Yup - time to sell for real.
No more middling in the regular season and losing in the second round please.
Hindsight being 20/20, but not really, the correct direction to go in at the deadline was a soft cell based on the prices. What MM did at the 2022 trade deadline was what we needed to do this year. He sold off a couple veterans (Xhekaj, MacDonnell) for good return, and still gave us a chance to be competitive in the playoffs. That is what should’ve been done at this year‘s deadline. Many on here, early in the season, myself included, were in favour of an all out sell off. But once December 1 rolled around, many of us swung into the buy mode. That being said, a soft sell was the only thing that would’ve made sense considering we couldn’t fill all our needs with the assets that MM was willing to move at the deadline.
Three targets that would, or should have been moved in a soft sell, would’ve been Sop, Brzustewicz, and Mesar. Theoretically, we could have moved two or all three, also done the Sale/Savard trade, and still got past Erie in round one. Maybe. But the future would have been much brighter. (We have no picks in the next three drafts in rounds 2 thru 5. None).
I am 100% adamant that MM has to go into a hard sell beginning this off-season. Any graduating player has to be on the table. As was said, there’s no way he can hedge his bets again this year and expect to contend truly in 2026 and 2027. I say 2026 because if our 07 group is as good as it looks to be, and the 08 group as good as it better be, we’ll be a pretty good team who’ll have moved back up into home ice advantage mode. We’d still do a soft sell that year but still be a pretty good team (think this year’s version of the Bulldogs).
For me, Rehkopf, Andonovski and Sale, have to be the prime trade targets. But I’m afraid after this postseason, the value of our OA candidates who would be desirable OA’s in trade next year may have dropped a little (Swick), somewhat (Parsons) and totally (Miseljevic).
Much of the time, Swick hasn’t been much more than an afterthought this post season, especially in this series against London. Parsons, though having had good stretches, has let in a lot of goals, and has stolen no games for us. To beat London, he was gonna have to steal a couple of games. That didn’t happen. The bottom dropped out of Miseljevic’s game after Jan 1. He pretty much reverted back to the guy he was last year.
Using the last couple of trade deadlines, we know Rehkopf and Andonovski and Sale will bring very good return. I don’t think this year‘s postseason will affect any of their return. I mean, if you put Rehkopf with a couple of players with some jam, that would open up a lot of ice for him, and I think his totals would soar. Sale was one of our best forwards this post season and he’ll only get better. Andonovski is a bull back there period. There will be a big demand for his services no question.
I hold with my earlier position of dealing Parsons if there’s a market for him and going with Malboeuf as the third OA. Miseljevic, for me, has reverted to what he was last year. He had a great 1st half this year but has pretty much crashed since the new year to the point where he isn’t a threat to put up points and therefore, not in demand on the trade front. We likely start the season with four OA’s. A goalie along with Swick, Miseljevic and Pugliese. It won’t be that awkward especially if Malboeuf is the goalie because half the time Edwards would be the starter which would allow all three skaters to dress. If Swick resumes his goal scoring pace of this year, his market will soar. Getting good return for him and going with an OA group of Pugliese, Miseljevic and a goalie is decent in a rebuilding year.
