Dr. Lecter
06-25-2009, 09:39 AM
NHL scouts and executives will gather in Montreal this weekend for the 2009 entry draft, intent on finding the future of their franchises.
The Buffalo Sabres and General Manager Darcy Regier are good at doing so ... though not necessarily in the first round.
The NHL draft is among the trickiest in pro sports, joining the Major League Baseball selection process, mainly because the 18-year-olds being chosen aren't ready to compete with the men in the league. NFL and NBA draftees, by comparison, are able to play immediately.
For the Sabres, the crapshoot begins right from the start. They have a number of first- round busts under Regier's watch.
From 1997 to 2006 (leaving out the last two drafts for natural maturation), three of the Sabres' 11 first-round picks haven't played in the NHL, while another played just 10 games.
http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/713775.html
The Buffalo Sabres and General Manager Darcy Regier are good at doing so ... though not necessarily in the first round.
The NHL draft is among the trickiest in pro sports, joining the Major League Baseball selection process, mainly because the 18-year-olds being chosen aren't ready to compete with the men in the league. NFL and NBA draftees, by comparison, are able to play immediately.
For the Sabres, the crapshoot begins right from the start. They have a number of first- round busts under Regier's watch.
From 1997 to 2006 (leaving out the last two drafts for natural maturation), three of the Sabres' 11 first-round picks haven't played in the NHL, while another played just 10 games.
http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/713775.html