0:00
Zack's a player that I'm I'm very, very
0:02
fond of. I love the kid. I love the
0:03
player. He's a dog. I think he's got a
0:06
chance to be a Selke conversation guy. I
0:09
viewed him as the 70-point guy. Like, I
0:11
think he's got got the juice to be that
0:14
kind of a player while being an
0:15
excellent defender. That's a premier
0:18
player in the league at that point.
0:19
>> Ah, the growing legend of Zack Benson. I
0:22
had Scott Wheeler from The Athletic join
0:24
me recently and Scott's an insider about
0:27
the NHL draft, NHL draft prospects. And
0:30
he laid out why he has some reservations
0:32
about McKenna at number one, also about
0:35
Zack Benson's superstar potential, as
0:37
you just heard, and what the Sabres
0:40
should do at number 20. This is before
0:42
the Bol Byram trade that got them up to
0:44
number four, but after the move that got
0:47
them to number 20. So, listen in to
0:49
>> Gavin McKenna is the number one prospect
0:52
on your board going into the draft. So,
0:53
tell our audience what makes McKenna the
0:56
number one prospect and what makes him
0:58
>> Yeah, it's obviously been more of a
1:00
talking point than was anticipated
1:02
heading into the year. Others have
1:04
emerged to to sort of challenge him for
1:06
some scouts. There are scouts who
1:08
believe that Caleb Malholtra is the best
1:09
player in this class. There are scouts
1:11
that believe Egor Sidorov, Chase Reed,
1:13
Carson Corrals. I've heard all of those
1:15
names at different points this season.
1:17
But, I've kind of held firm on my belief
1:19
that Gavin is the premium guy in this
1:21
class, that he's the number one prospect
1:22
in this class. He's clearly the most
1:25
talented and gifted offensive player in
1:27
this class from a pure point production
1:29
ceiling standpoint. He's the top
1:31
prospect in this class in that regard.
1:34
The question and the calculus that you
1:35
have to make on Gavin is what you expect
1:37
him to give back, and I do think he's
1:39
going to give some back defensively. Off
1:41
the puck, Gavin has been a work in
1:42
progress over the course of his young
1:45
career. There's He needs to stop
1:47
reaching in quite as much. He needs to
1:49
move his feet more off the puck. He
1:50
needs to battle more for pucks. He needs
1:52
to be just be more engaged in terms of
1:54
going and getting pucks,
1:57
finishing his checks, winning his
1:58
battles defensively. All of those things
2:00
are are at least yellow flags, if you
2:03
will, with with Gavin. Uh, and for some
2:06
teams a bit of a red flag. The offense
2:08
is clear, nobody denies it, everybody
2:10
knows what Gavin is offensively. He's
2:12
going to be a premier power play player
2:13
in the league. I think he's going to get
2:15
there at five on five and become a
2:17
high-end five on five play creator.
2:20
Um, the question is just going to be if
2:24
where his ceiling is set relative to his
2:26
value off of the puck. Is Is he just a
2:29
one-dimensional guy or can he be a
2:31
league average player off the puck and
2:33
then because of his offense is a true
2:35
true star player in the league? Or is he
2:37
more of a star offensive player who you
2:40
you give a little bit too much back?
2:41
That's That's kind of where the
2:43
different ranges of outcomes come into
2:46
>> Remember to subscribe because we've got
2:48
reaction coming Friday night after the
2:51
draft of all Sabres moves and draft
2:54
picks. From one prospect, potential
2:57
number one pick, to a previous number
2:59
one pick, is Macklin Celebrini as good
3:01
as you thought he would be or better?
3:06
Um, Macklin was a star prospect.
3:09
Didn't have the holes that a player like
3:11
a Gavin McKenna or Connor Bedard had,
3:13
but there was at least a little bit of
3:15
doubt as to whether Macklin would be
3:18
sort of a 100 point version of a stud
3:20
two-way center or more of an 80 point
3:22
version of a stud two-way center and we
3:24
have learned very quickly that he's the
3:26
100 point superstar and not the 80-90
3:29
point high-end All-Star type. Like there
3:31
there's a big difference between an
3:33
All-Star and a superstar and
3:35
uh, Macklin is no doubt the latter.
3:38
>> Which player would have the most value
3:40
to the Sabres if he were to fall to
3:46
>> I don't know whether there's a player
3:47
that would have the most value to the
3:51
in terms of my list and my board and
3:53
players who are higher on my board that
3:55
I think could be there. The The one
3:58
name, and I don't think he gets there,
3:59
but the one name on my list that's sort
4:02
of in a top-10, top-11, top-12, top-13
4:06
uh, sort of category classification on
4:08
my list who I think has a real chance to
4:10
be available in the late teens, and I'm
4:12
a little bit higher on them most is kid
4:14
by the name of Ryan Lindgren, a
4:15
right-shot defenseman with the Vancouver
4:17
Giants. I don't think that Lindgren's
4:18
necessarily a great fit for the Sabres,
4:20
but he's kind of the guy that I've
4:22
identified who I think will probably be
4:25
available into the teens, even though
4:26
he's just in front of the teens on my
4:28
list. And if he is available in sort of
4:32
the late teens, he'd be a player that I
4:35
uh, eager to pounce on.
4:37
After that, it really does does widen
4:39
widen up. The top centers are going to
4:41
go early. That's how the draft always
4:43
plays out. You're going to see guys like
4:45
Alexander Command, a real riser in this
4:47
class, down the middle of the ice is
4:49
going to go before that pick. Uh,
4:52
typically the players who are available
4:53
in that range are the high-skill,
4:58
Um, so you're thinking about guys like
5:00
Nikita Klyapov, JP Hurlbert. Uh, those
5:03
are those are players who are who will
5:05
be a little bit higher on my list who
5:06
are likely to be available there. But I
5:08
don't know that Klyapov is the type that
5:10
the the Sabres will chase necessarily
5:16
they've already got a lot of that player
5:18
type. I don't know that they necessarily
5:21
>> Ryan Lindgren's a name that keeps
5:23
popping up around where the Sabres would
5:25
be at number 20. Also, Jack Hexdall is
5:27
interesting. Obviously, the last name is
5:29
going to draw a lot of attention there.
5:30
What type of prospect is Hexdall, and
5:32
will he be available for the Sabres at
5:35
>> Yep, he'll be around there. Um, I know
5:37
there are a number of teams that are
5:38
really high on Jack in the 20s. He's
5:40
expected to go in the 20s. Obviously,
5:42
the Sabres could get out in front of
5:43
that and pick him if they liked him. Uh,
5:46
Jack's a very well-rounded, detailed,
5:48
pro style, good frame,
5:51
uh strong on pucks, center. Uh he's
5:54
played a little bit of center and the
5:55
wing, but it the belief is that he's
5:57
going to be an NHL center. Uh there's
5:59
not a lot of guys, obviously, in the
6:00
late first round who project confidently
6:03
as centers. Morozov is one of them.
6:05
Hechtall is one of them. Um
6:08
the the little bit of questions about
6:09
the offense with Jack. He's not uh he
6:12
he's a talented player, but he's not a
6:13
true true sort of play creator. Um more
6:17
of a complementary, supportive,
6:20
well-rounded sort of two-way type.
6:23
Projects as kind of a a a middle-six
6:25
middle-six guy long-term.
6:27
>> Finally, Zach Benson. Same question. As
6:29
good as you thought he could be in the
6:32
>> As good. Uh Zach was sixth on my list
6:35
when they took him uh took him ninth. I
6:37
believe it was ninth.
6:40
Zach's a player that I'm I'm very very
6:42
fond of. I love the kid. I love the
6:44
player. He's a dog. I think he's got got
6:46
a chance to be a Selke. Uh maybe not a
6:49
winner cuz wingers rarely win the award,
6:51
but a a Selke conversation guy, a guy
6:54
who finishes fourth or fifth on people's
6:56
ballots at some point in his career. I
6:59
think he's got a chance to be a real
7:00
play driver, a real sort of core piece
7:03
in terms of the identity of your team.
7:06
Uh the question with Zach was always
7:07
sort of how much scoring is going to be
7:09
there. We know that he's going to sort
7:11
of be a dog, that he's going to be a bit
7:12
of a rat out there, that he's going to
7:14
make things happen, that he's going to
7:15
be involved in the guts of the action,
7:18
but how much is he actually going to put
7:19
the puck in the net? Is he a 20-goal guy
7:21
or can he be a 30-goal guy? And I think
7:24
that's the jury is still a little bit
7:25
out in that regard. Is he a 50-point guy
7:28
or is he a 65-70-point guy? And that's a
7:32
very different uh type of player, a very
7:34
different ceiling in terms of his
7:35
potential salary and all that. I think
7:37
he's I've viewed him as the 70-point
7:39
guy. Like I think he's got got the juice
7:42
to be that kind of a player while being
7:44
an excellent defender, excellent
7:46
defensive forward. Uh and that's a
7:48
that's a premier player in the league at
7:51
>> Hey, thanks for watching everybody. I'm
7:53
D.A. Damon Amendolara. Make sure you're
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That way you get notified or you get in
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