Ottawa 67's 2023-24 Off-Season Thread (Part 1)

[OMG67]

Why would Niagara give a *15th for Smyth? They could interested in a good OA RD if available to them, or they just stick with Vannetten as the 4th OA.

Edit: I don’t like how I worded that. I think there will a place for some or all of McDowell, Smith, Smith, Smyth, VanVliet, …
For the first time in years Niagara has their own OAs in place. They probably choose Flores, Bryant; and start with two of Podolioukh, Vannetten, Klein, or trade for a legit top 3 OA D.

I think it will come down to landscape. Although it is highly probable that Niagara maintains their own OA’s, they want an OA D-Man with size that can move the puck. Although Smyth isn’t perfect with the positioning, especially in front of his own net, he fits the bill well from the other two areas. HE’s from st Catherine’s. I could see him requesting to go there. IF he requests to go there, I could see Niagara moving one of their other guys for a pick and then using that pick on Smyth. That’s the logic behind it anyway. It isn’t like Niagara isn’t known for those types of trades.

 

[OMG67]

Although I disagreed with @beastintheeast about the Priority Draft positioning, the one good thing about the 6th place finish is the Import Draft. Since all three leagues are positioned in it, they will pick somewhere around 30th instead of around 45th. THAT position change could make a bit of a difference if they have circled a name. Four spots from 11th to 15th isn’t typically a big deal in the Priority draft but maybe the Import Draft could make a real difference.

Searching for silver linings!

If we have an early playoff exit, I hope Boyd learned his lesson. If you are going to trade and go for it, go all the way and give the team an honest chance as opposed to “just” a chance.

 

[analyser]

Ottawa needs to be significantly better on the PP and on the faceoff dot if they want to do any sort of damage in the playoffs. At least MacKenzie was outstanding.

Maillet was 0 for 10 on the faceoffs and the powerplays they should of declined. First period was not too bad. Second period it was it all down hill as they could not even manage to get any decent shots on goal for the rest of the game.

Credit has to go to the Bulldogs.

 

[ecraigs]

Maillet was 0 for 10 on the faceoffs and the powerplays they should of declined. First period was not too bad. Second period it was it all down hill as they could not even manage to get any decent shots on goal for the rest of the game.

Credit has to go to the Bulldogs.

No team with hopes of finishing top half should go 0 for 6 on the power play in a key matchup. Never mind the opponent, Ottawa's PP is atrocious; 12th in the League with 45 goals for and 10 SH against. Penalty kill is worse. This team has a leadership problem. We can talk about the players all we want, but the problem is deeper than that.

I do credit the opposition, because they are clearly doing something far better than we are.

 

[OMG67]

No team with hopes of finishing top half should go 0 for 6 on the power play in a key matchup. Never mind the opponent, Ottawa's PP is atrocious; 12th in the League with 45 goals for and 10 SH against. Penalty kill is worse. This team has a leadership problem. We can talk about the players all we want, but the problem is deeper than that.

I do credit the opposition, because they are clearly doing something far better than we are.

I can get behind this assessment for sure. The special teams is what is mostly holding this team back. They are a very strong 5 on 5 club.

 

[beastintheeast]

we don’t have a second round pick, also why would you release Gerrior & Mayich, 1) Gerrior is going to make the team & 2) you can get picks for mayich in a trade, as well there is absolutely no chance Mich is being kept, Nelson will start every game that Mack does not

I never said to release Mayich what I said was that Boyd will have to decide out of camp who he wants to keep between the 3.

As top gerrior, if Stonehouse doesn't make the Oilers farm team and comes back, what do you do again? He will have to decide what he wants to do with which player.

If next year is a rebuilding year, and he can get some good picks or young players for MacK out of training camp, then going with Nelson and Mich makes sense.

Again, next year is not going to be a year to go for it. It is a year to sit back, get some youth, and get ready for another run in a couple of years.

 

[beastintheeast]

Michelone has negative value. The only reason to keep him is if we trade MacK and at least three other OAs to start the season. OA values rise at the deadline. It is rare to get deadline value at the start of the season. I can see them get deadline value for Mayich and maybe MacK depending on the goaltending landscape. But, that leaves them with Sirman, Stonehouse, and Gerrior still. I think they can trade a 12th round pick and get a 19 year old that can work out if needed. But, for all of that to happen, Boyd has to throw in the towel to start the season without playing a single game. I don’t see that happening.

Stop with Niagara. That is just silly. We have three for sure teams at the too next year (Brantford, Brampton, and Oshawa). We have a few other teams that I classify as wannabes but they wills till be good and they are Kingston and Barrie. Ottawa should be with those teams unless they sell everything not nailed down. Then there is North Bay who should have a good staart leading up to trading Romani at the deadline, Peterborough who will be decent for a rebuilding team but not in the playoffs and Niagara. I’d be willing to agree Niagara makes the playoffs next year but top 4? Whoa there cowboy. Let’s hold the horses back from the super hot takes.

Let’s take the “vanilla” approach. They will try to find a soft landing spot for Smyth. Ideally, Ottawa would get a pick in the 5th to 7th range for him, similar to the Gill-Shane deal. “IF” a deadline type deal is out there for Mayich to start the season, I think he is gone. Kitchener was rumoured to have wanted him and were willing to pay a pretty price for him at the deadline. I assume that is mostly because they wanted him next year as an OA. If that is still in the cards, we could see him go there or maybe one of Brampton or Kingston. I think they’d want a 2nd and 3rd.

Then it leaves them with Gerrior, Stonehouse, Sirman, and MacK. They can keep all four of those guys rotating them into the lineup all the way to the trade deadline if they want. That gives Boyd some time to see where the team sits. It allows for some stability since Mews plays with Sirman pretty well. We have stability in net. And we’d have two wingers that provide some leadership. Then the chips fall where they fall at or around the deadline.

That is the most likely approach unless some of them request early trades.

Michelone, I agree, and that is why I stated that we would be trading MacK. I think having him in a building year would at least take some of the pressure off of Nelson.

I think Niagara could be fighting for the 456 location. depending on what they do. They have a lot of high draft pick players playing there and really if Boudreau can get a good draft pick and set some goaltending.

Kitchener is not going to be interested in Mayich next year. I think they have a few spaces in the cupboard to fill and will be sellers. They tried to do it 2 years in a row and now need to suck back for a year and restock.

I see Brantford, Sudbury, Brampton Oshawa as the top 4 next year

I see Kingston and Niagara as 5-6

I really do not see the 67s any higher than 7 next year. There are too many holes that need to be fixed.

There is no offence and there is no line that you can ay is a first line.

No team with hopes of finishing top half should go 0 for 6 on the power play in a key matchup. Never mind the opponent, Ottawa's PP is atrocious; 12th in the League with 45 goals for and 10 SH against. Penalty kill is worse. This team has a leadership problem. We can talk about the players all we want, but the problem is deeper than that.

I do credit the opposition, because they are clearly doing something far better than we are.

It is easy to kill a penalty against ateam that has only 1 line or PP unit. Same thing with the PK.

I agree that there is a leadership issue. Hopefully Mews or Marelli when they get to their NHL camps have their eyes opened.


Pinelli is not Captain material; he is a one-trick pony. Maybe a summer off helps, but I am not sure.

This is a team that is in desperate need of a rebuild. They need to forget about the older players and start to teach the younger players what is required.

The player this year that disappointed me was Stonehouse. I thought he would have been more of a leader on and off the ice. But let's face it, this team has a lot of needs. The only place we can feel the slightest safe with is the goaltender.

 

[analyser]

No team with hopes of finishing top half should go 0 for 6 on the power play in a key matchup. Never mind the opponent, Ottawa's PP is atrocious; 12th in the League with 45 goals for and 10 SH against. Penalty kill is worse. This team has a leadership problem. We can talk about the players all we want, but the problem is deeper than that.

I do credit the opposition, because they are clearly doing something far better than we are.

I was just mentioning Maillet and his poor afternoon at the faceoff dot. I agree, the special teams are a disaster and the leadership has to come from within. No magic wand or just going through the motions is going to fix these problems it is time to dig in and show some true effort. Use your hockey sense and quit trying to force plays that are just not there and are really low percentage wise.

 

[OMG67]

Michelone, I agree, and that is why I stated that we would be trading MacK. I think having him in a building year would at least take some of the pressure off of Nelson.

I think Niagara could be fighting for the 456 location. depending on what they do. They have a lot of high draft pick players playing there and really if Boudreau can get a good draft pick and set some goaltending.

Kitchener is not going to be interested in Mayich next year. I think they have a few spaces in the cupboard to fill and will be sellers. They tried to do it 2 years in a row and now need to suck back for a year and restock.

I see Brantford, Sudbury, Brampton Oshawa as the top 4 next year

I see Kingston and Niagara as 5-6

I really do not see the 67s any higher than 7 next year. There are too many holes that need to be fixed.

There is no offence and there is no line that you can ay is a first line.



It is easy to kill a penalty against ateam that has only 1 line or PP unit. Same thing with the PK.

I agree that there is a leadership issue. Hopefully Mews or Marelli when they get to their NHL camps have their eyes opened.


Pinelli is not Captain material; he is a one-trick pony. Maybe a summer off helps, but I am not sure.

This is a team that is in desperate need of a rebuild. They need to forget about the older players and start to teach the younger players what is required.

The player this year that disappointed me was Stonehouse. I thought he would have been more of a leader on and off the ice. But let's face it, this team has a lot of needs. The only place we can feel the slightest safe with is the goaltender.

Stop with the Michelone silliness. You can get a comparable 19 year old for a 12th round pick. To keep him, you have to sacrifice another OA with value. It makes no real sense. There is no sense trading Stonehouse for a 3rd and 4th in September so you can keep Michelone when you can get a 2nd, two 3rds and a 4th for Stonehouse at the deadline. That is effectively what you would be doing keeping Michelone. It is just plain silliness. The ONLY reason to keep Michelone is when you have an open OA spot that he can fill. But, the 67’s have 6 bonafide OHL players returning as OA’s. Even if a kid like Stonehouse doesn’t return, they would have five. They need to pair that down to four for manageability. Adding Michelone into that mix is irresponsible when you can pick up any random goalie for next to nothing in the pre-season. There is only one scenario that makes sense to keep Michelone. Stonehouse turns pro, the 67s get a nice haul for MacK and Mayich. They move out Smyth and run with Michelone, Gerrior and Sirman. That is a pretty remote scenario to piece together. It isn’t often you get full value for OA’s at the start of the season. Getting full value for two of them is RARE.

The 67’s are in the same situation next year as this year. Lack of centres. It is the entire reason why we made a go if it this year. We could get the two centres needed as cheaper OA’s. They will be a solid first half team. They are well coached, they will come out of the gate fine. Decent defence. They will win some games. I don’t see them as a 7th place team heading into the deadline. The only way this team is in 7th at the deadline is if Boyd gives up on them in the pre-season and trades three of the higher end OA’s. I cannot see him doing that. Nothing about him suggests he will do that. He is beyond a Vanilla GM. He will move Smyth and one of the other five to get down to four. Gerrior and MacK won’t be one of the ones he moves. The caveat being if one of those guys asks to be moved. Requesting a trade is an exception, not the norm so we shouldn’t assume it will happen.

The one thing you are not considering is culture. It is hard to do a full rebuild because you lose your connection to annually renewed culture. You also lose preparation to compete the following year. This is why I think it is very important to keep MacK and Gerrior. Mack will help tutor Nelson for a season. That will be super important. Gerrior is a fine example to help bring along the rookies. I can see moving Smyth, Mayich, Stonehouse and Pinelli. That’s it. There is no need to move anyone else. Maybe if you honestly feel like Foster is going to graduate, he could be a target if the price is right but you can’t move him and Gardiner as well. There would be nothing left to carry over. You’d effectively be starting from scratch the following year. They don’t need to go there. Help fill in your empty pick slots in 2026 with Mayich and Stonehouse. Pick up an ‘08 for Pinelli. Call it a day. THEN they finish in 7th, respectably. They have the possibility to carry over Gardiner and Foster as OAs. Nelson will be better prepared and ready. Mews and Marrelli will be 19. I can see that transition being positive.

 

[OMG67]

The one thing that needs to be addressed is size. They need to go get it at the Import draft and in early rounds of the Priority Selection. They cannot sprinkle it in starting in the 5th round with guys like Hilton and Houben. We need guys that can play top 6 roles with size, not the 4th line. Drafting a kid like Korbler at 150 pounds is useless for this team. No disrespect meant to Korbler but loading up your right side with a bunch of 160 pounders isn’t ideal…

 

[NordiquesForeva]

I was just mentioning Maillet and his poor afternoon at the faceoff dot. I agree, the special teams are a disaster and the leadership has to come from within. No magic wand or just going through the motions is going to fix these problems it is time to dig in and show some true effort. Use your hockey sense and quit trying to force plays that are just not there and are really low percentage wise.

To be fair, against a team like Brantford, the 67s were forced into taking low-% shots or attempting low-% passes as the forwards were unable to get off the wall and into the middle of the ice for prime scoring chances. Credit to Brantford there (and similar to the way the Petes played against the 67s in last year's playoffs). I don't think its a lack of effort, but more of an issue with size/physicality. Gerrior made a nice attempt at getting to the net but got blown-up by the Brantford d-man on what I saw as a clean hit. Pinelli's shooting ability makes him a threat from nearly anywhere in the o-zone, but if you watch recent games against stronger teams like Brantford, Oshawa, Missy, he's been forced out to the top of the circles and hasn't been able to penetrate into the circles for better opportunities. When he does shoot the puck, the stronger teams know to get their bodies or sticks in the way.

Pinelli needs to be better defensively. On Brantford's 2nd goal on Saturday, he did a "fly by" and the Brantford d-man had a clear lane for a point shot or drive to the net. A few weeks ago Nylander from the Leafs did something similar and was benched for several shifts; maybe that needs to happen here as well. Part of being a captain is being held accountable for poor defensive effort.

Kressler is a good player (in my view, he's our best overall player) and has given 100% effort in his time with us, but I think he'll struggle to create offense going forward as our opponents will limit his time and space. Ottawa is an easy team to scout and plan for unfortunately. In games where Kressler + Pinelli are limited/shut down, the Maillet and Gardiner lines need to rise to the occasion and provide some offense. Neither line was really impactful on Saturday, Maillet shorty notwithstanding.

The best thing that can be said about the Brantford game is that MacKenzie was really solid.

In better news, Ottawa 67s alumni Austen Keating led UNB to a national championship and an undeafeted record on the season.

 

[ecraigs]

I hesitate to name players because they are all younger than my newest pair of shoes. Players can learn and mature and get better. That's what we have coaches for. Part of accountability is to recognize play that is not appropriate for the level and applying corrective measures. I haven't seen much of this, particularly for glaring defensive misplays. The game winning goal for Mississauga comes to mind.

We have young players who sit out game after game, while veterans repeat the same old errors. It's hard to see what that teaches them. The PP is predictable and lacks energy. The whole "cruise behind the net waiting for a change" has lost its attraction. Peterborough beat the piss out of that.

The team loses out on PP opportunities because of one or two hotheads who negate man advantages for no reason. Fewest penalty kills, third fewest PP chances. That should be a good thing, right?

The 67s have some marvellous players as others have noted, but my impression is that that talent is being wasted. They are in 6th in the East and that seems fair.

 

[analyser]

To be fair, against a team like Brantford, the 67s were forced into taking low-% shots or attempting low-% passes as the forwards were unable to get off the wall and into the middle of the ice for prime scoring chances. Credit to Brantford there (and similar to the way the Petes played against the 67s in last year's playoffs). I don't think its a lack of effort, but more of an issue with size/physicality. Gerrior made a nice attempt at getting to the net but got blown-up by the Brantford d-man on what I saw as a clean hit. Pinelli's shooting ability makes him a threat from nearly anywhere in the o-zone, but if you watch recent games against stronger teams like Brantford, Oshawa, Missy, he's been forced out to the top of the circles and hasn't been able to penetrate into the circles for better opportunities. When he does shoot the puck, the stronger teams know to get their bodies or sticks in the way.

Pinelli needs to be better defensively. On Brantford's 2nd goal on Saturday, he did a "fly by" and the Brantford d-man had a clear lane for a point shot or drive to the net. A few weeks ago Nylander from the Leafs did something similar and was benched for several shifts; maybe that needs to happen here as well. Part of being a captain is being held accountable for poor defensive effort.

Kressler is a good player (in my view, he's our best overall player) and has given 100% effort in his time with us, but I think he'll struggle to create offense going forward as our opponents will limit his time and space. Ottawa is an easy team to scout and plan for unfortunately. In games where Kressler + Pinelli are limited/shut down, the Maillet and Gardiner lines need to rise to the occasion and provide some offense. Neither line was really impactful on Saturday, Maillet shorty notwithstanding.

The best thing that can be said about the Brantford game is that MacKenzie was really solid.

In better news, Ottawa 67s alumni Austen Keating led UNB to a national championship and an undeafeted record on the season.

I have mentioned for years that size has been a problem and has hindered our ability to play the playoff style of hockey. When you do not have size or deem it not to be required you have obvious deficiency in your lineup. I believe a healthy under control Boucher would have made a big difference against the Pete's last year in the playoffs.

We do not have the size so we have to utilize what we have and use crisp clean passes, move the puck quickly and take advantage of the extra player on the PP. Avoid the obvious and use what options become available. Should we be having difficulty getting quality shots stick Mayer in front of the net to at least distract the goaltender. Pinelli has a great shot and can really stickhandle but use all the players on the PP so you do not waste a lot of time trying to go through the opposition's whole team. The other teams know this so obviously they target him as they are aware of his tendencies. When you are last man back on the PP do not try to be a hero and then get stripped of the puck.

 

[OMG67]

I hesitate to name players because they are all younger than my newest pair of shoes. Players can learn and mature and get better. That's what we have coaches for. Part of accountability is to recognize play that is not appropriate for the level and applying corrective measures. I haven't seen much of this, particularly for glaring defensive misplays. The game winning goal for Mississauga comes to mind.

We have young players who sit out game after game, while veterans repeat the same old errors. It's hard to see what that teaches them. The PP is predictable and lacks energy. The whole "cruise behind the net waiting for a change" has lost its attraction. Peterborough beat the piss out of that.

The team loses out on PP opportunities because of one or two hotheads who negate man advantages for no reason. Fewest penalty kills, third fewest PP chances. That should be a good thing, right?

The 67s have some marvellous players as others have noted, but my impression is that that talent is being wasted. They are in 6th in the East and that seems fair.

This is a bit of an oddball season so it is good to keep perspective on that. We knew we were likely going to have an oddball season this year because of the double cohort after the Covid lockdown season. Players like Stonehouse are only in their 3rd season and missed that 16 year old rookie season where they get an opportunity to feel the league out and settle in before higher levels of expectation are paced on them. Not playing at all their 16 year old season creates a lot of negative variables. Additionally, drafting players the following season after a cancelled season itself creates a lot of negative variables.

All that said, I think I would caution against any of us using this year as any sort of measuring stick. With so much past disruption, lost development and blind drafting of the ‘05s, it is really hard to compare this season to the traditional measuring stick. I hesitate to fully criticize anything. Although, I do agree that benching players does have its meaning, I just wonder if it is even worth while for this team. I criticized Mews a lot this year for his reckless play but if the coach encourages the players to be creative and push the envelop, should I criticize a player for being crafty and aggressive? Same goes for Pinelli. It is his crafty aggressive play that opens the ice and gives him opportunities. If he reduces that, does that then reduce his overall effectiveness?

Generally speaking, as a whole, I think the team has played fairly well from a defensive responsibility perspective. They are solid at 5 on 5. Their special teams has been putrid which is definitely costing them dearly. Their lack of size makes it more difficult for them to expand their scoring into the dirty areas of the ice. That is a drafting issue though.

As an overall assessment to date, I am happy with what we have seen. There are things that can be improved upon but I honestly feel this team as a sum of its parts has performed beyond initial expectations. This is a team that lost Beck early to a trade demand and lost Rohrer early with him staying in Europe. I did not expect us to compete at this level this seaosn. It is a pleasant surprise. The unfortunate part of this surprise is it was less because of our strong play and more because of weak and inconsistent play of other teams in our conference. That circles back to the double cohort point and all the challenges managing that mentioned above.

We will go into the playoffs as low a seed as 6th and we will have a relatively good chance of winning a round or two int he playoffs, even from the 6th seed. It is not often a 6th seed can say that. That is because of the relative parity from 1st to 6th seed. The trades made gave us a chance. I could argue we should have gone at it harder but we didn’t manage to get anything else done. So be it. We got what we got!

I am looking forward to the home stretch and the first round of the playoffs. I may even do a road trip on Easter Weekend for games one and two depending on what team we are playing. Overall, I am pretty happy, regardless of some fo the criticism I have laid at the feet of the team this season.

 

[sirius67fan]

I think we have to come to the realization that this team is less than the sum of its parts. The sample size is big enough now but this team has not gelled. I do think part of the fault is on Cameron who has not found the combinations with his constant line shifts. As someone mentioned why didn't he try Gardiner on right wing with Maillet? Anyways I think we are headed for a first round exit. I hope they surprise me and that I am wrong. Hopefully they will still be alive when I return to the country as I would love to see a few live games before the summer.

 

[OMG67]

I think we have to come to the realization that this team is less than the sum of its parts. The sample size is big enough now but this team has not gelled. I do think part of the fault is on Cameron who has not found the combinations with his constant line shifts. As someone mentioned why didn't he try Gardiner on right wing with Maillet? Anyways I think we are headed for a first round exit. I hope they surprise me and that I am wrong. Hopefully they will still be alive when I return to the country as I would love to see a few live games before the summer.

There is one caveat. The regular season resulted in stats on special teams that in smaller sample sizes could sway the fortunes of the 67’s. For example, if they have a series where they kill penalties effectively and score a few PP goals, that combined with their strong 5 on 5 play could win a series. I would be more concerned if this were a team that lived and breathed on the PP success. It doesn’t. That could be a good thing if you look at it from a different angle.

Silver lining approach, I know. But it does have some merit. It is not like we are going into this first series against whomever thinking we need to score two PP goals per game to even have a chance to win.

 

[sirius67fan]

There is one caveat. The regular season resulted in stats on special teams that in smaller sample sizes could sway the fortunes of the 67’s. For example, if they have a series where they kill penalties effectively and score a few PP goals, that combined with their strong 5 on 5 play could win a series. I would be more concerned if this were a team that lived and breathed on the PP success. It doesn’t. That could be a good thing if you look at it from a different angle.

Silver lining approach, I know. But it does have some merit. It is not like we are going into this first series against whomever thinking we need to score two PP goals per game to even have a chance to win.

I do realize that we have a chance in any series this year but I actually think they have regressed since the deadline in terms of structure and cohesiveness. They have more talent but up to now not really working imo.Hopefully they find a gear as I do feel IF they can win the first round and get an identity that we could have a chance. You know me I'm usually optimistic but I just don't feel it this year.

 

[OMG67]

I do realize that we have a chance in any series this year but I actually think they have regressed since the deadline in terms of structure and cohesiveness. They have more talent but up to now not really working imo.Hopefully they find a gear as I do feel IF they can win the first round and get an identity that we could have a chance. You know me I'm usually optimistic but I just don't feel it this year.

I see where you are coming from but the main issue is the 67’s are a solid first half team because they are typically ahead of other teams fromt he perspective of goal suppression, system acceptance and execution. Other teams usually take a little longer getting into a groove. We saw that last year as well. So, maybe it is not so much that Ottawa has regressed and more that other teams have significantly improved.

For example, a little while back we discussed the Eastern Conference success vs the top of the Western Conference. A lot of that has to do with the gap being lessened between the top Eastern Teams and the top Western Teams. Plus, North Bay, Oshawa, Sudbury, and Mississauga all added players at the deadline and Brantford traded a couple but filled in their gaps by adding a few players that may be a better fit. So, all teams improved. It may very well be that Ottawa only kept pace.

I reiterate what some others have said. Gardiner and Stonehouse don’t seem to have improved from last year. Foster has only marginally improved. We will see what happens int he playoffs. We will get a sense of what this team truly is and that will help inform the decisions for next year.

 

[beastintheeast]

Stop with the Michelone silliness. You can get a comparable 19 year old for a 12th round pick. To keep him, you have to sacrifice another OA with value. It makes no real sense. There is no sense trading Stonehouse for a 3rd and 4th in September so you can keep Michelone when you can get a 2nd, two 3rds and a 4th for Stonehouse at the deadline. That is effectively what you would be doing keeping Michelone. It is just plain silliness. The ONLY reason to keep Michelone is when you have an open OA spot that he can fill. But, the 67’s have 6 bonafide OHL players returning as OA’s. Even if a kid like Stonehouse doesn’t return, they would have five. They need to pair that down to four for manageability. Adding Michelone into that mix is irresponsible when you can pick up any random goalie for next to nothing in the pre-season. There is only one scenario that makes sense to keep Michelone. Stonehouse turns pro, the 67s get a nice haul for MacK and Mayich. They move out Smyth and run with Michelone, Gerrior and Sirman. That is a pretty remote scenario to piece together. It isn’t often you get full value for OA’s at the start of the season. Getting full value for two of them is RARE.

The 67’s are in the same situation next year as this year. Lack of centres. It is the entire reason why we made a go if it this year. We could get the two centres needed as cheaper OA’s. They will be a solid first half team. They are well coached, they will come out of the gate fine. Decent defence. They will win some games. I don’t see them as a 7th place team heading into the deadline. The only way this team is in 7th at the deadline is if Boyd gives up on them in the pre-season and trades three of the higher end OA’s. I cannot see him doing that. Nothing about him suggests he will do that. He is beyond a Vanilla GM. He will move Smyth and one of the other five to get down to four. Gerrior and MacK won’t be one of the ones he moves. The caveat being if one of those guys asks to be moved. Requesting a trade is an exception, not the norm so we shouldn’t assume it will happen.

The one thing you are not considering is culture. It is hard to do a full rebuild because you lose your connection to annually renewed culture. You also lose preparation to compete the following year. This is why I think it is very important to keep MacK and Gerrior. Mack will help tutor Nelson for a season. That will be super important. Gerrior is a fine example to help bring along the rookies. I can see moving Smyth, Mayich, Stonehouse and Pinelli. That’s it. There is no need to move anyone else. Maybe if you honestly feel like Foster is going to graduate, he could be a target if the price is right but you can’t move him and Gardiner as well. There would be nothing left to carry over. You’d effectively be starting from scratch the following year. They don’t need to go there. Help fill in your empty pick slots in 2026 with Mayich and Stonehouse. Pick up an ‘08 for Pinelli. Call it a day. THEN they finish in 7th, respectably. They have the possibility to carry over Gardiner and Foster as OAs. Nelson will be better prepared and ready. Mews and Marrelli will be 19. I can see that transition being positive.

You are putting a lot of stock on returning players

Here are my returning OA players for the start of the season

Mayich
Gerrior
Mack
You cannot keep Sirman or Smyth because you can only dress 3 OAIt would be idiotic to keep Sirman and put him in the stands.

Smythe should not even be invited back to camp. I'm sorry, but I do not think there is a place for him.

There is no downside to inviting Michelone to camp. I know it sounds crazy, but if we can play him a few games and get something for him, all the better. OR If Boyd gets a good offer for Mack to start the season, then you have a goalie that can start the year and work with Nelson.

If Stonehouse comes back then they are going to have to trade either Stonehouse or Gerrior.

As you said, Mayich will be worth more at the deadline if he has a good year.

They came out of the gate well, not because of anything other than they knew each other and the system, so there was not the bonding and getting used to things that the other teams had.

I agree rebuilding is not a one-year program. It has to be done slowly. You replace players and give them a chance to develop.

The old guard teaches them what being 67 means. Much like the Bruins or Canadians.

Looking at the league and the returning crop, this will be a 6th place at best team next year. Pinelli is an issue he does not understand what 200 means.

Our defence will be good to start, but it is still a weaker version of the defence we had this year.

The challenge is going to be who steps up over the summer to improve their offence.
Who steps up to be the center that this team needs?

Will the 2nd year players show enough to get mentioned by scouts?

How will our rookies do, and how will the players we draft fit in?

Again, I will state what I think is obvious: this is a 6- or 7-place team next year, which is not bad.

I just wanted to remind you that I was right about where they would end up this year.
I was right about Moldenhauer.

 

[beastintheeast]

Friday night will decide who we play int eh first round

 

[OMG67]

You are putting a lot of stock on returning players

Here are my returning OA players for the start of the season

Mayich
Gerrior
Mack
You cannot keep Sirman or Smyth because you can only dress 3 OAIt would be idiotic to keep Sirman and put him in the stands.

Smythe should not even be invited back to camp. I'm sorry, but I do not think there is a place for him.

There is no downside to inviting Michelone to camp. I know it sounds crazy, but if we can play him a few games and get something for him, all the better. OR If Boyd gets a good offer for Mack to start the season, then you have a goalie that can start the year and work with Nelson.

If Stonehouse comes back then they are going to have to trade either Stonehouse or Gerrior.

As you said, Mayich will be worth more at the deadline if he has a good year.

They came out of the gate well, not because of anything other than they knew each other and the system, so there was not the bonding and getting used to things that the other teams had.

I agree rebuilding is not a one-year program. It has to be done slowly. You replace players and give them a chance to develop.

The old guard teaches them what being 67 means. Much like the Bruins or Canadians.

Looking at the league and the returning crop, this will be a 6th place at best team next year. Pinelli is an issue he does not understand what 200 means.

Our defence will be good to start, but it is still a weaker version of the defence we had this year.

The challenge is going to be who steps up over the summer to improve their offence.
Who steps up to be the center that this team needs?

Will the 2nd year players show enough to get mentioned by scouts?

How will our rookies do, and how will the players we draft fit in?

Again, I will state what I think is obvious: this is a 6- or 7-place team next year, which is not bad.

I just wanted to remind you that I was right about where they would end up this year.
I was right about Moldenhauer.

Let’s first clarify that there is a difference between inviting Michelin’s to training camp and giving him a roster spot. My assumption based on you suggesting they trade MacK early is that your plan would be to give him a roster spot.

There are multiple reasons why you don’t give Michelins a roster spot. First, you only get 30 cards. As soon as he dresses game one, he burns a player card. Second, they cannot roster more than 6 OAs to start the season and that provision is only a paper provision in case teams want to keep an extra OA or two that are in pro camps and need some time to ensure they aren’t returning. It is rare that a team keeps and maintains four through the deadline. So, maybe they can keep four active for a short period but realistically speaking, they can only keep three through the deadline. I imagine if they keep four, they would look to straighten that out by mid-November latest.

Regarding Stonehouse. His play has been indifferent this year to date. His effectiveness has been minimal. If there is one guy that is truly disappointing, it is Stonehouse. That may have a significant impact on his assignment next year. He likely needs that OA season for additional development. Again, all the ‘05s lost their 16 year old season so there will be a lot of guys like him next year.

Boyd isn’t the type of guy to throw in the towel from day one so I cannot see a scenario where he trades MacK. To be honest, at the value of goalies, especially OAs, I cannot see him trade MacK at all. There may be a scenario where it makes sense like the Simpson deal this year where the Pete’s got Bowen and a 3rd but they got the 18 year old goalie on the deal so no need for Michelone in that scenario either.

We agree about Smyth. No space for him.

So, there really are only two questions for our OAs. First, do they keep Mayich or Sirman? I can see Mayich being coveted early enough to move him for a decent package. I do t see Sirman in the same situation. Sirman plays well with Mews so it does make some sense to keep Sirman “if” we can get a solid return on Mayich.

The other question is whether Stonehouse is returned. If so, I feel he is traded.

I see Gerrior and MacK as set in stone as much as possible to be OAs through the whole season. One of Sirman or Mayich will be with them but since Mayich’s value is likely 3x Sirman and the organization really likes Sirman, I can see Mayich being moved.

Nowhere in there does Michelone fit. Even if MacK is traded early, they likely get a goalie in return or they can snag one like they did when they acquired Michelone for a 12th round pick. No reason to keep Michelone at all. Virtually zero reason.

EDIT:
Plus we had Donoso who was the starting goalie for a 100+ point team as a 19 year old. We were unable to trade him as an OA. We ended up waiving him and a non-playoff team picked him up.

I don’t see the landscape in the OHL changing to the point that a bonafide OHL starter OA one year is a waiver claim and the next year an OHL career backup with sub-par numbers returns a trade asset as an OA. I mean, we need to agree that we should speak in terms of realistic possibilities and not outlier rarities where a singular situation arises that forces a team into a bad option.

 

[dirty12]

You are putting a lot of stock on returning players

Here are my returning OA players for the start of the season

Mayich
Gerrior
Mack
You cannot keep Sirman or Smyth because you can only dress 3 OAIt would be idiotic to keep Sirman and put him in the stands.

Smythe should not even be invited back to camp. I'm sorry, but I do not think there is a place for him.

There is no downside to inviting Michelone to camp. I know it sounds crazy, but if we can play him a few games and get something for him, all the better. OR If Boyd gets a good offer for Mack to start the season, then you have a goalie that can start the year and work with Nelson.

If Stonehouse comes back then they are going to have to trade either Stonehouse or Gerrior.

As you said, Mayich will be worth more at the deadline if he has a good year.

They came out of the gate well, not because of anything other than they knew each other and the system, so there was not the bonding and getting used to things that the other teams had.

All three seasons Cameron’s team started stronger than finished when compared to the rest of the conference. You cannot dispute Cameron has his team more ready to start than most others in the conference.

I agree rebuilding is not a one-year program. It has to be done slowly. You replace players and give them a chance to develop.

The old guard teaches them what being 67 means. Much like the Bruins or Canadians.

Looking at the league and the returning crop, this will be a 6th place at best team next year. Pinelli is an issue he does not understand what 200 means.

Our defence will be good to start, but it is still a weaker version of the defence we had this year.

The challenge is going to be who steps up over the summer to improve their offence.
Who steps up to be the center that this team needs?

Will the 2nd year players show enough to get mentioned by scouts?

How will our rookies do, and how will the players we draft fit in?

Again, I will state what I think is obvious: this is a 6- or 7-place team next year, which is not bad.

I just wanted to remind you that I was right about where they would end up this year.
I was right about Moldenhauer.

 

[OMG67]

I suggest we park next year talk for after the playoffs. As much as that discussion is always fun and relevant, we need to focus on round one! This is the best time of the hockey season!

 

[AGranderson]

I suggest we park next year talk for after the playoffs. As much as that discussion is always fun and relevant, we need to focus on round one! This is the best time of the hockey season!

Agreed let’s get into these last 3 regular season games & playoffs

 

[OMG67]

Looks like the Central Division is going to come down to North Bay and Mississauga. They play head to head on Friday in Mississauga. It is likely the winner of that game wins the division. Oshawa only needs a point to claim the East Division.

So, Ottawa will play one of Sudbury, Branford, or the loser of Fridays’ game between Mississauga and North Bay. Odds are pretty good that Sudbury wins their two games vs Barrie and Niagara. So, for the 67’s to jump up to 5th, we likely need to run the schedule the last three games.

If Ottawa finishes 6th, which is starting to look to be the most likely scenario, the odds are pretty good we play the loser of Friday nights game between North Bay and Mississauga. There is an outside chance that Brantford squeaks into the 3rd seed but, like Ottawa, they’d likely need to run the schedule.

It really is too early to call who we will play in round one. I think it will come down to the Sunday game vs Brantford before we know. We may even have to wait until the result comes in for the Sudbury vs Oshawa game Sunday night!

I guess what I am trying to say (unsuccessfully) is we more than likely won’t play Oshawa but we could play anyone else! So crazy! We should start a pool on who we will play in round one!