French Collection

Montour would not be putting up those numbers in Buffalo. It’s too bad the Sabres didn’t realize he could be a PP QB, could have got more for him. Dahlin is better than him at both ends, while Power and Mule eat up a lot of minutes. He is better than Joki but I don’t like his defensive game, too much of a riverboat gambler.

Nasty! If that is the best he can do, the pitchforks will be out. I think he adds that he won’t jeopardize the future with instant gratification and that he doesn’t want to ring in guys that will block Savoie, Kulich, Rousek, UPL, Levi and Johnson.

It’s wild that Minnesota’s centre spine of Hartman (drafted as a winger) , F. Gaudreau, Steel and Dewar can win games. Ericsson Ek is not a world beater but he would help a ton. I don’t mind the Dumba hit, it’s a bit predatory but he did not target the head. Guys know there will be more hitting in the playoffs, everyone is finishing their checks. Even a wimp like Nylander may touch someone tonight. LAK having Kopitar and Danault means a superb defensive conscience will be on the ice for 40 minutes. They came close to beating them last year without Doughty. I picked the Oilers but didn’t think it would be a cakewalk like a lot of the Canadian media thought.

Both numbers are around 3.5% higher, interesting. Having an extra man definitely makes a difference in winning a battle on a non clean faceoff win. You have to think 37.96% faceoff wins on the PK is a contributing factor to a terrible PK. We know the goaltending numbers are bad but increasing other teams’ O zone time hurts.

Upgrades. Yes that is a key term I want to hear but I would like to hear about what skill sets he covets. I know he won’t throw Bryson or Clague under the bus but saying D depth with defensive ability and grit are necessary would be good to hear. Goaltending. Was the three headed thing a unique situation due to Anderson or something they will consider going forward. This would indicate that he may not bring in another G and hope the current guys emerge as viable options. I know Levi is in the picture but Comrie/UPL may not be what they need.

The one thing that should help the Sabres in paying Power is that Dahlin gets the bulk of PP time. Power will probably never get the big point totals, keeping his $$ demands down.

Levi going to the World Championships will keep his season going and give him more great experience. Canada has a big hole in its goaltending. Gone are the days of Roy to Brodeur to Luongo to Price. The best people project in Olympic/World Cup teams are Carter Hart, Darcy Kuemper, Logan Thompson and Jordan Binnington. That’s a far cry from the USA having Hellebuyck and Oettinger. Russia having Shesterkin, Sorokin and Vasilevskiy is impressive. Levi has an opportunity to get his foot in the door as not just Buffalo’s goalie of the future but Canada’s.

I doubt it. He was running his own show in Calgary for many years,I doubt he wants to work for KA. Parting ways is polite, he left but he was probably not going to be re-signed. My take is that Darryl Sutter has lost a lot of those guys, the new GM may have to bring in a “nice guy” coach. Sutter has2 years left on his deal.

They can have Bowman.

The Canes were always good at killing PPs. Haven’t touched mine since Bernie Parent hoisted the Cup.

Tuch is signed through the 25/26 season. If KA pursues Dumba, he would have intel from Greenway and Jost. Dumba would have access to culture intel from those two as well. The Wild didn’t move him at the deadline despite his UFA status. Their playoff run depended on him being there.

Think of it this way. Do you have a better chance to clear it if you win the draw? Faceoffs matter at certain times/places and it is nice to have someone that gives your team a chance to win possession. Bergeron can beat Thompson all day in the neutral zone, it probably won’t lead to many scoring chances. But if Bergeron is beating Girgs/KO/Jost/Krebs 60+ % of the time on offensive zone PP opportunities, the Bruins PP should have more zone time which should lead to more scoring chances. There is no way I am studying this in detail but raw faceoff numbers don’t mean too much, it’s where and when that matter.

You can thank Ken Linseman and the WHA for bringing in the 18 year old draft. When they were drafted at 20 the players were more ready for pro hockey. The scouting wasn’t as good so there were a lot of misses. Imagine having two more years to assess junior talent with today’s analytics and video breakdown.

He’s definitely in that 4-5 Dman range. Currently making $6M, 29 years old so term might be an issue. Playoff experience, 43 games before this season.

Pavelski just got destroyed by Dumba, he is groggy getting off. Hit was a bit late and a bit high but what a hit.

I don’t like the Wild’s chances, Ericsson Ek is out and they have Marcus Johasson on PP1.

I don’t like him, ugly stride and he looks like Frankenstein on skates. He benefits from playing with McJesus to pad his stats but he can score on his own.

Watched most of the Bruins game. Reinhart still has good hands and makes smart plays. I’m not sure playoff hockey is his thing though, intense and tight checking. Bing saddled with Eric Staal as your C doesn’t help.

Ekholm is a big dude and has been a big addition to their D corps. A guy like that but younger is Ryan Graves, UFA.

Power is more like Lidstrom than Dahlin that’s for sure. Dahlin has way more snarl while Power is more cerebral. One thing Dahlin has copied from Sweden is the Forsberg reverse hit, which I love. Some scouts said he was like Potvin during his draft year, he is looking more like that as he gets stronger.

Chelios played there for one season, I think. He was around 45 years old though.

Agree. If he had some defensive ability he could slide down to the 4th line and provide a scoring threat but he is so weak that is not possible. Mitts/Quinn/Peterka/Krebs/Savoie will be better options for PP2. Quinn is the only one with a comparable shot but they are all more creative and versatile than VO.

I was going to post something similar. If KA runs back the exact same roster this will be a playoff team. A full year of Levi, Greenway and Stillman should be enough to find a spot in the WC race. Internal improvement from all of the young guys will be another factor. I think KA and his staff are smart enough to know what holes need plugging and who is not in the long term plans so there will be some changes. My wish list is Varlamov and Graves as UFAs. I kind of think they run back the 3 goalies. Trade VO and Bryson for a prospect RHD who is nearly ready to step up. LAK have a few of those.

Sabres need to win a Cup before I’m burnt.

I think Krebs needs another season of evaluation. Just because Mitts played C very well down the stretch doesn’t mean he starts the year there. I can see him being the playmaking W with Cozens and Quinn. If Mitts play C then Krebs is 4C because he struggles at W. He has more offensive ability than a 4C but if he buckles down on PK, faceoffs and a tight checking game he can carve out a nice spot for himself.