French Collection

If Levi and Comrie play well, UPL and Anderson can stay in the press box. Gotta keep the rhythm going. If they are mathematically still in it, I would not even dress UPL. Anderson gets the Ottawa game if they are out of it.

Another reason to dress Stillman over Bryson. He may not win the fight but he will engage a punk like Lemieux.

I am not giving Levi the net but there is a chance he could be good enough to split NHL starts next year. Comrie is still auditioning for a role next year. He is under contract and will probably remain in Buffalo. He could be all right as part of a tandem. He could play well and be traded for an upgrade. UPL is the interesting case, he might get sent down and claimed. They cannot have a three headed goalie rotation next season. He could also be traded for an upgrade or draft pick. You can’t go UPL/Comrie if Levi is better than both just because Levi is waiver exempt.

There is a chance he makes the team in the fall, I won’t deny that. His work this spring will aid his quest if he plays a few more like last night. I think he is already better than UPL. UPL may not get another game this year and that would not break my heart. I think he is special, I just don’t want to pencil him in Buffalo full time yet. UPL is probably thinking Portillo is a smart man.

Komarov is under no pressure, he can develop at his own pace, guided by Patrick Roy. They will probably have deep playoff run, great experience. Seth Appert raved about Rosen on his last appearance on Sabres Live.

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The Sabres are on the B2B this time. They may find it harder to buzz around for extended periods of time. I think they can see evidence of what team defense can do and focus on that and counterpunch on the rush. I would guess Comrie in net, hopefully inspired by Levi’s challenge, has a good game. 4-3 Sabres. Let’s go Buffalo!

Levi was named to the Canadian Olympic team along with Owen Power last year. Dinosaur coach Claude Julien did not even give him one game. May have made a difference but we will never know.

Levi doesn’t even need the goatheads.

Savoie with a great game to start his playoff. Nadeau with 1G 1A in Gatineau’s win Komarov with an assist in Quebec’s win. Lindgren held pointless but Red Deer wins their playoff opener.

A very nice win for the team and Devon. Well deserved. He is not big but his quickness is impressive. He holds his glove nice and high to help cover the top of the net. His save on Tarasenko was a quick flinch of the shoulder, I think that shot was headed for the top corner. Very calm presence in the net, looks like Carey Price. Mule was very effective tonight, made the whole unit better. The kid line was great, the scary thing for other teams is how much upside they have. I’m going to bed happy, Levi gives me hope.

Marty was saying yesterday on Sabres live how Levi is going to be a good fit to play the Rangers because of his quickness. The Rangers play an east-west game trying to get the goalie out of position but Levi’s speed could foil that.

The Isles probably get to the dance, I’ll give Lou that. Horvat putting up Beauvillier like numbers is not the reason, it’s all about Sorokin. Lou won’t be around to see the end of that 8x$8.5 deal.

Levi’s preparation yesterday included watching every Ranger shot attempt in 22/23 on his virtual reality set, secret video of Shesterkin shutting his teammates down in practice, burning some old rags his parents brought with them and then falling asleep to the soothing sounds of a brick wall being built. Devon Levi will be fine.

I read a story about Bo Horvat’s transition to the Islanders. 11 points in 24 games since the trade, oof.

Good thing he’s never played for Buffalo, it would almost guarantee a hat trick.

As long as he’s not the defensive version of Peterson or Vesey. He doesn’t sound like a game changer but an upgrade from Bryson and Clague is an improvement.

Well Skeeter, this guy bats .251 versus right handed pitchers in the second half of double headers in open air stadiums on real grass. Oh, this will take a while, the manager is coming out and it looks like the lefty is warming up in the bullpen. Well, he’s .237 vs lefties but .245 against this guy in his career, .231 before Tommy John surgery. The pitcher has added a screwball to his repertoire but struggles with control after about 20 pitches.

Maybe he becomes the home game guru. With a combination of goatheads and Levi in net, the Sabres never lose at home.

Levi is not a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. Coolley, Fantilli and Knies are the finalists. https://www.nhl.com/news/hobey-baker-finalists-includes-top-2023-nhl-draft-prospect-adam-fantilli/c-342900404

If his ceiling is McCabe and the floor is Clague, it’s a good pickup. Homegrown depth.

I am guessing that Shesterkin starts vs the Devils tonight in an important game for the Rangers. That would put Halak in vs Levi.

I spent a little more time looking at the rosters of the Cup winners since 2009 (Penguins). Penguins ‘09, ‘16, ‘17 Drafted core: Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Fleury and Murray for 2 Cups. Key adds: Kunitz all 3 and Kessel for 2. Side note, Kunitz went to Tampa for the 17/18 season. Blackhawks ‘10, ‘13, ‘15 Drafted core: Toews, Kane, Keith, Seabrook, Crawford (2), Hjalmarsson Key adds: Hossa, Sharp Bruins ‘11 Drafted core: Bergeron, Marchand, Krejci Key adds: Chara, Thomas, Recchi Kings ‘12, ‘14 Drafted core: Kopitar, Doughty, Brown, Quick Key adds: Williams, Richards, Carter and Gaborik (1) Capitals ‘18 Drafted core: Ovechkin, Backstrom, Carlson, Kuznetsov, Holtby . Drafted keys: Wilson, Orlov, Burakovsky Key adds: Oshie, Orpik Blues ‘19 Drafted core: Tarasenko, Pietrangelo, Perron, Binnington. Drafted keys: Schwartz, Dunn, Parayko Key adds: O’Reilly, Schenn, Bouwmeester Lightning ‘20, ‘21 Drafted core: Stamkos, Kucherov, Hedman, Vasilevskiy, Point. Drafted Keys: Killorn, Cirelli, Palat (now with improving NJD),Gourde, Cernak Key adds: McDonagh, Maroon, Sergachev, Coleman, Goodrow Avalanche ‘22 Drafted core: McKinnon, Makar, Rantanen, Landeskog Key adds: Kadri, Toews, Burakovsky, Nichushkin Side note: Jack Johnson has spent significant time with Pens and Kings. Conclusions, nothing we don’t already know. Drafting, developing and keeping a core group is important. Adding key pieces puts a team over the top, these come from trades and UFA routes. I didn’t take a count but not many of these guys are trade deadline moves. Pieces that grow, lead and bond with the core. The Blues are the outlier here in my opinion, they caught fire at the right time. The other teams have had long term success.

If you are right, can we get a big smile?

I wonder if Pittsburgh blows it up if they miss out on the playoffs. I can see Sid wanting to retire as a Penguin but does he want one more Cup run. Is he willing to be the guy to pass the torch to the next generation of birds? Ovi would probably like to break Gretzky’s record in a Caps uniform. That could mean bandaid solutions to roster holes until he’s done. Are Bergeron and Krejci back next year, win or lose?