French Collection

And a whole bunch of Euros.

Doesn’t hurt to have a look at how Clifton looks with Dahlin. Benson must be giddy. That kid could be feeding TNT in a few years.

Zegras outplayed him in the final game at the World Juniors, otherwise, I take Cozens every time.

From my work stint in the Yukon, this was the 11th picture from the end. The top of this mountain in the Tombstones, has eroded to look like some kind of castle.

Love the red eye on the buffalo. Go Beast!

No to Zegras. He wants TNT/Cozens money. He is flashy and sells tickets but the Sabres already have plenty of offense. It sounds like he doesn’t play defense, PK or win draws, which are areas of need. It seems like he may end up on the wing or 3C in Anaheim, probably a similar situation to Buffalo, so he is not worth the money. Now, if you can get him for VO and a prospect (Östlund)? I might do something like that, see if he fits in and adjust accordingly.

EJ, signing with Buffalo was favourite off season memory. Levi’s nickname is Beast.

I love prospect watching, drafts and junior hockey so that stuff is great for me. The Sabres being a lousy team for so long has made the prospect angle a big part of the wait ‘til next year talk. Becoming a playoff team and contender will take some of the steam out of prospect discussion, as will drafting bottom third for a stretch of time.

They go from the classiest captain in the league to a guy everybody wants to kill. He will lead their decent.

I try and find some positive aspects to this news. He may not need surgery. He will probably remain in Buffalo, under the watchful eye of their medical staff. There is no need to rush him back or ship him back to the WHL. A slow recovery plus a few spaced out NHL games can take him into November, where better decisions can be made.

Quinn’s development will be delayed and he may have broken out to a new level. As you state he is not a core piece to making the playoffs yet. He will be a nice addition upon his return, similar to an offensive acquisition at the deadline.

Possible top 13 forward roster for sometime in 2025, either the end of 24/25 or the start of 25/26. JJP being the only guy not drafted in the 1st round. Skinner Thompson Tuch Quinn Cozens Kulich Benson Mittelstadt Savoie Peterka Krebs Rosen Östlund

Can a team be successful with four scoring lines? Is this what KA and DG are attempting to do? This is what may happen with all of the high end talent the Sabres have amassed. Not every prospect will hit their ceilings but even if half of them become NHLers they will be spread out amongst the four lines. The C spine could be Thompson, Cozens, Mittelstadt and Krebs. Savoie, Kulich, Östlund, Wahlberg are all C prospects. Mitts and the young guys can move to wing but those spots get crowded too. Rosen and Benson are two high end talents that will vie for top 6 wing slots in a few years. Players will have to embrace bottom 6 roles and shine when an injury gives them a chance to move up. A few guys will want to move on for a bigger role and more money when they become UFAs. It is a good problem to have but it will be a fun ride. KA can move high end prospects to fill in gaps plus get more picks so they can keep the conveyor belt of guys on ELCs rolling, because it won’t be cheap to have 3-4 lines of guys that can score. It will be tough for me to not get too attached to some of these forwards as they will need to make room. Guys like JJP, Rosen, Kulich and Savoie may have to become botton 6 wingers. Guys like Skinner will age out and Tuch may get pushed down. Do Poltapov, Neuchev and Kisakov have NHL ceilings? Kozak only gets a spot if they need a traditional 4C and he takes the necessary steps imho. Interesting times to come, playoffs this year will energize everyone.

The Krebs discussion about him embracing a 3-4 C role applies here I think. If Mitts signs and returns to C then 4C is all that is available to these high end C prospects. You need someone to embrace that role or to admit 4C is my ceiling on this team. Kozak may end up being that guy because that probably is his ceiling. Some of these prospects can move to wing, but will be bottom 6 wingers. It will be interesting to see who gets moved and what the returns are. Some of these kids will not want to be a 4C, even on a good team. They will want an opportunity to play middle C and get the salary that role provides.

Glad to hear you’re OK. Working to restore power in Maine, lots of trees down, full foliage, saturated soil and high winds are a recipe for outages.

VO will score 20 goals (3 @ 5v5, 12 PP, 5 EN) in his first 40 games and will be moved for a second rounder as soon as Quinn returns. The 2nd rounder will be bundled with the Sabres 2nd and Bryson at the deadline to a bubble team that end’s up missing the playoffs. Boom, another good 1st rounder coming up. One can wish.

I think he gets a shot at the top 4 for sure. He brings grit, skating and a history with DG. He comes from a winning organization and will have a greater role in Buffalo. The competition will make Jokiharju step up his game. Henri can be the guy to carry the mail on the third pairing and step up to top 4 when required.

If he can be more consistent and come in around .900 SV% he can help the team and build on some success.

All prospects think they can make the NHL. This kid seems driven, saying he expected to make the Sabres last year. He may force their hand with a good camp.

He will provide leadership with his buddy Okposo. He seemed popular with teammates in Colorado so he should fit in. I hope there is enough gas in the tank for 60+ games. He can be load managed as required. He may play well enough to be a full time guy. His experience with shut down, PK work will benefit the young D core.

According to this Kulich has added 16 pounds. I hope it is all muscle and a lot of it in his legs. https://sabrenoise.com/2023/09/14/buffalo-sabres-2023-prospects-challenge/2/

I find Matthews is injury prone, missing 10-20 games every season. It limits his goal totals. If McJesus is still p****d at Matthews winning the Hart because of 60 goals and wants to score lots then TNT will have to bring his A+ game.

That’s how I remember the last few weeks. They seemed to have tightened up defensively which helped win games and protect Levi from getting shelled.

There is a crazy amount of forward talent here. It is just a short tournament vs peers but I want to see who brings his A game to create some buzz. I’m interested in the defense prospects. There are tons of high end forwards in the system but D depth is lagging. I think Novikov can develop into an NHLer and can’t wait to see how he does in N.Am. Johnson has been stewing for a long time in the NCAA, he could be ready by mid season. Has Lindgren improved? His WHL numbers dropped but maybe his defense has taken a step and he is filling in. The kid could really skate. FA Savoie was a solid Dman in the Q, maybe he can take a step. Ratzlaff is a good goalie, never have enough of those.

According to Leafs fans that trophy will be renamed the Auston Matthews after this year.