We continue today with the 42 overall pick, or the Buffalo Sabres third selection in the 2012 Entry Draft being held in Pittsburgh.  Our draft selections so far have been very heavy in the defense and center position. 

While the Sabres defensive corp is deep, they struggled greatly when Myers and Erhoff were out of the lineup, and could use some solidification.  With a depleted center position, they should do all they can there to prevent a future of nothing up the middle.  With the second guess at the 42nd overall selection in the draft, the Sabres look once again at the center position. 

He isnt projected to rise much higher in a depth chart than a third line center, but Lukas Sutter, C, from the Saskatoon Blades is a fair selection for the team to make at 42nd overall.  The Sabres lost a good third line center in Paul Gaustad this year in an attempt to get better for the future, and bringing in Sutter could be a long term solution to the holes at center. 

The son of Rich Sutter – a name synonymous with hockey.  With hockey running through Sutter veins, he might be a reach for the Sabres at 42nd given their immediate needs, but can you go wrong adding a Sutter to your organization?

You can follow him on Twitter to watch his draft day reactions.  @Suttsy23. 

He’s defensive, he’s physical, and he does well in the faceoff circle – something the Buffalo Sabres are lacking in.  Not every draft card turns into the next best thing – and role players are found in the draft as well. 

When asked to describe his own hockey style, Sutter throws out descriptions that the Buffalo Sabres fans have been longing for in a blue and gold sweater:

“I’m definitely more of an ‘in your face’, two-way type of player. I like to play physical, defend my ice and try to get under the other team’s skin. A big thing right now for me is that I have to watch my discipline a little bit more.”
 

Buffalo Sabres 2012 Mock Draft Second Round First Pick - Sabre Noise - Sabre Noise - A Buffalo Sabres Blog

With tonight’s win over the Phoenix Coyotes, the Kings have a playoff record of 9-1, following a round 1 win over the #1 seed Vancouver Canucks and a second round sweep of the surging St. Louis Blues. The Kings are also 7-0 on the road this postseason. They have two players over ten points in their 11 games and the hottest goaltender in the league right now with a GAA of 1.59 and a .947 save percentage. So what is the Kings secret?

If they played this well all season then they would have strolled into the playoffs as the #1 Seed, President’s Trophy winners and Cup favorites. The Kings started their year with a solid record of 12-8-5, but December is where it all fell apart. In December, LA was 7-6-2 and January was no better at 5-2-4. Coming into February and March, the Kings were in the mix with a slew of other teams like Chicago, Phoenix, Detroit, San Jose, Dallas Colorado and Calgary. Every day a new eighth seed was crowned and no one fan or analyst could predict who would advance come April. With a 6 game win streak coming at the end of March, LA looked like a shoe in but still struggled to hold on to that final playoff berth.

May 15, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick (32) stretches between plays during the first period of game two of the Western Conference finals of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Jobing.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

With an barely above average season and just making the 8^th seed in the Western Conference, where has LA come from? They are playing like they are the #1 seed in the League are are rolling through the competition, currently with a 2 games to 0 lead over the #3 seeded Coyotes. While Quick is in the running for the Vezina Trophy, with an astounding season manning the crease, tallying a league leading 10 shut outs, he has been the base for the surging Kings. They are on their way to taking down all 3 of the top seeds and conference leaders in the West this postseason. So were the Kings keeping a secret from the League this season? Were they hiding their true potential, and sneaking into the playoffs just to shock the world and keep the bulls eye off their backs?

Is this feat feasibly possible for the Buffalo Sabres? LA only had one more win than us this season and had less offense. The biggest difference is the Goal Differential of a +15 for the Kings and a -12 for Buffalo. Can the Sabres do the same vanishing act as the Kings next season? Could we play similarily(hopefully better) than this season, stats wise, and just turn it on in the postseason and tear through any team in our way? Let’s just hope.

All The King’s Horses and All The King’s Men - Sabre Noise - Sabre Noise - A Buffalo Sabres Blog