French Collection

The other wasn’t elite, he was generational. Another term that gets thrown out there a lot.

I’m on my way to help with power restoration. It sounds like there is not enough equipment and hardware to replace what’s been damaged. It may take a while to get enough poles, insulators, transformers and conductor from suppliers. The only positive I can think of is that it is not winter so people won’t freeze. The ice storm of 1998 was scary, mid January.

They have plenty of C prospects plus the existing centres make this interesting going forward. Thompson, Cozens, Mittelstadt, Krebs, Asplund, Girgensons and Sheahan are all possibilities for this year. High end picks like Savoie and Kulich may force their way onto the team next season. Guys can move to the wing and I can see rolling 4 lines that can score, with all of this talent. Kozak may be the guy that embraces the 4C role and gets significant ice time because of PK, faceoffs and checking assignments etc…

THW article not only predicts the Sabres make the playoffs, it says they will get by the first round. If this happened vs the Leafs I would be over the moon.

But no NS sighting. No power for most of the province after Fiona. Communication is very limited too.

I think you’re not a fan of faceoff stats. I don’t care about the stats too much, there is not much difference between 48.9% and 51.1% when two guys are facing off. What I like is having a guy that will win important draws in the D zone in the last minute protecting a lead or the O zone when down a goal. Possession is huge with seconds left and a game on the line. Overtime is another instance where possession leads to the first scoring chance(s). This is a skill that is tough to measure but someone on the coaching staff should have a handle on who is hot and wins a lot of key draws.

Still not a reason to bring Eakin back. Someone needs to become good and be the go to guy.

Hope you are safe. That was quite the storm. Stay safe. I see 80% of Nova Scotia and 90% of Prince Edward Island are without power., more than half a million customers. I am on standby to head that way for power restoration efforts. The local utIlities are not out assessing damage yet, still too stormy.

Girgs playing C.

Agree with this. I think Muel, Boosh get PK1 while Joki and Dahlin or Power get PK2. Dahlin gets PP1 while Power gets PP2. Bryson gets the least ice time out of the six. Ice time will probably be Dahlin, Power, Muel, Joki, Boosh and Bryson.

They are in Division 2 this year, so I doubt you get that game.

Wanting JAGs to get off the ice has caused me some stress the last few years. I agree wholeheartedly that being able to roll 4 lines will be nice to watch. If a line is cold there are three others that can pick up the slack. Whoever ends up as the 13th forward will be interesting as well. For example, Vinny draws in and is raring to go, generates some action. Way better than hoping Hayden doesn’t get stuck in his own end every shift.

That is an optimistic view and I like it. JJ’s development path took an upward arc last year and I want to see him have success at the next level. If this 2nd rounder becomes a top six forward that is another feather in the scouting/analytics cap. Some posts want him to go back to Rochester but I don’t think there is much for him to learn there.

Batten down the hatches!

I think he is one of the 12 best forwards on the Sabres. Where DG slots him in will affect his production. I am not opposed to a kid line of Quinn, Krebs and Peterka given some nice matchups. I took option #2 which would really boost secondary scoring.

Good for Sova, he had a good Prospects Camp.

I like that the prospects have shown well. KA is patiently running a draft and develop program and it is bearing fruit at the prospect level. Last year’s Amerks run was helped by prospects as well. They seem poised to have a nice influx of young talent to stay competitive at the AHL level. The pipeline is built and starting to fill up. The Sabres are one of the youngest teams in the NHL and have some great talent developing and waiting for their time. Over the next few years there should be a few prospects ready to break into the NHL, putting pressure on the existing roster. Good players will have to be moved to make room and the returns should fill gaps and areas of weakness. Not all of these guys will make it but there should be at least 4 or 5 that will have an impact on the Sabres. I think there is enough talent to continue having balanced scoring lines on the Sabres. Whether guys like Savoie, Kulich, Rosen, Cederqvist, Kozak, Rousek or Kisakov play on the top 6 or bottom 6 they seem to have some skills sets that can lead to scoring.. Other forwards that could have an NHL future are Östlund, Neuchev, Nadeau, Bloom, Weissbach, Poltapov etc… I think we are done with JAGs. The defense is young and looks good but the pipeline could use a few RHD. There is no rush to get prospects to the Sabres. I find Novikov intriguing, he could be similar to Samuelsson. I will feel better when Levi and Portillo sign. This will mean the weakest position has some solid prospects in the pipeline. I think this team will play meaningful games in the spring and will improve next year. The pipeline should give this team staying power. There is always optimism at this time of year but I think KA has built something good and sustainable.

Exactly, he signed for 5 years for that reason. I don’t think he enjoys the scrutiny of the Toronto media, even though they fawn all over him for his regular season exploits. Most Leafs fans think he’s going to automatically re-sign, who in their right doesn’t want to play for them?

The NHLPA probably doesn’t like it but the Avs management and his teammates are happy. They can contend for a while now and when the cap goes up they can extend Byram, Newhook and whoever else becomes a core piece.

Matthews will definitely want to get paid. He skipped junior and NCAA to play in the Swiss league and make money as a 17 year old. $400K if I recall. This is my opinion, but he always gives off a bit of a selfish vibe. Maybe it is because of his shooting ability but I can’t understand how a C gets more goals than assists when they hand out 2A for every goal. Tavares will get his Leafs pyjamas in a knot when they have to buy him out or trade him in order to give Matthews the $15M he will ask for.

Was he with Jarvis all year? My guess is Kozak did not get any PP time so that is a big part of the scoring difference. Kozak was 16 until the mid point of the season, I would think it took him a while to get used to the new league, he only played 5 games in his Bantam draft year. I am very excited that he turned out as well as he did for a 7th rounder. I can’t see why they would send him back to the CHL. He’s played there for parts of 4 years.

Milquetoast is more like it.

Where was the Karmanos interview?

Outshot Sens 41-19. Speed was the key in this game, the Sens just didn’t have the horsepower. Kozak is a keeper. 3rd line role but led the team in goals. He played both special teams and won a ton of draws. I think he is ready for the pro game, the only thing he will get in the WHL is honing his offense. Sova is a LHD but the Sabres should get this guy. He plays a solid two way game. He should have a good year in Erie. Rousek, Rosen and Kulich were great. Rosen has speed and skill and even had a key shot block. Rousek plays a fast and smart game. Kulich looks good at C and played a 200’ game. We didn’t get to see his shot but he was very good in many aspects. Savoie was good this game. He plays as advertised. He won some draws as well. Lindgren can really skate and wants to attack. He could score 75 points+ in the WHL this year. Weissbach was really good on 5v5 and special teams, he will be a big part of the Amerks offense. I would sign Suchanek as a depth goalie who could develop into something nice. Stu Barnes coaches him in the WHL.

Kodak and Cederqvist have been good together. 6-3 Sabres