French Collection

Same here.

Unless it was UPL version 23.24 he was not going to help. I agree that the hope was a bounce back season and it is possible for him to play some good hockey this year and help the team. Maybe this all accelerates the move away from him. A real battle between 4 goalies could have someone emerge as a decent option, which wasn’t the case last year until Reimer played well when it didn’t matter.

I think Edmonton takes a run at Hart. Goaltending has been their weakness and McJesus is a pending UFA. Two SCF in a row. They recently brought in E Kane, so they are not scared of any backlash.

UPL should feel the heat. He may not respond well to a challenge but he has sucked so what should he expect.

Normally doesn’t happen but there is so much cap space around the league. McDavid was never in love with Edmonton. Kaprizov may want palm trees and money. Eichel has a Cup already and wants something else.

Move Appert there to get him away from the PP.

Appert has better hair, that’s it. This guy has old school vibes while being in touch with the development game. He seems to really care about his players.

If the Sabres had a guy like that there would be an immediate decrease in goals against due to way fewer high danger chances. The biggest danger would be standing in front of the net.

His physical contact has been mainly to turn his back on opponents near the boards and shield the puck, absorbing hits and shoves. A little more assertiveness will help him win more battles. His size and reach alone should mean he wins the majority of battles but wanting the puck more than your opponent is an intangible thing that can tilt a few battles. Once again, I am not asking for Pronger like snarl, just 10% more Power output.

A lot has to go right for the Sabres to make the playoffs. If a majority of these hopium infused ideas come true, there is a chance. Healthy seasons for Dahlin are TNT are key, extended periods of time without them can sink the season. Benson will improve, the percentage of this jump could make a big difference. This guy should get an “A” on his sweater in a few more years. More heart than Power and Mule combined. I will keep harping on Power getting 10% more grit, baby steps, but strength and confidence can increase. 10% is not a big number but would be noticeable on someone starting at 0%. Quinn can be a 55-65 point player, it’s up to him to play like it. Lindy needs to up his game, demand more from his staff and push the right buttons on the players. I hope Appert has studied advanced PP theories all summer like his future depends on it. Kesselring and Doan will have more impact than many expect. I think Doan is a 3rd liner, but a good one. Kesselring will help Power find a bit of grit and back him up when other players test him. I agree that goaltending can’t be worse. Goalies are weird and mostly up and down so UPL should be better. If not, Levi should be given his games after another good start in Rochester to pump his tires.

In a way this could help morale although the expectations for the big club would still be low.

Bring back Luke Adam for a motivational speech.

8 years is too long but this is a good player who wants to be in Buffalo. There is a price to pay for loyalty, just hope he has 5 more good years. Skating is a strength of his so the drop off may not be steep.

Show him the money! Zito probably has zero desire to work for TP but a promise to give him full power, not meddle and provide all the resources he wants could be attractive. Zito would obviously clean out a bunch of dead weight but it would great to see his moves and who he is able to attract. Does he bring in his own palm trees? Pipedream for sure.

Surgery on Monday is shutting down my golf season. Treating myself to a round on a nice course in the Muskoka area tomorrow.

Always has been Toronto for me. Their delusional fanbase keeps growing because the media pumps out Leafs content on our national networks. John Tavares getting new laces is bigger news than someone in Calgary getting surgery,

Personally, I hope there is a stumble in mid season which leads to a bloodletting. The new regime gets everyone fired up and 5hey finish strong.

I like both terms but currently do not want to be called a supporter because it sounds like I am contributing to Terry’s yacht maintenance program.

As you and others have said, zone entry success would lead to a bump in goals just from spending more time in the zone. I can’t stand watching a glacial paced Power retrieve the puck, dawdle to the red line and drop it 80 feet to kill 20 seconds of precious PP time. The drop pass (30 feet) should be one of 4-5 options to keep other teams guessing.

Appert, who was hired by KA, who was hired by TP. Does getting rid of them fix some issues? Appert was a goalie, he probably knows what a good PP looks like from the net out but c’mon. I’ve mentioned this name a few years ago as an outside the box hire. Adam Oates was a PP playmaking wizard and I believe he does skills training now and has coached at the NHL level.

I am not opposed to crossing the border for work or entertainment. My reasons not to are rooted in your points 1 & 2. I also do not want to spend my money on TP’s Sabres until they show real improvement with a competent FO and smartly spend to the upper end of the cap. My last border crossing was a bit uncomfortable due to the questioning. My passport has multiple work visas in a calendar year because of my work during power emergencies. I have been up and down the eastern seaboard for hurricanes, ice and snow storms multiple times in the last few years. I believe the border agent was just curious but kept asking me why I had so many visas and what they cost. I had no idea of the cost since National Grid, Eversource, Duke Energy and other utilities pay for us. The visas are issued for a year but we only work for days and maybe a few weeks max. The agent couldn’t get why I didn’t know the cost, didn’t have receipts for the visas and why I didn’t stay longer when I had a year to do so.

Ville Leino had a good playoff performance, once.

As others have said there is no way of proving either side of this debate. The Sabres didn’t have enough talent on the roster to send him back and that is on KA’s watch but credit to Benson for doing well as a smallish 18 year old. Returning to juniors for one season would not have hurt his development but being around pros to practice, work out and travel accelerated the mental part of being a pro for him. His defensive game was good and he had already scored a lot at the junior level so his improvements there would have been some speed and strength by getting a year older. Matt Savoie went back to the same junior club they came from and I don’t think there was much benefit for him except getting traded to Moose Jaw and competing in the Memorial Cup. IMO, the NCAA would have been a great place for him to go, had that option been available at the time. This is now another option for prospects and could help a lot of them. A lot of guys from his draft class will be turning pro this year while he has two NHL years in his pocket. They will be up against a new challenge that he has already surmounted. I think he is ready for another bump up this year.

18 holes of casual golf tomorrow and a 4 person scramble tournament on Sunday to help raise money for the local AAA U14 hockey team. Played a solid round yesterday, beating my best ever at one of the local courses. Playing well this year after 15 years of barely getting out. More than 75% of my rounds are below 80, which I didn’t manage once last year. Cramming in as much as possible, surgery in two weeks will end my season early.

I would be OK with them getting silver.