French Collection

Pysyk

McKenzie’s top 20 show is a wrap. Craig Button added some comments. A few takeaways: 1 Wright has dropped in scouts’ eyes, goal scoring is down. 9/10 scouts still have him #1. 2 Cooley is the top challenger for #1, Button says he has him at #2 as well. 3 Kemell has slowed a bit and is injured at the moment. 4 Savoie has high end talent. He was interviewed and compared his game to Braden Point and Matthew Barzal. 5 Slafkovsky has speed and size, a rare combination at the top of this draft. 6 Mirochnichenko has a wide variety of ranking from scouts. 7 Jiricek is out long term but is a two way threat on D. 8 Yurov is hampered by limited minutes in the KHL. 9 Nemec is an offensive D who could go top 5. 10 Geekie is an average skater who plays a heavy game. 11 Lambert has speed to burn but even after a slow start 6/10 scouts rank him top 10. 12 Lekkerimaki 13 Gauthier 14 Nazar 15 Howard 16 Mintyukov is rocketing up the rankings. Russian LHD playing in the OHL. 17 Kasper 18 Chesley 19 Snuggerud 20 Gaucher

Miller better get healthy and stay that way for the trade deadline.

He’s not the saviour but we all want to see if he can continue where he left off last season. He can be an important weapon going forward. I cannot recall anything he has done this year, it’s been such a brutal start for him.

I happen to be home alone (dog) in front of a warm fire while it is -25C outside. Perfect timing for this show. Bob’s list is generated by intel he gets from NHL scouts so it is not his opinion.

Quinn is in, imho.

Quinn as a trigger man who can pass will be dangerous. I just don’t think that will get much of a look until later. VO, with his shot back, on the opposite half wall, will make teams have to cover 2 shooters. Tuch or Tage can be net front while Casey or Krebs plays the bumper and rotates to the point. Dahlin has full range to rove high to low.

Stay healthy and show us what you’ve got Casey.

Marcus can play middle six. Miss him.

Leafs get smoked by the Rangers 6-3 after they led 3-1. Sportsnet was helping plan the Cup parade after a fast start.

Yeah, Schneider is a good prospect. Another one is Calen Addison of the Wild. He has done well in the AHL and got a taste of the show. I don’t know much about him, not a big guy. You never know what can be had to take on a bad contract.

Can’t wait until the Buffaslug becomes cool again. I liked the goat heads but I am happy for the return of the traditional B&G.

He has been the projected stud for the ‘22 draft for about 3 years now. He is just not generational. Some scouts say his ceiling is Bergeron, which is a great 1C. He has tailed off lately and the gap has closed from the other prospects.

Friedman talked about weaponizing cap space at the trade deadline for a few teams that have it. He called it Kingmaking. The problem with the Sabres getting good players at the deadline is that the playoff teams are adding so there is a premium on talent. I think they could add some near ready prospects for taking on a salary or two. Josh Bloom is one draft pick from ‘21 that is breaking out and having a solid season in the OHL. He plays some C as well.

Break the pattern! Maybe KA is a shrewd GM and builds a solid team that competes for a long time and he has a Darcy like career in Buffalo.

Levi is doing this in his first NCAA season. He was there last year but did not play. Interesting comparison to Jimmy Howard’s season. Howard is 6’1” and had a pretty good career. My hope is for Levi to become the Sabres franchise goalie but a solid backup would be nice too. It is hard to project ceilings and floors with young goalies. I think the Sabres need to sign him at the end of the year. He is ready for a challenge.

The NHL season is close to the halfway point. Standings can change but I believe the Sabres will pick in the 4-8 range with a shot at #1. The Vegas pick sits around 20 but they have played more games than some teams chasing them. They might get an Eichel bump and how deep of a playoff run affects draft position. The Florida pick sits at 30 and they are a good team. Playoffs will determine where this pick ends up. I hate being in this position again but I am a realist. Development of the youth and a great draft will be another step in the right direction. I long for the season (next year?) where the JAGs are the 13th forward and the 8th Dman. We are getting close.

Not as pissy as Torts to Larry Brooks.

That would be great.

Samuelson was the third star on the TSN feed. Solid game, not flashy but efficient.

Sam Pollock was GM there for most of the 70’s run.

With Hinestroza out this would have been a great time to bring up Quinn. He played for the 67’s and lives within driving distance of Ottawa. Go Sabres. Entertain me.

Dahlin will shine tonight, getting at least two points in a victory. I wish Mule was in this one to check Bertuzzi, that guy always seems to be buzzing around against the Sabres.

Maybe Karmanos is being pursued by other clubs, hence the promotion. At least this would keep the continuity of KA’s plan. They need to give this more time.

Too bad on Krebs, he had a good game before Covid struck.