Taro T

Thanks for putting up the link. I'd mentioned that article in the prospects thread but didn't have the link. Very nice article.

Don't have the login credentials for the Athletic on this machine, so can't link to the article (behind a paywall anyway). But if you have a subscription to the Athletic there's a GREAT article today about Levi and some of his mental preparations & the overall work he puts into the game. It's a very good read and just makes it appear all the more that he has that "it" factor. Can't wait to see him in B&G.

Oh, for those good old days when slots 5-12 were filled in spades and slots 3-4 were filled adequately. Too bad the closest to a 1st pairing guy he had was McCabe. He also tended to monopolize the league's supply of bottom sixers. And to think, had he been willing to trim the scouting staff, he'd still be here. Dodged that bullet.

Any cool Ann Arbor Detroit lineups that might work, too? Wild Gophers too while we're at it. 😉

Not under the MOU. NTCs & NMCs now travel w/ the player.

Tampa not being on the list isn't a surprise. With so many NMCs that team would tear itself apart to fit him. Can't see them being interested at this point. After the cap goes up in 2 or 3 years, sure, but right now it'd be tough & they've been in 3 consecutive finals. They like their group IMHO. Is the answer Eichel? 😉

Wonder what sort of cap gymnastics the Swamp Cats would have to jump through to add him to their mix. Hopefully too many. Prefer to keep him out west.

Haven't verified it yet, but @Curt's speculation seems right. If he doesn't end up in the NHL enough days to bump his salary up that floor, he'll end up getting an EoS bonus to bring what he actually made up to that floor. And if he does spend enough time in the NHL that he reaches/ tops that agreed to minimum, no cash bonus. (His bonus will have been spending time w/ the big team ((and the 3x bump in salary while he was there).) And, Pegulas are paying good AHL money on players. Hopefully it translates into a successful year for them too.

So many ways the potential Gene/Kim storyline can go. Gilligan can go totally out of character & give them the "happy reunion" ride into the sunset. Jimmy can go totally out of character & turn himself in to benefit Kim as you suggested. (Can't see it being that, but am really bad at guessing plot twists in well developed material like this. So, who knows.) Can have them never meet up though Gene continues to look for her walking by at while eating his lunch on a bench in the mall. Can have him get into trouble "dealing" w/ the cabbie that recognized him & either Kim is his assigned public defender or she's in the holding cell that Gene gets placed after having had a grift go awry. So many possibilities yet.

He absolutely has the temperament, but he himself has said he's going back to college to learn how to be the best when everybody is expecting it & every mistake will be under the microscope. Expect he'll pass that test w/ flying colors (did mention he seems to be a can't miss kid, right? 😉 ) but that's one of the few things that might not yet be in his toolbox. The only way to get experience is by actually doing it.

'Bout the only uncertain part of his game is how does he handle being expected to always be on. Pretty sure he'll nail that part as well. AND can he stay sharp when he isn't getting much work in game? (Dryden was a master at that. Hopefully it ends up a skill Devon needs.) Because right now, he is NHL caliber in anticipation, reaction, glove, & lateral movement. Haven't watched him enough to speak to his rebound control, but haven't noticed any issue there either. Guess a question is can he maintain all that while knowing good NHL shooters can go bar down at will & will attempt to exploit his stature but yet still not expose anything low prepping for that bar down shot. Expect he'll figure that one out, if he hasn't already. He has the physical aspects nailed. (Except size, which his glove & reactions more than make up for.) The mental side is where any questions would be. How will he break out of a slump. Hart looked great for Filly, until he didn't, and he still is what we want out of a Phlyer goalie and less. 😉 Can Levi avoid that becoming a prolonged issue? Likely yes, but until he's gone through that sort of stuff, it's still unknown. And how will he recover from the inevitable injuries? If they don't mess w/ his reaction times, he should recover just fine. He really could be the heir to Miller & Hasek and finally get Sabre goaltending back on the map. Can't recall the last prospect in net that seemed this can't miss.

Our 3 bats are back! And they might have another friend w/ them. Yea! With all our mosquitoes expect a dozen could thrive.

There were only 3 D that did play well IMHO & 2 of them ended the year as Sabres.

Thanks for the head's up. Got great seats for Nick's show. Will be 1st time seeing him solo. Though saw the Roger-less Floyd twice. Gilmour once solo & Roger 3 times. Never saw Syd nor Rick by himself though he played keyboards at both the PF shows.

(Sorry, couldn't get it to cue to the 3:00 mark.)

What's fair value on him & will the Sabres be a trade partner w/ Calgary? Could see him fitting in here, but wonder how much it'd break up the "kumbaya" vibe they've been building.

There was a reasonableness to it. But people were predicting the Sabres would try to grab him as an UFA after he graduated, which considering the Sabres held the rights to Levi & Porillo plus, at least publicly & likely actually, were still high on UPL all of which made it IMHO unreasonable. And if Comrie is anywhere close to a competent starter doubt Stejskal would see the Sabres as a good fit (presuming he plays at a much higher level than it appears he has to date which would be requisite to get any NHL squad interested). Given his trajectory so far, expect he'll play out his college eligibility & either play overseas like Mann or on an AHL deal before anybody offers him an NHL shot.

Suppose it's possible but would be surprised if it happened. Figure it'd be like people predicting the Sabres would make a play on Strauss Mann.

As said in another thread expecting it'll be Mittelstadt. Would be awesome if it's Comrie - playoffs baby!

Liked his play in the playoffs. But he was one of the most talented players on the ice at that level. And some of his passes that worked there won't work at the next level. Expect that at this point he'd be a better W in the show, but could definitely see him hybriding that role w/ Mitts or Cozens. (More likely Mitts, IMHO.) And don't want him sent down, because at this point he needs to figure out what he can & can't do at the NHL level. Making AHL D look silly won't help him figure that out. Again, MHO.

Would agree w/ most, if not all, of this. Krebs, if he develops into a true top 6 F, will likely be a 15 G scorer w/ 40+ assists. He absolutely needs to have at least 1, if not 2 finishers on his line or he'll be a 30 point player even as a top 6 guy. And also see him as a W at this point, but if he gains strength could see him as more of a Briere style C though not as brutal in his own end. But, expect he'll get a lot better at limiting his turnovers as he gets used to the NHL & also gets a little stronger to have more zip on his passes. He has great vision, but he's still learning what he can actually get through/ past a defender. He seems to be a bright kid, so really expect him to figure that out. Would like him to play with either Mittelstadt or Cozens but he needs to have Oloffson, Quinn, or Peterka (or even Skinner, but don't see Jeff & Thompson split & could see him centering Skinner being a nightmare in the D zone) as a finisher is imperative. (So, your proposed line fits that billing but unless he's going to be part of a kid line getting sheltered usage would rather he have the more experienced vet Olofsson as his sniper.)

Interesting. Wonder if it would be in a hybrid role with Asplund where Girgensons takes the draw like Ott did but then Asplund takes most of the rest of the C's responsibilities? IMHO, Z is way more effective at LW than at C.

Circumvention! Good for them. Cute end to a humorous story.