French Collection

The only thing that could become a problem is if you give cap space to a team that is competing with you for UFA goalie. For example, the Sabres take Kane and the Hawks turn around and sign Campbell and DeSmith. Sabres bringing back Anderson and promoting UPL leads to KA being tarred and feathered.

They seem more banged up than the Avs, they have blocked tons of shots and paid a physical price to make plays. I never count out Vasilevskiy but the Avs will bust their butts to close this out in front of a rowdy crowd. The altitude will also be tough on the Bolts, gasping for air now.

I can get behind having Kane in Buffalo to finish his career and help the team have some playoff runs. My preference is to get him as a UFA. He is still very productive and Chicago would want a similar return to what a top end rental would fetch. He is not a cap dump. Toews, on the other hand, is in cap dump territory. The Hawks need him to be more than a 3 or 4C, but that is what he is now. His illness and missing a season have taken a lot out of him. The Sabres have the cap space, but he would be very expensive for what he brings. He would be an upgrade from Eakin and brings leadership and a winning pedigree. He may be too “serious” for this dressing room but guys like Cozens and Krebs would benefit from his mentorship.

I don’t have a problem with giving Kyle the C, even for one year. If he chooses to stay longer then they will more time to see who emerges as the leader. The next C will probably wear it longer than KO, but benefit from the mentoring of a solid character.

Yeah, keeping Nylander instead was a great move.

I like those picks. I prefer Beck to Del Bel Belluz if they take a C with 28. Easier to pronounce too. Beck has more versatility.

Nadeau scores on a beautiful feed from Maverick Bourque to take the lead.

I guess it’s a price you pay for Cups and some playoff runs in the salary cap era. As some have hinted, watch them not re sign Malkin and Letang, trade Crosby for futures and tank to get Bedard.

They have not picked many early picks for a long time. https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/teams/dr00007475.html

How Colorado comes back from this game will dictate the series in my opinion. If they win the series is done. If they lose a close game but put in a good effort then they have home ice advantage in a best of three.

I listened to a podcast yesterday from Steve Kournianos (Draft Analyst) which focused on Russian prospects. He says this is the best group of Russians he has seen in a long time. The Dmen and wingers are especially solid. The political issues around Russia has meant less scouting and there are some teams who may avoid Russians altogether. This guy thinks those kids are undervalued and that there are some solid NHLers who will get passed over and picked late. The potential is there for some bargains.

I know the kid who plays Cory in Shoresy, one of the high school kids who chirp and get chirped. What Shoresy said about his mother is not true, LOL.

Habs get a 20 goal scorer for an LTIR contract, Sabres get a 7th round pick for taking on an LTIR contract. Could they flip Bishop to Vegas for an actual goalie like Brossoit? He will be behind Lehner and Thompson on their depth chart. He’s not a starter but has been a career backup at the NHL level. IMO it is better than an LTIR contract. Maybe there is another flip to be had?

Is that too low of a floor for you? Monahan has played 656 games scoring 462 points. Best season was 34 goals and 82 points. Still only 27 so he can add some more. Probably not what you expect from Wright if you pick him 1st but it could be his floor.

Looks like you need a combination of Advil and Pepto Bismol in industrial strength.

I am always intrigued by the players that draft prospects are compared to. I have tried to find a ceiling and floor comparable player for a few of the projected first rounders. I may be off in either direction or there may be a closer option so feel free to weigh in. Shane Wright. P.Bergeron, S.Monaghan Logan Cooley J.Hughes, A.Turcotte Juraj Slafkovsky B.Tkachuk V.Nichushkin Simon Nemec J.Klingberg, T.Liljegren David Jiricek A.Ekblad, A.Stralman Matthew Savoie B.Point, A.Ruotsalainen Joakim Kemell F.Forsberg, M.Amadio Brad Lambert R.Thomas, N.Yakupov Frank Nazar J.Pavelski, N.Petan Jonathan Lekkerimaki W.Nylander, A.Nylander Connor Geekie D.Strome, M.McCarron Cutter Gauthier B.Horvat, M.Comtois Pavel Mintyukov T.Chabot, C.Miller Marco Kasper R.O’Reilly, J.Larsson Rutger McGroarty J.Staal, R.Sheahan Jimmy Snuggerud B.Saad, W.Carrier Kevin Korchinski S.Theodore, T.Harley

I wasn’t thinking that you were the culprit, just the thought of this was disturbing.

Brendan Guhle. I think Kaiden will be a solid top 4 Dman for Montreal.

This was a good read, thanks for the effort you put into the draft research every year. I hope your father is getting better. The more chatter I see about LHD like Mintyukov, Korchinski and others, the more I like the Sabres chances of getting some good forwards in the first round. Slafkovsky has the largest picture of the projected top 3….

There is no way in hell he becomes the next Bergeron. If he can get convinced to play a 200’ game without coasting, that is an improvement.

This series has the 80’s Oilers vs Islanders feel to it. I could handle 7 of these games.

This has been a good game so far, speed to burn, nice passing, good saves, some nastiness and lots of shot blocking. No panic in Tampa’s game. MacKinnon got a bit of room and finally had some chances, he is so explosive.

Immediate turn off when Lekkeremaki’s profile said “think William Nylander”. Skilled but indifferent.

Kasper is #8 on this list. It’s nice to see him getting recognition but I hope he is around at 16.