French Collection

I’m on the fence and chose Beniers because of position.

I have only watched a few clips of Power at Michigan but he was impressive at the Worlds. He got better and played a larger role as the tournament went on. This shows me that he is good vs average NHLers and that he has the ability to adapt and develop quickly. I did not see elite skills but he was cool under pressure and often made the smart play. He is confident with the puck and has some good offensive instincts. I joked about elite reach but that will serve him well to maintain gaps at the next level. I am in the camp of making a deal with Seattle if they want Power and taking Beniers. This is based on wanting more forwards in the Sabres prospect pool. I am on the fence with those two and there is no more hockey to be played. I won’t be upset either way, Dahlin and Power could be the Sabres version of Hedman and Sergachev. Beniers as a ROR ceiling and a Cirelli floor is good too.

Power has elite reach. LOL

The German Nik Ehlers?

I doubt Byfield gets 56 points in the NHL next year.

RK would have had to use his timeouts in the first period of many games.

I realize how young he is but Jack scored 56 points in the NHL in his draft year. Jack was almost a year older but he is superior to Byfield and in his prime. I’m just pointing out that Byfield is not an untouchable if you are getting Jack.

Don’t overvalue Byfield folks, he’s a 2nd overall pick with lots of potential but he has not proven anything yet. Turcotte outscored him in the AHL this season. By only one point but…. I’ve seen him play a lot and he was a driver of play in the OHL. In two World Juniors he looked pedestrian other than one big game (6 points). 20 points in 32 AHL games and 1 point in 6 NHL games is not how “franchise” players break in. I like him and think he will be fine, just not a superstar. A lot of people are drawn to his size which is happening with Power.

He was in Latvia for the worlds. His Latvian name would be Owens Powers.

Colin Miller has that effect on teams.

Pretty good game. Both teams with decent players, fringe NHLers, up and comers as well as prospects.

I would swap with Seattle provided they take whoever the Sabres are willing to give up in the expansion draft plus a mid round pick to add to the prospect pool.

Beniers seems to get compared to Bergeron or ROR on this board and if he was to get to that level it would justify being a #1 candidate. The scouting report that caught my eye was the one comparing him to Toews at the NCAA and IIHF levels. Toews is a winner at multiple levels and has many desirable qualities for a top centreman. Crosby gets all the glory for the golden goal at the Olympics, but Toews led that team in scoring playing a third line role. If his ceiling is Toews, Bergeron or ROR I can see taking him at #1. I’m not sure where his floor is (Danault?) that may be what brings the other guys into the conversation. His position makes him a bit more attractive than the wingers like Eklund and Guenther. Power and Beniers are the only two candidates in my mind right now.

He put up some big numbers in this shortened season. He was a point per game player last year so he is not a flash in the pan and has improved, I watched some footage and only saw a few goals that were challenging to score. He made some nice passes so he does have playmaking ability. I wish there was more video of his defensive zone work. He has good size and skates well and will probably transition well to the pro game. It is difficult to project him as an offensive dynamo at the next level from a twelve game season. He played more than half that many games at the U18 and was more passenger than driver on the points he got. I won’t be upset if they take him but I see him as the 3rd or 4th best guy in this draft.

Please keep posting draft material, I love that stuff and the debates and evaluations on prospective picks. I have not made up my mind yet but as of today I would take Power. However, I think there is a need for Beniers and would move down a pick or two to get him.

The guy I dislike the most is Nylander. He actually potted a few this year but he is so soft it is unbelievable. The only hit he threw was against Carey Price in game 6. He avoids contact like it is a Cobra, I cannot believe he is over 6’ and 190 pounds. He plays smaller than Caufield. Matthews and Marner were basically invisible, again. Carey Price showed what good goaltending can do. Danault was a big factor in shutting down Matthews.

Price vs Hellebuyck should a goaltending clinic in round 2.

I’m in Toronto this week and almost all of my coworkers are Leafs lovers. Should be a quiet morning or mourning. Their team is just not geared for the playoffs.

All of the front line health care workers are at the game to provide first aid if the Leafs choke.

I think you start giving him 24-26 minutes a night and take the good with the bad. I believe there will be more highs than lows and we will benefit from his swashbuckling adventures. At least it would be entertaining.

I hope this goes to 7, softening up the winner for the Jets. Yeah, our northern Ontario ICUs are full of Manitobans. Hope your province gets a handle on the trend line soon.

Tage Thompson with a goal and an assist after two periods vs Norway. Every little bit of confidence will help his development towards....

Yeah, I think they should have put off the 2nd round start by another day.

Penguins are done.

I’ve never heard Gretzky be very critical of anyone in the NHL so this may be a tough role for him. He did call the Devils a Mickey Mouse organization though. He is well connected, intelligent but he is generally plain Vanilla so I don’t know if he will make a splash at TNT. I’ll be listening to hopefully gain a nugget or two per game.