French Collection

Willander has been moving up some lists, he could go earlier than I expect. I wouldn’t take him at 13 either. I agree on ASP, the Sabres need more Simashev/Reinbacher types. They may not score as much but they take care of the defensive part of the game allowing Dahlin and Power to roam freely.

Thee are a lot of unknowns with Simashev, most of the scouting has been done by video. I doubt any GMs, AGMs or head scouts have gone to Russia for any firsthand views. I like the size and the potential. It sounds like he is already a really good skater so there is a solid foundation in place. The analytics people and video interviews will help determine where he goes. There are a variety of forwards available at 13, it will be interesting to see who the Sabres take. C, W, high skilled, power, 200’, fast?

Jack’s two turns at the World Juniors, 2014 and 2015, were non winning teams. They were knocked out in quarterfinals both years by Russia. Finland won gold in 2014 while Canada won in 2015.

Another example of a different way to build a winner. Vegas had a lot of guys with Cup experience. Tampa and Colorado had 1 or 2 but were mostly homegrown cores with some trades for grit, depth. Pietrangelo, Martinez, Stephenson, Kessel, Barbashev, Quick and McNabb provided tons of experience and knowledge in how to get it done. Vegas has a short history so the draft was not their chosen route, Hague being their only pick on the roster. Vegas was always going to be a popular destination for players and now they have a winning organization to add to the attraction. The way they cast aside Fleury and Pacioretty seemed cold but no one seems to bring that up now.

Smasher!

So far KA’s long term contracts have been fair, even leaning towards team friendly. We shall see what Dahlin gets but my guess is like most, 8x$10M. This, imho, would be another fair deal. Rasmus could play hardball and get close to $12M. It is his team and there is a good chance he gets the C to go along with the biggest deal once KO is gone. Power’s ceiling is Norris contender but Dahlin will get there first and anchor PP1 which means he will get the lion’s share of points for Dmen. Points are still the biggest factor in Norris voting and that may hold Power back. Power could fit into the Pronger, Doughty category where not just points but possession, physical play and defensive dominance gets him some serious consideration. The other thing that can happen is an injury to Dahlin where Power takes over PP1 and gets a pile of points. I can see a scenario where no one makes more than Dahlin, even with the cap going up. It can be an artificial ceiling for a few contracts, that players abide by, to build a contending team. Eventually, someone will pass that amount and it could be Power. I want to see these guys get fairly compensated but keep the big picture in view. You can have more good players and championship runs if the almighty dollar is not the ultimate goal. I will once again use the Leafs as the poster team for giving max $$ to a few and finding scraps to fill in the rest.

Ryan Kennedy from The Hockey News top 120 list. https://apple.news/AgkjVADkUQtODf1AbkaG4-g

This takes the sting out of being dumped at the deadline for Quick.

Brady Tkachuk has his brother and Mark Stone in his wedding party.

His pass leads to the SH goal. Eric Staal on PP2?

The existing rink for sure, I don’t know if LeBreton Flats was to be part of it. I think that has a different owner that was going to partner with Melnyk in developing it.

I’m just trying to suppress his cap hit. With Dahlin getting a point per game, his top end might be 60 pts.

He’ll never put up Dahlin numbers without taking over PP1.

https://www.nhl.com/news/mock-2023-nhl-draft-connor-bedard-adam-fantilli-top-picks/c-344826764 Two guys that write for NHL.com

I met a Russian kid that has played with Novikov. He said that when he is on the ice, you feel safe. He clarified his response to say you knew you were not going to get scored on and the puck was coming out of your end. This guy also knew Kisakov and said he wasn’t the type to handle the physical play of pro hockey. He said he was highly skilled though. Poltapov is a guy he was high on. He said he was a physical presence with a nose for the net. Neuchev was a guy he didn’t know, he never played with or against him.

Agree. I loved watching what he could do on the ice, he just never drew me into his fandom, for lack of a better word.

I’m kind of indifferent to him winning the Cup. I would have preferred Sam winning. I hope he has matured and takes the high road, his comments in Buffalo were not thought out.

I don’t do that stuff but sometimes I still let my imagination run away.

If everyone leaves, it’s tough for that team to find talent to win their way back. I guess in the NHL, the owners could pay lots of money to target guys that could help them get back where they want to be. Expansion hopefuls could make a pitch to the AHL winner to play out their barn for a year to increase revenues and giving the new city some exposure. NHL owners would never go for this but it would be a ballsy move to have billionaires relegated and their franchise values plummet. On the other hand, a rich guy like Smith in Salt Lake could load up an AHL franchise to take a run at the NHL without paying a billion in expansion fees.

It’s hard to imagine pro sports in North America doing relegations but I guess it’s common in Europe. The logistics of relegating Anaheim to the AHL and promoting Coachella to the NHL seem insurmountable. If Arizona plays out of a university rink, I guess it could be done. Huge downgrade for the Ducks but if they retained their talent you think they would come back the following year. That’s an interesting idea too. Do they keep all of their guys under contract or is there an out for guys to play in the NHL? FA would move to play in the NHL. Zegras and their young stars riding buses and playing in front of small crowds would be a jolt to their egos. It would also be a huge motivation to get back to the big time. The AHL would get a big bump from having NHL stars around. Bottom teams would dread signing a guy to a big 8 year deal and have to pay that while getting AHL revenue. Same with players, do you want to commit long term to a team that can be relegated?

Too bad VO is not a guy Torts would use. Could package him, UPL and a draft pick(s) for Hart and Laughton.

I’m sure there are scouts that are way higher or lower than the consensus. I find Button hasn’t changed his rankings much as the hockey season has wound down. His lists from April/May are almost identical. I like looking at the last 50 names or so, he has a few guys that no other mocks have. He also has Benson and Leonard outside the top 10 and Sandin-Pellikka at 5, which I don’t think happens.

So after looking at almost 30 different mock drafts, I think it is a safe bet that 8 guys will not be available at 13. Bedard, Fantilli, Carlsson, Michkov, Smith, Benson, Leonard and Dvorsky should be gone. There is a slight chance someone from the last 5 falls but I doubt it. 4 from the next group of 14 will be taken before the Sabres pick. I’ve listed them in the average ranking they got from the mock drafts I have looked at. Moore, Sandin-Pellikka, Reinbacher, Wood, Barlow, Perreault, Danielson, Sale, Yager, Simashev, Cristall, Willander, Honzek and Musty. My order of preference for the Sabres would be: Simashev, big Dman that skates very well. Moore, fast, 200’ C. Reinbacher, big RHD, could be a long term 4D. Could come to the Amerks right away. Perreault, super skilled W, broke Matthews’ USNDTP records but skating needs work. Musty, big skilled W whose stock has been rising. Sabres fan. Barlow, big winger with a good shot. Wallinder, good all round Swedish RHD. Wood, big scoring winger who needs to work on his skating.

Whenever I walk my dog along the road I can’t believe how many things get thrown out of vehicles. There are garbage/recycling cans at your next stop.

TSN’s Craig Button out with his final top 100. I find his picks are often out of alignment with what actually happens. He is not afraid to take a swing on some guys. https://www.tsn.ca/craig-s-list-plenty-of-intrigue-surrounding-matvei-michkov-ahead-of-nhl-draft-1.1972205