Predraft Wrapup

When it rains, it rains hard. Or pours, I'm not sure which. It doesn't matter either, my point is when last season began to suck, it didn't stop; the team effectively tanked the season, at one point going a full 25 games without a win, but somehow didn't manage to quite be bad enough to pick first in the Entry Draft. That honour indirectly went to Vancouver, by way of their general manager fleecing New Jersey out of THEIR first-round pick, and left Buffalo with #4. There was to be no rejoicing - with the upcoming free agency period and the cap still unfairly rigid at $50 million, drafting had moved from important to "incredibly fucking important", in GM Byers' words. Hence, the frenzy of trading - first robbing Columbus of a second first-round simply for them to move up one space (where they picked Dmitry Mozgunov), then probably giving up too much to re-enter the first ten by shipping three high picks to the New York Islanders for Tampa Bay's original first, which sat at #10 and was used to select Gordie Coleman. Eventually, the five second-round picks the Sabres entered the day with were whittled down to two - one was packaged with Carl Soderberg in exchange for Robert Nilsson, one went to Pittsburgh for Maxence Veillette and one was included in the ridiculous overpayment mentioned above. So And so, to shill the individual players to the point of overhyping them and meaning they will never live up to their expectations.

Leon Fooland
[1st round, 4th overall, 17 years of age, defenseman, Kelowna Rockets]

Clocking in at 6'4 and over 22o pounds, Fooland is the archetypal physical defenseman; someone who may have trouble with penalties but will get away with more brutality than he gets called for. He will never be an offensive power on the blueline, but that was never why he was drafted - in time, he should mature into a real franchise defenseman in the mould of ex-Devil Scott Niedermayer. It's believed that the Sabres will let Fooland remain in the Western Hockey League for at least the next season, as at the moment the Buffalo defense corps is fairly solid despite the poor run of results thus far. One more thing to note about Fooland is that he will almost certainly be linked to the Blue Jackets' Mozgunov in the same way as Eli Manning and Philip Rivers are now, although the amount given up to get hold of Mozgunov isn't close to the amount the New York Giants paid up for Manning's services.

Gordie Coleman
[1st round, 10th overall, 18 years of age, centre, Val D'Or Foreurs]

When Coleman was picked, it was thought to be somewhat of a reach considering the players still available both offensively and defensively - Pelle Ottosson is believed to be less consistent but with a greater upside - but it was known GM Byers had been interested in Coleman for some time. In 77 games with the Foreurs, he had racked up a hundred and twenty-six points, a fantastic level of production for anybody, and this was thought to be the tipping point that prompted his selection. Like Fooland, he projects as being a franchise centre, a genuine playmaker not unlike Calgary's Mike Comrie.

Ben Certik
[2nd round, 43rd overall, 18 years of age, left winger, Kamloops Blazers]

The designation of "sniper" may well have been created solely for Certik's use, and if he pans out he will have been a real steal - he had eighty-nine goals last season in the WHL, and displayed a wristshot already worthy of the ITC. The comparisons to Martin St. Louis are inevitable, and we're not about to change that because he is an excellent skater and a deft stickhandler despite his small stature (5'10 and 190 pounds); additionally, Certik was the captain for the Blazers last season and will retain this position if he isn't brought to the ITC as he has already proven himself to be a leader.

William Sharlow
[2nd round, 44th overall, 18 years of age, left winger, Kootenay Ice]

If "sniper" wasn't designed for Certik, it was for Sharlow. While his point totals last year weren't as radical as Certik's were, sixty-nine goals is nothing to sniff at, particularly with Kootenay's comparative lack of support for him. Like Certik, his skills lie in his blistering shot and soft hands, but unlike Certik, Sharlow has the capability to play twenty or twenty-five minutes every night - he has the endurance to make this possible. Interestingly, he has been seen to have chemistry with new Sabre Robert Nilsson and Keith Ballard in a pre-draft training camp, something that may bode well for the future.