French Collection

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.

Dahlin was on the list last February, different strain though, so he could get it again.

I watched about half of this game. He showed me nothing. I did not see anything outstanding from him at the 2 World Junior games either. His status is dropping in my opinion, I don’t think he’s a bust but perhaps his development has leveled off. Sean Day received exceptional status from the OHL at 15 and he is still in the minors. I think Wright will make it and be good but unless he picks his game up he will be challenged for 1st overall.

Levi with 41 votes while Power has 23. Middle of the pack. Looks like there is some ballot stuffing going on because some of the leaders are not top candidates in my opinion.

I think Dahlin is the best Sabre.

Yeah, even if they don’t get Nemec or Jiricek there are quite a few 1st rounders. This is the year to get a RHD in the first or even early second.

On a different note, I did not know Tuch was a PK guy. I thought he was good there last night. Bonus.

The team lacks talent. The GM is thinking long term and being patient. The coach is a good teacher for this stage of the rebuild. Lack of talent really affects depth because the next man up is a JAG. JAGs cannot score at the NHL level, especially when paired up with other JAGs. You still need to outscore the other team to win. They don’t have Hasek in net so the team probably needs 3-4 goals to win consistently. You can teach JAGs to play a trap, collapse to the net defensively and block shots but they will get caved in eventually because they can’t break out, lack hockey IQ, take penalties because of a lack of speed & mobility and being outmatched. When your goalies are JAGs it just compounds the problems. Next year, when Quinn, Krebs, JJP, Mule, Power are ready to help, there will be more talent available. A decent goalie added for 1-2 years will allow Levi and/or Portillo get ready on the farm. Signing a key role veteran or two will help development and depth.

Sabres should have taken the fish from her, lucky charm.

Sabres played tough, out hit by a wide margin but they were taking it. Great composure and no retaliation.

Nice play by Pysyk to control the puck, too bad he missed the open net. I would like to see Skinner get the hattie but don’t want his defensive game out there.

Baby steps boys. Close this out and enjoy the beer. Build on this.

Couple of times he has been mugged.