French Collection

Bryson is OK with the direction of the team. A million bucks to play every 2nd or 3rd game. He might complain if he had to play 82.

It’s something. I respect this guy’s resume but I am surprised he would report to KA. His scouting background should help identify talent. He knows how to deal with a small market organization that probably had a lot of NMCs at the top. I like this, if KA actually listens.

Nill is a top level GM, it would be tough to pry a good goalie off of him unless he had a solid plan B. I doubt he would hand over the reins to UPL. The cap space gain, goalie wise could allow him to get another decent one though. Byram has value but Dallas has Heiskanen and Harley as puck moving LHD, not too different from the Sabres scenario.

Interesting. That happens a lot in hockey. The next smart decision is that a GM evaluates them vs each other and other candidates. Seniority is a thing, especially in a unionized environment, but sometimes the “apprentice” is much better than the mentor. I know we dump on Appert but it’s difficult to not see him taking over the HC job with KA at the helm. Qualified people may hesitate to work for him and the owner has trust issues with outside talent. On top of it all, a first time coach will be cheaper. Lindy is a different story, there was already some trust established and he could supply more than coaching knowledge.

I read a story about Zito’s leadership style. He said he has surrounded himself with some smart hockey people who will challenge him. He wants a diversity of ideas and will hear them out before making a decision. The people he mentions as advisors are Rick Dudley, Paul Fenton, Roberto Luongo, Gregory Campbell, Les Jackson and a few others.

You just never know, he could be the next Jon Cooper. Karmanos probably hired him and would know him best. KA would rank Appert above him. Appert, Wilford and Ellis are locked in, there are no better coaches available, KA has done a deep dive into it. They just need more time for the palm seeds to take root. The new strength coach will whip the team into shape and turn them into beasts. We just need patience, LOL.

KA press conference. “We liked Marco at the draft but were set at C with Eichel and Reinhart so we picked Quinn.”

Shanahan would be better than KA, the bar is at a mouse doing the limbo height. No way he takes a #2 job for TP after being #1 at the “real hockey heaven”. LOL. I would take him but he has that Leafs stench on him.

KA weaponizing cap space, bringing a knife to a gunfight. Looked like that guy with the impressive sword work that Indiana Jones shoots.

But, Lafferty is so much faster. Except for Perry’s short lived stint in Chicago, he’s been signing with playoff teams hoping to go deep. I don’t think the Sabres are on his radar. I doubt he would mail it in like Staal.

Yeah, bringing in RHD like EJ, Clifton and Lyubushkin was an attempt at helping Power but they don’t have the ability to play 2nd pairing minutes.

Yeah, I don’t think he takes Eklund but he might, as much as that kid is what I see as more of the same. I am ready to shake it up from BPA to BFA ( biggest friggin’ attitude).

He obviously still loves the game to embrace these roles after what he accomplished as a young man. His grit would be nice to infuse into 95% of our Sabres players.

It will be easier for KA to justify taking Eklund.

Shaw probably told TP he wasn’t willing to take Wilford’s spot with the Jr. Sabres.

Those numbers tell me that they are too young, lacking older man muscles. KA running it back will eventually get them to top 10 in weight.

Jake Sanderson and Power had similar amateur careers and signed similar long term deals. Sanderson took a big step forward while Power has stalled. Chabot was an easier hurdle to jump than Dahlin but Power may have even regressed. A lot of his off season training may be delayed due to his injury but a smart player/organization would use the time off to recharge and assess the weaknesses and how to get better. The mental part of the game could be his biggest stumbling block and he has all of the time needed to improve.

Ditto, I try and grasp that stuff and have the time to learn it but it just doesn’t capture me. I do like the Coles notes version explained to me and how it reinforces ideas.

Novikov has a great summer and comes to camp as a beast and makes Bryson his b***h, and plays the game we wanted to see from Mule, making him expendable. Sad, but I’m not seeing any good news until September, with these clowns in charge.

If I was GM I would be seeing what the market is for Byram and Power. I can move on from either. The return plus potential cap space could sway me in either direction. Power could bring more back and Byram could be signed for less. KA will not move Power, so this idea is dead.

3B victim. Blocked by Bryson.

Enforcers barely exist anymore. Tough guys are still around. Guys like Rempe and Reaves barely have enough skill to patrol the 4th line. It’s challenging to give a roster spot to a 6 minute player who is barely skilled enough to play. Today’s tough guys like Jeannot, Frederic, Foligno and Hathaway are middleweights. They can play hockey at the NHL level and will drop the gloves once in a while to protect a teammate or try and change the momentum of a game. They are intimidating in today’s NHL, where I would guess that half of the players have never fought at the NHL level. Tkachuk, Bennett are instigators but are also intimidating because they hit a lot and they hit to hurt people. They also walk a fine line between legal and illegal. I would love to have Tkachuk on the Sabres for his body of work but not as a fighter. He drops the gloves only a few times a year and it is only vs guys who he knows he can beat. His toughness is best displayed in scrums with cheap shots and face washes. Brady Tkachuk is more willing to fight but he is bigger and better than Matthews at that. Marchand is a pest, he doesn’t scare people, he just p****s them off and throws them off their games. Being dirty is not being an enforcer. I think Krebs fights more than Marchand.

The time to hire a senior advisor was when TP went out on a limb and hired a first time GM with no front office experience. Out of work experienced people may have jumped at the chance to have a high level role in the NHL and to mentor a young unknown candidate. Now, WTF is the role here??? Owner who thinks he is hockey smart, GM who has failed for 5 years to take a step forward and a coaching staff that is at least a level below the NHL.

Congrats to USA hockey. This is not an easy tournament to win. Strength of roster changes a lot year to year for the countries with a lot of NHLers and some “weaker” nations believe they can win games. I like this move for TNT, showing he deserves consideration for the Olympics, showing up for his country after a tough season and coming through in the clutch.

Bennett is a guy I want. Just a solid player than can play middle six C and doesn’t back down from any challenge.