French Collection

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.

Getting beat up had an effect.

I didn’t know Lindstrom had a back injury. Those can linger or never go away and surgery can be career ending.

Waiting an extra year or two for Kaprizov didn’t turn out too bad for the Wild. He may have developed differently if rushed into the league.

Just got my copy of Elite Prospects Draft guide. 1900 pages. Tons of information, too bad I have to work today.

I don’t think the Sabres have ever had a Viking, I mean Norwegian player.

Brady, Matthew and Keith are in a Tim Horton’s commercial together. Brady has no Sens gear on and Keith has a Panthers shirt. He’s being moved.

I think Lindy should get the Cup second, not Tuch’s father.

I didn’t realize that the Okposo deal was a conditional pick. It becomes a 5th rounder instead of a 7th if the Panthers win the Cup. Small upgrade but it helps to sway my decision to back the Panthers. My main reason is Samson, he was my favourite player during his time in Buffalo. I couldn’t care less about Erod, Montour, Kulikov or Okposo.

This franchise needs to be relevant again for the mental health of the fans and players.

I like the name Utah Yeti best.

Between the NHL and CHL playoffs, the World Championships, this has been a good run. I’ve watched as much hockey as I can handle.

20 year old Josh Bloom crashing the net vs 16-19 year old Dmen is different than coming up against Trouba or Gudas.

Some guys will be taken earlier than they should because of the size factor. Silyalev 6’7”” defender, may not be better than a 4-5 D at the NHL level. Lindstrom is a power C that many teams covet, he may end up on the wing in a middle six role. Most of these guys will not play for a few years and their impact is minimal for the first year or two. It will be fun to revisit this draft in 2029.

I realize nothing happens around this time. I follow the entire league pretty closely. I am saying that KA needs to do something to improve the roster, no time frame except before October. My all caps sentence was to highlight my frustration with his past off seasons and not doing enough.

Oilers are very familiar with him as he was just down the highway for many years.