Ottawa 67's 2021-22 Season Thread

[44 95 plus tax]

I'm surprised he played tonight. Don't tryouts start in the morning in Alberta? Why risk it if he is on the trade block? Weird. I'm assuming any suspension is meaningless since he won't be there to serve it anyways, correct?

I believe any suspension would carry over to World Junior games. So if he were to make the WJC team (highly likely) he would miss those games.

 

[OMG67]

Yes good effort tonight. Thomas Johnson added some punch, Cranley had a nice game.
...And yes, we will probably have seen the last of McTavish for a while, because he should be getting a big suspension for his hit on Johnston at the end of the game

Normally I would agree regarding the suspension when head contact is part of the equation. However, in this case, I am not sure it is warranted as would be normally.

I think this was just plain bad luck/timing. Carrol nudged Johnston from behind which force him forward and made him duck his head. This happened a very split second before McTavish delivered the hit. I believe that if Carrol had not touched Johnston, the McTavish hit would have been a normal finished check where the target is the quarter body to just cut Johnston off from the play. It didn’t even look like McTavish was looking at Johnston when he made contact because it was one of those routine checks in the corner that wasn’t even meant to do anything other than separate Johnston from the play.

I am 100% sure of my assessment as to how that play happened BUT I am not sure if that matters in the eyes of the league. I believe they do factor things like that in but I am not sure as to what degree. Johnston did pop back up and although a little bloody from impact with the dasher board, he didn’t seem to have any ill effects like a concussion etc. If that is true, I expect that play to get the obligatory 2 game suspension.

With respect to how that affects the player, the club teams LOAN their players to Team Canada. When players are on loan, any discipline is not counted because once loaned that are not playing league games. So, whatever suspension McTavish does get will be levied once he is returned from Team Canada.

 

[MeafAttack]

rSo, whatever suspension McTavish does get will be levied once he is returned from Team Canada.

Mack Blackwood was suspended a few years back and was not allowed to play a certain # of WJC games so if McTavish were to be suspended it would affect his games at the WJC's.
Stick incident messes Canada's WJC plan

 

[HockeyPops]

Welcome back good sir

 

[OMG67]

I think many have lost perspective on what this team is and what it is not.

First, with a relatively full lineup, this team performed very well. The team, unfortunately, ran into some injury and suspension issues and were rolling out a less than stellar lineup. On top of that, they had a very bad 9 game stretch where 7 of those games were on the road. You simply cannot expect a young team to pick up that much slack when on the road. Then factor in the road trips have been difficult with a lot of back and forth same day trips and you can understand the difficulties.

Dave Cameron is a solid coach with loads of experience. That said, I firmly believe he is here until the 67’s feel Norm Milley is ready to take the reigns. That is assuming he doesn’t get an opportunity elsewhere before his time comes with Ottawa. I thought he would have taken over the Wolves and filled their vacancy this summer but either Milley didn’t want to do it or Sudbury didn’t think he was ready yet. Either way, I believe that is the probable goal.

A lot has been discussed about “developing players.” That sort of bugs me a bit. The primary goal is to develop as a team, not to develop individual players. Let’s be realistic. I stated in the summer that it would not be realistic to develop 12 rookies. First, there aren’t enough available roles for them to play responsibly and quite frankly, even if they did have the roles this year, we don’t have enough graduating players to make room for all of them next year anyway.

Laforme and Guerrier are unlikely to crack next year’s roster. I believe both of those guys will be in the same boat as Crete was this year. Therefore, the 67’s, once healthy, need to start focusing their attention on the players that are more likely to return next year, figure out how many spots they have where they can dress nightly and then send the rest down. They have had a lot of success with Quinn, Gill-Shane and Sirizzotti sending down guys they know will be impactful but instead of them eating popcorn in the press box, they play top minutes in Tier II. I believe this is the case with Foster and probably should be the case with Mayich if their defense is healthy.

 

[OMG67]

Mack Blackwood was suspended a few years back and was not allowed to play a certain # of WJC games so if McTavish were to be suspended it would affect his games at the WJC's.
Stick incident messes Canada's WJC plan

If that is the case then I could definitely see the League take a much closer look and no impose any suspension at all. I personally don’t think it is warranted other than it being automatic withthe Game Misconduct but we’ve seen those peeled back after formal review int he past.

 

[nelli27]

Welcome back good sir

I second this...good to have you back, OMG!

 

[OMG67]

With respect to looking at next year from a development perspective, here is how I see the lineup shaking down:

Beck - Tolnai (OA) - Sirizzotti
Rohrer(I) - Gaidamak(I) - Stonehouse
Johnston - Barlas - Pinelli
Foster - 1st pick - Gardiner

Belanger (OA) - Matier
Sawyer - Gill-Shane
Smyth - Sirman
Mayich

Cranley (OA)
Donoso
MacKenzie

As you can see, it is highly unlikely with 4 picks in the first two rounds next year (with one probably being around #10 overall), that the 67’s would keep marginal 18 and 19 year olds on the roster. The depth chart pretty much excludes them. Also consider that a player like Robinson may take the 3rd OA spot instead of Cranley. Dever and Ewles are also signed 2005’s that are on the radar.

If that lineup is probable or at least really close, it means Barlas and Pinelli should be playing on the 4th line this year with whomever doesn’t currently fit in the top 9 (Varga would be a good fit since he can be responsible and cover their mistakes while contributing well on the PK). That means guys like Laforme and Guerrier are unlikely to play much int he 2nd half unless there are injuries. It also means that with Costantini in the lineup, Mayich and Sirman probably won’t play much unless they rotate into Smyth’s spot (I have really liked what Smyth has brought to this team).

So, I would not be surprised if the 67’s looked to give some of these guys a place to play this year at the deadline.

 

[OMG67]

I second this...good to have you back, OMG!

The penalty box sux….

 

[beastintheeast]

The penalty box sux….

With respect to looking at next year from a development perspective, here is how I see the lineup shaking down:

Beck - Tolnai (OA) - Sirizzotti
Rohrer(I) - Gaidamak(I) - Stonehouse
Johnston - Barlas - Pinelli
Foster - 1st pick - Gardiner

Belanger (OA) - Matier
Sawyer - Gill-Shane
Smyth - Sirman
Mayich

Cranley (OA)
Donoso
MacKenzie


So, I would not be surprised if the 67’s looked to give some of these guys a place to play this year at the deadline.

Welcome back you have been missed.

That being said

Looking at Donoso and how he has played along with the development year I see this team as either stand pat or sellers.

That being the case then I see a possibility that they could trade Cranley or possibly Belanger this year if the price was right along with some of the players you mentioned like Laforme.

Alsdo has the Rohrer at center experiment finished?

 

[OMG67]

Welcome back you have been missed.

That being said

Looking at Donoso and how he has played along with the development year I see this team as either stand pat or sellers.

That being the case then I see a possibility that they could trade Cranley or possibly Belanger this year if the price was right along with some of the players you mentioned like Laforme.

Alsdo has the Rohrer at center experiment finished?

Personally, I believe Rohrer is a winger. I was thinking if they acquired an OA, it needed to be a Centre that was at least suitable as a solid 3rd liner that will help stretch the depth.

Barlas is a really good prospect. He has shown a lot of potential. But, regardless of the ice time he has received, he is still sitting with ZERO points. He isn’t ready for a spot above the 4th line. I’m just being real. Tolnai and Gaidamak are the only true centres that can play a top three line role. They needed to acquire a player like Johnston to fill that gaping hole at centre. He stretches out the depth on the wings quite nicely for a rebuilding team.

Gerrior has been slotted beside Tolnai and Sirizzotti and has two points on the season. With all that 5 on 5 ice time on the top line, you’d think he would have lucked into more points. Same with Gardiner beside Gaidamak.

The reality is Gardiner needs to drop down to tier II (like Foster) after the New Year and get positive development time. We can keep Laforme as a placeholder through the end of the season. You never know. He may find some confidence and bust out. He’s 18 and has the tools to do it.

With respect to trading 19 year olds, you need to decide who you want as OA’s next year. Clearly, Tolnai and Belanger are the two top candidates and it is highly unlikely either of them will garner pro contracts as free agents. They are the prototypical players to solidify OA positions. Then the next group of potential OA’s are Robinson, Cranley and Costantini. It is really hard to choose between them. Cranley is the most likely candidate to receive a Pro contract because he is a drafted player and has tools that project very well in the pro’s. If we could get a strong return, I’d consider trading him but the last thing we need is another 3rd or 4th round pick. He is far more valuable to use as a trade asset prior to the start of next season if he returns as an OA. We’d be less likely to require his services next year. If that is the case, why bother trading him this year when you need him in your net? Makes very little sense. Our depth on defence for next season is quite positive. Costantini is a solid RH D-Man that plays relatively well on both sides of the puck. I could make an argument that because he is a RH D-Man, he may be more valuable than Belanger. But, in the end, you can truly only keep one of the two. They need to decide that before the deadline because one of those two should be gone. You’d get a solid return for either of them. I’d think you could probably fill in that 2nd round pick gap missing in 2023.

That leaves Robinson to discuss. I think he may be a very valuable asset to keep as your 3rd OA next year. He has the ability to play a very nasty game and you need that type of player. He can also put up points. I hesitate releasing that type of player for that reason. I just see such a high ceiling for him as an OA player. He has the assets to be our most valuable forward if we are truly trying to win something next year. He also could be a complete undisciplined flop with injury problems. That is why we cannot trade him at the deadline. We need to see his full season this year prior to making that decision.

That is why, IMO, you make a decision on whether you keep Belanger or Costantini and you keep Cranley, Robinson, and Tolnai. Give yourself four highly respected OA options next year while still gaining some draft capital for either Costantini or Belanger.

 

[beastintheeast]

OMG

While you were on holiday, one of the topics was Cranley and rebounds.

Is this as big a problem as it seems, and could he be replaced by Donoso, who did not look bad?

As to Cranley and a Pro contract, I only see him being offered an ECHL contract which would be crap.
He may get better with time and coaching, but not sure.
If he is a good OA, then a team like Kingston might want him.

Bundling him and a few of the other young guns not in our picture might not be a bad idea.

 

[sirius67fan]

The penalty box sux….

Penalty box??
Anyway glad you're back OMG, missed your posts. Based on the sequence of posts lots of pent up energy.

 

[sirius67fan]

I think many have lost perspective on what this team is and what it is not.

First, with a relatively full lineup, this team performed very well. The team, unfortunately, ran into some injury and suspension issues and were rolling out a less than stellar lineup. On top of that, they had a very bad 9 game stretch where 7 of those games were on the road. You simply cannot expect a young team to pick up that much slack when on the road. Then factor in the road trips have been difficult with a lot of back and forth same day trips and you can understand the difficulties.

Dave Cameron is a solid coach with loads of experience. That said, I firmly believe he is here until the 67’s feel Norm Milley is ready to take the reigns. That is assuming he doesn’t get an opportunity elsewhere before his time comes with Ottawa. I thought he would have taken over the Wolves and filled their vacancy this summer but either Milley didn’t want to do it or Sudbury didn’t think he was ready yet. Either way, I believe that is the probable goal.

A lot has been discussed about “developing players.” That sort of bugs me a bit. The primary goal is to develop as a team, not to develop individual players. Let’s be realistic. I stated in the summer that it would not be realistic to develop 12 rookies. First, there aren’t enough available roles for them to play responsibly and quite frankly, even if they did have the roles this year, we don’t have enough graduating players to make room for all of them next year anyway.

Laforme and Guerrier are unlikely to crack next year’s roster. I believe both of those guys will be in the same boat as Crete was this year. Therefore, the 67’s, once healthy, need to start focusing their attention on the players that are more likely to return next year, figure out how many spots they have where they can dress nightly and then send the rest down. They have had a lot of success with Quinn, Gill-Shane and Sirizzotti sending down guys they know will be impactful but instead of them eating popcorn in the press box, they play top minutes in Tier II. I believe this is the case with Foster and probably should be the case with Mayich if their defense is healthy.

I agree with you that with a full team we are fine and that Cameron is a good coach. He's received some criticism recently on his match ups and exposing the kids too much. Two points on this, one in view of injuries, suspensions he didn't have that many options. Two I don't think he and Boyd give a hoot this year. It's quite obvious to me they are playing the long game and it's all about the next two years. Pretty sure you'll see more matchup type coaching from Cameron next year. Besides there is no pressure here on them as this team has surpassed expectations and I think will be quite good with a full roster in the second half.

 

[sirius67fan]

With respect to looking at next year from a development perspective, here is how I see the lineup shaking down:

Beck - Tolnai (OA) - Sirizzotti
Rohrer(I) - Gaidamak(I) - Stonehouse
Johnston - Barlas - Pinelli
Foster - 1st pick - Gardiner

Belanger (OA) - Matier
Sawyer - Gill-Shane
Smyth - Sirman
Mayich

Cranley (OA)
Donoso
MacKenzie

As you can see, it is highly unlikely with 4 picks in the first two rounds next year (with one probably being around #10 overall), that the 67’s would keep marginal 18 and 19 year olds on the roster. The depth chart pretty much excludes them. Also consider that a player like Robinson may take the 3rd OA spot instead of Cranley. Dever and Ewles are also signed 2005’s that are on the radar.

If that lineup is probable or at least really close, it means Barlas and Pinelli should be playing on the 4th line this year with whomever doesn’t currently fit in the top 9 (Varga would be a good fit since he can be responsible and cover their mistakes while contributing well on the PK). That means guys like Laforme and Guerrier are unlikely to play much int he 2nd half unless there are injuries. It also means that with Costantini in the lineup, Mayich and Sirman probably won’t play much unless they rotate into Smyth’s spot (I have really liked what Smyth has brought to this team).

So, I would not be surprised if the 67’s looked to give some of these guys a place to play this year at the deadline.

Lots to digest here. First I agree with your lineup mostly. Don't forget we need to make room for a second first rounder and Foster will be on that team for sure. If I were the brass I'd trade one if not those two second rounders back to fill our draft board or alternatively use them to acquire an elite talent that fits our window of the next two years should one become available. Bottom line we don't have the space on the roster so use the assets otherwise. I also agree that Varga would be a good fit with the kids on line number four but not sure when/if he'll be back as his injury did not look good. Did they acquire Johnston a few days later to replace him??? I do agree that Laforme is possibly on the bubble, too bad as we need size but his skating is not up to par. Kind of disagree about Gerrior. I realize the production has not been there but I like his skating, energy and physicality. I also think he will contribute offensively eventually. I see him as a solid 3/4 liner and pk guy...we need guys like that so in a perfect world I'd keep him.

 

[sirius67fan]

Personally, I believe Rohrer is a winger. I was thinking if they acquired an OA, it needed to be a Centre that was at least suitable as a solid 3rd liner that will help stretch the depth.

Barlas is a really good prospect. He has shown a lot of potential. But, regardless of the ice time he has received, he is still sitting with ZERO points. He isn’t ready for a spot above the 4th line. I’m just being real. Tolnai and Gaidamak are the only true centres that can play a top three line role. They needed to acquire a player like Johnston to fill that gaping hole at centre. He stretches out the depth on the wings quite nicely for a rebuilding team.

Gerrior has been slotted beside Tolnai and Sirizzotti and has two points on the season. With all that 5 on 5 ice time on the top line, you’d think he would have lucked into more points. Same with Gardiner beside Gaidamak.

The reality is Gardiner needs to drop down to tier II (like Foster) after the New Year and get positive development time. We can keep Laforme as a placeholder through the end of the season. You never know. He may find some confidence and bust out. He’s 18 and has the tools to do it.

With respect to trading 19 year olds, you need to decide who you want as OA’s next year. Clearly, Tolnai and Belanger are the two top candidates and it is highly unlikely either of them will garner pro contracts as free agents. They are the prototypical players to solidify OA positions. Then the next group of potential OA’s are Robinson, Cranley and Costantini. It is really hard to choose between them. Cranley is the most likely candidate to receive a Pro contract because he is a drafted player and has tools that project very well in the pro’s. If we could get a strong return, I’d consider trading him but the last thing we need is another 3rd or 4th round pick. He is far more valuable to use as a trade asset prior to the start of next season if he returns as an OA. We’d be less likely to require his services next year. If that is the case, why bother trading him this year when you need him in your net? Makes very little sense. Our depth on defence for next season is quite positive. Costantini is a solid RH D-Man that plays relatively well on both sides of the puck. I could make an argument that because he is a RH D-Man, he may be more valuable than Belanger. But, in the end, you can truly only keep one of the two. They need to decide that before the deadline because one of those two should be gone. You’d get a solid return for either of them. I’d think you could probably fill in that 2nd round pick gap missing in 2023.

That leaves Robinson to discuss. I think he may be a very valuable asset to keep as your 3rd OA next year. He has the ability to play a very nasty game and you need that type of player. He can also put up points. I hesitate releasing that type of player for that reason. I just see such a high ceiling for him as an OA player. He has the assets to be our most valuable forward if we are truly trying to win something next year. He also could be a complete undisciplined flop with injury problems. That is why we cannot trade him at the deadline. We need to see his full season this year prior to making that decision.

That is why, IMO, you make a decision on whether you keep Belanger or Costantini and you keep Cranley, Robinson, and Tolnai. Give yourself four highly respected OA options next year while still gaining some draft capital for either Costantini or Belanger.

I think Rohrer next year plays center as he's our best faceoff guy imo. Don't mind him as a winger this year to let him develop his game. But next year with him at center and the depth we have we should have three dangerous lines. I agree gardiner should be sent down, kid has talent but would develop better in tier 2. Remember the good it did Hudson Wilson to go down after x-mas a few years ago? As for the OA's in my book Tolnai and Belly are locks. I think Belly is significantly better than Costantini so he'll be the odd man out and as you said we should get a quality asset as he's a good player. Leaves Cranley/Robinson. I've touched on this during your vacation and I think you've got the right approach to wait till september to decide. Like you I like what Robinson brings when he stays on the ice and have been mildly disappointed in Cranley. If we decide to keep Robinson, Cranley would be a good trade asset but we need to be be sure either Donoso or Mckenzie can be the guy.

 

[OMG67]

Part of team development is to not just let the team go. So, I don’t think Cameron and Boyd are simply tossing away the season and going through the motions. This team has the ability with ZERO trades, just healthy players, of finishing around 4th/5th in the conference. The problem is when you have 10 of 12 forwards that are rookies (I consider Sirizzotti a rookie with his 9 games over Christmas last year) most nights lately, you really don’t have a heck of a lot of options. The team is playing a bunch of 3 in 4’s as well.

We can question certain matchups etc but the reality is this team has had very little to play with over the last 10 or so games. I really think we need to toss these games in the garbage bin where they belong and start assessing the team when healthy. 6-8 guys out of the lineup isn’t sustainable for any team.

I believe it is important for this team to be competitive int he playoffs. You can’t have a team that is 4 or 5 and done and expect that to help develop your team. That does nothing. Getting steam rolled in the playoffs provides zero experience. And we also need to remember that with the cancelled season and the cancelled second half and playoffs previous to that season, we would go into next year with basically three OA’s that have significant playoff experience and the rest of the team has the memory of getting steamrolled in this years playoffs.

This team is far too talented and hard working overall to simply treat it like a nothing team looking for a high draft pick. A healthy roster will return this team back close to the .600 level.

I believe they will finish somewhere between 8th and 12th overall which will give them a pick in that same range. That type of player will typically contribute. They should also get the 21st pick, another player that should contribute.

Moldenhauer basically didn’t dress the first month of so of the Chicago season but has performed well over the last 7 games he has dressed. I was thinking that if he were to continue to stay sitting in the press box, he may sign with the Sting after Christmas but it looks like he will stay this year. I still think there is a good chance he signs with Sarnia next season so we’d get those picks. Chicago doesn’t graduate too many pivotal players this season so it may be tough for him to climb their depth chart. We’ll see soon enough.

 

[OMG67]

Regarding Cranley, we need to lay off a bit. He’s a bigger goalie and they tend to have less soft pads. He blocks a lot of net and is typically sound positionally. Our overall team defence has let the opposition crash the net a little more than is allowable. That isn’t just on the defence. That is also on the forwards. We have to be able to hold the middle of the ice in front of the net and the youth we’ve relied on the past 10-12 games isn’t physically prepared or experienced enough to hold that area. This means that if Cranley isn’t eating pucks, there are more juicy opportunities available for the opposition.

I understand why so many are frustrated but we need to remember that Cranley hasn’t had many games. He needs the puck to hit him a lot in the first half of this season and get his feel back at full speed. We cannot give up on a player like that this early.

When this team is back to normal, the shot totals should come down and the quality of the opportunities we give up should also come down. We’ll have more puck time in the offensive zone as well which obviously helps the defence numbers.

If we can get healthy and put a team on the ice in the second half that isn’t constantly in the trainers room, I firmly believe with the right level of effort we can potentially win a round in the playoffs from the 4th/5th seed.

And why is no one acknowledging the penalty drawing machine that Stonehouse is? Holy crap. That kid draws at least one or two penalties a game. I cannot believe how effective he is at drawing penalties without taking many. It is astonishing. That kid is going to be a stud. Completely effective and can put some points up as well.

 

[OMG67]

I think Rohrer next year plays center as he's our best faceoff guy imo. Don't mind him as a winger this year to let him develop his game. But next year with him at center and the depth we have we should have three dangerous lines. I agree gardiner should be sent down, kid has talent but would develop better in tier 2. Remember the good it did Hudson Wilson to go down after x-mas a few years ago? As for the OA's in my book Tolnai and Belly are locks. I think Belly is significantly better than Costantini so he'll be the odd man out and as you said we should get a quality asset as he's a good player. Leaves Cranley/Robinson. I've touched on this during your vacation and I think you've got the right approach to wait till september to decide. Like you I like what Robinson brings when he stays on the ice and have been mildly disappointed in Cranley. If we decide to keep Robinson, Cranley would be a good trade asset but we need to be be sure either Donoso or Mckenzie can be the guy.

Faceoff numbers:

Tolnai - 55.9% (456)
Gaidamak - 52% (400)
Rohrer - 40.6% (350)

It’s pretty much been those three guys taking most face offs. Laforme and Barlas also have taken over 100 faceoffs each with under 50% success but higher than Rohrer. Laforme 48.7% (115) and Barlas 45.6% (169). No one else has taken 20 faceoffs.

To me, Rohrer is more effective as a winger. He sniffs out the net much better when he has less responsibility.

 

[sirius67fan]

Part of team development is to not just let the team go. So, I don’t think Cameron and Boyd are simply tossing away the season and going through the motions. This team has the ability with ZERO trades, just healthy players, of finishing around 4th/5th in the conference. The problem is when you have 10 of 12 forwards that are rookies (I consider Sirizzotti a rookie with his 9 games over Christmas last year) most nights lately, you really don’t have a heck of a lot of options. The team is playing a bunch of 3 in 4’s as well.

We can question certain matchups etc but the reality is this team has had very little to play with over the last 10 or so games. I really think we need to toss these games in the garbage bin where they belong and start assessing the team when healthy. 6-8 guys out of the lineup isn’t sustainable for any team.

I believe it is important for this team to be competitive int he playoffs. You can’t have a team that is 4 or 5 and done and expect that to help develop your team. That does nothing. Getting steam rolled in the playoffs provides zero experience. And we also need to remember that with the cancelled season and the cancelled second half and playoffs previous to that season, we would go into next year with basically three OA’s that have significant playoff experience and the rest of the team has the memory of getting steamrolled in this years playoffs.

This team is far too talented and hard working overall to simply treat it like a nothing team looking for a high draft pick. A healthy roster will return this team back close to the .600 level.

I believe they will finish somewhere between 8th and 12th overall which will give them a pick in that same range. That type of player will typically contribute. They should also get the 21st pick, another player that should contribute.

Moldenhauer basically didn’t dress the first month of so of the Chicago season but has performed well over the last 7 games he has dressed. I was thinking that if he were to continue to stay sitting in the press box, he may sign with the Sting after Christmas but it looks like he will stay this year. I still think there is a good chance he signs with Sarnia next season so we’d get those picks. Chicago doesn’t graduate too many pivotal players this season so it may be tough for him to climb their depth chart. We’ll see soon enough.

I suspect the first part of your comment is as a result of my "i don't think cameron/boyd give a hoot" comment. Just wanted to clarify that I do not think the season is unimportant or that we can't achieve significant results this year which I agree with you is important for team development. I just meant that team development is more important for them than specific matchups etc this year. Didn't mean to imply at all the brass in punting on this season as we are too good for that.

 

[sirius67fan]

Faceoff numbers:

Tolnai - 55.9% (456)
Gaidamak - 52% (400)
Rohrer - 40.6% (350)

It’s pretty much been those three guys taking most face offs. Laforme and Barlas also have taken over 100 faceoffs each with under 50% success but higher than Rohrer. Laforme 48.7% (115) and Barlas 45.6% (169). No one else has taken 20 faceoffs.

To me, Rohrer is more effective as a winger. He sniffs out the net much better when he has less responsibility.

A bit surprised by those numbers although I can't argue! Weird as I just haven't seen him lose many and they have been using him in key d zone faceoffs. I still would prefer him at center eventually as in my view he's our most talented forward with the highest ceiling. Yes he could score more from the wing but I think he could impact the game more as a center with his playmaking and underated two way play.

 

[beastintheeast]

Where Rohrer plays next year is completely out of the 67's control.

He is draft-eligible this year and depending on who and where he is rafted you can expect that the NHL team will decide what they want him to do.
This team has the ability to upset a lot of teams' plans going down the stretch.

It will be interesting to see what they do.

I still think that there is a trade out there that Boyd is going to take and move some players.

As has been said we have a lot of returning players as well as a lot of draft picks that have to go somewhere.

Someone correct me if I am wrong but Gaidamak will be KHL eligible next year will he not?

 

[OMG67]

Where Rohrer plays next year is completely out of the 67's control.

He is draft-eligible this year and depending on who and where he is rafted you can expect that the NHL team will decide what they want him to do.
This team has the ability to upset a lot of teams' plans going down the stretch.

It will be interesting to see what they do.

I still think that there is a trade out there that Boyd is going to take and move some players.

As has been said we have a lot of returning players as well as a lot of draft picks that have to go somewhere.

Someone correct me if I am wrong but Gaidamak will be KHL eligible next year will he not?

Rohrer isn’t quality enough to be drafted in a significant round. I can’t see him leaving Ottawa through his 19 year old season. Anything could happen but for him to make the jump to a pro league early would be surprising.

Although Gaidamak has the potential for a positive future, he needs development. I cannot see him jumping pro anywhere significant next season. Even if he did, we’d then get to pick in the Import draft again and replace him.

With respect to Rohrer being projected at centre longer term, it is possible but I doubt it. I think next year it will be Tolnai-Gaidamak-Barlas-1st rounder nailing down the four centre slots. The following year, when Rohrer is 19, the possibility exists he could transition to centre but I seriously do not think he projects as a centre at the Pro level; therefore, I doubt his drafted team will push for it. I would use him at centre only when you need a fill in for injury.

That is no disrespect to Rohrer. I said the same about a lot of players that are highly talented but lack that sense to play up the middle responsibly.

 

[NoQuit67s]

Regarding Cranley, we need to lay off a bit. He’s a bigger goalie and they tend to have less soft pads. He blocks a lot of net and is typically sound positionally. Our overall team defence has let the opposition crash the net a little more than is allowable. That isn’t just on the defence. That is also on the forwards. We have to be able to hold the middle of the ice in front of the net and the youth we’ve relied on the past 10-12 games isn’t physically prepared or experienced enough to hold that area. This means that if Cranley isn’t eating pucks, there are more juicy opportunities available for the opposition.

I understand why so many are frustrated but we need to remember that Cranley hasn’t had many games. He needs the puck to hit him a lot in the first half of this season and get his feel back at full speed. We cannot give up on a player like that this early.

When this team is back to normal, the shot totals should come down and the quality of the opportunities we give up should also come down. We’ll have more puck time in the offensive zone as well which obviously helps the defence numbers.

If we can get healthy and put a team on the ice in the second half that isn’t constantly in the trainers room, I firmly believe with the right level of effort we can potentially win a round in the playoffs from the 4th/5th seed.

And why is no one acknowledging the penalty drawing machine that Stonehouse is? Holy crap. That kid draws at least one or two penalties a game. I cannot believe how effective he is at drawing penalties without taking many. It is astonishing. That kid is going to be a stud. Completely effective and can put some points up as well.

100% about Stonehouse.
Against the Petes, he drew the penalty, then scored on the ensuing PP!
Watching him in every game, you can see signs that he has gotten under every other team's skin; opposing players are targeting him with retaliation penalties from stuff Stonehouse did earlier in the game or season. Given the schedule and how many times we play each division team, that will continue to pay off as the season goes along.
Smart skilled player, definitely a step ahead of most everyone on being aggressive (verbal and physical) without crossing the line and the maturity to keep his emotions in check as soon as he sees opposing players losing their sh!t.

 

[OMG67]

100% about Stonehouse.
Against the Petes, he drew the penalty, then scored on the ensuing PP!
Watching him in every game, you can see signs that he has gotten under every other team's skin; opposing players are targeting him with retaliation penalties from stuff Stonehouse did earlier in the game or season. Given the schedule and how many times we play each division team, that will continue to pay off as the season goes along.
Smart skilled player, definitely a step ahead of most everyone on being aggressive (verbal and physical) without crossing the line and the maturity to keep his emotions in check as soon as he sees opposing players losing their sh!t.

I think Sirman has that in him too. I think he may be slightly more physical forward though. You can see it in his eyes. He has that ability to see RED.

TJ should be more like that. I think he was trying too hard at the start of the year to be a leader and put too much on his shoulders. You saw what he plays like (Saturday) when he keeps inside his own game and plays to his strengths. He can play a pesky game and draw penalties too but he’s a little too small to go as hard as he was going at the start of the season. It led to far too many minor penalties. I think he is poised for a considerably better second half.