Buffalo Sabres Daily: NHL Draft Day

The day has finally come for Buffalo Sabres fans – while it seems like awhile since the Stanley Cup has been awarded, it seems even longer since the Buffalo Sabres played in an NHL game.  It has been even longer since the Buffalo Sabres played in a meaningful NHL game.  That all starts to change tonight at 7PM when the 2014 NHL Entry Draft starts.

Don’t bother covering the 2014 NHL Entry Draft – because nobody cares.  [SBNation].

This is probably the biggest draft in the history of the Buffalo Sabres since the team has entered the league.  Buffalo Sabres and their fans are excited about this draft.  It does get hard for the average fan to get behind the Friday night first round – and the barely covered second day of the draft – because you don’t have the immediate impact that the NBA and NFL drafted players have.

So here it is.  The NHL wants to make itself more relevant?  You start partnering television deals with the minor leagues and getting your future products in the face of the average fan.  It’s the only way to hype up your draft even more, outside of die hard fans who are already seeking out coverage of junior teams.

Sam Reinhart gets it, and that makes him a special kind of hockey player.  [The Globe and Mail].

If you haven’t gotten excited about this kid being in a Buffalo Sabres uniform this year, you need to reevaluate the way you talk and think about hockey.  Sure he might not be the hockey player that Tim Murray thinks is the best for the Buffalo Sabres, but when you have people comparing him to the likes of John Tavares and Steven Stamkos at that age, you stop and listen.

Sure no one knows at this point how anyone in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft will fair in the NHL – but just like the draft picks who probably didn’t sleep much last night – die hard fans wait in cautious anticipation for their team to walk to the podium and select the next best thing to pull on their favorite teams sweater.

Does that then make the NHL draft like the Matrix?  Are drafted players the “one” for their markets – steeped in a system developed by an architect that constantly recycles the system trying to make the game better?  Is Gary Bettman the architect or Agent Smith?

It is not just about the picks this year, but what deals could be made at the tables.  [ESPN].

Ok – the funniest part of this is the video, where Scott Burnside says he hopes you stay with ESPN for all your hockey needs.  Really?   Really?  Was that just said?  Why don’t you cover all of hockey for my hockey needs?

Don’t expect the Buffalo Sabres to make a huge splash at the tables or in free agency, but expect the Buffalo Sabres to be quite busy between draft selections today and tomorrow as Tim Murray works his magic.

Time for Canada to shine again in NHL Entry Draft.  [CBS Sports].

The Montreal Canadiens gave a country hope this year, trying to break a long standing drought, breaking the curse that has kept a Canadian team from winning the Stanley Cup.  With five of the top ten selections going to Canada, and the sheer number of Canadian prospects once again, is Canada on the verge of retaking a sport they once were able to claim as their own?