French Collection

Watched Pekar play last night, outstanding! First star, two goals, 20+ minutes, first PK and PP units. He makes something happen every shift, a high energy player. He will put up good numbers in the OHL this season and be ready for the pro game next year.

UPL was definitely the guy for the Wolves last year, he will be sorely missed. The guy to watch on that team now is Quinton Byfield, likely to go top 5 next draft. Going to see the Battalion's home opener tonight vs Barrie. I hope Pekar is in the lineup.

I don't think he looks physically ready to take on grown men but he has the wheels and the drive. I'm sure JBot would like him to grow and dominate the WHL plus have the WJHC experience. It is not unprecedented for a guy like that to break through. My guess is 2-3 games and if he does well they take it to 9 games.

11 for hockey, soccer and basketball. I dreamed of flying like Gil, but was a lousy skater. I wore 5 in baseball, George Brett was a hero there.

I wish all the best to the big guy. Another hole in Winnipeg’s RHD.

And Vesey is not responsible to cover 200' of ice.

I have liked Asplund since his first WJHC. I don't think he makes the Sabres out of camp but by year's end he could be 3 or 4C.

Blacked out today for me. I had watched the first one. I was in Ottawa at that time though.

Yukon Striker

Yes that is a nice trait

Sounds like a good crowd

Feed working in Ottawa tonight

I think Asplund may be closer to making it than Artuu but you never know.

Hopes: RK is the right guy to steer this ship in the right direction. Jack has not had his best season yet. Dahlin will take control of the back end and be guy, this year. Fears: 2C is still a hole. Goaltending is still a hole. Secondary scoring falls short. Expectations: Entertaining hockey that will keep them in the playoff hunt until the last week of the season.

Don't forget Borgen, he could be third pairing or a number 7 D.

That would solve our 2C problem, Jack could fill that role!

He and Tavares can wear their matching pyjamas on road trips. Playing for the Leafs has always been his dream.

Your line about cross checking 20 times brought back a memory of 70's defenseman Brian Glennie. He was effective in the NHL at moving forwards out of the way and blocking shots. He couldn't skate or handle a puck but was included on Team Canada '72 to face the Russians. Needless to say, this pylon did not see much ice time as the Russians stayed in motion and moved the puck around with dazzling passes instead of camping out in the slot. My point is you need Dmen with as large of a toolbox as possible, but a key skill is moving the puck out with possession.

I liked him , small but skilled. Another sad story. Too bad about his medal.

I walked about 6 km of Kenora's waterfront and downtown core yesterday. Not sure if he is still around there. NHLPA and alumni like Trevor Kidd helped him out last summer. TSN had a story on his sad turn of events.

How about a cap for the guys you have drafted and developed and a cap for other team's UFAs and RFAs. For example, if you had 14 guys on your roster that were yours, your cap is X. If you have 10 guys your cap is lower. There could be significant penalties in a luxury tax tacked on. This would cause most franchises to emphasize draft and develop + free agents from Europe and NCAA. If a team wants to load up for a Cup run they will pay into a pool shared by the rest. I think there would still need to be a limit for an overall cap so the rich teams don't go crazy. The NHLPA would be against this due to fewer big UFA deals, but there could be bigger deals for teams keeping their franchise players. Just trying to think outside of the box.

I don't like the idea of a so-so second unit but I would love to see the creativity of a first unit with Jack, Sam and Dahlin on it. Skinner patrolling the dirty areas and VO sifting through traffic to get open would be my choices to join them. I can't wait to see Dahlin try some "unique" moves that baffles his man or frees up a teamate. He just seems eel like to me. The second unit would probably be more effective if Dahlin was running it and not sharing the puck with Jack. I would keep KO on the second unit but with a short leash. He has a good shot but I find his shot selection goes into Evander Kane mode once in a while.

I’m not a Roslovic fan, that’s why I added a pick or prospect. Roslovic could be a 3C, I don’t think his ceiling is a 2C.

I don't want them to give up VO yet and see him thrive on McDavid's wing. Sheary I am fine with.

He may be a great fit in Winnipeg with them losing Trouba and Myers. He would be behind Byflugien, in the second pairing. The return has been debated here before, I suspect Ehlers or Roslovic and a prospect/pick. I would be interested in LHD Sami Niku.