London Knights 2023-2024 Offseason Thread (Part 1)

[sbpointer]

Merkley

Merkley was practically free. ( As return goes. Not discounting his contribution he was great in London )

 

[jamemcca]

Mete, Dickinson, Brzustewicz and Domi were all defective players who wanted to play for London so they forced their way on. Not quite the same as the Rehkopf situation because we at least get 3 years out of them as opposed to just one…. So the value for the amount of picks was worth it. Also, every time we traded for a defective player, we got a chip with them.

McMichael was traded for Robert Thomas so that was a wash.

I’d hardly say Diaco or Winterton were big game hunting….

Mitchell Stephens was a Rob Simpson move. Not Mark unfortunately.

Kadri was a weird trade.

And those other trades were circumstancial to us hosting the Mem Cup that year. Similar to Saginaw loading up when they were hosting. If they weren’t hosting, I doubt he goes big game hunting.

Tavares and Del Zotto are your only argument and we all know how that turned out. I don’t regret it cuz I love Tavares but still…

Simpson did mcmichael Thomas

 

[Wifi]

interesting that half of this trade was updated on the OHL website on Aug. 2nd

 

[sbpointer]

interesting that half of this trade was updated on the OHL website on Aug. 2ndView attachment 899628

Yeah the Brampton site is promoting it as two separate deals

 

[GoKnightsGo44]

So this is a nothing trade. Likelihood the kid plays a game after the drafted kids return is very low.

 

[tjziel]

There's the trade...
Yall beat me too it
View attachment 899624

@Knights Watcher I was right lol! Had to keep it on the down low, but he will be a good addition.

 

[Fergus31]

Because you literally can't implement any version of it unless you recruit obscenely well every year. It's not a model. Its a one off and London is VERY good at it. 19/20 teams can be competitive for a 1-2 year window but then they have to reset. Unless you're London, if you try to be competitive every year, you're never competitive.

Other teams did it just as well as London. Different times but I don’t buy that certain teams can’t do it.

 

[LDN]

So where does he slot in bottom pair or top 4?

Dickinson-Bonk (best pair in the C)
Woolley-Leonard
Spencer-Brzustewicz

 

[Kingpin794]

Other teams did it just as well as London. Different times but I don’t buy that certain teams can’t do it.

I know you don't buy it because you're a London fan. Your very frame of reference through which you view the league is influenced by how your team operates.

In the time since the hunters took over, there has not been a team even remotely as consistently successful as the Knights. Windsor has memorial cups but outside of 2009/10, they've been up and down as much any other junior hockey team. It's just certain teams can't do it. NO ONE can do it. It's not feasible. Someone would have already done it by now. GM's aren't refusing to copy London because they don't know better. It's not an option.

 

[LDN]

6’4 and 215lbs 06 so has years left and hopefully develops a mean streak. Only 12 regular season games though. Didn’t play in the playoffs

 

[GoKnightsGo44]

So where does he slot in bottom pair or top 4?

Dickinson-Bonk (best pair in the C)
Woolley-Leonard
Spencer-Brzustewicz

He will be behind Fagan and Jenkin…. Will see ice when Dickinson, Bonk, Wooley and Leonard are away

 

[LDN]

He will be behind Fagan and Jenkin…. Will see ice when Dickinson, Bonk, Wooley and Leonard are away

Really eh?!

 

[LDN]

So this is a nothing trade. Likelihood the kid plays a game after the drafted kids return is very low.

Wow that’s too bad for him. London guy and everything

 

[LDN]

That 2025 2nd holds some solid value.

 

[tjziel]

Wow that’s too bad for him. London guy and everything

This trade had a purpose. It’s for when we start the season without Bonk and Dickinson and if we have to scratch Leonard until we have to officially go down to 3 OA’s.

This trade makes it like an 90% chance now that Alec Leonard is gone.Also, trading an OA D that could play in your Top 4 has some value. Maybe they’ll get a pretty penny for him.

Otherwise, there is a logjam at defense if Bonk and Dickinson come back from their NHL teams.

Dickinson - Bonk
Woolley - Brzustewicz
Spencer - Fagan
Extra: Jenken

 

[Ringing Iron]

Fagan has a ways to go before he plays. I wouldn't put Spencer behind him. Either way they'll be depth D and in and out of the lineup

 

[Fergus31]

I know you don't buy it because you're a London fan. Your very frame of reference through which you view the league is influenced by how your team operates.

In the time since the hunters took over, there has not been a team even remotely as consistently successful as the Knights. Windsor has memorial cups but outside of 2009/10, they've been up and down as much any other junior hockey team. It's just certain teams can't do it. NO ONE can do it. It's not feasible. Someone would have already done it by now. GM's aren't refusing to copy London because they don't know better. It's not an option.

I thought the Kilrea 67’s did it beautifully for a couple decades. DeBoer’s Whalers, DeBoer’s Rangers, Vellucci’s Whalers, Spits with Boughner were getting there but they had other interests and eventually sold.

Maybe I’m overstating the successes of those regimes. I dunno.

 

[OHL4Life]

So where does he slot in bottom pair or top 4?

Dickinson-Bonk (best pair in the C)
Woolley-Leonard
Spencer-Brzustewicz

hes a jr b guy

 

[LDN]

hes a jr b guy

Oh no! He was almost a point per gamer in B last year

 

[OHL4Life]

Oh no! He was almost a point per gamer in B last year

hes 18, he coudlnt make mississauga last year, what makes you think he can be a top 6 guy now? why would mississauga just give him to london if he was good enough to be a top 6 d?

 

[jamemcca]

hes 18, he coudlnt make mississauga last year, what makes you think he can be a top 6 guy now? why would mississauga just give him to london if he was good enough to be a top 6 d?

Time will tell. Mark Hunter gave up a fair bit for him which unlike him unlesss there is something there

 

[GoKnightsGo44]

Time will tell. Mark Hunter gave up a fair bit for him which unlike him unlesss there is something there

It was a 7th round pick….. how is that a lot to give up?

 

[jamemcca]

It was a 7th round pick….. how is that a lot to give up?

That’s more than a 7th

 

[crowncarrier]

He doesn’t do 5 picks and a player for a rental. That’s why they won’t do a player and 5 picks for ando.

didn’t they trade for mcmichael when he was 16? A lot of these kids were 16? That’s not the context of the comment

The context of the comment was big trades. Players age has nothing to do with it. We paid alit to get McMichael and it helped out both clubs significantly.

 

[Petes1987]

I thought the Kilrea 67’s did it beautifully for a couple decades. DeBoer’s Whalers, DeBoer’s Rangers, Vellucci’s Whalers, Spits with Boughner were getting there but they had other interests and eventually sold.

Maybe I’m overstating the successes of those regimes. I dunno.

The Peterborough Petes also did it in the Dick Todd years. They were competitive every year. Under Todd the Petes never had a below .500 season. The in the twelve years he was both Coach and GM the Petes finished first six time and only finished out the top three in the Leyden Division once. They went to the final four eight time including six in a row between 1985 and 1990. Was in the league final four times and won it twice. The Hunters stated when they bought the Knights they were using the Peterborough’s model to build their team. The Petes are striving to get back to that model going forward.