Erie Otters 2024 - 25 Season Thread, Part I

[NOA]

Just being realistic here - w out Musty and a stellar BUG - I’m not sure how far they’ll go this year ..This year not remotely close to what we looked like in those past 3-4 years of glory .. and w those stacked teams- we won 1 championship

Super inconsistent production of some .. about 3 that shouldn’t even be on the roster .. Frascia is a bust production wise to date

I see your point.. but to be fair, is anyone in the league close to what the top teams where from 2013-2017? I don’t see a 2017 Erie or 2016 LDN type of team anywhere in the league.. the landscape is different imo so it’s not really a fair comparison to make. LDN right now looks like that one team that can certainly add and become that but right now, I don’t see it. That 2017 Erie team would run away with things in this current league..

As for this current group - the problem is if you aren’t even trying to put your best foot forward and maximize the roster, then you kind of are wasting your best core since 2017. Yes the talent isn’t to 2017 level but after years and years of losing and rebuilding, they actually have some top end talent and a strong OA group. And they got a bit lucky with timing to add someone like Hughes, and possibly Turner for ‘free’ to help with depth. But it’s also possible they lose all their top talent next year and are left with nothing to show for it. If you think Erliden is one of the best goalies then it’s possible you can beat anyone in a best of 7, just ask Parsons in 2017 who nearly stole that series from Erie when that LDN team should have lost in 5/6 games. I think right now they are definitely capable of competing and at least pushing a series to 5/6 games against anyone, but if/when those other teams add, then the gap widens. If Erie also adds, then they should be right there and give themselves a chance IF they can get strong goalie play.

Next year they aren’t going to be good enough either, and they actually aren’t going to be particularly close, so idk when the next window is…
If Schaefer somehow is back next year, you can recoup any assets overnight. Even if he’s not, at least Spence will also have high value for a trade and now in the new landscape of CHL with US/college commits more likely to play in this league, you are better equipped to rebuild a bit quicker than the last attempt.

Bottom line for me has always been you need to either buy or sell. Pick a lane!! Don’t be stuck in the middle, especially when you aren’t just a young team that is returning everything next yr so you can’t say you are just comfortable sitting on your roster. Nope, they stand to lose at minimum 4 of their top 6 forwards, potentially Schaefer, and potentially Erliden. The drop off is significant. It’s now or you’ll have to wait another 2-3 years minimum

 

[dirty12]

I see your point.. but to be fair, is anyone in the league close to what the top teams where from 2013-2017? I don’t see a 2017 Erie or 2016 LDN type of team anywhere in the league.. the landscape is different imo so it’s not really a fair comparison to make. LDN right now looks like that one team that can certainly add and become that but right now, I don’t see it. That 2017 Erie team would run away with things in this current league..

As for this current group - the problem is if you aren’t even trying to put your best foot forward and maximize the roster, then you kind of are wasting your best core since 2017. Yes the talent isn’t to 2017 level but after years and years of losing and rebuilding, they actually have some top end talent and a strong OA group. And they got a bit lucky with timing to add someone like Hughes, and possibly Turner for ‘free’ to help with depth. But it’s also possible they lose all their top talent next year and are left with nothing to show for it. If you think Erliden is one of the best goalies then it’s possible you can beat anyone in a best of 7, just ask Parsons in 2017 who nearly stole that series from Erie when that LDN team should have lost in 5/6 games. I think right now they are definitely capable of competing and at least pushing a series to 5/6 games against anyone, but if/when those other teams add, then the gap widens. If Erie also adds, then they should be right there and give themselves a chance IF they can get strong goalie play.

Next year they aren’t going to be good enough either, and they actually aren’t going to be particularly close, so idk when the next window is…
If Schaefer somehow is back next year, you can recoup any assets overnight. Even if he’s not, at least Spence will also have high value for a trade and now in the new landscape of CHL with US/college commits more likely to play in this league, you are better equipped to rebuild a bit quicker than the last attempt.

Bottom line for me has always been you need to either buy or sell. Pick a lane!! Don’t be stuck in the middle, especially when you aren’t just a young team that is returning everything next yr so you can’t say you are just comfortable sitting on your roster. Nope, they stand to lose at minimum 4 of their top 6 forwards, potentially Schaefer, and potentially Erliden. The drop off is significant. It’s now or you’ll have to wait another 2-3 years minimum

I think London and Barrie are very good, perhaps not worth the cost to improve marginally upon good teams. Erie could be the top of the next tier imo. A BUG might not be too difficult to attain near the deadline. Maybe a RW like Romani for L2-3 is the only costly piece needed.

 

[NOA]

I think London and Barrie are very good, perhaps not worth the cost to improve marginally upon good teams. Erie could be the top of the next tier imo. A BUG might not be too difficult to attain near the deadline. Maybe a RW like Romani for L2-3 is the only costly piece needed.

I think they need to get creative to fill the BUG spot and not waste real assets there. Then they only use assets on a top 6 forward, like you say. They have enough to add but I also don’t think it’s crazy for them to wait to see the other moves being made across the league to get a better feel of their chances.