Brantford Bulldogs 2024 - 25 Season Thread, Part I

[Jawk]

What about Musty?

We're over here being unrealistic of what our D group could look like.

I'll be a little level headed and say that all of the Bulldogs potential big adds will not involve a forward.

 

[Rounder8]

We're over here being unrealistic of what our D group could look like.

I'll be a little level headed and say that all of the Bulldogs potential big adds will not involve a forward.

Agreed. I would LOVE Musty, but their resources need to be spend on D imo.

 

[coolhandluc44]

Agreed. I would LOVE Musty, but their resources need to be spend on D imo.

Once we get Jiricek up and running and if there was a chance to get Hamara back I’d be comfortable with the D. Chan and Krompotic would be out and a top 6 of Protz, Jiricek, Hamara, Roberts, Moore and Radley is pretty good.

Im getting concerned about secondary scoring which is not something I would have thought. So if we got Hamara I would invest on some depth scoring. Hopefully getting Vanacker back will help in not just him producing goals but hopefully will impact Thomas, Brown and Lavoie.

 

[Rounder8]

Once we get Jiricek up and running and if there was a chance to get Hamara back I’d be comfortable with the D. Chan and Krompotic would be out and a top 6 of Protz, Jiricek, Hamara, Roberts, Moore and Radley is pretty good.

Im getting concerned about secondary scoring which is not something I would have thought. So if we got Hamara I would invest on some depth scoring. Hopefully getting Vanacker back will help in not just him producing goals but hopefully will impact Thomas, Brown and Lavoie.

Musty wouldn't be secondary scoring. He's a legit 50 goal guy and will cost a fortune.

If somehow they got Hamara back, then maybe...

They could also add a depth dman, preferably and 18 yr old that wouldn't cost as much as a stud.

I think that when Vanacker he will be a game changer once he gets going and will effect his linemates a lot (probably O'Brien and Lavoie) His speed will really drive the pace.

 

[Jawk]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1848072312102510845

This D group, with Hamara and Jiricek, is about to be so much better.

Once we get Jiricek up and running and if there was a chance to get Hamara back I’d be comfortable with the D. Chan and Krompotic would be out and a top 6 of Protz, Jiricek, Hamara, Roberts, Moore and Radley is pretty good.

Im getting concerned about secondary scoring which is not something I would have thought. So if we got Hamara I would invest on some depth scoring. Hopefully getting Vanacker back will help in not just him producing goals but hopefully will impact Thomas, Brown and Lavoie.

Hamara is back.

I'd add another Stud D. Some depth at F, plus when Vanacker is back, now they're cooking.

 

[coolhandluc44]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1848072312102510845

This D group, with Hamara and Jiricek, is about to be so much better.


Hamara is back.

I'd add another Stud D. Some depth at F, plus when Vanacker is back, now they're cooking.

Nice! Do you think this why Bujold never played because they thought either one of Hamara or wifi would be back and they did not want to use a player card? I’m not sure how these player cards work or maybe Bujold has an injury.

Of course we have a lot of time to see how things shape up with the updated D. Even with Vanacker returning I’d imagine they see they need some more depth at forward to get more balanced scoring. O’Donnell is a wild car too. I know the reviews were high on him but with rookies i would think anything you get is a bonus.

Should be exciting to see how this plays out. Egorov has been a nice surprise too to make a solid tandem in net

 

[Jawk]

Nice! Do you think this why Bujold never played because they thought either one of Hamara or wifi would be back and they did not want to use a player card? I’m not sure how these player cards work or maybe Bujold has an injury.

Of course we have a lot of time to see how things shape up with the updated D. Even with Vanacker returning I’d imagine they see they need some more depth at forward to get more balanced scoring. O’Donnell is a wild car too. I know the reviews were high on him but with rookies i would think anything you get is a bonus.

Should be exciting to see how this plays out. Egorov has been a nice surprise too to make a solid tandem in net

I'm not sure what the deal with Bujold is/was. Seems weird that they wouldn't say why he was out.

Egorov has been great.

Hamara should be in on Friday, sounds like it may still be a little bit longer before Jiricek is in.

 

[Rounder8]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1848072312102510845

This D group, with Hamara and Jiricek, is about to be so much better.


Hamara is back.

I'd add another Stud D. Some depth at F, plus when Vanacker is back, now they're cooking.

Holy shit, that is HUGE news!

 

[Rounder8]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1848072312102510845

This D group, with Hamara and Jiricek, is about to be so much better.


Hamara is back.

I'd add another Stud D. Some depth at F, plus when Vanacker is back, now they're cooking.

They might even just add a depth dman and go after a guy like Musty now. This opens up a lot of options for them.

Complete game changer.

 

[Jawk]

They might even just add a depth dman and go after a guy like Musty now. This opens up a lot of options for them.

Complete game changer.

It definitely gives them options that they didn't have before. It'll be interesting to see how things shake out.

 

[frontsfan67]

Don’t forget you have draft picks and O’Donnell to trade as well if need be

You guys will be unbelievable at full strength

 

[Jawk]

Don’t forget you have draft picks and O’Donnell to trade as well if need be

You guys will be unbelievable at full strength

I'm not sure what they will want to do with O'Donnell. They were heavily invested in going to watch him and have him declare for the OHL over the Q. Be interesting to know if they promised not to trade him or not.

Hopefully he's healthy soon and we can at least get a look at him.

 

[Rounder8]

I'm not sure what they will want to do with O'Donnell. They were heavily invested in going to watch him and have him declare for the OHL over the Q. Be interesting to know if they promised not to trade him or not.

Hopefully he's healthy soon and we can at least get a look at him.

Depends, but McMichael was a tough guy to trade in 2018, but Robert Thomas was the final piece of the puzzle.

I guess it depends, but teams will definitely be asking about him.

 

[frontsfan67]

I'm not sure what they will want to do with O'Donnell. They were heavily invested in going to watch him and have him declare for the OHL over the Q. Be interesting to know if they promised not to trade him or not.

Hopefully he's healthy soon and we can at least get a look at him.

With him not playing a game so far think it’s safe to say he doesn’t win ROTY however those numbers he had are very interesting- I wonder if he can be an impact player on the 3rd line? If he can be- then in my opinion you gotta keep him but if he looks out of place and you guys look like you need some help- may look at trading him.

However yes you are probably right- him being from Nova Scotia I don’t think he comes to Brantford unless being promised a spot in the top 9

 

[Hamilton Bulldogs]

Hamura is a huge add. Defence desperately needed help.

 

[EvenSteven]

They might even just add a depth dman and go after a guy like Musty now. This opens up a lot of options for them.

Complete game changer.

Being owned by an NHL team pays dividends sometimes. That’s evident today with Ottawa sending Hamara back for his OA season. That might not have happened if he was drafted by another NHL team. With that in mind, now all you guys have to do, is work out a deal with Kitchener for Andonovski. Also, an Ottawa draft pick.

It’s been stated that this is not necessarily Brantford’s year, that next year is. I’ve been reading on here a lot about how it wouldn’t be wise for Brantford to trade for expensive rentals. Well Andonovski would be expensive, yes. But not really a rental. Not when you consider like Hamara, he’s also an Ottawa Senators draft pick. The Senators/Bulldogs control where he plays next year. He’d be sent back to Brantford for his OA season - especially if and when they go on another run.

So if you’re trading for Andonovski, you’re gonna get him for TWO post seasons.

Now what’s he worth?

For me, I had his value at the Jorian Donovan return. That was 2x2nds, 4x3rds, and 2x4ths. Maybe tack on an excess body in recognition of his OA season.

With your war chest of draft picks, that deal is easily done. Then, if you so choose, you still have enough to go and get forward depth. Maybe even Musty.

The only wrench in acquiring Andonovski/Musty in that manner, is that Musty is not gonna sit around till January waiting for a deal for O’Donnell.

But it doesn’t have to be Musty. There will be a few elites who’ll hit the market at the deadline. Do the rest of your shopping in January when O’Donnell can be utilized.

Or do a picks deal now for Musty and do Andonovski at the deadline where O’Donnell could be utilized.

Exciting times in Brantford!

 

[OMG67]

MEws is rumoured to want out of Ottawa. He’s an 18 year old. With Hamara back and things starting to trend in the right direction for Brantford, a 2-year player like Mews may be the piece Brantford looks at since even through they may end up good this year, they will have a lot of solid pieces next year too. I’d think in that sort of deal O’Donnell would need to be a part of the deal for a two year PPG D-Man but who knows with this silly trade market where things stand. Could just be primarily picks!

 

[ohloutsider]

MEws is rumoured to want out of Ottawa. He’s an 18 year old. With Hamara back and things starting to trend in the right direction for Brantford, a 2-year player like Mews may be the piece Brantford looks at since even through they may end up good this year, they will have a lot of solid pieces next year too. I’d think in that sort of deal O’Donnell would need to be a part of the deal for a two year PPG D-Man but who knows with this silly trade market where things stand. Could just be primarily picks!

Lol, is there a used cars salesman convention going on in Branford? Everyone on here offering up " the best deal ever!" Be safe.

 

[Jawk]

MEws is rumoured to want out of Ottawa. He’s an 18 year old. With Hamara back and things starting to trend in the right direction for Brantford, a 2-year player like Mews may be the piece Brantford looks at since even through they may end up good this year, they will have a lot of solid pieces next year too. I’d think in that sort of deal O’Donnell would need to be a part of the deal for a two year PPG D-Man but who knows with this silly trade market where things stand. Could just be primarily picks!

It's interesting to think about what they may do with the roster now that it's starting to take shape.

Putting the specific scenario of Mews aside, it would not at all surprise me that they are prioritizing 06s over 05s.

 

[OMG67]

Lol, is there a used cars salesman convention going on in Branford? Everyone on here offering up " the best deal ever!" Be safe.

I just never looked at Brantford as a “this year” team. I always looked at them as a next year team that may acquire 18 year olds if available so it helps this year and next. Mews fits that bill.

After reading some of the posts here, I am starting to wonder if making a push this year is more possible than I anticipated coming into the season. The defence was sorta poor but with Hamara returned, it isn’t as poor as it was.

Then I read that there is a possibility Jiricek is also reassigned to Brantford and all of a sudden things are COMPLETELY different than they were coming into the season.

 

[Jawk]

I just never looked at Brantford as a “this year” team. I always looked at them as a next year team that may acquire 18 year olds if available so it helps this year and next. Mews fits that bill.

After reading some of the posts here, I am starting to wonder if making a push this year is more possible than I anticipated coming into the season. The defence was sorta poor but with Hamara returned, it isn’t as poor as it was.

Then I read that there is a possibility Jiricek is also reassigned to Brantford and all of a sudden things are COMPLETELY different than they were coming into the season.

Yeah, Jiricek is already with the team. They'll announce that soon and he'll play in a week or two. He was in the building on Friday.

I think management has known about both for quite some time now and that's why they didn't make any changes to the D to start the year.

 

[OMG67]

Yeah, Jiricek is already with the team. They'll announce that soon and he'll play in a week or two. He was in the building on Friday.

I think management has known about both for quite some time now and that's why they didn't make any changes to the D to start the year.

Player parent told us that Hamara was likely, about a month ago. You can never really trust stuff like that, but it's one that would have had his agent inquiring about the plans this year.

This pretty much changes most everything then doesn’t it? Adding two top 4 D-Men to this squad is a game changer when the cost of acquisition ends up being the release of an existing OA. If the OA is Bujold then it is the release of an OA that hasn’t played this year.

 

[Jawk]

This pretty much changes most everything then doesn’t it? Adding two top 4 D-Men to this squad is a game changer when the cost of acquisition ends up being the release of an existing OA. If the OA is Bujold then it is the release of an OA that hasn’t played this year.

I can't imagine it won't be Bujold. I don't know if this is why he hasn't played, but this gives them an OA group of Thomas, Lavoie, and Hamara.

They'll miss what Bujold gave them, but they can find an 05 to fill that same role if need be.

 

[Rounder8]

I just never looked at Brantford as a “this year” team. I always looked at them as a next year team that may acquire 18 year olds if available so it helps this year and next. Mews fits that bill.

After reading some of the posts here, I am starting to wonder if making a push this year is more possible than I anticipated coming into the season. The defence was sorta poor but with Hamara returned, it isn’t as poor as it was.

Then I read that there is a possibility Jiricek is also reassigned to Brantford and all of a sudden things are COMPLETELY different than they were coming into the season.

Their D will be better next year, but losing Lardis, Thomas and Lavoie next year is a lot of offense.

The good news is that their goaltending is set and defence is solid going into next year.

Jiricek isn't a possibility. He's here right now. Everybody goes down 1 pairing on D with those 2 additions and all of a sudden they look pretty solid.

Also, Vanacker and O'Donnell will be back at some point plus whatever moves they decide to make.

They can very much be a this year team.

 

[OMG67]

Their D will be better next year, but losing Lardis, Thomas and Lavoie next year is a lot of offence.

The good news is that their goaltending is set and defence is solid going into next year.

Jiricek isn't a possibility. He's here right now. Everybody goes down 1 pairing on D with those 2 additions and all of a sudden they look pretty solid.

Also, Vanacker and O'Donnell will be back at some point plus whatever moves they decide to make.

They can very much be a this year team.

To be honest, I like a Mews trade with Brantford. I think he fits in very well. I think Boyd would prefer two ‘07s plus picks over the ‘08 since he drafted two ‘08s this year. I think a package including Radley and Avery plus picks may be the right combo on a deal like that. I’m not sure what the picks package would look like. It is always hard to judge when looking at the high end 18 year olds but it is not like Brantford is short on picks. Add MEws and one more forward and all fo a sudden the entire fortunes have changed for this year. I really did not expect Hamara and Jiricek. Game changer for sure.