Saturday, May 24, 2008

Sabres hitting the Beach?

An "On The Fly" segment on the NHL Network this week had a mention of the Sabres trying to ship veteran winger Maxim Afinogenov to Vancouver as part of a deal that would land the Sabres the #10 pick in next month's draft. GM Darcy Regier spoke of Afinogenov's possible departure at his postseason press conference, and it seems that Canucks fans have always had an interest in the speedy Russian since the days of Pavel Bure. Already holding picks 13 and 26 (from San Jose), the Sabres could have three first round picks in one of the deeper drafts this decade. The Sabres rumored target with that #10 pick? Kyle Beach, the 6'3, 208-pound forward from Everett of the WHL. A player who goes hard to the net, Beach brings a powerful mix of skill and physical play that could allow him to immediately jump to the professional ranks. He'd likely be gone by the time the 13th selection rolls around. While piling up points and PIMs (27-33-60 222 PIM in 60 GP), his style also contributed to two concussions (from fists) and a fractured orbital bone (from a puck) in a span between December and March. Character issues have been raised in the past, but the impact forward could thrive given time to mature with the right organization. Is he really a gamble? There's no question that his tools would be a welcome addition to the Sabres pipeline.