especially a guy that was just playing in the USHL, a league far inferior to any of the CHL leagues. It’s just such a massive jump in competition.
- Honestly, I don’t really see what the rush was to get him into professional hockey. The Sabres number one & two centers, as well as #1 defenseman, are all 22 right now. It will be at least 3-5 years before these guys are able to carry the Sabres to a consistently contending team. I think it’s pretty clear the Sabres are waiting for the aforementioned three (Hodgson, Ennis, Myers) as well as Grigorenko, Armia, Foligno, McNabb, Pysyk, etc., to be their new core. So why didn’t they just let Girgensons develop at the same pace as these other guys? Let him be a key player in the NCAA and allow him to get even stronger so he can then leap to the AHL, and then to the NHL. Sure, this lets him play a few seasons with the current core, but is that really important at all?

In the end, I’m going to trust Darcy & co. because they’ve done a fantastic job of developing prospects - it’s one of the reasons they’ve lasted so long in Buffalo.

The Sabres were incredibly quiet on the opening day of free agency, not even a rumour - at least non-Eklund rumours - floated about the team, and they capped off their day with a minor signing in John Scott.

However, on day 2 of free agent frenzy, the Sabres made one of the biggest deals so far, sending longtime Sabre Derek Roy to Dallas in exchange for Steve Ott and Adam Pardy. I’ll be happen to point out that in my post about who the Sabres should target, I had Ott listed as a guy I’d like Buffalo to acquire.

Start with the John Scott signing:

Signing: Sabres sign John Scott to a one-year, 600k contract

The Good:
- John Scott is one of, if not the, toughest bastard in the NHL. According to hockeyfights.com, he boasts a perfect 24-0 career record in fights. 
- This is exactly what the Sabres needed when Lucic ran over Miller. Scott’s not afraid of anybody, and he’s one of the few guys in the NHL that could easily go toe-to-toe with Lucic. After he signed, he even stated that things would be a lot different had he been there when it had happened.
- Cost the team nothing, but made them tougher and slightly changed their image.

The Bad:
- He’s really horrible at hockey. Like, he doesn’t even have a position. He’ll probably only play against rivals and tough teams. 

Trade: Sabres trade C Derek Roy to Dallas for C Steve Ott and D Adam Pardy

The Good:
- I’d probably hate him if he played in the East, but Ott is always a guy I’ve liked and he’s what the Sabres needed. Finishing 4th in the NHL in hits for a forward last year, he’s a wrecking ball that changes the game by getting under the opponent’s skin. “Isn’t that Patrick Kaleta?” you say?
- Well, Ott isn’t a scrub like his reputation seems to suggest. He’s capable of playing top-six minutes, and in what was considered a down year offensively, had only five less points than Roy this past season. He’s a safe bet for 10-20 goals and 15-25 assists.
- Like Scott, he’s part of the changing culture. While two guys don’t change a teams image entirely, he brings a sandpaper element to the lineup Buffalo desperately needs.
- Basically replaces the faceoff ability we lost with Goose.
- This trade reeks of another trade in the making, because Pardy gives the Sabres 8 NHL defenseman. Buffalo took on 900k in salary with this trade, but there’s a chance that Kaleta could be let go, and that 900k would likely have been his salary.
- This was pretty good value for Roy, who was in a contract year and likely would have demands for at least 5.5.

The Bad:
- As excited as I am for their futures, I’m not totally sold on Cody Hodgson and Tyler Ennis as 1 & 2 centers just yet. Ott can play a second line center role, but it’s asking a lot of those two.
- Derek Roy just seems like the kind of guy who would tear it up in a contract year.
- I guess we can probably debunk any trade rumours with Ennis or Hodgson in them now since Darcy said they weren’t getting dealt, but if we traded one of them for Bobby Ryan (or Rick Nash… since those rumours have suddenly surfaced) we’d once again be weak at center.

I did this last year, and it was kind of fun to go back and compare my predictions to what happened. So, here I go again, once again using The Fourth Period’s top 30 free agent list.

Update: I’m periodically editing this when one of these players signs to see how I’ve done.

1. Zach Parise, W - Penguins, Devils, Red Wings, Hurricanes, Avalanche, (Wild)
Prediction: 8 years, 60 million (13 years, 96 million)
2. Ryan Suter, D - Red Wings, Penguins, Hurricanes, Predators, (Wild)
Prediction: 8 years, 56 million (13 years, 96 million)
3. Alex Semin, W - KHL, Islanders, Flames
Prediction: 2 years, 9 million
4. PA Parenteau, W - Islanders, Canadiens, Ducks, Avalanche
Prediction: 5 years, 20 million (4 years, 16 million)
5. Justin Schultz, D - Canucks, Maple Leafs, Rangers, (Oilers)
6. Ray Whitney, W - Kings, Coyotes, Rangers, Penguins, (Stars)
Prediction: 2 years, 6 million (2 years, 9 million)
7. Jaromir Jagr, W - Flyers, Red Wings, Bruins, (Stars)
Prediction: 2 years, 7 million (1 year, 4.5 million)
8. Matt Carle, D - Hurricanes, Islanders, Flyers, Avalanche
Prediction: 5 years, 25 million 
9. Jason Garrison, D - Canucks, Panthers, Red Wings
Prediction: 4 years, 16 million (6 years, 26 million)
10. Jiri Hudler, W - Red Wings, KHL, (Flames)
Prediction: 3 years, 8 million (4 years, 16 million)
11. Travis Moen, W - Canadiens, Sharks, Rangers
Prediction: 2 years, 3 million (4 years, 7.4 million)
12. Ryan Smyth, W - Oilers, Rangers, Penguins
Prediction: 2 years, 7 million (2 years, 4.5)
13. Andrei Kostitsyn, W - KHL, Canadiens
Prediction: 1 year, 2 million 
14. Filip Kuba, D - KHL, Senators, Red Wings, (Panthers)
Prediction: 1 year, 2 million (2 years, 8 million)
15. Kyle Wellwood, C - Jets
Prediction: 2 years, 2 million 
16. Olli Jokinen, C - Panthers, Wild, Stars, (Jets)
Prediction: 3 years, 9 million (2 years, 9 million)
17. Dominic Moore, C - Sharks, Lightning, Canadiens
Prediction: 1 year, 1 million 
18. Brandon Prust, C - Sabres, Maple Leafs, Rangers, (Canadiens)
Prediction: 3 years, 6 million (4 years, 10 million)
19. Paul Gaustad, C - Sabres, Predators, Maple Leafs, Wild
Prediction: 4 years, 12 million (4 years, 13 million)
20. Sami Salo, D - Canucks, Red Wings, (Lightning)
Prediction: 1 year, 1.5 million (2 years, 7.5 million)
21. Steve Sullivan, W - Penguins, Predators, (Coyotes)
Prediction: 1 year, 2 million (1 year, 1.85 million)
22. Petr Sykora, W - Devils, KHL
Prediction: 1 year, 1.5 million 
23. Kristian Huselius, W - Flames, KHL
Prediction: 1 year, 1 million 
24. Jordin Tootoo, W - Predators, Canucks, (Red Wings)
Prediction: 1 year, 800k (3 years, 5.7 million)
25. Carlo Colaiacova, D - Bruins, Ducks, Hurricanes
Prediction: 2 years, 2 million
26. Ruslan Fedoteko, W - Rangers, Lightning, KHL
Prediction: 1 year, 1.5 million 
27. Daniel Winnik - Sharks, Blues, Canucks
Prediction: 1 year, 1 million

Update - thought I’d add this one:

Martin Broduer, G - Devils, Maple Leafs, Capitals, Panthers, Lightning
Prediction: 2 years, 10 million (2 years, 9 million)

God, this free agent class sucks. 

While no one in the media appears to think that Buffalo is going to do anything this summer, I find it pretty hard to believe that with his job potentially on the line, Darcy Regier isn’t going to do something to make this Sabres team better and at the very least, a playoff team.

Not all of these options are entirely realistic (Parise, Suter) but I tossed them in, just because.

Also, a brief summary on the Sabres’ cap situation: as it stands, the team has 11.6 million in cap space. That looks like a nice number, but they have to sign Tyler Ennis and Patrick Kaleta, which will take up roughly around 3-4 million of space. I’ll operate under the idea they have 8 million.

But, it’s also important to note they have some movable deals. Derek Roy’s 4 million could easily be dealt, and Jordan Leopold’s 3 mil could also be moved.

Free agent forwards:

Zach Parise, W, Devils 
27 years old

Season summary:

82GP, 31-38-69 (Playoffs: 24GP, 8-7-15)

With some contenders having an absurd amount of cap space - the Penguins will still have almost fifteen million in cap space, even after signing Crosby for a billion years - it’ll be pretty tough for the Sabres to compete in the Parise sweepstakes, especially considering they’ll have about half as much cap space.

There are two things that give the Sabres the edge with Parise in particular, however. First, the most obvious one, Pegula. While he can’t offer more money against the cap, we saw last year how Pegula was willing to give both Christian Ehrhoff and Tyler Myers 10 million dollar signing bonuses. Darcy could conceivably offer Parise a contract with a 7.5 cap hit, but also a 10-20 million dollar signing bonus that not many teams, if any, could match.

The second thing that is specific to Parise is his friendship with Drew Stafford. The two played together at the University of North Dakota, work out during the summers, and Stafford’s even going to be a groomsman for Parise at his wedding this summer. Parise’s also close with Ryan Miller from the US Olympic team, and he’s stated how the Sabres ‘have a great new owner’.

I’m not really holding out hope that Parise will sign with the Sabres, but with the opportunity to make a shit load of money (with signing bonuses, the Sabres offer could be the most lucrative), play with close friends and on a team that really isn’t far away should at the very least peak his interest. With Darcy’s job on the line and Pegula wanting to field a more competitive team, the Sabres will at least sniff around.

The Good:
- Parise’s a legitimate cornerstone player. His 31 goals and 38 assists would be considered a bad year by most, as he’s a good threat to go 40/40. He’d instantly be the best Sabre and would take their offense to a whole new level (Unforgivable voice).
- Obviously we don’t really know for sure, but Parise is the kind of player that wouldn’t cash it in now that he’ll be set for life. He’s widely considered one of the hardest working players in the entire league, so he’d be a pretty safe investment.
- Continuing on the safe investment thing, besides two years ago, he’s missed three games in his seven-year career. No injury worries.
- Age. He’ll be twenty-eight in a month, so he’s still in his prime and right in the age range of most of Buffalo’s core players.
- Fit with the team. While they’re trying to get bigger and tougher, the Sabres have had a lot of smaller, faster players succeed under Lindy Ruff.
- God, he’d look so amazing with Cody Hodgson feeding him the puck…..

The Bad:
- There really isn’t much to dislike, but I guess I’ll nitpick to put a few things here… He’s only 5’11. Buffalo is trying to be a bigger, tougher team. While I’m sure they’d sacrafice some size to get a guy who has scored forty five goals, I guess it’s not entirely ideal.
- He’s a winger. I guess it’d be better if he played center. 
- This is more ‘bad’ for the Sabres than it is about Parise’s game, but he seems like the kind of guy that would take less money to play for a contender. Unfortunately for the Sabres, they can offer more money, but not the enticing roster. 

Contract prediction - 8 years, 60 million

Shane Doan, W, Coyotes 
35 years old

Season summary:

79GP, 22-28-50 (Playoffs: 16GP, 5-4-9) 

Maybe even as soon as a week ago, I don’t think anybody had Shane Doan reaching free agency. Not because he wouldn’t garner any interest or get paid nicely, but because he’s been the face of the Coyotes franchise literally from the beginning. But, because of their unstable ownership situation, it appears as if Doan will test the open market and see what’s out there.

Obviously, being thirty five, I think it’s pretty fair to say that Doan would join a contender before he chased a big contract, but the Sabres’ situation could be enticing.

The Good:
- While he doesn’t offer all that much in terms of playoff experience, he’s a sixteen year veteran who would bring a lot of experience and leadership to a young Sabres locker room.
- Fills a role as a top six, big, physical forward. Not a power forward in the same sense as Zack Kassian, but definitely a guy who uses his body.
- Pretty consistent. Brings a solid 20+ goals and 30-40 assists to the table every year, numbers that would surely escalate on a team that wasn’t completely barren of offensive talent.

The Bad:
- While in some ways his age is a positive, he’s 35, which would make him a 35+ contract. So, if he were to retire two years into a four year deal, those final two years would still count against the cap.
- Very clearly on the downswing of his career. His point totals over the past five years: 78, 73, 55, 60, 50. While he could score more on a better team, he’s not going to carry a team offensively.
- More of a negative for his chances in signing in Buffalo, but I know for a fact that Doan absolutely loves Phoenix, and one of the big reasons is because it’s not a hockey market and he can go where he wants to without being completely harassed. At the same time, if he’s going to leave Phoenix, there aren’t many options in terms of small markets that are also contending teams.

Contract prediction: 4 years, 16 million

Alex Semin, W, Capitals 
28 years old

Season summary:

77GP, 21-33-54 (Playoffs: 14GP, 3-1-4)

I’m a huge fan of Semin’s skills, but have been pretty adamant all year that I really didn’t want the Sabres to go out and sign him, however I think there’s a possible connection here. Outside of his rookie season, this may have been Semin’s worst year in the NHL, so I guess an argument could be made that a change of scenery could do him well.

The Good:
- Based on sheer raw talent alone, Semin may be a top-10 talent in the NHL. He has a wicked shot, good vision, is a pretty smooth skater and although he doesn’t use it, has nice size. He has the kind of skillset that he should be scoring forty goals a year.
- One of the reasons I think it may make sense to bring in Semin is because he’s Russian. It sounds like there’s a pretty good chance that Mikhail Grigorenko could make the Sabres this season, but the Sabres are a pretty North American dominated team. While Buffalo wouldn’t necessarily want Semin to mentor him, it’d probably be good to have at least one Russian guy on the team.

The Bad:
- Remember how he could score forty goals every year? Yeah, well, he doesn’t. It’s unfortunate, but Semin is notorious for being one of the laziest players in the NHL, and it was pretty sad the way he gave up playing for Bruce Boudreau this year. Semin was making pretty nice money in Washington playing with other Russians and one of the best players in the world, so it’s hard to imagine what would motivate him if that won’t.
- More of the same. The size he brings is different, but it’d be another soft, one-way winger on the Sabres. They don’t really need any more of those. 
- If he hated playing for Boudreau, he’d hate playing for Lindy Ruff.

I really don’t want Semin, but I could definitely see a situation where Pegula loses out on Parise, and he tries to throw money at someone to make this team better, much like Ville Leino last year. I think the good news is that it seems very likely Semin will go to the KHL, since I seriously doubt any NHL team offers him more than two years.

Contract predition: 2 years, 9 million. 

PA Parenteau, W, Islanders 
29 years old

Season summary:

80GP, 18-49-67.

PA Parenteau has put up 120 points in his last 161 NHL games, after putting up nine in his past 27 games - over a five year span. His 49 assists were 12th in the NHL last season, an especially impressive feat for a guy playing on a team that doesn’t score a whole lot of goals.

In such a thin free agent market, Parenteau will probably be the beneficiary of a huge contract coming from a team that whiffs on Parise but doesn’t want to sign Alex Semin. Another case of a guy that Pegula may throw money at just because he lost out on Parise.

The Good:
- While many may think he only scored so many points because he played with John Tavares, less than half of his goals and assists were scored/assisted by JT. I wish I could find the source of that stat, but I cant’t. 
- Despite playing on the wing, he’s really become a top notch setup man over the past few seasons.

The Bad:
- Again, another winger. If he was a center, his game would be perfect for the Sabres. But he’s not.
- He’s going to get ridiculously overpaid because of the thin market, and I’m not sure he’s really worth the 4-5 million per season he’ll get.
- Incredibly risky. This is a guy who has had two good NHL seasons under his belt. But, I guess Ville Leino had one good postseason and one good season under his, so maybe that’s not that much of an issue.

 Contract prediction: 5 years, 20 million.

Paul Gaustad, C, Predators 
30 years old 

Season summary:

70GP, 7-14-21 (Playoffs: 10GP, 1-1-2)

Obviously, Paul Gaustad was one of the longest tenured Sabres on the team prior to getting dealt at the deadline. Ironically, his size and toughness was probably the extra push Buffalo could’ve used when trying to make the playoffs at the end of the year, but it was totally worth trading him to get Zemgus Girgensons.

The Good:
- Goose was a respected player in the Sabres locker room and not many players were happy to see him leave. His return would be a welcomed re-addition.
- He’s one of the best faceoff guys in the league, something the Sabres struggle with mightily.
- Apparently he’s asking for a fairly modest raise on his current salary, but he may be willing to settle for less to return to Buffalo.
- His size and physicality were sorely missed after he was traded.

The Bad:
- Even his ‘hometown discount’ may be 2.5-3 million. Is it really worth it for a 4th line center, as good as he is at his job?
- Zemgus Girgensons really isn’t that far away from the NHL, and he’ll be taking the Goose role whenever he’s ready. Should the Sabres just wait for him to develop?

Contract prediction: 4 years, 12 million. 

Brandon Prust, C, Rangers 
28 years old

Season summary:

82GP, 5-12-17 (Playoffs: 19GP, 1-1-2)

Brandon Prust is the kind of glue player that teams need in their bottom six, and it’s pretty surprising that the Rangers are letting him go to the market. His asking price is apparently 6.6 over three years, which may seem like a bit much for a fourth line guy, but I think some team will give that to him.

The Good:
- He’s not big, but plays a very physical game and doesn’t leave any hits unfinished. Does everything you could ask of a fourth liner.
- Very good fighter, not necessarily a heavyweight, but constantly drops the mitts and protects his teammates.
- While his stats weren’t very impressive this year, he had a very good 13-16-29 the previous season, and you can expect something in-between those two seasons.
- Prust is from London, so Buffalo could be a realistic option for him as it’s close to home. 

The Bad:
- Buffalo already has a pretty expensive fourth line fighter in Cody McCormick for the next two years. I guess the Sabres could let Kaleta walk and replace him with Prust, however.
- If Buffalo meets his asking price of 2.2, would it not be worth it to pay less than one million more for Paul Gaustad, who they know exactly what they’re getting with? 

Contract prediction: 3 years, 6.6 million.

Free agent defenseman:

Ryan Suter, D, Predators 
27 years old

Season summary:

79GP, 7-39-46 (Playoffs: 10GP, 1-3-4)

Ryan Suter is probably the best defenseman to hit free agency in the salary cap era, and he’ll undoubtedly be the highest paid. Suter’s played second fiddle to Shea Weber basically his entire career, but don’t be fooled by the fact he was the #2 defenseman on that team. He’s a legit, #1, franchise defenseman who will probably never even be nominated for a Norris, but will be one of the top 10 defenseman in the league throughout his next contract. He simply does everything well and is one of the top two-way defenseman in the NHL.

In terms of the Sabres, this one is a pretty major pipe dream, but I like to pipe dream, so shut up.

The Good:
- Well… everything.
- Very, very consistent. Can safely chalk him up for 5-7 goals, 30-40 assists and 40-45 points. Was third in the NHL with 26:30 per game, and also brings a rock solid, consistent game on the defensive side.
- Age. He’s 27 and won’t turn 28 until January. Defenseman usually age better than forwards anyway, but he’s still very much in the prime of his career.
- Like Parise, a very safe bet. He won’t glide around now that he’s getting paid like an elite player. 
- Imagine Myers-Suter? O M F G 

The Bad:
- Honestly? There really isn’t anything bad about signing Ryan Suter. I suppose with every free agent that gets a massive contract, there’s a risk of the player crumbling under the pressure, but I just don’t see that happening with Suter.
- I guess one thing that could possibly phase him is that he’s always been overshadowed by Weber, and that could be something he prefers. If he went to Detroit, he’d be viewed as the number one guy and Niklas Lidstrom’s replacement. With Myers, Ehrhoff and Sekera, this may actually help Buffalo’s chances. 

Contract prediction: 8 years, 56 million.

Matt Carle, D, Flyers 
27 years old

Season summary:

82GP, 4-34-38 (Playoffs: 11GP, 2-4-6)

Matt Carle was acquired by Philly a few years ago in the Steve Downie trade, and he’s been one of the lone steady presences on their blueline ever since. He’s a good puck mover, and another guy who will benefit from a weak free agent market. Once Schultz and Suter sign, Carle will likely cash in, pricing himself out of Philadelphia.

The Good:
- A lot of people seemed to think the only reason Carle put up points was because he played with Chris Pronger, but with Pronger out the entire year he had a solid 38 point campaign.
- He’s a really solid puck mover, but not necessarily in the sense that he’ll stand at the point on the PP or that he’ll fly up the ice as a 4th forward. He just makes good passes out of the zone and has a good hockey IQ.

The Bad:
- Well, the last Sabres free agent signee out of Philadelphia didn’t exactly work out…
- He never scores goals, which is kind of alarming. In 359 regular season and playoff games for the Flyers, he’s only scored 18 goals.
- Very much a one-way offensive player. Buffalo has a few of these guys.
- Another player who will require a serious overpayment. I’d be shocked if he got anything less than 4.25 a year after Wideman’s contract.

Contract prediction: 5 years, 25 million. 

Now, I feel like the Sabres will be active in player movement this summer, but I think it’s more realistic to assume that Darcy will test the trade market rather than the free agent market, given the overpayment it will take to get some of the guys available. Here are two guys in particular I’d love the Sabres to target:

Bobby Ryan, W, Ducks 
25 years old

Season summary:

82GP, 31-26-57

Back in November-ish, I wrote a blog about the Sabres potentially trading for Bobby Ryan, as his name surfaced in trade rumours. At the time, the Ducks decided to fire Randy Carlyle rather than trade any of their players, and despite the fact Bruce Boudreau turned around their season, the Ryan trade rumours surfaced again. This time, it appears as though they won’t die down, and that Ryan wants out of Anaheim.

So, it’s time for Darcy to step up and grab a player that would fill so many needs for this team, even if it means giving up quite a few assets.

The Good:
- Ryan’s scored thirty goals every year he’s been in the NHL, and at 25, he’s only getting better. He’s a legit first line winger.
- 6’2, and plays like it. Exactly the kind of power forward with skill the Sabres need.
- He’s got three years left at 5.1, which is a very fair cap hit, especially when factoring in he’s probably going to improve.
- Since he’s only 25, he’s closer in age with guys like Myers, Ennis and Hodgson, as apposed to someone like Zach Parise.

The Bad:
- You’ve got to give some to get some, but it’d cost a lot of assets to get a guy like Ryan.
- The entire Ducks team had down years, but I guess it’s kind of alarming his point total dropped by 14. 

What I’d offer:

- Derek Roy/Drew Stafford
- Tyler Ennis
- Brayden McNabb/Joel Armia 

Steve Ott, C, Stars 
29 years old

Season summary:

74GP, 11-28-39

Steve Ott has a reputation as a guy who is just a pest, but he’s really one of NHL’s most versatile forwards. If the Sabres weren’t able to sign a guy like Gaustad or Prust, trading for Ott, who can be had according to Pierre LeBrun, would make a lot of sense.

The Good:
- Can play both wing and center with effectiveness, and can play a top line role or a bottom six role.
- Better than advertised offensive player, although some of this can be credited to playing with Eriksson and Benn at times.
- Very good faceoff guy, one of the best in the league.
- The kind of player that the Sabres needed when Lucic ran over Miller. He’ll always stick up for his teammates.
- One of those guys you absolutely love on your team and hate on others. He’d effectively replace Patrick Kaleta (or make the best pest combination ever) but also bring a quality player to the mix.
- Has a pretty fair 2.95 cap hit for the next two years. 

The Bad:
- Considering Paul Gaustad netted the Sabres a first round pick, the price for Ott should be pretty high.
- Not really many negatives, I guess he could probably tone down his penalty minutes. He’s a guy that’s effective at what he does.

I feel like this is the first draft I’ve been home for at the very start in… ever.

It’s crazy, but it sounds like this will be Murray…

With the 1st pick, Oilers select Nail Yakupov, Sarnia

Well, then. Media trolling everyone.

Isles trade a 2013 2nd round pick to the Ducks for Lubomir Visnovsky. Love it for the Isles.

With the 2nd pick, Blue Jackets select Ryan Murray, Everett

So uhhh… mock ruined. Thought it’d be Galchenyuk.

Mike Ribierio to the Caps for Cody Eakin and the 54th pick, jeez. Two big trades already.

With the 3rd pick, Canadiens select Alex Galchenyuk, Sarnia

Fuck. Gonna hate playing against this guy.

With the 4th pick, Islanders select Griffin Reinhart, Edmonton

Woah. I actually called this.

Hopefully the Leafs fuck up.

With the 5th pick, Maple Leafs select Morgan Rielly, Moose Jaw

Don’t really understand why they’d take him when Gardiner is supposed to be the next greatest thing in the history of ever and they just signed Liles for four years. That’s automatically half their defense that doesn’t actually play defense.

With the 6th pick, Ducks select Hampus Lindholm, Sweden

WAT? Jeeezzz. Mad reach.

I’d be rattled as a Ducks fan, lost Schultz, Ryan unhappy, this pick, Visnovsky for nothing….

Gotta be Forsberg…

With the 7th pick, Wild select Mathew Dumba, Red Deer

Or not. Dumba.

Jordan Staal to the Hurricanes for the 8th pick and Brandon Sutter.

WAAATTTT

With the 8th pick, Penguins select Derrick Pouliot, Portland

This draft is fuckin crazy.

Have a feeling the Jets aren’t going to end Forsberg’s fall.

With the 9th pick, Jets select Jacob Trouba, USADP

I like it. Nasty defender.

This means one of Grig

With the 10th pick, Lightning select Slater Koekkoek, Peterborough

This is one team I can understand going D. They had to.

THIS MEANS ONE OF GRIG OR FORSBERG WILL BE THERE FOR BUFFALO FOMGOFMGOGMOFGMOFGM

Prediction: both of those guys are available, Sabres go Olli Maatta.

Washington has to take Grigorenko here, right? They’ll look past the Russian factor for sure.

With the 11th pick, Capitals select Filip Forsberg, Leksand

Faaaak. Knew it was too good to be true.

HERE WE GO. PLZZZZZ GRIGORENKO

With the 12th pick, Sabres select Mikhail Grigorenko, Quebec

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

With the 13th pick, Stars select Radek Faksa, Kitchener

Damn. Was hoping he’d slip to 21.

Darcy talking with Calgary now!?!?!?!?

Holy shit.

Buffalo trades pick 21 and 42 fo Calgary for pick 14.

Maatta, Teravainen or Girgensons?

With the 14th pick, Sabres select Zemgus Girgensons, Dubuque

Honestly, they could’ve said “we pick no one” and I’d be fine with it after getting Grig. Still, I love it. We needed size, physicality, and centermen. Got all three with this.

With the 15th pick, Senators select Cody Ceci, Ottawa

This guy is going to be living at home his entire life, isn’t he?

With the 16th pick, Capitals select Tom Wilson, Plymouth

Insane that the first Canadian forward off the board goes at #16.

With the 17th pick, Sharks select Tomas Hertl, Czech

Guess this is solid.

With the 18th pick, Blackhawks select Teuvo Teravainen, Jokerit

What a steal. Woah.

With the 19th pick, Lightning select Andrei Vasilevski, Russia

Unreal pick. Glad they still took a tendy even after the Lindback deal.

With the 20th pick, Flyers select Scott Laughton, Oshawa

Favourite player is Mike Richards… trollolololol

With the 21st pick, Flames select Mark Jankowski

Traded down so they could take him… wat.

With the 22nd pick, Penguins select Olli Maatta, London

God damnit, the rich get richer.

With the 23rd pick, Panthers take Michael Matheson

These end of the first round picks are kinda getting out of hand…

With the 24th pick, Bruins select Malcolm Subban, Belleville

Awesome. PK vs Malcolm, Bruins-Habs.

With the 25th pick, Blues select Jordan Schmaltz, Green Bay

Always confuses me when a team takes a non-need and a player thats ranked way low.

With the 26th pick, Canucks select Brendan Gaunce, Belleville

Damnit, I knew it was a pipe dream hoping he’d slide to 44.

With the 27th pick, Coyotes select Henrik Samuelsson, Edmonton

Damnit.

With the 28th pick, Rangers select Brady Skeji, USADP

Randomly predicted this one…..

With the 29th pick, Devils select Stefan Matteau, USADP

AWESOME. Going to be awkward if he’s playing with Brodeur.

With the 30th pick, Kings select Tanner Pearson

Thought he’d sneak in to the first.