French Collection

So Columbus gets Provorov at 70% of his salary, Flyers 1st (7OA) and a conditional 2nd in 2024. They gave up their 1st (3OA). LAK basically cleared Petersen’s cap hit + Walker +Grans and 2024 2nd. They got 33year old D Connauton, 27 year old depth F Hodgson and had to retain 30% of Provorov’s salary.

I am all for finding out what these guys may develop into. I realize in the big picture they are assets, but until they are dealt they are future Sabres. KA invested a lot of time in scouting, meeting and developing players not just to flip them. There will come a day, soon from what I see, where there may not be room in the top 9 for Östlund, Rosen, Neuchev, Nadeau and Kisakov. If they are good enough to crack someone else’s lineup, they will have trade value and that can be a win-win-win situation.

It is interesting there is no trade protection with TNT, Cozens and Mule. I wonder if KA insisted on it. Those contracts are extremely tradeable, even Gretzky was traded so you are right that no one can be ruled out. Will Dahlin push for it?

Probably play in front of bigger crowds than Arizona too.

I think this is fair. He could play hardball and get more but he is leaving some $$ on the table for quality support. This is how you build a team. Quite the contrast from the Leafs, where Dahlin would be the 4th highest paid player.

Yeah, I think he’s the only former Sabre.

Eric Staal was another.

Bryson can take his spot on the Amerks.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I never liked Keith Tkachuk for the same reasons. I like tough, gritty hockey but these guys cross the line into dirty and then won’t drop the gloves. At least Brady Tkachuk will drop them. If they were Sabres I could probably take their antics a little better.

KO on the HNIC interview with Friedman. There to support Hack and Sam.

Tony Ferrari from The Hockey News top 100. https://thehockeynews.com/news/ferraris-2023-nhl-draft-rankings-the-final-cut Yahoo top 100 list from THN’s Ian Kennedy https://ca.style.yahoo.com/nhl-draft-2023-prospect-rankings-bedard-fantilli-michkov-151638078.html

Another guy like Samuelsson would set the Sabres up really well. Preferably a RHD to balance a pairing with Power but Dahlin/Mule make the 2xLHD thing work.

He will be a big part of Sweden’s WJ team and being there will get him prepared for it. Sweden is hosting so this will be a big deal for him.

Hard to say. Everyone develops differently. The main issue is he will not be under the direction of the Sabres/Amerks staff. Also, Sabres/Amerks fans won’t get to see him up close. I am OK with this. He just turned 19 and will get to stay near home another year. The SHL is a good league and it is a step above where he played last year. He is not a big guy and should get stronger over the course of the season. It’s not like a lost year of development. Rosen may need one or two more years in the AHL before he is ready. Östlund can come over and need only one year of AHL hockey to be ready for the NHL.

I watched Myers a lot at the World Championships this year. It wasn’t quite NHL caliber hockey but he used on Canada’s 2nd pairing. He did OK but wasn’t a rock solid #4. I see him more as a 5-6 Dman. I guess he would help depth and mentor Power but he is not worth the money. Canucks would have to sweeten the pot. He could be an alternative plan if KA can’t find a true 4D.

Clutch game for him, he’s not known as a scorer.

I am tracking mock draft lists but am mainly concerned with potential first rounders. I have 21 lists so far but most of these guys are not on it. This site was provided to this board earlier by @Brawndo I think. I used it to target the above players. https://piyer97.shinyapps.io/NHLDraft2023/ Willander 33.3 Allen 36.2 Bonk 37 Strbak 42.1 Brzustewicz 42.4 Minnetian 55.9 McCarthy 61.7 Gibson 68.7 MacKinnon 86.2 Dragicevic is a RHD that is all offense. His rating is 31.1 Another RHD that was not on the above list is Beau Akey at 50.7. He was the #1 Dman for Barrie of the OHL until Brandt Clarke was sent down by the LAK. His numbers fell off after January.

Willander was good at the U18s, probably the best of this bunch. Bonk could sneak into the first round. He is a good all around Dman. I think MacKinnon had a good playoff run which would raise his profile. Another guy for this group is Lukas Dragicevic. He may go first round but could drop to the second. He is a converted forward who is all offense. He was a point per game in the WHL but is suspect playing actual D. Riverboat gambler is how I see him, I prefer the more well rounded type. If the Sabres didn’t have Dahlin and Power I would want a guy like that as a PP QB. Allen has fallen from a first rounder in the fall to maybe the third or later now.

Yeah, he wants the power and will probably do to his GM what Shanahan was doing to him in Toronto. I think it will be someone from his posse, he had a lot of underlings in TO. I know there are only 32 GM positions available but I have trouble seeing an experienced GM wanting to work for Dubas.

VO?

The Sabres are in way better shape than most teams. There is still some time to weaponize that cap space KA.

Welcome. They do need to add to the D pipeline. A RHD or two would be nice. There are plenty available in the second round, where they have two picks. Keep in mind these guys are 2-4 years away from joining the team. I think Power’s partner can be found in the UFA pool, Ryan Graves maybe. I know he is LHD but Dahlin/Mule seem to be fine. Trading may work too, I liked a guy like Hronek last year. I think they need a goalie in the later rounds, my preference would be a more experienced guy like Milic or Suchanek, who have been passed over in the last few drafts and are ready to turn pro.

I feel the opposite way. Defense can be taught. The defensive zone coverage will be… Pressure the puck here. Stick on puck, mind the gap. Defense is also a commitment by players to do the right thing at the right time and to be in position. Defense will also improve with physical and mental maturity. Offense has an artistic quality to it, you often need to be creative. Even chaotic play can be effective. Have fun, see what works, try something new. The playoffs are a bit different as there is less time and space. You have to adapt your offense and deal with more obstruction. They are different games but lacrosse being all offense when you have possession and a complete 180 degree turn to defense and getting possession back when you don’t is the mindset required. Unlike lacrosse, you don’t change your personnel on the fly to suit the situation, players need to be able to score and check. I think it’s easier show Jack Quinn how to improve defensively than teaching Girgs how to score goals.

Devils prospect.

I am glad that trade didn’t happen.