French Collection

Interesting that 3 of the 4 played for the Kootenay/Winnipeg Ice. Only Krebs and Savoie have played for James Patrick.

Guy Lafleur should be fairly high on that list. 5 Stanley Cups 3 Art Ross trophies 2 Hart trophies 1 Conn Smythe trophy.

When I watched Quinn in the OHL he was a shooter first and foremost. He has added some great layers to his skill set. He can shoot like VO, but stick handles almost as well as TNT. He works defensively, reminding me of Mark Stone. His passing is good too. This kid just needs more strength. I think his numbers will get much better to where they have another point a game player on this roster.

Juggernaut!

Awesome, he’s my favourite player, and this makes me like him even more. Opening up like this shows a bit more of his personality and the connection he and his teammates want to create with the fans. My next sweater will be a 26.

Brind’Amour is a smart coach, he exposed some flaws for all to see. The Bruins are showing cracks, I think they were playing way above their abilities. I had them pegged to be battling the Caps and Pens in the geezer category. Their start has been impressive. I’ll pull for the Bruins vs the Leafs, that’s it.

Great hockey player. Not so great a person. He was not exactly embraced by the NHL, despite his accomplishments. The body language between him and Brett was very cold. I met Bobby Jr. almost 40 years ago, he didn’t want to talk about his dad.

I have a feeling the Sabres have had a lot of views of Dragicevic. He plays on the same team as Suchanek.

Interesting numbers and all 1st rounders. Savoie plays like Cozens but is built like Krebs. Unless he really bulks up this summer he will have a hard time in the NHL. I think he gets his 9 games and there will be some tough decisions to make.

I can’t think of anyone either. Brad Lambert has Finnish/Canadian roots and chose to play in Finland and moved to the AHL in D+1. He has since been assigned to the WHL. Puuljujarvi went back to Finland after an NHL stint to try and regain his confidence. He was from there though. It would be interesting if Savoie took this course of action. He would make some money instead of riding CHL buses.

The only loophole I know of is a 5 game conditioning stint in the AHL, like the Kraken did with Shane Wright this year. Savoie could be loaned to the Canadian World Junior team for December.

I’m glad the Sabres didn’t get Horvat. He’s a good player but he would command too much money to be 3C. The salary structure would suffer if he was extended. I also don’t trust guys having a monster year as a UFA. He’ll be 28 next season, probably regress to his usual numbers and age will start to creep into his game in another year or two. The Isles are taking a risk, he may not extend with them. He’s a good fit for them, Lou played his cards early. Vancouver made a mistake extending Miller, they should have kept their captain instead.

Nadeau and Bloom are bigger bodies, but neither really plays with an edge. Nadeau’s bread and butter is as a net front presence on the PP. I haven’t seen him play for Gatineau yet, so maybe he’s adding layers to his game. Bloom is a good winger with decent all around skills. He can play some C and plays both special teams. He seems to find ways to score a lot of shorties.

I value the C prospects more because they could move to wing and even go back to C at some point. I like Savoie, Kulich and Östlund in that order. Levi stays because he has much potential and there is no one else because of Portillo’s status and Leinonen’s age. All the wingers are fair game. Rosen is the highest draft status one I am not attached to. I like Bloom and Nadeau but they need a lot of time and they would have to alter their styles to be 4th liners. Neuchev is intriguing and I would keep him because he may have a high ceiling. Rousek has a chance to become an NHLer. The Sabres D prospects are few so I wouldn’t move any. Johnson may not sign but at least they would get a 2nd rounder if that happens. Komarov was second star with 1G 1A for Quebec this weekend. He is having a good year. Novikov is interesting, he made the KHL as a 19 year old .

Pretty close to my list.

If it comes down to those games it will be exciting. It will be playoff type hockey and the Sabres will need to be healthy. DG’s rest vs practice strategy may benefit them at this point. If they still have 3 goalies, that could help with workload. This young team is gaining experience on the fly and winning helps their confidence. I think age, amount of career games played and the grind will bump the Caps and Pens out of the playoffs.

Yeah, I think it was a smart move by DG to sit them. They probably wanted to play. Good news that they are at practice, that tells me they are OK and could play vs Carolina.

Olivier Nadeau has been on fire in the Q. He has 18 points in 13 games since coming back from shoulder surgery. He and Bloom will be interesting to watch in Rochester next year.

Mats Lindgren got the only goal for Red Deer vs Winnipeg. His numbers have really dropped this year, different team but 14 points in 41 games is a big drop off. Maybe he’s focused on his defensive end a lot more. Ryan Johnson got 1A +3 in a win vs Michigan St.

I like the way they tried to win that game all the way to the end. They were gassed but pushed through it at the end of the third and in OT. UPL was upset letting in 3 shootouts but one was lucky. Quinn was a good choice, he should have deked, he has wicked moves.

Bloom with a goal and 3 assists in the OHL last night. Savoie 1G 1A in the WHL.

Sharks are helping us out.

I don’t get paying big money for a seat and sitting in the bar watching the game on TV. Why not just go to a sports bar? Maybe I’m old fashioned but I want to be as close to the action as possible when I’ve shelled out money for a seat.

Impresive flexibility for your age.

Maybe Krebs is ready to reunite the kid line from Rochester. They probably get the least amount of minutes but a new look could spark Quinn and JJP.