London Knights 2024-25 Season Thread, Part I

[LDN]

They love the thought that Easton will earn a spot and if he does good on him. He’s the key guy for Toronto. He represents a bit of hope for them

 

[tjziel]

London's D will still be strong Wooley looks good and will take the next step. Impressed with Nurmi. Only question mark is in goal but Wilmore has given us no reason to doubt.

I was concerned with goaltending but I’m a bit more at ease that Dave Rook has come back as a Goaltending Coach who goalie coached both 2005 and 2016 Memorial Cup teams.

He should help steady the crease a bit more.

 

[LDN]

I was concerned with goaltending but I’m a bit more at ease that Dave Rook has come back as a Goaltending Coach who goalie coached both 2005 and 2016 Memorial Cup teams.

He should help steady the crease a bit more.

Let’s hope he turns Medvedev into a STUD

 

[MikeBossy14]

They love the thought that Easton will earn a spot and if he does good on him. He’s the key guy for Toronto. He represents a bit of hope for them

Let’s just wait to see how he does at camp . Yes he is tearing up the OHL but when it came to World Jr where the talent was better he shut down and didn’t look like a 1st round pick . Let’s see how he fares at development camp and then Leafs camp if he is invited . Then we can better assess the season for the Knights .

 

[crowncarrier]

Same with Brzustewicz for 2025.
Borderline embarrassing reading a lot of these posts. I like to just wait and see and not reach for every hyperbole out there.
A lot of people wrote the Knights off around November last year. Now they apparently aren’t going to be stopped. I don’t know why people don’t take a more balanced approach. As always, with a new season, there is a lot of work that needs to be done.

This years team is a huge question mark. Who knows who will come back, who will be our OA's, who will be our imports, how will the young talent adapt to the bigger faster OHL. This team will not have these questions answered for a few months so people need to relax a bit. Also, that all being said if we have more returned then expected then mark will be able to make a few healthy trades to stock the cupboards. He usually likes to do this early but I don't see a move for a while until he knows who's coming back.

 

[Fastpace]

Just a thought, I see a ton of people saying Cowan is all but gone from London.
Personally, I think his game has some maturing to be ready for the pro level, but that is a side point from my main argument here of why I think he will be back in London. My main argument is, I just don't see who he will surpass on the roster. The leafs have a bunch of NHL proven talent, that he would have to surpass.

Their current depth chart is something like this;

Marner - Matthew - Knies
Nylander - Tavares - Domi
Robertson - Kampf - Jarnkrok
Reaves - McMann - Dewar

Spares:
Holmberg
Lorentz
Pacioretty (PTO)

That is only current NHL talent as well, the leafs have AHL talent further advanced in development then Cowan as well such as Minten, Voit, Grebyonkin, Hirvonen. Not saying all these guys are better, they are just further into development then Cowan is.

For Cowan's development, if he is in the NHL he needs to be at absolute minimum be playing 3rd line minutes, if you bury him on the 4th line with Reaves. You are just hurting him, when he could be playing 30 minutes a night in London.

Anyway, long story short. I think what is best for his development, is to be back in London dominating and learning from Dale for one more year, because I don't see a clear path to top line minutes in the NHL for him. Look at a guy like Robertson, he put up 55 in the O and has struggled to find ice time in Toronto, which hasn't been good for his development.

Easton Cowan is extremely talented, he's right there and ready to be an NHLer, Toronto picked the right player when he was available for them. If there is one little draw back on Cowan, it may not prevent him from moving up, but he needs to be a little more physically stronger, we've noticed it last year with the Knights. Easton Cowan can withstand the NHL pressure right now, but at 18 or 19 he has to play lots of minutes or they risk to hurt his further development. He needs top six minutes at NHL level, or it might be best for him to come back down to London for one more year, get lots of minutes and start to beef up on some muscles. IMHO

 

[Fastpace]

The London Knights 2024-25 roster will be the team's worst opponent this year

Last season's team had lots of room to improve and an uphill goal to reach up in the standing. Not so this year, they will start near the top, it will be up to them and not their opponents to keep'em on top. They can do it, but their motivational goal will have changed a whole lot this year, I trust Dale and his team will be up to this challenges as they are in the best position to once again make it all happens.

 

[LDN]

The London Knights 2024-25 roster will be the team's worst opponent this year

Last season's team had lots of room to improve and an uphill goal to reach up in the standing. Not so this year, they will start near the top, it will be up to them and not their opponents to keep'em on top. They can do it, but their motivational goal will have changed a whole lot this year, I trust Dale and his team will be up to this challenges as they are in the best position to once again make it all happens.

This is the truth! No cocky players we need to have the right mentality

 

[Knights77]

Just a thought, I see a ton of people saying Cowan is all but gone from London.
Personally, I think his game has some maturing to be ready for the pro level, but that is a side point from my main argument here of why I think he will be back in London. My main argument is, I just don't see who he will surpass on the roster. The leafs have a bunch of NHL proven talent, that he would have to surpass.

Their current depth chart is something like this;

Marner - Matthew - Knies
Nylander - Tavares - Domi
Robertson - Kampf - Jarnkrok
Reaves - McMann - Dewar

Spares:
Holmberg
Lorentz
Pacioretty (PTO)

That is only current NHL talent as well, the leafs have AHL talent further advanced in development then Cowan as well such as Minten, Voit, Grebyonkin, Hirvonen. Not saying all these guys are better, they are just further into development then Cowan is.

For Cowan's development, if he is in the NHL he needs to be at absolute minimum be playing 3rd line minutes, if you bury him on the 4th line with Reaves. You are just hurting him, when he could be playing 30 minutes a night in London.

Anyway, long story short. I think what is best for his development, is to be back in London dominating and learning from Dale for one more year, because I don't see a clear path to top line minutes in the NHL for him. Look at a guy like Robertson, he put up 55 in the O and has struggled to find ice time in Toronto, which hasn't been good for his development.

I think the Leafs resigning Nick Robertson gets them the cheap small skill forward (who wanted a trade out and now will play). I also see Minten making the team before Cowan, so with these recent events I think London benefits from this.

 

[LDN]

I think the Leafs resigning Nick Robertson gets them the cheap small skill forward (who wanted a trade out and now will play). I also see Minten making the team before Cowan, so with these recent events I think London benefits from this.

Minten is easier for them to not start up with the big club. He can be sent to the AHL. Cowan will have a great shot at it

 

[EvenSteven]

Veteran Pacioretty a worthwhile gamble to bolster Maple Leafs’ green left wing

Signing Max Pacioretty to a PTO is something of a gamble, no doubt. But big picture, there's little question the stakes skew in Toronto’s favour, writes Sonny Sachdeva.

www.sportsnet.ca

That could be what gets Cowen sent back to London.

 

[frontsfan67]

Veteran Pacioretty a worthwhile gamble to bolster Maple Leafs’ green left wing

Signing Max Pacioretty to a PTO is something of a gamble, no doubt. But big picture, there's little question the stakes skew in Toronto’s favour, writes Sonny Sachdeva.

www.sportsnet.ca

That could be what gets Cowen sent back to London.

That could fill Robertson’s spot.

Robertson requested a trade

 

[frontsfan67]

Projected leaf lines before pacioretty

Max probably goes to the 3rd LW spot knocking holmberg down to the 4th and dewar out of the lineup.

Those are the 2 weak ones in the lineup. Looking more and more like Cowan will be back unless he takes kampf’s spot on the 4th line but kampf has put up 19+points the last 3 years he will be a good 4th liner for them.

Also the leafs management know obviously Cowan is their top prospect and putting him on the 4th line getting 3-8 mins a night vs playing 20-25 a night in London and in every situation. Think there’s an obvious answer here about what is best for both Cowan and the leafs.

 

[Kingpin794]

View attachment 906525
Projected leaf lines before pacioretty

Max probably goes to the 3rd LW spot knocking holmberg down to the 4th and dewar out of the lineup.

Those are the 2 weak ones in the lineup. Looking more and more like Cowan will be back unless he takes kampf’s spot on the 4th line but kampf has put up 19+points the last 3 years he will be a good 4th liner for them.

Also the leafs management know obviously Cowan is their top prospect and putting him on the 4th line getting 3-8 mins a night vs playing 20-25 a night in London and in every situation. Think there’s an obvious answer here about what is best for both Cowan and the leafs.

That's a horrendous line up for what is likely the Leafs last chance at a cup for a while. They can preserve Cowan's development all they want, but I don't think he's gonna have much of a team to work with 5 years down the road.

 

[LDN]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1833964180606800080

 

[tjziel]

No they send the talent to Jr B to develop for them (Cowan, Bonk, O'Reilly, Julien all did that). And it works. Hunter knows his strengths (drafting and convincing players to come) and his weaknesses (developing young players, as he refuses to play them most of the time. Nobody favours their veterans more than him). But being honest about his weaknesses and finding alternative ways to develop the young players for him and that makes them best organization in the league year in and year out

I don’t think it’s always about Dale not being able to develop young players, it’s that Dale hold’s a standard and asks players to meet that standard of skill, hard-work and defensive awareness.

As pointed out, if you’re skilled enough you will play no matter what your age is, as seen by the example of Sam Dickinson and Mitch Marner. Both of them played in the top 4 and top 6 in their 16 year old rookie year. You also just gotta be better than the veterans too skill wise to warrant a top 6 role.

Point is, you gotta earn it. Dale doesn’t give out freebies.

 

[frontsfan67]

That's a horrendous line up for what is likely the Leafs last chance at a cup for a while. They can preserve Cowan's development all they want, but I don't think he's gonna have much of a team to work with 5 years down the road.

It’s a more balanced lineup rather than stacking the first 2 lines and the 3rd and 4th lines are crap

 

[Ken Yates]

Cowan will make leafs. He will play on second or 3rd line and get 2nd power play minutes. He would come back to Knights if he had more to improve on..which he doesn't. I expect 20 goal season and 50 points 1st year.

 

[dino200022]

View attachment 906525
Projected leaf lines before pacioretty

Max probably goes to the 3rd LW spot knocking holmberg down to the 4th and dewar out of the lineup.

Those are the 2 weak ones in the lineup. Looking more and more like Cowan will be back unless he takes kampf’s spot on the 4th line but kampf has put up 19+points the last 3 years he will be a good 4th liner for them.

Also the leafs management know obviously Cowan is their top prospect and putting him on the 4th line getting 3-8 mins a night vs playing 20-25 a night in London and in every situation. Think there’s an obvious answer here about what is best for both Cowan and the leafs.

I think you might be short changing Bonk, Barkey and Cowan....they are easily closer to 30 mins a night in a bunch of games with Bonk going over 35 last year on multiple occasions!

 

[LDN]

I think you might be short changing Bonk, Barkey and Cowan....they are easily closer to 30 mins a night in a bunch of games with Bonk going over 35 last year on multiple occasions!

100% there were many games where they were on every other shift

 

[LDN]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1834239956832653768

 

[frontsfan67]

I think you might be short changing Bonk, Barkey and Cowan....they are easily closer to 30 mins a night in a bunch of games with Bonk going over 35 last year on multiple occasions!

I figured they’d be that way during the playoffs- the regular season wouldn’t that be a little overkill?

 

[LDN]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1834264263931633987

Wish list: Luchanko, Parekh

 

[KnightFanforLife]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1834264263931633987

Wish list: Luchanko, Parekh

If we get Parekh I am done as a Knights fan. Sorry I don’t like phony players. No matter how talented they are!

 

[StingUpdates]

Not sure if this has been mentioned but as a Flyers fan was looking forward to seeing Barkey this weekend at the rookie tournament, but he's out due to mono (sounds like he's just exiting having it.)