French Collection

I think it may be in his best interest to sign long term now. I know he will improve and the cap is going up but he will be behind Dahlin for the entire time so he will never be the undisputed #1 D. I can’t see them giving him $12M when Dahlin will be around $10.

I know this is a Helle/Levi thread but in a goalie related question, is anyone interested in Fleury for one year? Wild have Gustavsson to re-sign and Wallstedt in the wings. Both would be cheaper than MAF, and they have cap issues.

They happen to be two of the smaller guys, just like Levi.

Must have racked up some big gambling debt having to work a second job. LOL

We used to boycott Russians, now we are finding value there. Are we going the same route with Massholes?

Yes. Is that a rumour?

Maybe Jokinen and VO.

I missed the boat. Not too sure how they were doing financially in Winnipeg but this is their third move in less than 5 years.

Good article. The second most minutes on the league’s second best PK unit stands out to me. Most fighting majors on the Canes the last 5 years, he will stick up for teammates. He sounds like a perfect partner for Power.

Sabres are fishing for Pesce, hoping to land a big one. I think he would help a lot, he would seem to be a perfect partner for Power. The same old question pops up, what do they have to give up and ho much money and term does he want. He’s a huge upgrade but I would hate to have him come in and disrupt the salary structure that KA is trying to install.

Interesting how guys develop. Pesce was cut from the USA World Junior team in 2014. Will Butcher made the team.

He would help with the Sabres youts.

He was at the USNTDP for 6 games in 2011-12 while DG was the coach. He is from Tarrytown NY.

UFA in July ‘24. He switched agents to negotiate the extension. This guy is Matthews’ agent as well so $$$ is what it is all about. I guess Pesce has felt he was underpaid so he now wants to cash in. The Canes are pretty frugal so this is why he may be moved. If the Sabres get him and he is extended, it may be a tough negotiation, not as pleasant as TNT, Mule and Cozens. I’m curious of what the Canes want in return for one year of Pesce.

Write up about his performance this season. https://lastwordonsports.com/hockey/2023/06/14/carolina-hurricanes-offseason-grades-brett-pesce/ Very positive for the most part. Defense first guy who can contribute but lets his partner join the rush. Second most minutes on the Canes D. Gets all of the tough matchups. Among their leaders in hits and blocked shots. Sounds like a top 4 RHD that the Sabres could use.

KA and his analytics guys set a price on guys too. If Pesce is their guy then I hope they can meet his demands. I wonder who goes the other way, someone mentioned a first rounder,

He hasn’t been that high on the majority of mock drafts but he is a first rounder in almost all of them.

I never thought of him because I always assumed he was a fixture in Carolina. I have liked his game whenever I watched them play. I wonder why he may be on the market, he is an important part of their D corps. I see that their D prospects include Alexander Nikishin, a 2020 pick who has done well in the KHL and was on the top pairing for SKA St Petersburg. Scott Morrow is a second rounder in 2021 in the NCAA. Another 2nd rounder in 2021 is Aleksi Heimosalmi.

I’m not much of an analytics guy. Those are positive numbers at even strength for the most part right? Sabres wouldn’t need him for PP.

Condolences. Be strong tomorrow and let it flow.

I wonder if the Wild would be interested in VO? They are good defensively but could use another scorer. If the Sabres were to retain salary that would help them out as they are hit with $14M penalty on the Parise/Suter buyouts. I would consider Marc Andre Fleury in a return. This also helps the Wild’s cap crunch. Fleury is $3.5M for one more year. He could take Anderson’s spot but has the ability to play more games. He is from Quebec, like Levi so there would be a connection there. He is known to be a great guy in the room, so there shouldn’t be any issues there. He has won Cups and has loads of experience. Minnesota has to deal with RFA Gustavsson and has highly touted prospect Wallstedt ready to move up. They could go cheap on goaltending and rely on Gustavsson, who had a great season. There could be additions to sweeten the pot, if necessary.

That’s what I was trying to get at, the KHL may not be the best spot for him to develop for two years. I would prefer one and then Rochester. I like your analysis that he is more skilled than Mule. Mule was picked in the 30’s and Simashev should go earlier. Even if his offense doesn’t improve, he would be a great addition. Built like Mule but skates better than Bryson. The EP Rinkside write up says he’s tough to stop because he skates like a gazelle but is built like a truck.

Yes, and I am glad our current GM is not in that category.

I would guess a lot of people have never heard of Hammarstrom. He’s one of two Swedish pioneers the Leafs brought into the NHL in the early 70’s. The other was HOFer Borje Salming. Leafs owner Harold Ballard said that Hammarstrom was the only NHLer that could go into the corner with a dozen eggs and come out with them all intact. He didn’t last. Nylander has more skill but that same lack of toughness.

Thanks for this! Lots of footage in these clips. Do I ever love his skating, and he is 6’4”. His retrievals and breakouts vs junior players seem easy. His passing is good and he shields the puck well with his body. He’s not afraid to use the body, even against KHL men. His offense hasn’t blossomed and that is concerning because if you can’t score at the lower levels you usually don’t develop a scoring touch in the NHL. He looks like a great candidate for a shutdown role. Two more years in Russia is a bit of a wait but Buffalo could be patient with this guy. One issue I see is that #26 is already taken in Buffalo so he would need another number.