Our pick in the upcoming draft?

[kernowboy]

I don't like selecting at #13 as we are often not close enough to the really star draftees and this year we don't have a Round2 pick with which to move up.

However, one player I would love to see have their name called by the organisation is Dmitry Kulikov of the Drummondville Voyagers.

As a Russian, he might slip a little but he is already over here and has been tearing up the league. He might even have the talent to make the roster out of training camp.

With Nuuminen retiring, Tallinder sliding and maybe Spacek leaving, we need to look at drafting a Top defenseman who can be top line player and I think Kulikov can be the player Kalinin didn't turn out to be. If we can drop down a little, still draft him and get a Round2 pick all the better.

[Nighthawk]

Don't know much about him, so can you give us an idea of what type of player he is?

[BillsSabresB.C.T. Fan]

All mock drafts I've seen have us taking Ryan Ellis 5' 9" defenceman out of the OHL Windsor Spitfires.

2007-08: Ellis showed that he had what it takes to put up the number this season, recording 63 points (15g+48a) in as many games with the Windsor Spitfires (OHL). Five postseason games yielded another five points (2g+3a) for the defenseman.
http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/ryan_ellis

[SabreEleven]

Don't we have enough young defensemen in the system?

[snow1989]

Ellis is 5'9...and as a defenseman I'd see that as a concern on a team that doesn't have enough size as it is. Battles in the corner, the shorter 'wingspan' to sweep check....to me are negatives. If we had a solid core of defense and were looking for a 'sparkplug' type guy maybe, but I'd have a hard time going with a 5'9 180lbs defenseman in the first round with the team in its current state.

[kernowboy]

Dmitry Kulikov

"Dmitri Kulikov is a smooth skating, poised defenseman who will only get better with age. He racked up 62 points (12g+50a) in only 57 games, as he missed time play for team Russia in the WJC. At only 17 he moved from his native Russia to play in the QMJHL for Drumondville and the move has done wonders for his draft ranking. His biggest strengths are his flawless puck moving, his skating and his awareness at both ends of the ice. This kid has very few weaknesses but he could certainly be more physical, but to do that he needs to put on some muscle, as he is listed as 6-1, 190. Scouts love this kid because they know exactly what they will get from him, a smart, slick defenseman that will be a top 4 defenseman for years to come."

The only real knock on him is the fact he is Russian, though he's already over here so a lack of the international agreement wouldn't be an issue.

On the NHL.com draftsite there are 5 mocks and they have us going for

Scott Glennie RW x 2
Jacob Josefson C
Dmitry Kulikov D
John Moore D

[THATHURMANATOR]

I don't like selecting at #13 as we are often not close enough to the really star draftees and this year we don't have a Round2 pick with which to move up.

However, one player I would love to see have their name called by the organisation is Dmitry Kulikov of the Drummondville Voyagers.

As a Russian, he might slip a little but he is already over here and has been tearing up the league. He might even have the talent to make the roster out of training camp.

With Nuuminen retiring, Tallinder sliding and maybe Spacek leaving, we need to look at drafting a Top defenseman who can be top line player and I think Kulikov can be the player Kalinin didn't turn out to be. If we can drop down a little, still draft him and get a Round2 pick all the better.
Kerno have you not seen our past drafts or organizational depth? We are STACKED at young Dmen

Weber
Butler
Myers
Brennen
Person
Gragnani

[THATHURMANATOR]

Don't we have enough young defensemen in the system?
More than enough.

We need a Rugged Winger with size.

[kernowboy]

Kerno have you not seen our past drafts or organizational depth? We are STACKED at young Dmen

Weber
Butler
Myers
Brennen
Person
Gragnani

Brennen and Persson have not set the world on fire, Gragnani was even for a time shifted to the wing.

Nuuminen, Spacek and Tallinder are either leaving, retiring or underperforming and therefore might be moved on.

Lydman, Sekera, and Rivet remain as Paetsch hasn't set the world on fire. Sekera hasn't really stepped forward either.

If Butler and Weber are moved up from Portland on a regular basis, we therefore need to replenish the ranks. Whilst we have plenty of depth, we also have no sure fire elite top pairing prospects.

We have decent size on the RW with Pominville, Stafford and Kaleta. Whilst we also need some offensive depth on the RW, I think that Kulikov is a more sure fire prospect.

[kernowboy]

In our last draft we went D, C, C, D. I see no reason why we don't go D, W/C this year.

[User Manuel]

You can never have too many good defensemen. I have read and heard good things about Kulikov. I have never seen him play though.

[SabreEleven]

Brennen and Persson have not set the world on fire, Gragnani was even for a time shifted to the wing.

What person in this organization has set the world on fire lately? Maybe Gerbe? but who else...

[BillsSabresB.C.T. Fan]

Dmitry Kulikov

"Dmitri Kulikov is a smooth skating, poised defenseman who will only get better with age. He racked up 62 points (12g+50a) in only 57 games, as he missed time play for team Russia in the WJC. At only 17 he moved from his native Russia to play in the QMJHL for Drumondville and the move has done wonders for his draft ranking. His biggest strengths are his flawless puck moving, his skating and his awareness at both ends of the ice. This kid has very few weaknesses but he could certainly be more physical, but to do that he needs to put on some muscle, as he is listed as 6-1, 190. Scouts love this kid because they know exactly what they will get from him, a smart, slick defenseman that will be a top 4 defenseman for years to come."

The only real knock on him is the fact he is Russian, though he's already over here so a lack of the international agreement wouldn't be an issue.

On the NHL.com draftsite there are 5 mocks and they have us going for

Scott Glennie RW x 2
Jacob Josefson C
Dmitry Kulikov D
John Moore D

The Sabres will not draft a Russian player and alot of other teams won't either here's why...


First, the Russian Hockey Federation refused to renew its player transfer agreement with the NHL a few years ago, an action that has led NHL teams to draft fewer and fewer Russian prospects. Then, working with willing allies in the Russian government, a raft of reforms in Russian employment law have gone into effect, all with the aim of making it more difficult for young prospects to play overseas.

What's worse, the Russians have managed to convince every other European hockey federation of the justice of their cause, and now the entire continent stands united against the NHL on the player transfer issue. The ultimate goal: to create an international player transfer market in hockey that more closely resembles that of international soccer, where players are bought and sold for millions of dollars before you even start paying a salary.

In the past few weeks, the noises out of Russia have gotten more ominous. In interviews with the Western press, KHL president Alexander Medvedev let it slip that KHL teams that sign NHL players currently under contract won't have their salaries count against the league's cap. Then, a steady stream of fringe players started signing contracts with the new league, capped by the signings of Ray Emery, a goalie who one season ago was playing in the Stanley Cup Finals, and future first ballot Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr.

Then again, you must think, Medvedev and the Russian Hockey Federation are businessmen who can be reasoned with. So your team jets to Switzerland to hammer out an agreement where both leagues respect each other's contracts. An NHL official steps to a podium and declares player peace in our time.

Not so fast. Not even 24 hours after the agreement was official, Alexander Radulov, a winger for the Nashville Predators who fought his way to the NHL through Canadian juniors and the AHL and scored 26 goals last season at the tender age of 21, announced that he was headed back home to Russia to play for Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the KHL -- this despite the fact that he has a year remaining on his contract with Nashville. When asked about the Radulov signing, Medvedev told a Russian newspaper that it was fine by him, as the agreement with the NHL had yet to be signed.
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=434501

This is also why the poor kid Cherepanov who colapsed on the bench and then later :dead: he was in the 07 draft fell to the NY Rangers at #17 when he was supposed to be an #5 pick.

[SabreEleven]

Now it is on to red font?

[kernowboy]

The Sabres will not draft a Russian player and alot of other teams won't either here's why...


First, the Russian Hockey Federation refused to renew its player transfer agreement with the NHL a few years ago, an action that has led NHL teams to draft fewer and fewer Russian prospects. Then, working with willing allies in the Russian government, a raft of reforms in Russian employment law have gone into effect, all with the aim of making it more difficult for young prospects to play overseas.

What's worse, the Russians have managed to convince every other European hockey federation of the justice of their cause, and now the entire continent stands united against the NHL on the player transfer issue. The ultimate goal: to create an international player transfer market in hockey that more closely resembles that of international soccer, where players are bought and sold for millions of dollars before you even start paying a salary.

In the past few weeks, the noises out of Russia have gotten more ominous. In interviews with the Western press, KHL president Alexander Medvedev let it slip that KHL teams that sign NHL players currently under contract won't have their salaries count against the league's cap. Then, a steady stream of fringe players started signing contracts with the new league, capped by the signings of Ray Emery, a goalie who one season ago was playing in the Stanley Cup Finals, and future first ballot Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr.

Then again, you must think, Medvedev and the Russian Hockey Federation are businessmen who can be reasoned with. So your team jets to Switzerland to hammer out an agreement where both leagues respect each other's contracts. An NHL official steps to a podium and declares player peace in our time.

Not so fast. Not even 24 hours after the agreement was official, Alexander Radulov, a winger for the Nashville Predators who fought his way to the NHL through Canadian juniors and the AHL and scored 26 goals last season at the tender age of 21, announced that he was headed back home to Russia to play for Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the KHL -- this despite the fact that he has a year remaining on his contract with Nashville. When asked about the Radulov signing, Medvedev told a Russian newspaper that it was fine by him, as the agreement with the NHL had yet to be signed.
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=434501

This is also why the poor kid Cherepanov who colapsed on the bench and then later :dead: he was in the 07 draft fell to the NY Rangers at #17 when he was supposed to be an #5 pick.

The concern about drafting Russians is they won't come over but Filatov, Voinov and Granchev all did immediately after being drafted in 2008 after saying they would.

Having moved over here as a junior and being joined by his family, I am not sure why Kulokov would want to go back to Russia.

You provide one example, whilst there are many of Russians wanting to come over here

Kulikov has stated that he has come over to enhance his chances to play in the NHL - so it would be fairly weird to want to go to the KHL instead.

The Stars, Coyotes, Rangers, etc don't have problems drafting Russians? Are we prepared to miss out on such talent?