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Buffalo Sabres Prospects: How Much More Uncomfortable Can The Draft Be

By Tim Redinger

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Uncomfortable might be too weak a word to discuss the future of the Buffalo Sabres and whatever prospect is selected in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

First off, lets roll back to the Draft Lottery – Connor McDavid did not look happy at all when interviewed after it was revealed that the Edmonton Oilers had won the draft lottery and were all but a lock to select the young Canadian defenseman, leaving the Buffalo Sabres to draft second.

The look on his face was like someone had just ran over his cat and kicked his dog at the same time.  Will we see an Eric Lindros type situation where he refuses to sign with the Edmonton Oilers?  I don’t think so, but might that shy the Oilers away from taking him with the first overall selection?  We are still at the “anything could happen” phase, so why not?

And then there is the fact that the Buffalo Sabres signed Jack Eichel’s linemate from Boston University.  I mean you are pretty much setting yourself up for failure on that one.  Sure the kid was a good hockey player, ran out of NCAA eligibility, you could easily pass that off as hey he was a free agent signing and nothing more.

Honestly though, what happens if the Edmonton Oilers take a look out over the podium in Florida, and announce that they are taking Jack Eichel with the first overall draft pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft?

Buffalo Sabres fans, and the hockey world at large would be standing there, mouth’s open just wondering what the hell just happened.

Now, before you either A) stop reading, or B) start flinging things at me – it isn’t that far fetched of an idea.  Crusing through the regular season, the goal was McEichel – no that isn’t one person, its a blended name of Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel.  Is either one a clear cut number one pick over the other one?  Certainly McDavid is going to grab first honors, but isn’t that just because Eichel was a late bloomer on the radar of the collective scouting community.

Out there somewhere is a scout going, I told you so.

So we all poke fun at the guy who has the McDavid jersey, that will most likely go down in history as a good laugh and a major jersey foul.  But who would be laughing if he still ended up a member of the blue and gold?  You can go to any t-shirt store in the 716 that sells local flavored shirts and get something along the vein of a Jack Eichel coming to Buffalo T-shirt.

If Eichel goes number one, and the Buffalo Sabres are left with McDavid – who looks sillier, the one guy with the pre-Sabres Bufalo Sabres McDavid jersey, or the 500,000 or so Eichel t-shirts floating around the Western New York area?

And then this happens:

"Olga Khmylev was interviewing Jack Eichel at the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship and caused funny moment after…Posted by WNYorker.com on Monday, May 11, 2015"

I mean, you can’t fault a girl for trying, and Olga Khmylev has Buffalo connections, she is both the daughter of former Buffalo Sabres Yuri Khmylev, and also a program manager for the Academy of Hockey at the HarborCenter. Conflict of interest here sure – but it was all in good fun right?

The guy who pulled the t-shirt away didn’t think so, and the fact that he could end up going to the Edmonton Oilers, makes it a very touchy subject.

It has to be an uncomfortable position for both players involved, and with more media attention on Jack Eichel – you have to wonder if this isn’t the Buffalo Sabres trying to tip their hand on purpose and get the Edmonton Oilers to bite on Jack Eichel.

Next: For Whom The Bell Tolls - The Buffalo Sabres Captain Curse

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