Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Eastern Conference Draft Grades

07/01/2013 at 1:59pm EDT

from Allan Muir of Sports Illustrated,

The grades below are based on two primary criteria. Did the team maximize the value of each pick? Did it address obvious organizational needs? Both are highly subjective assessments, but hey, this is a subjective piece. Feel free to present your counter-arguments below.

Boston Bruins
Sitting idly for more than four hours while every other team in the league dove into the deepest talent pool in a decade meant the Bruins would have to settle for long-term prospects with varying holes in their games. They may yet pull an impact player out of their six picks, but the more realistic scenario is that Linus Arnesson (60th) and Wiley Sherman (150) could mature into a third defensive pairing, while the rest are long shots at best. C

Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres had an obvious need for size and talent on the back end and GM Darcy Regier addressed it in a way that exceeded the highest hopes of the team’s fans. Rasmus Ristolainen (8) and Nikita Zadorov (16) are big, mean, impact players. The second round was just as fruitful, with hard-working forwards JT Compher (35) and Connor Hurley (38) and sniper Justin Bailey (52) giving the front lines an injection of second/third line potential. Add in the trade that netted defenseman Jamie McBain from Carolina and the day could not have gone better for this rebuilding franchise. A+

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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