Kitchener Rangers 2023-24 Season Thread (Part 3)

[GeoBlue]

Is our chicken promo changing over from Chick Fil A to Swiss "Sale"?

 

[Jives]

If one of the top 4 D get injured we are a mess. I like Dirracolo but just not this year. His foot speed isn’t OHL playoff ready. Having him, Reid and Campbell all play would be big time trouble. Really need a cheap vet.

 

[EvenSteven]

If one of the top 4 D get injured we are a mess. I like Dirracolo but just not this year. His foot speed isn’t OHL playoff ready. Having him, Reid and Campbell all play would be big time trouble. Really need a cheap vet.

Which is why acquiring another D makes sense today. Inexpensive ideally.

 

[East Avenue Bully]

If one of the top 4 D get injured we are a mess. I like Dirracolo but just not this year. His foot speed isn’t OHL playoff ready. Having him, Reid and Campbell all play would be big time trouble. Really need a cheap vet.

Sadly, sigh, yes.

Sudbury etc exposed how weak our zone coverage is and how no one besides Ando can really clear the slot and front of the net consistently.

Campbell, Motew know how, but they just aren't big enough to police the crease all of the time. Get 2-3 6'2"+ guys in front (ya, extreme example, but it's what the Wolves did) and Ando ends up way too tired and taking penalties.

 

[Coaches Coroner]

Curious who this cheap vet D everyone wants is, where we would get him and what he would cost. Does he exist?

I'm fine with Reid and Cambell playing sparingly on the bottom pair, it would be excellent experience for them. My confidence in them isn't so low as others that I want one or both on the bench the rest of the way.

 

[East Avenue Bully]

Curious who this cheap vet D everyone wants is, where we would get him and what he would cost. Does he exist?

Agreed

I'm fine with Reid and Cambell playing sparingly on the bottom pair, it would be excellent experience for them. My confidence in them isn't so low as others that I want one or both on the bench the rest of the way.

Sudbury and SSM games recently showed how that works out

 

[EvenSteven]

The point is the value. If the market is flooded the value won't be as great. A bunch of teams will have quality OAs will they not?

Hamilton moved OA’s Diaco, Costantini, Hayes, White and Morrison from the start of the season through to the deadline for varying levels of return.

It can be done.

 

[Rangers True Blue]

When Martin returns and based on the Nov 5th lineup.

Move Misaljevic down to 3rd to make room for Sale. 4th line same as then. Options on the 3rd with Romano and Stark in the wings.

Swick-Rehkopf-Mesar
Martin-Sop-Sale
Misaljevic-Ellinas-Lam
Bottineau-Mercer-Pugliese

Romano, Stark

 

[RangerNation]

When Martin returns and based on the Nov 5th lineup.

Move Misaljevic down to 3rd to make room for Sale. 4th line same as then. Options on the 3rd with Romano and Stark in the wings.

Swick-Rehkopf-Mesar
Martin-Sop-Sale
Misaljevic-Ellinas-Lam
Bottineau-Mercer-Pugliese

Romano, Stark

This is how I imagined it

 

[rangersblues]

Hamilton moved OA’s Diaco, Costantini, Hayes, White and Morrison from the start of the season through to the deadline for varying levels of return.

It can be done.

Anything can be done but it isn't easy and takes a lot of skill from the GM assessing players and targeting other teams. Remember the Bulldogs built a championship, retooled and quickly built another championship. And it appears next season could be in the mix again.

Not sure many GMs are at that level.

 

[bobber]

Hamilton moved OA’s Diaco, Costantini, Hayes, White and Morrison from the start of the season through to the deadline for varying levels of return.

It can be done.

If they are remnants of a championship team it's easier to move them. High scoring OAs are popular. My point is after so many teams loaded 19 year olds stayed in the race it floods the market. As an example I think before the deadline the Storm had 10. Can only keep three. It all works out somehow though.

 

[EvenSteven]

Curious who this cheap vet D everyone wants is, where we would get him and what he would cost. Does he exist?

I'm fine with Reid and Cambell playing sparingly on the bottom pair, it would be excellent experience for them. My confidence in them isn't so low as others that I want one or both on the bench the rest of the way.

Blake Smith in Flint and
Cedric Okintundo in Brantford are a couple quick examples.

Yes, it would be great to see Reid and Campbell gain the experience of playing sparingly on the bottom pairing. Great for their development for sure.

But this year we’re in the business of winning. What won’t be great to see is our top four D ran into the ground having to play 25 minutes a night on a deep post season run. Three games in four days, usually twice in a round.

Recipe for disaster IMO.

 

[HockeyPops]

Fimis has the best faceoff % in the OHL. The talk in Erie is next year they intend on competing for a title. I don't see it with their limited assets. While they could afford to trade one 04, trading two would leave them with just two viable OA candidates for next season.

Mississauga just did this with Veccia, and we know they are intending to contend next season. If you sold a couple 04s and brought back some excellent young prospects, you can still go out and acquire impact OAs at next year's deadline, but now you also have some good prospects in the system to either supplement your team, or move for an impact '05.

In the end should result in a more competitive contender next season, one way or the other.

 

[EvenSteven]

If they are remnants of a championship team it's easier to move them. High scoring OAs are popular. My point is after so many teams loaded 19 year olds stayed in the race it floods the market. As an example I think before the deadline the Storm had 10. Can only keep three. It all works out somehow though.

In any case, certainly not a reason to not improve on what we already have right now. We’re trying to win. We need another D.

As it stands now, there’s a good chance we’ll have to score five goals a game to win once we get past the first round. That’s not easy in the post season.

 

[digicamo]

Blake Smith in Flint and
Cedric Okintundo in Brantford are a couple quick examples.

Yes, it would be great to see Reid and Campbell gain the experience of playing sparingly on the bottom pairing. Great for their development for sure.

But this year we’re in the business of winning. What won’t be great to see is our top four D ran into the ground having to play 25 minutes a night on a deep post season run. Three games in four days, usually twice in a round.

Recipe for disaster IMO.

While I agree with many of your takes I think with the addition of Savard Jussi will operate the core as a top 5. He gives Reid a ton of ice time and has him on the ice in almost every situation and I just don't see that changing from a coaching perspective and I imagine that's why we only brought in one D. He has probably made it clear he doesn't plan to shelter Reid as he hasn't done it once this year, even when we had Hamara and Schmidt, he was out in a surprising amount of situations.

 

[East Avenue Bully]

Cmon, MM, one more D who can clear ppl and skate a bit, please. No need to get an all star, just a solid #4 D guy

 

[Squirrel88]

Cmon, MM, one more D who can clear ppl and skate a bit, please. No need to get an all star, just a solid #4 D guy

What assets are people willing to spend? Kitchener has the worst pick situation of any team after the 2024 draft.

 

[Jives]

What assets are people willing to spend? Kitchener has the worst pick situation of any team after the 2024 draft.

Campbell and whatever pick to get a vet dman. Then I’m happy. Campbell has value for sure.

 

[RangerNation]

What assets are people willing to spend? Kitchener has the worst pick situation of any team after the 2024 draft.

Ribbon board? Who looks up there anyways.

Thank god they have the 2024 draft to compliment 2023.

 

[Tim Wallach]

I get the calls for more D help, but I see a lot of progress in Reid and the team has a clear plan for him. Burying him on the bottom pair with limited ice is likely not going to happen. If it gets to the point where he's hurting the team in the playoffs, they'll do what they have to do. But he's already quite good and only getting better. I don't see him losing minutes any time soon.

 

[Ward Cornell]

I get the calls for more D help, but I see a lot of progress in Reid and the team has a clear plan for him. Burying him on the bottom pair with limited ice is likely not going to happen. If it gets to the point where he's hurting the team in the playoffs, they'll do what they have to do. But he's already quite good and only getting better. I don't see him losing minutes any time soon.

Plus a lot of teams in the playoffs usually just roll 2 pairs of dmen.
Didn't PD roll 3 dmen for a cpl playoff series when a player (Bortuzzo?) was hurt?

 

[RangerNation]

Likelihood of a deal pretty slim now. Hit the gym Reid! Going to be a grind!

 

[GeoBlue]

Likelihood of a deal pretty slim now. Hit the gym Reid! Going to be a grind!

Well, there is always that trade that doesn't get posted right away due to a faulty fax machine or something...........

 

[Logosarejusttargets]

Well, there is always that trade that doesn't get posted right away due to a faulty fax machine or something...........

Actually I heard the GM's make TikTok videos now of the trade details and then send it to the league -- so could be some uploading issues that could delay/miss a deal.

 

[RangerNation]

Actually I heard the GM's make TikTok videos now of the trade details and then send it to the league -- so could be some uploading issues that could delay/miss a deal.

So that's why London didn't do anything