Ottawa 67's 2022-23 Off-Season Thread (Part 4)

[mianjo]

67's lead 1-0

18:11 #25 Brad Gardiner (1) scores. Assists: #10 Cameron Tolnai, #22 Matthew Mayich

 

[sirius67fan]

Good period. Hopefully Gerrior ok. Cameron has adjusted his D. Smyth getting way more icetime (Mews less) and he played very well in the first...physical!

 

[NordiquesForeva]

Good period. Hopefully Gerrior ok. Cameron has adjusted his D. Smyth getting way more icetime (Mews less) and he played very well in the first...physical!

Gerrior is back for the 2nd.

 

[mianjo]

2-2 after 2

3 goals in 34 seconds
GOAL
2ND 10:24
#29 Avery Hayes (5) scores. Assists: #78 Brennan Othmann
+/-

GOAL
2ND 10:34
#29 Cooper Foster (2) scores. Assists: #20 Luca Pinelli
+/-

GOAL
2ND 10:58
#26 Jax Dubois (1) scores. Assists: #10 J.R. AvonGAME TYING

 

[OMG67]

Morrison looks like he’s struggling with an injury. He’s not effective at all. Not winning faceoffs. His posture looks like he’s sluggish and battling something.

 

[sirius67fan]

Morrison looks like he’s struggling with an injury. He’s not effective at all. Not winning faceoffs. His posture looks like he’s sluggish and battling something.

Yeah was thinking the same thing.

 

[beastintheeast]

2 things Constantini needs to b the nuber 7 d

you cannot win hockey games when you are outshot and out played nt eh face offs. 2-1

 

[gusfring]

I guess that's the difference when your best players are top NHL picks and not overagers.

 

[OMG67]

Someone please make a solid argument that Sirman is not a top 6 D-Man on this team? It is playoff time. Send out your best and keep sending them out. Playing Costantini as the defensive minded player on any pairing is ridiculous. He should never be the last man back.

Donoso with two straight losses. MacK goes in net next game.

I hate to criticize Cameron because he is a good coach and stellar resume but I jsut don’t understand what he is doing with this lineup. I can’t tell you how frustrated I am at ridiculous decisions.

Simpson with a great game. Ottawa had more scoring opportunities and he shut the door. Good on him. He is playing really well.

 

[BigHitter67]

It’s a dog fight . Two evenly matched teams .
I predicted 7 games . We need to win the next one or I was wrong

 

[Race Dawg]

The 67's look spent. Peterborough the better team and having their way with them. The Petes are playing their game effectively. Ya it's not pretty and kind of boring TBH (trap game on the the 67's) but the past 2 games they've had a lot more 3 on 2's and 2 on 1's than Ottawa. The 67's do not look like 50 game+ season winner. Can't have a glaring defensive breakdown like that under 2 minutes remaining. Even IF the 67's manage to squeak out a playoff victory they will be so worn down physically that either the likes of North Bay or Barrie will be feasting on the barberpoles. Even the team a couple of years back in the Covid interruption season was better. Hell even that 2005 team that played in the Memorial Cup was way superior.

 

[OMG67]

The 67's look spent. Peterborough the better team and having their way with them. The Petes are playing their game effectively. Ya it's not pretty and kind of boring TBH (trap game on the the 67's) but the past 2 games they've had a lot more 3 on 2's and 2 on 1's than Ottawa. The 67's do not look like 50 game+ season winner. Can't have a glaring defensive breakdown like that under 2 minutes remaining. Even IF the 67's manage to squeak out a playoff victory they will be so worn down physically that either the likes of North Bay or Barrie will be feasting on the barberpoles. Even the team a couple of years back in the Covid interruption season was better. Hell even that 2005 team that played in the Memorial Cup was way superior.

It is a down season in the OHL. This 67s team was not considered by many in the know as a bonafide League leader. Way too young. Ex-1st rounder, Moldenhauer playing in Chicago for the steel. Key draft pick not on the roster.

Boyd didn’t do anything other than fill the OA and Import slots. Great additions so no disrespect meant but he had an opportunity to raise the average age of this team and sprinkle more experience but he chose not to.

I really didn’t think they’d get past North Bay in round 3 but I think they have a chance against Peterborough. I still have them squeezing out this series. But, Cameron has to start coaching to win instead of coaching to develop next year’s team.

 

[Newbie Observer]

ITs playoffs, two good teams one goal games. Last game petes made the mistake, tonight ottawa. ITs anyones series.

 

[mianjo]

67's lose 3-2

 

[Race Dawg]

It is a down season in the OHL. This 67s team was not considered by many in the know as a bonafide League leader. Way too young. Ex-1st rounder, Moldenhauer playing in Chicago for the steel. Key draft pick not on the roster.

Boyd didn’t do anything other than fill the OA and Import slots. Great additions so no disrespect meant but he had an opportunity to raise the average age of this team and sprinkle more experience but he chose not to.

I really didn’t think they’d get past North Bay in round 3 but I think they have a chance against Peterborough. I still have them squeezing out this series. But, Cameron has to start coaching to win instead of coaching to develop next year’s team.

Agreed. Massive overachievement to say the least. Fantastic regular season but these are playoffs. Remember Killer beat Cameron head to head during his St. Mikes era when the 67's swept a highly touted St. Mikes Majors. Cameron was outcoached and got beaten by a man with a lesser team....

 

[OMG67]

Agreed. Massive overachievement to say the least. Fantastic regular season but these are playoffs. Remember Killer beat Cameron head to head during his St. Mikes era when the 67's swept a highly touted St. Mikes Majors. Cameron was outcoached and got beaten by a man with a lesser team....

I don’t want this to seem like a Cameron bashing party. I think it is important to also recognize all the great things he has achieved this year through the performance of this team.

The young players have all made a significant impact. That is a result of his ability to develop their talent and put them in challenging situations that didn’t overwhelm them. Those players all took advantage and returned the favour by producing. He managed to balance a squad that went through two stretches of illness as well as a significant level of key injuries throughout the entire season. he managed to juggle the roster to persevere through those tough stretches.

I give Cameron a hell of a lot of credit getting this team to where they are now. Their standing at the end of the season had a lot to do with his coaching.

But, now that it is the playoffs, that mindset needs to change. The best roster needs to be iced regardless of ego, development and loyalty. The players pushed hard and the cream should rise to the top, not be held back. Boyd did a disservice to this team by no tmaking all the moves he needed to because of loyalty. Now Cameron is making the same mistakes out of loyalty and ego stroking.

IMO, Thomas Sirman is being completely wasted as a 4th line winger. He plays with umph and has a strong sense of what he can get away from. He’s the type of player that can get under the skin of opposing forwards. He can be the defensive responsible element on any pairing. He isn’t quite at Mayich’s level but he can play as a 3rd pairing D-Man and allow an offensive player the ability to roam around.

Mews is a strong player, has loads of skill and can break a game open. He is also young and prone to over handling the puck. Against stronger teams, this can cause problems. He also has strong offensive instincts. If anyone should be playing forward right now, it should be Mews. That is the smarter decision for this playoff stretch. Maybe not the smarter decision for his personal development but this isn’t about Mews. This is about the TEAM.

It is time for Cameron to go back to what was working well in the first half. If he doesn’t do it and the 67’s lose the series, we need to question his instincts.

 

[beastintheeast]

My prediction

Pinelli late 4 early 5
Gardiner 5th round
Mayich 7th round
Foster - invite to rookie camp
Barlas - invite to a rookie camp

 

[beastintheeast]

I don’t want this to seem like a Cameron bashing party. I think it is important to also recognize all the great things he has achieved this year through the performance of this team.

The young players have all made a significant impact. That is a result of his ability to develop their talent and put them in challenging situations that didn’t overwhelm them. Those players all took advantage and returned the favour by producing. He managed to balance a squad that went through two stretches of illness as well as a significant level of key injuries throughout the entire season. he managed to juggle the roster to persevere through those tough stretches.

I give Cameron a hell of a lot of credit getting this team to where they are now. Their standing at the end of the season had a lot to do with his coaching.

But, now that it is the playoffs, that mindset needs to change. The best roster needs to be iced regardless of ego, development and loyalty. The players pushed hard and the cream should rise to the top, not be held back. Boyd did a disservice to this team by no tmaking all the moves he needed to because of loyalty. Now Cameron is making the same mistakes out of loyalty and ego stroking.

IMO, Thomas Sirman is being completely wasted as a 4th line winger. He plays with umph and has a strong sense of what he can get away from. He’s the type of player that can get under the skin of opposing forwards. He can be the defensive responsible element on any pairing. He isn’t quite at Mayich’s level but he can play as a 3rd pairing D-Man and allow an offensive player the ability to roam around.

Mews is a strong player, has loads of skill and can break a game open. He is also young and prone to over handling the puck. Against stronger teams, this can cause problems. He also has strong offensive instincts. If anyone should be playing forward right now, it should be Mews. That is the smarter decision for this playoff stretch. Maybe not the smarter decision for his personal development but this isn’t about Mews. This is about the TEAM.

It is time for Cameron to go back to what was working well in the first half. If he doesn’t do it and the 67’s lose the series, we need to question his instincts.

This s a team that got us what we wanted. We all said including you OMG that we needed Morrison and Mintykov. He went out and got them for a relatively cheap price when we consider he kept all his players.

I think you said it earlier Morrison is playing hurt. I think Tolnai may be in the same boat.

The catch I think, is that you may be right about going back to the pre-deadline team

Tolnai centering the number 1 line.
Rohrer Number 2
Gardner number 3
Morrison we keep if he is hurting to PP and such

Defence should be Matier Mayich Mintykov and Marelli

Number 5 is Mews
Number 6 dress Ewle he was one of the better defenceman and had a +16 in the regular season

I do vehemently disagree with your shots at Mews. Yes, he is a rookie yes he has made some unforced errors, BUT it was not him that coughed up the puck on the winning goal. It is not him that is a minus 2 in the playoffs. That would be your OA star, Constantini. Why Cameron had him on the ice in the final 3 minutes is beyond me.

I have tried to think about comparison and the only one I can come up with that is close is Richie Bronilla

 

[dirty12]

This s a team that got us what we wanted. We all said including you OMG that we needed Morrison and Mintykov. He went out and got them for a relatively cheap price when we consider he kept all his players.

No matter how you look at it; 2(2nds & 3rds & 4ths) for an OA, and 3(2nds & 3rds & 4ths) for an import is not cheap. Those prices could not and/or would not be matched by any team.

I think you said it earlier Morrison is playing hurt. I think Tolnai may be in the same boat.

I think they just playing against a faster and more talented forward group buying into team defence first.

The catch I think, is that you may be right about going back to the pre-deadline team

Tolnai centering the number 1 line.
Rohrer Number 2
Gardner number 3
Morrison we keep if he is hurting to PP and such

Defence should be Matier Mayich Mintykov and Marelli

Number 5 is Mews
Number 6 dress Ewle he was one of the better defenceman and had a +16 in the regular season

I do vehemently disagree with your shots at Mews. Yes, he is a rookie yes he has made some unforced errors, BUT it was not him that coughed up the puck on the winning goal. It is not him that is a minus 2 in the playoffs. That would be your OA star, Constantini. Why Cameron had him on the ice in the final 3 minutes is beyond me.

I have tried to think about comparison and the only one I can come up with that is close is Richie Bronilla

 

[NordiquesForeva]

I don’t want this to seem like a Cameron bashing party. I think it is important to also recognize all the great things he has achieved this year through the performance of this team.

The young players have all made a significant impact. That is a result of his ability to develop their talent and put them in challenging situations that didn’t overwhelm them. Those players all took advantage and returned the favour by producing. He managed to balance a squad that went through two stretches of illness as well as a significant level of key injuries throughout the entire season. he managed to juggle the roster to persevere through those tough stretches.

I give Cameron a hell of a lot of credit getting this team to where they are now. Their standing at the end of the season had a lot to do with his coaching.

But, now that it is the playoffs, that mindset needs to change. The best roster needs to be iced regardless of ego, development and loyalty. The players pushed hard and the cream should rise to the top, not be held back. Boyd did a disservice to this team by no tmaking all the moves he needed to because of loyalty. Now Cameron is making the same mistakes out of loyalty and ego stroking.

IMO, Thomas Sirman is being completely wasted as a 4th line winger. He plays with umph and has a strong sense of what he can get away from. He’s the type of player that can get under the skin of opposing forwards. He can be the defensive responsible element on any pairing. He isn’t quite at Mayich’s level but he can play as a 3rd pairing D-Man and allow an offensive player the ability to roam around.

Mews is a strong player, has loads of skill and can break a game open. He is also young and prone to over handling the puck. Against stronger teams, this can cause problems. He also has strong offensive instincts. If anyone should be playing forward right now, it should be Mews. That is the smarter decision for this playoff stretch. Maybe not the smarter decision for his personal development but this isn’t about Mews. This is about the TEAM.

It is time for Cameron to go back to what was working well in the first half. If he doesn’t do it and the 67’s lose the series, we need to question his instincts.

I thought the 67s put in a lot more effort last night and created more scoring opportunities than in game 2. The Petes did too, though, and I thought they played their best game of the series so far. Simpson continues to excel.

The Constantini mistake that resulted in Othmann's GWG was really tough to watch; I can't imagine he's playing with much confidence at the moment which makes me question why Cameron has him on the ice with under 2 minutes remaining in a tied game. Matier (who was also on the ice) Mintyukov and Mayich are the options I'd want out there. Constantini, Mews and Marrelli are all gripping the stick too tight, fumbling passes and making errant passes in the d-zone. But while the players are struggling, Cameron needs to be the one to put them in a position to succeed. Our young d-men are struggling and Constantini is having a rough time...it sucks, but Cameron needs to sit them and make the appropriate adjustments. That includes moving Sirman back on defense and asking him to play a simple, defensive-minded game. Let Constantini play to his strengths. Give Marrelli or Mews a night off.

The Petes have been extremely effective at bottling up Morrison and Beck. I liked the effort from Stonehouse, Pinelli, Gerrior, Tolnai and Rohrer last night, but ultimately it was insufficient. The team's lack of faceoff ability is an absolute killer. That needs to be a focus in the offseason for Rohrer and Gardiner.

Replacing Donoso with MacKenzie is a tough call. Glad I don't have to make it. Donoso has made some big stops but has lost the last two and would probably have liked one or two of those back last night. MacKenzie beat Peterborough twice in the last week of the regular season. Is he a better option for game 4? Honestly I don't know.

The series is far from over, but Wilson has made some good and necessary adjustments, while I don't see what Cameron has done in response. The 67s put forth a better effort last night and stopped the over-passing that was so apparent in game 2. But in what is shaping up as a very tight series, coaching adjustments and developing/executing the right game-plan are going to the decisive factor and Wilson has been better than Cameron up to this point.

 

[ecraigs]

But, now that it is the playoffs, that mindset needs to change. The best roster needs to be iced regardless of ego, development and loyalty. The players pushed hard and the cream should rise to the top, not be held back. Boyd did a disservice to this team by not making all the moves he needed to because of loyalty. Now Cameron is making the same mistakes out of loyalty and ego stroking.

It is his history that he doesn't change the program. If you look at his coaching record, there is a paucity of championship success. In 2011, he had a loaded team (thanks to Eugene Melnyk) and lost in the final game to some kid named Huberdeau.

The Petes are using a modified trap to cut off the stretch pass and fast breakouts. Ottawa seems perfectly happy to loiter behind the net making changes, instead of pushing the play up ice. This is where a coach has to make the adjustments.

Sirman seems to be an obvious player who can make things happen in front of the other guy's net.

I know you feel that shots are a symptom of the problem. I prefer to consider them a metric of ineffective play. Po-tay-toe, po-tah-toe, I guess. When I see a team going 10, 12 minutes without a shot of any kind, I have to ask where the problem sits.

 

[OMG67]

It is his history that he doesn't change the program. If you look at his coaching record, there is a paucity of championship success. In 2011, he had a loaded team (thanks to Eugene Melnyk) and lost in the final game to some kid named Huberdeau.

The Petes are using a modified trap to cut off the stretch pass and fast breakouts. Ottawa seems perfectly happy to loiter behind the net making changes, instead of pushing the play up ice. This is where a coach has to make the adjustments.

Sirman seems to be an obvious player who can make things happen in front of the other guy's net.

I know you feel that shots are a symptom of the problem. I prefer to consider them a metric of ineffective play. Po-tay-toe, po-tah-toe, I guess. When I see a team going 10, 12 minutes without a shot of any kind, I have to ask where the problem sits.

Both teams are generating shots, typically over 30. Shots aren’t the issue. The issue is scoring opportunities.

Ottawa is generating more scoring opportunities. They aren’t capitalizing on them.

Cameron needs to shorten his bench and run his horses out more. Stop rolling the 4th line. Stop rolling the 3rd D-Pairing as much.

Mintyukov should be on the ice for 30 minutes and Matier/Mayich probably at least 25.

Equity of ice time needs to stop. It isn’t working.

If you look at the players that were on the ice for the goals against yesterday, all of the players pointed to were on. When we have goals against and we see the 4th line, the young D-Men and Costantini, it highlights what I’ve been saying.

Additionally, it isn’t just about the defence. It is about puck movement from the defence. It isn’t effective as you’ve said.

I am happy with Ottawa’s approach. We knew going into the playoffs that a young team with lighter bodies would progressively have more difficulty accessing the net front. This means we need to prevent goals. If that is the case then at least make sure your top 6 D-Men are playing and run out your top 4 at least 50 minutes per game. Stop playing the 4th line and let your top guys get into a rhythm with more ice time.

 

[OMG67]

This s a team that got us what we wanted. We all said including you OMG that we needed Morrison and Mintykov. He went out and got them for a relatively cheap price when we consider he kept all his players.

I think you said it earlier Morrison is playing hurt. I think Tolnai may be in the same boat.

The catch I think, is that you may be right about going back to the pre-deadline team

Tolnai centering the number 1 line.
Rohrer Number 2
Gardner number 3
Morrison we keep if he is hurting to PP and such

Defence should be Matier Mayich Mintykov and Marelli

Number 5 is Mews
Number 6 dress Ewle he was one of the better defenceman and had a +16 in the regular season

I do vehemently disagree with your shots at Mews. Yes, he is a rookie yes he has made some unforced errors, BUT it was not him that coughed up the puck on the winning goal. It is not him that is a minus 2 in the playoffs. That would be your OA star, Constantini. Why Cameron had him on the ice in the final 3 minutes is beyond me.

I have tried to think about comparison and the only one I can come up with that is close is Richie Bronilla

Your answer to the defence is to rely more heavily on 16 and 17 year olds?

There is nothing wrong with any of the current players on the roster. It is how they are deployed that is the issue.

 

[analyser]

No matter how you look at it; 2(2nds & 3rds & 4ths) for an OA, and 3(2nds & 3rds & 4ths) for an import is not cheap. Those prices could not and/or would not be matched by any team.

I think they just playing against a faster and more talented forward group buying into team defence first.

No matter what anyone says Boyd thought he made the right moves for his young overachieving team. We also do not have Boucher who would of kept the Petes honest in the hitting department. A major factor is the age and experience, 9 to 4 when it comes to 03 born players advantage for the Petes. Boyd's refusal to trade Mews, Marrelli or any other roster player cost us in the long run if he was targeting an OHL championship.

These are like 1 goal games so the 67s are holding their own for the most part with their young players.

Like OMG and others have said Cameron needs to properly utilize the tools he has available. You cannot just keep throwing the regular lineup shift after shift when trailing especially in the 3rd period. Mintyukov was great with Saginaw and so you have to untie the leash and see what he can do. Time is running out.

Anyway you look at it a good season overall and it is nice to see the young players being highly competitive.

 

[OMG67]

No matter what anyone says Boyd thought he made the right moves for his young overachieving team. We also do not have Boucher who would of kept the Petes honest in the hitting department. A major factor is the age and experience, 9 to 4 when it comes to 03 born players advantage for the Petes. Boyd's refusal to trade Mews, Marrelli or any other roster player cost us in the long run if he was targeting an OHL championship.

These are like 1 goal games so the 67s are holding their own for the most part with their young players.

Like OMG and others have said Cameron needs to properly utilize the tools he has available. You cannot just keep throwing the regular lineup shift after shift when trailing especially in the 3rd period. Mintyukov was great with Saginaw and so you have to untie the leash and see what he can do. Time is running out.

Anyway you look at it a good season overall and it is nice to see the young players being highly competitive.

We all may have a differing level of expectation and goal than the Management team. We are assuming they want to win a Championship as their primary objective. That may not be the case.

We can question the decisions but we don’t know what the goal is. If the goal was to win a championship then Boyd dropped the ball. He knew it was 50-50 for Boucher. There was discussion of surgery prior to the deadline. It was probable that the 67s would be hard pressed to get Boucher the remainder of the season and playoffs.

Conversely, the goal could have been to add what they felt they could stomachs and hope for the best against older and more experienced teams in Peterborough and North Bay. If it isn’t enough then it isn’t enough but the younger players would get the experience they need for future runs. If the primary goal was to build this young group then they have met their goal.