French Collection

Boosh had 197 hits last season. Contrast that with Quinn Hughes who had 19.

I don’t know if he’ll be 2nd or 3rd pairing but he will be a PK mainstay and keep other teams honest with a physical game and a shutdown mentality. He is relatively new to the NHL game and should keep improving with the rest of the team. I like the corsi numbers despite the D zone starts, sounds like he wins puck battles and gets it up to the forwards. I am looking forward to see how he fits with DG and the Dmen

I too would like a Brad May. These guys are almost like unicorns now. We had Marcus Foligno and he was a good fit. Fitz will drop the gloves but he may not dress many games. Who knows, maybe Mule’s wires cross and he destroys someone, ending this conversation and other teams thinking they can push the Sabres around.

She has been the Queen for all of my life and then some. She was a steadying presence for us in the Commonwealth for a long time. RIP.

I drove through Quinn’s hometown of Cobden yesterday. I expect him to make the team, have a significant impact (20g 25A) and get his hometown to put up a sign with his picture in a Sabres uniform.

Perreault’s electrifying game, Barasso’s Cup winning ability and progressing beyond a Myers’ like rookie season.

Duffer and Marty made a funny reference to the Queen’s Gambit chess series on yesterday’s podcast. She lays in bed at night and plays chess on the ceiling. They said DG does the same but with line combinations. It will be interesting to see what he tries in the pre season in order to find chemistry.

Coyotes claim to have their best ticket revenue season ever. Ticket prices are above league average and they have sold quite a few. The new formula, smaller rink and higher prices. Bettman must be proud.

Giving him the same AAV as Tkachuk would’ve been a good move politically. Stutzle will probably produce more, but Tkachuk is the heart and soul of the team as well as a productive player. Good deal for Stutzle, he will still be near his prime when he hits UFA, not a 31 year old who magically pulls one more good season out of his hat to get another big deal.

I would add Clague in that battle, he has NHL experience.

Scrub! I’ll have you know I was on the second line of my house league midget team in 1980.

I am not expecting him to make the team this year. Kulich does have a vibe similar to JJP, where he was a “steal” according to their draft board, he has played pro vs men for a season, he has done very well vs international peers and has a lot of confidence. I think he has a great camp and gets accolades from KA saying he was close to making it but needs to hone his skills on NA ice, learn the defensive side of the game and let the team get to know him and see where he may slot in down the road. If he performs well in the AHL he may get a game near the end of the year.

I’ve travelled it a few times by vehicle or RV and it is beautiful. If any golfers are making the trip, 3 of the top 10 courses in Canada are on this route.

Miller’s best previous season was 72 pts. Jumping up to 99pts at age 29 is not the norm but he was hitting UFA so there is that. I doubt he gets that number again.

Health is the big thing this year. I think he is capable of 50 points in a top 9 role. I see him as the 2C but DG may want to balance the lines, where Casey may play wing. He will get some PP time, probably on the second unit. Improved play from him could cement a top six spot.

Coach DG was thinking outside of the box when he moved TT to centre. He had played there before but it had been a while and not at the pro level. Dahlin played RD in Sweden and said he likes it there. DG may put on his thinking cap and devise ways of making this advantageous for Rasmus. If DG wants to play Dahlin, Samuelsson and Power as 3 of his top 4, one of them needs to play RHD. I would rather have those 3 eat up 70-80 minutes of the 120 than having Mule on the third pairing, getting 15 minutes.

Not Sabres related but Chicago won three Cups with Toews as a 1C. He brought more to the table than points but he was never a big point producer. Kane, Hossa and Sharp rounded out a good forward group but those teams never boasted tons of skill down the middle. Dave Bolland, Marcus Kruger, 34 year old Brad Richards, Micnal Handzus, Colin Fraser and John Madden all took turns as 2-3 Cs during those runs. I think the Sabres C spine will be better than that shortly. They need the goaltending to take a big jump and a few of the forwards to mature into what they can be. The D should be able to match up with anyone in a few years.

It’s nice to see he has the skill level to play in the KHL. Fourth line there usually means around 5 minutes unfortunately. 40 goals in the MHL so he needs to move up, he may end up in the VHL.

I like it too but need to be careful as it attracts more bees and I am allergic to stings.

The Sabres have had to go 5-6 goalies deep in the last few years. I am not sure about the numbers but it seems like other teams have had that many goalie injuries too.

I know I won’t enjoy the story but I read it anyway to find out a new way how to get under Leaf’s fans’ skin. This guy talks about the Sabres potential cap problems. Pot, meet kettle.

Maybe he wants an abacus to help out the analytics folks.

I like the signing, they are locking up a guy they have seen every day, developing into what his a first rounder should be doing. He is entering his prime years on an improving team. This is a way better use of cap space than getting a 29 year old UFA who just happened to have a career year. Tage is making peanuts for what he contributed last year and he doesn’t seem like the type to quit improving now that he has guaranteed money.

It is more important if your play is glass and out, then Dahlin would be on his backhand. That play is rarely used anymore, flip passes or dump outs are more common. He would have to handle more D to D passes on his backhand. With his edge work and stick handling ability cutting to the centre of the ice and making a play should be in his wheelhouse. He is not really a north south skater and last year with Samuelsson they switched sides during play quite a bit. If DG makes that pairing permanent, these guys will figure it out. Just as there are certain advantages to wingers on their off sides, there will be some for Dmen and Dahlin should exploit them.

I just want to see continued growth from these three. Cozens has the most upside in my opinion, but I doubt he makes a huge jump this season. I’m thinking maybe 50 points. He and Asplund had important roles at the World Championship and they showed some offensive flair. I believe he gets a bridge deal next. I think Asplund will be a 4th liner who can actually play up a line or two for stretches. I think he will improve offensively but becomes a defensive presence who gives other teams stars problems. I hope he can play centre as he could own that 4C spot for a while if he can. He is probably looking at 1 or 2 year deals for the next while. Samuelsson will be a value player. He may get a long term deal but not big money due to a lack of scoring.