Oshawa Generals 2023-24 Off-Season Thread (Part 1)

[OMG67]

Let’s look at it logically.

Oshawa will start the season without Ritchie until he (hopefully) returns from Colorado. Do you recall how they struggled last year when Ritchie was out with his injury for the first two months?

And they’ll be without Sennecke until mid November with his injury. That’s two massive holes in their lineup.

Dealing Bedkowski significantly weakens the defense, specifically the bottom pairing. And the bottom six forwards need some upgrading be you can’t just roll two lines with an occasional shift to a patchwork third line during a long playoff run.

Brampton is currently a very good team and they have an unbelievable amount of assets to acquire even more upgrades. EIGHT (8) second round picks and FIVE (5) third round picks is enough to add at least two elite players and possibly three.

An overlooked fact is that Brampton also has room to add at least one elite level OA - - possibly two if Leskovar moves on to the AHL.

It’s significantly cheaper to acquire a top level OA than it is to acquire a similarly talented 19yr old.

This is a season where I likely take Oshawa to finish 3rd (2nd seed with division win) but pick them to win the League Championship. They will be a wrecking ball in the 2nd half I think.

 

[frontsfan67]

Im a bit floored when people suggest Oshawa isn’t the favourite in the East. I see people putting Brampton and Hamilton ahead.

The generals provided Barlow trade goes through will have four nhl 1st round draft picks on the team in all likelihood, arguably the best goalie in the league and host of other good solid players.

Imo no way in hell is Brantford the favourite right now.

gotta be Barrie/Brampton right now with Oshawa not far behind with this move (but losing 2 bodies for 1 will hurt the depth so I assume they tighten up the bottom 6 F a bit and the bottom 4 d maybe they make a move there

 

[frontsfan67]

I know the gennies don’t like anyone talking about anything else other than the generals however I think it’s very fair to say that with the exception of London in the west- the east is going to absolutely run the league this year.

The top 5/6 teams all may be better than the 2nd best team in the west. Obviously not points wise but talent wise.

Brampton for sure
Barrie for sure
Oshawa for sure
Brantford likely
Kingston maybe assuming they use their picks
Sudbury maybe if they add like crazy

 

[OHL4Life]

As much as I like Barlow’s game, giving up a top four defenceman who’s big and mobile and still only 17yrs old PLUS a middle six forward AND multiple top picks is way too much.

I was one of Griffin’s harshest critics last year as he struggled badly for about three quarters of the season. But in the last six weeks of the season and in the playoffs, he really started to find his game.

Delisle was Oshawa’s best rookie last year by far. I love how scrappy and tenacious he plays. Just turning 18 this season, he’s the perfect 3rd line guy on a championship level team.

I agree, this is a good trade for Oshawa - - unlike the comically misguided drivel proclaiming it would be Bedkowski plus Griffin plus a half dozen 2nd and 3rd round picks.

That’s almost as ridiculous as the foolish idea that Oshawa would keep Luke Torrance ahead of Luca D’Amato as an OA.

which is it?

 

[ScoutLife4]

!

 

[Donnie740]

which is it?

Griffin isn’t included in the rumoured deal for Barlow and neither were a half dozen 2nd and 3rd round picks.

That would have been a ridiculous overpay, regardless of what the popcorn vendor was spoon feeding you.

 

[Kingpin794]

Griffin isn’t included in the rumoured deal for Barlow and neither were a half dozen 2nd and 3rd round picks.

That would have been a ridiculous overpay, regardless of what the popcorn vendor was spoon feeding you.

No matter how much you think about and use reason for an argument, it won’t be as good as direct info. Stop being so insecure. 99% are making educated guesses, you and me included. It’s ok if others aren’t guessing.

 

[Leviathan899]

Let’s look at it logically.

Oshawa will start the season without Ritchie until he (hopefully) returns from Colorado. Do you recall how they struggled last year when Ritchie was out with his injury for the first two months?

And they’ll be without Sennecke until mid November with his injury. That’s two massive holes in their lineup.

Dealing Bedkowski significantly weakens the defense, specifically the bottom pairing. And the bottom six forwards need some upgrading be you can’t just roll two lines with an occasional shift to a patchwork third line during a long playoff run.

Brampton is currently a very good team and they have an unbelievable amount of assets to acquire even more upgrades. EIGHT (8) second round picks and FIVE (5) third round picks is enough to add at least two elite players and possibly three.

An overlooked fact is that Brampton also has room to add at least one elite level OA - - possibly two if Leskovar moves on to the AHL.

It’s significantly cheaper to acquire a top level OA than it is to acquire a similarly talented 19yr old.

Sennecke won’t be gone that long, you’re looking at mid October to late at the very latest. Ritchie will be back early to mid October as well I say, and don’t discount that Rehkopf doesn’t stick longer than expected in Seattle. Wouldn’t be surprised if he misses a bit of the regular season as well. Last year should reiterate that the very beginning of the season isn’t all that vital. Sure you don’t want to fall behind too much and you can’t always expect a team to get as hot as oshawa Did last year after December 1st. But they’re going to be fine. On paper when everyone is back, they’re the best team in the east imo. A good chunk of this roster has the experience of going to the OHL finals as well, plus the OHL goalie of the year last season. Brantford is also without Vanacker for 4-6 months. Brampton has a good group of forwards, but mediocre D to start the season. I’m not concerned how the first few weeks of the season go, it’s almost an extended pre season.

 

[OMG67]

I know the gennies don’t like anyone talking about anything else other than the generals however I think it’s very fair to say that with the exception of London in the west- the east is going to absolutely run the league this year.

The top 5/6 teams all may be better than the 2nd best team in the west. Obviously not points wise but talent wise.

Brampton for sure
Barrie for sure
Oshawa for sure
Brantford likely
Kingston maybe assuming they use their picks
Sudbury maybe if they add like crazy

Don’t write off Erie. Flint will be solid as well.

 

[Leviathan899]

No matter how much you think about and use reason for an argument, it won’t be as good as direct info. Stop being so insecure. 99% are making educated guesses, you and me included. It’s ok if others aren’t guessing.

For the life of me I can’t imagine why someone who uses a hockey message board is so hostile to information like this. Pure jealousy. I know he’ll say “this doesn’t impress me getting info from a source” but everyone else appreciates it and it adds good value to the discussion. I’ll take some inside info all day long over pure speculation any day.

 

[dirty12]

Why do you think it won’t be for the better? Replacing Delisle with Barlow is a huge upgrade at F. Maybe Sinivuori could be a 15-20 goal guy as well. Keeping griffin helps them down the middle too. They could make a move on D but overall it’s very solid as is, but wouldn’t be opposed to an upgrade, which I’m sure will happen at some point. Either way, 3 of the best forwards in the entire OHL is nice.

You were listing more possible high scoring additions after adding Barlow. There is definitely work to be done on the defence now; and care should be taken not to compromise the team’s strength, which is team defence. Shelve the idea of more scoring forwards until the important parts are taken care of imo.

 

[OMG67]

Sennecke won’t be gone that long, you’re looking at mid October to late at the very latest. Ritchie will be back early to mid October as well I say, and don’t discount that Rehkopf doesn’t stick longer than expected in Seattle. Wouldn’t be surprised if he misses a bit of the regular season as well. Last year should reiterate that the very beginning of the season isn’t all that vital. Sure you don’t want to fall behind too much and you can’t always expect a team to get as hot as oshawa Did last year after December 1st. But they’re going to be fine. On paper when everyone is back, they’re the best team in the east imo. A good chunk of this roster has the experience of going to the OHL finals as well, plus the OHL goalie of the year last season. Brantford is also without Vanacker for 4-6 months. Brampton has a good group of forwards, but mediocre D to start the season. I’m not concerned how the first few weeks of the season go, it’s almost an extended pre season.

I wouldn’t write off Brampton’s D. They are solid in the top 4. They don’t have what you would call elite guys back there with total name recognition but they are serviceable, can move the puck and aren’t particularly small. The addition of Sova helps. He was a Captain last year in Erie and plays well at both ends of the ice. Leskovar hits like a truck. Harding and Fibigr can both contribute offence.

I think many feel Andonovski will end up there as well.

The issue for Brampton is size up front. They may need to speckle in some size on the wings. Get more playoff ready.

You were listing more possible high scoring additions after adding Barlow. There is definitely work to be done on the defence now; and care should be taken not to compromise the team’s strength, which is team defence. Shelve the idea of more scoring forwards until the important parts are taken care of imo.

As long as they have a proven 2nd line centre, they should ensure they strengthen the depth of that defence. They were fine in the top 4 before the trade but 5-6 isn’t particularly daunting. Adding some experience and depth there would be ideal.

Oshawa has strong overall team defence. It isn’t just the D-Corps. I think they will be fine either way but for a long playoff run, I think they need a replacement for Punnett.

 

[Leviathan899]

You were listing more possible high scoring additions after adding Barlow. There is definitely work to be done on the defence now; and care should be taken not to compromise the team’s strength, which is team defence. Shelve the idea of more scoring forwards until the important parts are taken care of imo.

Ya I don’t think they’ll be done adding to the team with Barlow, but that’s just my view. I think a lot depends on Roobroeck being back or not. If he is, easy choice to keep him as OA alongside Oster. Then you probably keep D’amato over Torrance, although Torrance is still a 20 goal scorer with very good PK abilities. But he’s still likely the odd man out if Roobroeck returns. The fact he’s still on their pre season roster tells me there’s a 50/50 chance he’s back. If he’s not, they probably go with Torrance, D’amato and oster while looking to make upgrades there. Shouldn’t cost a lot to upgrade on an OA. But I do think they’ll add a middle 6 forward at some point in the season as well, preferably a C. But I do agree with you, once you add Barlow, focus on the more immediate needs before adding up front. What do you think would be a good move after the Barlow deal goes through? I know it’s not official but I’m working from the assumption that deal will happen between now and him
Returning from Winnipeg. They should get ahead of Brampton and go and get Andonovski. If Sarnia isn’t contending, I’d like into Fischer.

 

[Donnie740]

No matter how much you think about and use reason for an argument, it won’t be as good as direct info. Stop being so insecure. 99% are making educated guesses, you and me included. It’s ok if others aren’t guessing.

As I explained numerous times, there was ZERO chance in hell deal for Barlow would include Bedkowski plus Griffin plus multiple top picks. None whatsoever.

I don’t need to be spoon fed “intel” by some kook like Joke Marek - - who’s currently unemployed because of it - - to know that’s a ludicrous overpay.

Other than novice fans and casual observers, everyone should have been able to recognize how lopsided that would have been.

 

[frontsfan67]

Don’t write off Erie. Flint will be solid as well.

I am not writing off Erie but I also don’t think they’ll be better than atleast Brampton, Barrie and Oshawa for starters.

And then Brantford is bound to add a ton still even with acquiring leenders which was by far their biggest hole- goaltending.

Kingston and Sudbury are iffy I’d probably lean towards Erie being better even after the deadline but I don’t think they’ll be much better.

Bottom line- east is STACKED.

 

[Leviathan899]

I wouldn’t write off Brampton’s D. They are solid in the top 4. They don’t have what you would call elite guys back there with total name recognition but they are serviceable, can move the puck and aren’t particularly small. The addition of Sova helps. He was a Captain last year in Erie and plays well at both ends of the ice. Leskovar hits like a truck. Harding and Fibigr can both contribute offence.

I think many feel Andonovski will end up there as well.

The issue for Brampton is size up front. They may need to speckle in some size on the wings. Get more playoff ready.



As long as they have a proven 2nd line centre, they should ensure they strengthen the depth of that defence. They were fine in the top 4 before the trade but 5-6 isn’t particularly daunting. Adding some experience and depth there would be ideal.

Oshawa has strong overall team defence. It isn’t just the D-Corps. I think they will be fine either way but for a long playoff run, I think they need a replacement for Punnett.

Ya you’re right, it’s not a bad D core, Sova additions does help a lot. I do also like Von Richter quite a bit as well. I think they do need a big top 4 D though for sure to truly contend, and you're right Andonovski seems to be the logical choice. I think Gibson in the Soo would be an amazing add for any contender as well. Ya I agree oshawa will have to add a Punnett style player on D between now and January. Quite a few solid options available on that front imo, some OA’s and some 19. I know Sarnia thinks they can be competitive this year and won’t make a deal like this right away, but I’d be very interested in Fischer.

 

[dirty12]

I wouldn’t write off Brampton’s D. They are solid in the top 4. They don’t have what you would call elite guys back there with total name recognition but they are serviceable, can move the puck and aren’t particularly small. The addition of Sova helps. He was a Captain last year in Erie and plays well at both ends of the ice. Leskovar hits like a truck. Harding and Fibigr can both contribute offence.

I think many feel Andonovski will end up there as well.

The issue for Brampton is size up front. They may need to speckle in some size on the wings. Get more playoff ready.



As long as they have a proven 2nd line centre, they should ensure they strengthen the depth of that defence. They were fine in the top 4 before the trade but 5-6 isn’t particularly daunting. Adding some experience and depth there would be ideal.

Oshawa has strong overall team defence. It isn’t just the D-Corps. I think they will be fine either way but for a long playoff run, I think they need a replacement for Punnett.

Brampton D right now is better than the Oshawa D. I think Brampton gets Andonovski as well. Oshawa probably needs more than just a Bedowski replacement.

 

[Leviathan899]

Brampton D right now is better than the Oshawa D. I think Brampton gets Andonovski as well. Oshawa probably needs more than just a Bedowski replacement.

Disagree. We finished first last year with the same D core minus Punnett. Everyone a year older now too. Marrelli and Danford better than anyone on their back end.

Disagree. We finished first last year with the same D core minus Punnett. Everyone a year older now too. Marrelli and Danford better than anyone on their back end.

They also lost their best D in Sharpe

 

[Leviathan899]

Brampton D right now is better than the Oshawa D. I think Brampton gets Andonovski as well. Oshawa probably needs more than just a Bedowski replacement.

Either way it’s c close and we’re splitting hairs really. A lot of good teams in the east this year and no clear cut favourite right now. So much will change between now and January as well.

 

[Donnie740]

Disagree. We finished first last year with the same D core minus Punnett. Everyone a year older now too. Marrelli and Danford better than anyone on their back end.

Oshawa struggled badly after Punnett got hurt - - they lost 7 out of 8 games without him - - because they didn’t have enough depth on defence.

Without Punnett, they rolled five defensemen - - Danford, Marrelli, D’Amato, Bedkowski and Sandhu. Then in crunch time, they’d take Sandhu out of the mix for the 3rd period and just go with four.

Rodriguez dressed but he literally never saw the ice beyond a couple of short shifts in the 1st period.

They need at least one more defenseman like last year’s version of Sandhu - - possibly two more depending on how Svozil adapts to the North American game.

 

[OHL4Life]

Griffin isn’t included in the rumoured deal for Barlow and neither were a half dozen 2nd and 3rd round picks.

That would have been a ridiculous overpay, regardless of what the popcorn vendor was spoon feeding you.

the deal you commented on is the same it’s always been. 2 players and 6 picks

This is like when Rooerbeck didn’t have an elc

 

[OHL4Life]

For the life of me I can’t imagine why someone who uses a hockey message board is so hostile to information like this. Pure jealousy. I know he’ll say “this doesn’t impress me getting info from a source” but everyone else appreciates it and it adds good value to the discussion. I’ll take some inside info all day long over pure speculation any day.

generally it’s insecurity but sometimes the person needs a bit of energy or entertainment int hoer lives, that fills a whole. they probably don’t have nearly the confidence and swagger to be like that in real life, which causes insecurity, and doing it on here fills a bit of that void.

it’s what Twitter trolls do, same idea, use the anonymous nature of the site to be something they never could be in real life

 

[Donnie740]

the deal you commented on is the same it’s always been. 2 players and 6 picks

This is like when Rooerbeck didn’t have an elc

As I explained from the moment the Barlow-to-Oshawa discussion first started, the Generals were never going to deal Bedkowski plus Griffin plus multiple top picks.

Two 2nds and two 3rds are significantly less than “multiple top picks”.

The 7th round pick is the equivalent of a leaky Gatorade bottle and the 10th round pick is about as irrelevant as Craig Buttons.

Yes, every now and then a serviceable OHL player will come out of the 7th or 10th round, but 99% of those picks will end up topping out in JrC or mid level NCAA.

Regardless of how hard you stop your feet proclaiming “insider information” I told you there was ZERO chance in hell of both Bedkowski and Griffin being traded for Barlow along with a bunch of high draft picks.

Sorry about your luck, my friend.

 

[ZinErie]

Anyone else find it strange that OHL still hasn’t said where Oshawa and Erie preseason game is being played and it’s literally in 1 week only preseason game without a location

According to the Otters, the game is being played at Dunnville Memorial Auditorium.

 

[Millpond]

Im a bit floored when people suggest Oshawa isn’t the favourite in the East. I see people putting Brampton and Hamilton ahead.

The generals provided Barlow trade goes through will have four nhl 1st round draft picks on the team in all likelihood, arguably the best goalie in the league and host of other good solid players.

The best goalie maybe staying behind in OS.
Time will tell