waiver draft

[Bay Side]

When does the waiver draft take place?.....and what do you think will happen from a sabres point of view??

[Jim Bob]

The waiver draft is on Friday.

The protected/exposed lists should be out on Wednesday.

The Sabres will expose guys that are destined for Rochester like Taylor, Botterill, Pittis, Cullen, and Bouchard.

And they may expose Boulton and/or Milley.

I think Bouchard, Milley, and Boulton would be the guys that were the most likely to get picked up by someone. Especially Bouchard when you have some teams that are hurting for blueline depth right now.

[Forum21]

Originally posted by Jim Bob


I think Bouchard, Milley, and Boulton would be the guys that were the most likely to get picked up by someone. Especially Bouchard when you have some teams that are hurting for blueline depth right now.

The sabres will have to be proactive at the waiver draft like they did when we lost Jean-Luc GP if they want to keep Bouchard. Can a team pick up a player like Bouchard and send them to the AHL or do they have to clear waivers again.

[LALAFONTAINE]

Milley will get picked up if left unprotected.

[mikeylikess99]

i think given a fair chance, like playing 30 games or so , can score for us..ill bet ghe pots 25 in a reg season in sabres unifioorm...is there something im missing or y isnt he a sabre yet...

[Forum21]

if he was ready, they would have made room for him.

[LALAFONTAINE]

Not necessarily. He might be ready but we already have a glut of RW. And it's not like we have soon-to-be UFAs or high salaried players to get rid of.

[Jim Bob]

Originally posted by jj@jj.com
The sabres will have to be proactive at the waiver draft like they did when we lost Jean-Luc GP if they want to keep Bouchard. Can a team pick up a player like Bouchard and send them to the AHL or do they have to clear waivers again.

He'd have to clear to get sent to the AHL.

And I believe the Sabres would have first crack at him in that scenario.

[Jim Bob]

Originally posted by mikeylikess99
i think given a fair chance, like playing 30 games or so , can score for us..ill bet ghe pots 25 in a reg season in sabres unifioorm...is there something im missing or y isnt he a sabre yet...

I like Norm, but 25 goals is an aweful lot to expect from him at the NHL level. He hasn't scored like that in Rochester.

I think he can be a solid 3rd/4th line checking RW with a bit of touch offensively.

Playing with the right center he might top out at around 15 to 20 goals and 35 to 40 points.

[Jim Bob]

Originally posted by LALALALALALAFONTAINE
Milley will get picked up if left unprotected.

Maybe, maybe not. I'm not sure he's shown enough as a pro to get picked up or not.

I wouldn't be shocked if he were picked up and I wouldn't be shocked if he were exposed and cleared.

[mikeylikess99]

say worst cae scenario hes score 20 goals and brings some production tho the third or 4th line, would that still be better than brown....i dont thin browns scored 20 goals in 3 yrs..i just think milley in the A is a waist of talent....

[Snarf]

Originally posted by jj@jj.com
The sabres will have to be proactive at the waiver draft like they did when we lost Jean-Luc GP if they want to keep Bouchard. Can a team pick up a player like Bouchard and send them to the AHL or do they have to clear waivers again.

The Sabres lost Jean-Luc at the expansion draft when Columbus and Minnesota came in. The Sabres made some trades so they did not have to protect Biron and he would not get picked up.

As for the waiver draft, very little happens anymore with it. It maybe go by with no movement of any player in for any team. I would not expect much from the Sabres gaining or losing players.

[The REAL Sabres]

We have to remember, if you want to pick up a player, you need to take someone off your protected list in order to claim the player you want. That is why hardly anybody is ever taken.

[Jim Bob]

Originally posted by mikeylikess99
say worst cae scenario hes score 20 goals and brings some production tho the third or 4th line, would that still be better than brown....i dont thin browns scored 20 goals in 3 yrs..i just think milley in the A is a waist of talent....

The best case scenario for Norm is that he scores 20 goals.

He could easily be another Erik Rasmussen type player for the Sabres.

[buffjoe]

The only way Norm gets 20 in the NHL is if he plays first or second line and gets lots of PP time. Now tell me who is he going to unseed from the first two lines. What he needs to do to make the Sabres is assume an agitator role like Mair. Skate with his elbows high, drop the gloves once in a while and be an absolute nut job every time he takes the ice. If he is going to continue to play his current style, then he's no different than Pyatt or Botterill and there's no reason to make a spot for him. Don't need another big Doofus that takes too many shifts off.

[Jim Bob]

I could see Norm potting 20 goals one day if he were a full time 3rd line RW and was playing with a 3rd line center like possibly Derek Roy that has some offensive touch to his game.

Just look at what the Isles 3rd line did last season. I think Norm could play on a 3rd line like that one that was solid defensively and scored more than their fair share off of turnovers and the fact that the lines they were playing against weren't that great defensively.

But what he's likely to turn out to be is something like what Erik Rasmussen was from a production standpoint. But, I certainly think Norm is much less likely to be invisible like Erik was.

[mikeylikess99]

unseed brown , the guys been here for virtually eternity, but yet his numbers have increasingly dimished, he was only as good as his line mates, and personally i belief milleys better, just hope he doesnt get a chance to PROVE it with another team....

[two4trippn]

The Sabres could be a player in the waiver draft, especially if we expose and lose a higher priced forward ($1 mil +).

[Jim Bob]

Originally posted by mikeylikess99
unseed brown , the guys been here for virtually eternity, but yet his numbers have increasingly dimished, he was only as good as his line mates, and personally i belief milleys better, just hope he doesnt get a chance to PROVE it with another team....

Brown plays center, Milley plays RW.

Plus, Brown makes more money, is Lindy's guy, and is a proven NHLer.

With the team's goal for this season as making the playoffs I can't see them moving out a veteran that has proven to be a solid 3rd line guy for a rookie who hasn't proven a thing in the NHL with the hope that he could step up soon.

If they were completely rebuilding, then Brown would get the boot. But they aren't.

Plus, I'd argue about Derek Roy versus Curtis Brown for this season.

Milley will be fighting with guys like Afinogenov, Connolly, Mair, Begin and Gaustad for ice time in Buffalo.

[Thumper]

Originally posted by mikeylikess99
say worst cae scenario hes score 20 goals and brings some production tho the third or 4th line, would that still be better than brown....i dont thin browns scored 20 goals in 3 yrs..i just think milley in the A is a waist of talent....

Curtis scored 20 in '01-'02. Pretty solid for the checking line center. People don't appreciate him enough.

[The REAL Sabres]

Prediction: 1 player in the entire league gets claimed, not involving Sabres

[LALAFONTAINE]

Originally posted by Thumper
Curtis scored 20 in '01-'02. Pretty solid for the checking line center. People don't appreciate him enough.

Brown is a LW, not a C. I don't think Ruff is using him right. If Kotalik has a soph slump, I'd stick Brown on LW with Drury and Satan.

[Thumper]

True, he is a LW. But he's no slouch at being a checking line center. He's still the best at it on this team, but I think Mair could also handle it. Just not score as much at the same time.

Interesting to throw Brown on the first line. I didn't think of that. If Kotalik stumbles I'd think about putting Drury at LW, Briere at C and RW is obviously Miro. That's a ton of offense for a 1st line. More than we've had in years....

other 2nd line combos...

Kotalik-Brown-Dumont (Afinogenov if Dumont stumbles)

Kotalik-Hecht-Dumont (Afinogenov if Dumont stumbles)

There's a ton of options.