Flint Firebirds 2022-23 Off-Season Thread
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It would be a complete and utter waste to stand pat or buy a little. Anybody with any sense at all clearly sees with Windsor adding 4 players, Sarnia two big pieces already, London adding one and a solid depth player already, Kitchener adding 3 big pieces, while knowing how strong Owen Sound and Saginaw is that it would be a fools errand to do little or nothing. Peterborough, Ottawa, Barrie, North Bay all legit and 3 of those will be adding more. Ottawa and Barrie maybe a LOT more. If they sell, nearly all those teams will be putting their remaining pieces up for sale next year and not be competitive. I’m not worried about Soo, Erie, Niagara, Guelph really even surpassing Flint next year. So tell me. If Flint takes this roster into next offseason with what they got left, a freshly NHL drafted 18yo import D and 10-11 tradeable 2nd and 3rd round picks? I mean, I like those odds WAY better than ANYthing they’re gonna pull off this year.
OMG67
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I agree with that provided you have game changer players to trade. You hav eMintyukov and he has a high perceived value. I think it is reasonable to trade a player like that that brings back a bucket of assets. That doesn’t mean you trade everything not nailed down that is graduating. At least be selective and keep a competitive team when it means not getting an extra 3rd, three 5ths and a 7th for four other players.
Wrong Michigan team. Moving Lombardi would generate multiple 2nd’s and 3rds. Kuzmin would be a much more cost effective option than Mintyukov and still generate at least a 2nd and 3rd+. Deline being an OA has limited landing spots but any GM that has watched him knows he’d be a significant addition.
OMG67
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LOL. My bad. Same point though. Sell when you have a worth while player to sell. Buy when the landscape makes sense.
If there is a good deal to be made out there to help the next couple years make it… or make no trades ride the season out and add in the off-season with all of our picks and make trades then… don’t spend the picks just because or even on a person for just this season.. there’s still a few players out there that they could go after… they tried to get Harrison, heard he didn’t wanna come here
Windsor just traded for their third import? How is that possible? Does that mean one of their other two imports is on the move?
I didn't think teams could have three on the roster. How we got Koly a few years ago?
I didn't think teams could have three on the roster. How we got Koly a few years ago?
You don’t just stand pat. That’s not how this league works.
Making no trades would be a huge mistake. You move Lombardi bare minimum. Ask Erie fans how they feel about not getting to recoup picks for Jamie Drysdale. I don’t want to see Lombardi in any other jersey. I want to watch him move onto Grand Rapids and Detroit as a Firebird. I want to watch him play every night at the Dort for the rest of this year. More than that, I want to see meaningful banners hanging there and this is how that’s done. When it’s time to sell. You sell. Move Lombardi and Kuzmin. Try to return a pair of solid 17yo’s and some picks. Doing what Barrie did last year doesn’t bother me. Doing what the Soo or Owen Sound has done, taking half measures, never REALLY having a shot, since forever does bother me. Pulling a Saginaw and going 20+ years with no post season banners hanging in your building is ridiculous. And Harrison? What did they only have their eyes on one forward? You weren’t looking at Arcuri, Pastujov, Savard, Del Bel Beluz, Beck, Del Mastro, Goure, Lawrence, Wright, Bloom, Winterton, Zito??? As they balked at prices and watched piece after piece come off the board, they realization that they need to pivot and change their expectations and strategy should hit them. They can work out a solid return for Lombardi by Monday. Maybe others.
They waived one Monday per their board. Hebek I think?
HockeyPops
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Soo had a great shot in 2018. They were building towards 2021 but that season never happened. I think Raftis needs to be more aggressive selling when it's time to sell, to your point. But I think the way you characterize the Soo is a bit disingenuous.
We released him, didn't think he was very good.
Sorry. DWI propaganda getting to me. Yes, they were good in 2018 and did add pieces. More often though, their buying and selling is heavily tempered and so are the end results. A Western Conference Championship is a decent consolation prize but 27 years without an OHL title is a long time.
Looking around at the other threads it appears….appears….that Flint will be adding nothing and moving nothing to add assets for the future. If true, that’s incredibly bad management. When you’ve been clearly outperformed by your two predecessors and those predecessors are Branch and Christiansen……. Time for a new GM and with the way this roster has performed this year? Maybe time to start analyzing Dent as a coach a little harder.
There go the final pieces off the board except for Wright. Flint won’t be adding anything and few teams have much left to bid for Lombardi/Kressler/Kuzmin/Deline. If one or two of those aren’t moved for a decent return by Monday you would have to consider Ted Dent a completely failure as a GM so far.
OMG67
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Ottawa still has a lot to trade. Tons.
If a Mintyukov deal doesn’t go through, a deal for Kuzmin and Lombardi could look like:
Ewles
Foster
three 2nds
three 3rds
Foster is 3rd in rookie scoring and on pace for 25-30 goals. Ewles has been a great rookie D-Man. Can move the puck and plays well defensively.
They could also pull out those two players and plug in Marrelli, a ‘06 1st that has looked really good. Solid defensively for a 16 year old. Moves the puck well. Some offensive upside as he matures.
Make no mistake, there are some options out there if that becomes a talking point. No doubt about it.
Neither Kuzmin nor Lombardi have the name value to garner JVV or Martone. So these types of deals are out there.
That seems reasonable and acceptable to me. I’d already have that one on the table. Lombardi may not have the name but I can assure you, he’s one of the top 5-6 forwards in the league. Not physical and not great in the face off circle but is probably the most dynamic 19yo forward in the league with the puck on his stick. Creates a ton of turnovers too. Is constantly stripping the puck from D in the offensive zone. With as many extreme buyers as there were this year, there will be a ton of teams scrambling to move players and reload picks next year. Dent can still kick the can one year down the road and salvage the situation.
I believe that we only have 1 card left. I might be mistaken, but I think that means that any multiple player trades (or any trade above 1 player) can't happen.
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