French Collection

I won’t rule out his return, in a non playing capacity.

I like Girgs but I am ready to move on and he might be too. I think he is still an NHL 4th liner but there must be better options for the $2.5M he was paid.

I would say those colours work well with Yeti, Blizzard and perhaps Mammoth. Venom and Outlaws don’t fit baby blue. HC has got to go.

The Stanley Cup will be in the building next game.

I struggle to play games with family members, because I hate to lose. It drives my wife nuts that I have to grind out every point even when I am up by a lot. Not saying I am an elite athlete, but I think I know the feeling. I lived and breathed golf for nearly 20 years and got quite good at it through constant practice and a desire to keep improving. I loved practicing more than playing because of the tiny improvements from a practice session and the fact that you couldn’t lose during practice. Nowawadays, I almost don’t like to play because I don’t practice and my game has declined. I can’t compete so therefore I don’t enjoy the game.

I counted 17 first rounders on the Sabres roster last year. 20 if you count Savoie, Kulich and Rosen with their stints. There was hardly any room for anyone outside of the first round. Mitts, Okposo, Jost, Johnson, Girgensons are former first rounders who should create a few openings, but they won’t be replaced by any Adams’ 2-7th round picks. Novikov and/pr Komarov may get a look this season as call ups.

Eichel allowed him to be noticed and get a break. Once he got that break he has probably worked his butt off to keep his spot on teams and to improve his skills to remain an NHLer. Never was a fan of his but he’s done well for himself with what he’s got. It must be summer if we are giving this topic so much “ink”.

I never used to worry about salaries but now it rules over all trades and signings. I don’t peruse Cap Friendly daily or even weekly but I go there occasionally to see who is in cap hell, how could the Sabres help them by helping themselves, or to compare salaries for an upcoming UFA/RFA.

I don’t know the stats but my viewings of him are that a lot of his goals were tap ins and rebounds because Tocchet got him using his big body to go to the front of the net. Shooting pe4centage should be good from inside of 6 feet.

I would expect a few lists to come out this week as the combine was the last event that scouts and reporters have had to evaluate/interview the candidates. Bob McKenzie’s list is the one I am interested in. With all of the various opinions so far, I think there will be a lot of surprises. Some guys will fall 5 spots while others will rise that much. For every list that has Lindstrom at 3 there is one where he is 12.

$9.25M Dman Darnell Nurse has been bad these playoffs, I’ve seen him make a lot of mistakes. I just looked at his stats and he has 3 assists in 19 games and is -15.

I wouldn’t shed a tear to see Joki gone. He’s a decent defenseman but not great at any one aspect of the position. I was impressed with Johnson’s poise for having so little experience. He has room to improve so he could an effective third pairing guy right away and be capable of filling another slot in case of injuries.

I read an interesting quote this morning that is attributed to Alexander the Great. He said he would rather face an army of lions led by a sheep than an army of sheep led by a lion. That says how much he valued leaders of men, let’s hope Lindy can bring out the best in these guys.

I don’t know the answer to the thread question but I would like to say it would be nice to find out. We almost all agree the status quo might work but that is with a lot of things going right. Moves to bring in proven talent for prospects/picks/players in order to fill holes, improve grit and add depth will get everyone excited and show that ownership/leadership is in playoff or bust mode.

If KA has the green light to spend to the limit and he makes a big move like the one mentioned above, all of the bubble eastern conference teams will poop their pants a little bit.

Eriksson Ek and Rossi are about all that Minnesota has at C. Hartman has played there a lot due to necessity not him being a pure C. A reset there could mean a desire to bring in a Savoie and perhaps giving Krebs a fresh start. As an added fantasy, could we include more pieces to get a Hartman included. Gritty vet who can play anywhere in the middle six.

The centre spine would be better than with Mitts in it. Eriksson Ek is an ideal 2C and could provide the means to have 3 scoring lines. Cozens could move to the wing if a veteran 3C is brought in, Krebs finally breaks out or one of the prospect trio earns a chance. This is a guy KA should have moved Mitts for. Minnesota boy going home to be a 1C.

Like a few others I am not ready to give up on him, unless he is packaged in a deal bringing back a bonafide 3C. He should be told that 3C is possible but to embrace the 4C role. Showing what he can do when elevated in the lineup will determine whether he can be a 3C in Buffalo and get some special teams time. Savoie, Kulich and Östlund are not looking like 4C types and could leapfrog him in a year. Embrace the role and become the best damn 4C in the league!

I thought he was the guy who directed all of the Clint Eastwood westerns.

I listened to Pierre Lebrun on TSN talking about the combine. He said every draft day trade was conceived at the combine. Every team’s staff is in close proximity for a week, lots of time for chats.

Konsta Helenius’ coach is Olli Jokinen. He thinks the kid is not too far away from being ready for NHL hockey. Quite a statement for a kid that could go 5th or 15th. He has played a full season in Liiga and did very well. Jokinen says it is his approach to the game that makes him a pro, he strives to get better every day and is detail oriented. He already plays a 200’ game. Some scouts worry about his offensive upside but most agree he can be a middle 6 centre at the NHL level. He may be an option at 11.

After a successful turnaround season the Canucks have made some changes to Tocchet’s staff. Gone are Mike Yeo and Jason King. Yeo has lots of experience and handled the PK while King looked after the PP. Their PP was 10th while the PK was 17th. The Sedins will take on a larger role, especially for the PP and they hired their skills coach Yogi Svejkovski to round out the staff. Tocchet has been given tons of credit for their success yet he still changes his crew to find improvement. I guess Matt Ellis wasn’t available so he went with the Sedins.

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard. 6’1” 198 Norwegian RW who payed in Sweden’s Allsvenskan, second division. He projects as a middle six winger who plays hard and can contribute offensively. He sounds like a potential fan favourite in Buffalo, hard nosed two way player. .I watched him play twice in Prague and he fit in with men and was on the top line with Zuccarello. 11 might be too early. He or countryman Stolberg might be good picks if the Sabres were to move back in some kind of swap.

Carter Yakemchuk. I was really interested in him around 11 because he is a good sized RHD who is physical and has a good offensive game. 71 points in 66 games for a non playoff team. His ceiling is Brent Burns but he has a lot of warts. The research I have read talks a lot about his lack of hockey sense and whether his offense is translatable to the NHL. One scout compared him to Risto, chasing guys to hit them and ending up out of position. Hearing that turns me off of the kid. Another guy compared him to Jeff Jilson.

Now I need to cut the grass, it would have to wait if the draft was in a few days. I am interested in everyone after Celebrini to about #16. Lots of information and game notes. Now watch them trade the pick. I don’t watch much video like you do, I take other people’s word on skills. I love to read up on opinions. My favourite list is Bob McKenzie, because of actual NHL scouts, so the accuracy is decent. This guide will be great on draft weekend to get more info on the later round picks.