Ottawa 67's 2023-24 Season Thread (Part 2)

[NordiquesForeva]

What happened? I couldn’t tell. I know it went off Michelone’s shoulder and popped up in the air. Did one of the Saginaw players whack it? I know the guy in front missed the puck when he swatted at it above the crossbar. It didn’t look like anyone banged into Michelone but I didn’t get the greatest view on the replays.

EDIT:
I went back to look at the play. I never noticed it at first but Michelone took a high stick to the mask when the player swatted at the rebound. Slapped him pretty good. That said, it doesn't look like it was a distraction at all. Comes across as more of an excuse? I don’t know how much that did or did not affect him.

Yeah, that's what happened; whether or not it was a distraction to Michelone isn't really the point though, is it? It should have been a 2-minute penalty for high-sticking or goaltender interference. If any other player on the ice gets clipped like that (without a goalie mask), that gets whistled down and penalized.

I'm not one for conspiracy theories but Saginaw has been the beneficiary of some problematic officiating of late.

Regardless, 4 out of 6 points on the road trip should be seen as a big success all things considered. Very close to 6 out of 6. The players can take the week to get healthy. Like I said a few weeks ago, I think the 67s can play with anyone in the league.

Holding leads has been a huge problem recently, but once everyone is healthy there are some lineup configurations Cameron can change (imho) that can help. I agree with your points on Maillet. There is a good player there, but the 67s' style of play (or maybe better said, the linemates he's been paired up with) don't play a complementary style. He seems to like to work the puck down low and control it, and look for opportunities in front of the net. I think I'd try him with Gerrior (LW) and Gardiner (RW). Both guys are pretty good on the forecheck and on the cycle. Both good skaters on the wing and can take care of things defensively if that is what they are tasked with. Gerrior has a nice scoring touch from the slot. That line can also serve as a defensive line that can defend leads at the end of the game. I'd try this:

Pinelli - Kressler - Stonehouse
Gerrior - Maillet - Gardiner
Barlas - Foster - Dever
Korbler - Whitehead - Horner/Kelly

I don't love Kressler and Pinelli together, but they are our two front line players and will deservedly get premium ice time. Stonehouse can add a forechecking presence to that line and may spur some offensive growth that we've all been waiting for.

 

[OMG67]

We have the easiest games but then again.

What concerns me with your plan is that we are going to bust oour assets tire our players and finish top again but be tired be sore going into the playoffs.

The other thing that I worry about is tht we will again be top and be drafting after some of the better players (offensive) WILL BE GONE.

Finishing 5-6 but healthy and rested with everyone knowing their roles would to me be a better scenario.

The only team I would not want to play in the first round is Brantford due to their arena

With a relatively painless final 13 games to finish the season, there should be no real issues rolling four lines. We should not be going into the playoffs limping and tired.

Although I agree that it is likely we play a similar opponent whether we finish 3 through 6th, we would likely play a weaker opponent finishing second. I think that may put us into round two more fresh than having to grind it out in round one.

 

[NordiquesForeva]

The key to being able to consistently roll four lines is to: 1) have the bodies available to do so (which they obviously didn't, on this road trip), and 2) have a sufficient lead that any defensive lapses by the 4th line/3rd pairing aren't going to significantly cost us).

Korbler has shown well recently and Horner is good in his limited role, but to me Kelly hasn't shown enough yet for me to really want him out there in a relatively close game. As far as Whitehead is concerned...he's a 16-year old with electric skating and playmaking ability but has a lot to learn about taking care of the puck in the d-zone...I think it was the Flint game where he had two or three opportunities to clear the zone but turned the puck over at the blueline each time. That can cost us goals and wear a line and d-pairing down and force our goalie to make saves he otherwise wouldn't need to.

To me, the big issue is still Smyth. Honestly, he looks disinterested. Not engaged physically, many lapses in d-zone coverage. I wonder whether its time to make a change on the 3rd pairing by bringing Brady in for a run of games. Can't hurt. Sirman has been good, Mayer is what he is, Mews has been good. Mayich has been tremendous recently, and I thought he was the best player on the ice for much of the Sarnia game in particular.

Regardless, I think Michelone had an impressive weekend and I certainly feel a lot more comfortable with him going forward while MacKenzie is out.

 

[Larionov]

With a relatively painless final 13 games to finish the season, there should be no real issues rolling four lines. We should not be going into the playoffs limping and tired.

Although I agree that it is likely we play a similar opponent whether we finish 3 through 6th, we would likely play a weaker opponent finishing second. I think that may put us into round two more fresh than having to grind it out in round one.

There is definitely a drop off at 7th and 8th - no doubt about that. Teams 1 through 6 are packed in pretty tight, so those first round 3/6 and 4/5 matchups will be unpredictable. If you can get yourself into the top two and avoid that, great.

Speaking of grinding, good to see this team getting valuable points on the road despite being flu ridden. It says a lot about their character and coaching...

 

[badnova]

The key to being able to consistently roll four lines is to: 1) have the bodies available to do so (which they obviously didn't, on this road trip), and 2) have a sufficient lead that any defensive lapses by the 4th line/3rd pairing aren't going to significantly cost us).

Korbler has shown well recently and Horner is good in his limited role, but to me Kelly hasn't shown enough yet for me to really want him out there in a relatively close game. As far as Whitehead is concerned...he's a 16-year old with electric skating and playmaking ability but has a lot to learn about taking care of the puck in the d-zone...I think it was the Flint game where he had two or three opportunities to clear the zone but turned the puck over at the blueline each time. That can cost us goals and wear a line and d-pairing down and force our goalie to make saves he otherwise wouldn't need to.

To me, the big issue is still Smyth. Honestly, he looks disinterested. Not engaged physically, many lapses in d-zone coverage. I wonder whether its time to make a change on the 3rd pairing by bringing Brady in for a run of games. Can't hurt. Sirman has been good, Mayer is what he is, Mews has been good. Mayich has been tremendous recently, and I thought he was the best player on the ice for much of the Sarnia game in particular.

Regardless, I think Michelone had an impressive weekend and I certainly feel a lot more comfortable with him going forward while MacKenzie is out.

since the 3 overagers arrived they have brought stability and experience on ice and off ice

 

[sirius67fan]

The key to being able to consistently roll four lines is to: 1) have the bodies available to do so (which they obviously didn't, on this road trip), and 2) have a sufficient lead that any defensive lapses by the 4th line/3rd pairing aren't going to significantly cost us).

Korbler has shown well recently and Horner is good in his limited role, but to me Kelly hasn't shown enough yet for me to really want him out there in a relatively close game. As far as Whitehead is concerned...he's a 16-year old with electric skating and playmaking ability but has a lot to learn about taking care of the puck in the d-zone...I think it was the Flint game where he had two or three opportunities to clear the zone but turned the puck over at the blueline each time. That can cost us goals and wear a line and d-pairing down and force our goalie to make saves he otherwise wouldn't need to.

To me, the big issue is still Smyth. Honestly, he looks disinterested. Not engaged physically, many lapses in d-zone coverage. I wonder whether its time to make a change on the 3rd pairing by bringing Brady in for a run of games. Can't hurt. Sirman has been good, Mayer is what he is, Mews has been good. Mayich has been tremendous recently, and I thought he was the best player on the ice for much of the Sarnia game in particular.

Regardless, I think Michelone had an impressive weekend and I certainly feel a lot more comfortable with him going forward while MacKenzie is out.

Agree about Smyth, time to send a message. Besides I thought Brady played well before the deadline and he'd be ok with Sirman who's playing great. Also doesn't hurt he's a rightie.

 

[NordiquesForeva]

since the 3 overagers arrived they have brought stability and experience on ice and off ice

I agree, and I thought this was apparent within a game or two post-deadline. The pre-deadline team wouldn't have been able to hang with Saginaw. Last night we held a 2-goal lead late into the 3rd period, 3rd game of a long 3-in-3 road trip, with 10 F/6 D dressed (and who knows how many of them were sick). We're not going to see a team with the quality of depth that Saginaw has very often this season. Impressive stuff. As I said above, the 67s can play with any team in the league.

 

[OMG67]

I agree, and I thought this was apparent within a game or two post-deadline. The pre-deadline team wouldn't have been able to hang with Saginaw. Last night we held a 2-goal lead late into the 3rd period, 3rd game of a long 3-in-3 road trip, with 10 F/6 D dressed (and who knows how many of them were sick). We're not going to see a team with the quality of depth that Saginaw has very often this season. Impressive stuff. As I said above, the 67s can play with any team in the league.

We need to get Maillet going. That needs to be the priority. We cannot have his line being meaningless offensively while also being a significant minus. IF that line is not scoring, it need to at least be a shut down line.

Korbler played fairly well with Pinelli and Kressler. We could keep him there until everyone is back. Once everyone is back, you can slip Gerrior in with them. He is pretty decent at puck retrieval and he can skate with those two. He isn’t much of a finisher which makes it a bit of a challenge.

I’m really not sure who we should put with Maillet but I am thinking Foster may be the right guy. He is a decent finisher and can work down low fairly well. When Barlas is back, he is a good player down low.

That leaves Gardiner with Stonehouse and Dever?

Whitehead has been pressing well. You usually start to see the 16 year old rookies make a push in the 2nd half and we are starting to see him do that. If he plays with Horner and Korbler, it could work once everyone is back healthy. I doubt that would give up very much defensively as a 4th line. As long as it is matched up agaisnt other teams 3rd and 4th lines, I think it would work well.

I don’t think there is anything left to say about Smyth. It seems the coaching staff likes him. They put him in at important times. I don’t think Brady would do much better overall. Now that the teams have settled in, I don’t think he would be effective stepping in at this stage. It’s not a bad idea but since it looks like the coaches are on Smyth’s side, I simply don’t think it would happen. I will say that he does seem better with Sirman. Let’s see how he does down the stretch.

Mayich and Marrelli are the shut down pair now. Now that Mayich is with a player that can play defence, he is much more effective. He can move around a bit and play more physical knowing his back is covered. I think they will play every second shift in the playoffs.

 

[PuckStop75]

The defensive woes don't fall entirely on Smyth although he seems to be put out there in the key situations where the group is struggling. The team plays a pressure defense, meaning they stack players (usually 3) on the puck side and try to generate a turn over; if they don't contain there is an odd man situation on the weak side or at the net front if the guys get to high in the zone.

Saginaw's 2nd and 3rd goals are a great examples, the 3rd man commits and the play works past them. The Ewles goal (Flint) is another example where they end up with three guys against the wall and the puck gets out to Ewles, even if Michelone stops it Flint has Ottawa outnumbered 3 to 1 at net front. Watch the number of times teams end up with 2 on 1 in front of Ottawa's net even in 5 on 5 situations. Sarnia's first goal, and the game tying goal was 3-1 down low.

 

[OMG67]

The defensive woes don't fall entirely on Smyth although he seems to be put out there in the key situations where the group is struggling. The team plays a pressure defense, meaning they stack players (usually 3) on the puck side and try to generate a turn over; if they don't contain there is an odd man situation on the weak side or at the net front if the guys get to high in the zone.

Saginaw's 2nd and 3rd goals are a great examples, the 3rd man commits and the play works past them. The Ewles goal (Flint) is another example where they end up with three guys against the wall and the puck gets out to Ewles, even if Michelone stops it Flint has Ottawa outnumbered 3 to 1 at net front. Watch the number of times teams end up with 2 on 1 in front of Ottawa's net even in 5 on 5 situations. Sarnia's first goal, and the game tying goal was 3-1 down low.

Agreed. It is that puck pursuit type of play that makes them successful on balance. However, that is another reason to have tried to acquire that last Defence piece to help in that regard.

Smyth is pretty good at moving the puck and he skates pretty well with the puck for a big kid. So, he does have some really solid attributes. His issue is he isn’t a first step agile type guy. This hurts at the net front in those odd man situations. He cannot physically adjust as quick as he needs to. Sirman tends to be lighter on foot but that also helps on the puck pressure side so it wouldn’t make sense to push Smyth out to the puck pressure role unless it is below the line or in the corners. He is more suited to being inside the hash marks with his feet already moving. Having him stationary at net front is where he seems most vulnerable. He could mitigate much of that if he played meaner. If he was the type of guy that would hack and whack at guys, give them heavy shoves and swat them a lot more, make being in his crease more uncomfortable, it would likley give him enough room where he wouldn’t need to be as spry.

 

[PuckStop75]

Agreed. It is that puck pursuit type of play that makes them successful on balance. However, that is another reason to have tried to acquire that last Defence piece to help in that regard.

Smyth is pretty good at moving the puck and he skates pretty well with the puck for a big kid. So, he does have some really solid attributes. His issue is he isn’t a first step agile type guy. This hurts at the net front in those odd man situations. He cannot physically adjust as quick as he needs to. Sirman tends to be lighter on foot but that also helps on the puck pressure side so it wouldn’t make sense to push Smyth out to the puck pressure role unless it is below the line or in the corners. He is more suited to being inside the hash marks with his feet already moving. Having him stationary at net front is where he seems most vulnerable. He could mitigate much of that if he played meaner. If he was the type of guy that would hack and whack at guys, give them heavy shoves and swat them a lot more, make being in his crease more uncomfortable, it would likley give him enough room where he wouldn’t need to be as spry.

Smyth is what he is, and they are working with what they have at this point. There is no amount of hacking and wacking that is going to cover 2-3 guys in front of the net with no support.

The team added two new centres so we will have to have a little patient while they sort this out.

I do agree that they needed another top 4 RD, it will be one of the things that will challenge them the rest of the way. The long cross ice pass through the neutral and containing pucks along the wall on the wrong side is much more difficult.

 

[OMG67]

Smyth is what he is, and they are working with what they have at this point. There is no amount of hacking and wacking that is going to cover 2-3 guys in front of the net with no support.

The team added two new centres so we will have to have a little patient while they sort this out.

I do agree that they needed another top 4 RD, it will be one of the things that will challenge them the rest of the way. The long cross ice pass through the neutral and containing pucks along the wall on the wrong side is much more difficult.

I think with the hacking and whacking, it forces guys out of the crease area when the play is 2 on 1 down low. He would have that extra second to clear pucks etc. He doens’t make it difficult for th opposition to park themselves in danger zones.

The rest I agree with though.

Ex-67, Matthew Spezza passed away….

 

[beastintheeast]

With a relatively painless final 13 games to finish the season, there should be no real issues rolling four lines. We should not be going into the playoffs limping and tired.

Although I agree that it is likely we play a similar opponent whether we finish 3 through 6th, we would likely play a weaker opponent finishing second. I think that may put us into round two more fresh than having to grind it out in round one.

Where I have my concern is that if you look at this team as we advance there are definite holes that have to be filled. Going into the second round is nice but what does it really mean if we get into the second round and get eliminated.

I would rather see us this year finish 5-6, staying away from Brantford, and then playing healthy, as well as getting a better draft choice. The earlier in the draft we draft, the better chance we have to get the player we need.

The problem we have had is that we have been so good that we have not been able to draft some of the top offensive players.

No matter who we play, if we are fighting for the 2nd place or top of the league, we have to play full out. We will need to play MacK. As to healthy everyone back, we have not had that for any length so far this season; therefore, there is no expectation that that will change.

Also, remember that in order for us to get 1st or 2nd, the other teams in our division have to fail.

There are a lot of variables. I still think we are not a top 4 in the conference team. Our top line is a sieve with a high -

 

[OMG67]

Where I have my concern is that if you look at this team as we advance there are definite holes that have to be filled. Going into the second round is nice but what does it really mean if we get into the second round and get eliminated.

I would rather see us this year finish 5-6, staying away from Brantford, and then playing healthy, as well as getting a better draft choice. The earlier in the draft we draft, the better chance we have to get the player we need.

The problem we have had is that we have been so good that we have not been able to draft some of the top offensive players.

No matter who we play, if we are fighting for the 2nd place or top of the league, we have to play full out. We will need to play MacK. As to healthy everyone back, we have not had that for any length so far this season; therefore, there is no expectation that that will change.

Also, remember that in order for us to get 1st or 2nd, the other teams in our division have to fail.

There are a lot of variables. I still think we are not a top 4 in the conference team. Our top line is a sieve with a high -

You can’t have it both ways. What you are suggesting is to half ass the remainder of the season, finish in the bottom half of the standings to get a better draft pick and go into the playoffs healthier. OK. But then you suggest once we get to the second round we will be eliminated because we won the division.

Hypothetically speaking, we enter round one in the 2nd seed. We win round one and go up against the team we would have faced had we half assed it the remainder of the season in round one. I really don‘t understand your point. If we lose round two finishing as the division winner, how do we win round one going in as the 6th seed? We’d be playing the same team in round one of that scenario as we’d be plsaying in round 2 as the division winner.

The management of this team made a decision to spend assets in an effort to make the best possible run this year. Why would they want to throw that away so they could pick the 9th player instead of the 14th? We are talking about 5 or 6 spots in the draft. The Westearn Conference will nail down the final four picks because of points standings. The #1 and #3 seeds will likely be ahead of our division winner as well. That division is weak at the bottom so those teams have weaker schedules and easier points. That is six teams likely ahead of Ottawa if they win the division. It is very possible that if Ottawa finishes 5th, only Guelph and the 4th place team in the Eastern Conference fall between them and the division winner. It could improve us maybe as little as two spots In the draft!

How about you try to get behind this team and look at it positively as opposed to negatively. They are 6-2-3 (.682) since the deadline. They have had a tough schedule over that stretch with two big Western Trips on the road, one with a team limping. They’ve done it without their starting goalie for the last two weekends. There are so many positives now compared to the first half. There are some gaps but no team in the Eastern Conference is without gaps. That’s why none of them will finish in the top four league wide at the end of the year.

This is not your normal season. This is an oddball season. The sooner you start looking at it for what it is, an opportunity, the sooner you will stop focusing on all the negative possibilities. The team that comes out of the Eastern Conference will be a team with gaps.

Next year will likley be a small selloff. If that turns out to be the case, based on some of the crazy deals this year, a kid like Pinelli will net a ‘08 player. Hell, a kid like Gardiner and one of the OA’s may also net an ‘08. The Petes set the new bar for selloffs. Don’t worry so much about what picks they get. Teams like Kingston, Missy and Brantford will be the ones most likely to sell their 1st rounders. ALll of those teams are likely going to finish in and arund the spot you want Ottawa to finish. It is likely Ottawa will get one of those guys. If they don’t, then they will get one the following year with Mews. Either way, it is most likely going to happen.

 

[beastintheeast]

You can’t have it both ways. What you are suggesting is to half ass the remainder of the season, finish in the bottom half of the standings to get a better draft pick and go into the playoffs healthier. OK. But then you suggest once we get to the second round we will be eliminated because we won the division.

Hypothetically speaking, we enter round one in the 2nd seed. We win round one and go up against the team we would have faced had we half assed it the remainder of the season in round one. I really don‘t understand your point. If we lose round two finishing as the division winner, how do we win round one going in as the 6th seed? We’d be playing the same team in round one of that scenario as we’d be plsaying in round 2 as the division winner.

The management of this team made a decision to spend assets in an effort to make the best possible run this year. Why would they want to throw that away so they could pick the 9th player instead of the 14th? We are talking about 5 or 6 spots in the draft. The Westearn Conference will nail down the final four picks because of points standings. The #1 and #3 seeds will likely be ahead of our division winner as well. That division is weak at the bottom so those teams have weaker schedules and easier points. That is six teams likely ahead of Ottawa if they win the division. It is very possible that if Ottawa finishes 5th, only Guelph and the 4th place team in the Eastern Conference fall between them and the division winner. It could improve us maybe as little as two spots In the draft!

How about you try to get behind this team and look at it positively as opposed to negatively. They are 6-2-3 (.682) since the deadline. They have had a tough schedule over that stretch with two big Western Trips on the road, one with a team limping. They’ve done it without their starting goalie for the last two weekends. There are so many positives now compared to the first half. There are some gaps but no team in the Eastern Conference is without gaps. That’s why none of them will finish in the top four league wide at the end of the year.

This is not your normal season. This is an oddball season. The sooner you start looking at it for what it is, an opportunity, the sooner you will stop focusing on all the negative possibilities. The team that comes out of the Eastern Conference will be a team with gaps.

Next year will likley be a small selloff. If that turns out to be the case, based on some of the crazy deals this year, a kid like Pinelli will net a ‘08 player. Hell, a kid like Gardiner and one of the OA’s may also net an ‘08. The Petes set the new bar for selloffs. Don’t worry so much about what picks they get. Teams like Kingston, Missy and Brantford will be the ones most likely to sell their 1st rounders. ALll of those teams are likely going to finish in and arund the spot you want Ottawa to finish. It is likely Ottawa will get one of those guys. If they don’t, then they will get one the following year with Mews. Either way, it is most likely going to happen.

I hear you, but what I am saying is that this is a good team, not a star team. I am not saying half-ass it, BUT I am saying that there is benefit to finishing 4-5.

How many years has this team busted its rear to be on top and only get eliminated in the first round because of injuries and tired stars?

We have an easy schedule. Play everyone. All 4 lines should play, but if we have players who are hurt, we should not rush them back or keep them in just because we want 1st or second place.

I say first and second because right now both are interchangeable. Oshawa and Brantford seem to be playing better than the top teams in the other division so we would have to be first possibly.

I have never been a let's go for the top ring this year, fan. I have made it clear we need to sit back and rebuild and train our players.


We do not have a real first line that we can depend on. We have no defensive group that we can put out near the end of the game to shut down the other team. What is wrong with going in as the 4th or 5th seed.

 

[OMG67]

I hear you, but what I am saying is that this is a good team, not a star team. I am not saying half-ass it, BUT I am saying that there is benefit to finishing 4-5.

How many years has this team busted its rear to be on top and only get eliminated in the first round because of injuries and tired stars?

We have an easy schedule. Play everyone. All 4 lines should play, but if we have players who are hurt, we should not rush them back or keep them in just because we want 1st or second place.

I say first and second because right now both are interchangeable. Oshawa and Brantford seem to be playing better than the top teams in the other division so we would have to be first possibly.

I have never been a let's go for the top ring this year, fan. I have made it clear we need to sit back and rebuild and train our players.


We do not have a real first line that we can depend on. We have no defensive group that we can put out near the end of the game to shut down the other team. What is wrong with going in as the 4th or 5th seed.

There is no benefit of finishing 4-5-6.

League Overall Standings prediction:
1-4 = London, Saginaw, SSM, and Kitchener
5-6 = North Bay and Sudbury
7-10 = Guelph, Ottawa Brantford and Oshawa
11-13 = Missy, OS, Erie

I think this is how the breakup will happen in the final standings. The top 4 teams in the league will be Western Conference teams. The next two will likely be Sudbury and North Bay. They have Barrie and Niagara inter division and both are trash. Even Missy has slowed down a lot because of their youth’s inability to carry the team.

So, that leaves a four team group from 7 to 10. The division winner will likely finish 7th and gain the 14th pick. If the 67’s finish 5th in the conference, they will likely get as low as the 11th pick. It is possible that MAYBE Missy picks up their play but they don’t seem to have the discipline, nor the offence to carry them in the second half of a long season against more veteran laden rosters.

So, truthfully, even in a best case scenario, finishing 6th behind Missy gets them the 10th pick Vs the 14th? That gap is nowhere near wide enough to make a difference. The 10th pick would not put Ottawa in a group of stud players. Usually the 8th through 15th picks are relatively the same. Someone will get lucky and one of the players will end up being elite but that is more luck than anything else.

Even if Ottawa were to drop 10 points the rest of the way, they still don’t finish behind Kingston For 7th. If they finished right behind Kingston, they get the 8th pick? It is not a difference maker. They’d have to nose dive to get there.

They have an eight game stretch over the next three weeks. That is a much tougher stretch. They need to battle during that stretch and try to stay within reach of the top of the division. If they can, they finish with a relatively easy 13 game stretch. They will be able to roll 4 lines and not have to scratch and claw their way to the playoffs. During that stretch, they only have six games that are back to back. The other seven games have at least one rest day between each game. They seem to have a decent number of weekday games to loosen up the heavy weekend schedule. During that stretch, their furthest away game is Niagara so no long bus rides.

Even during this next tough three week stretch of eight games, they have six of those at home. So, they will get some rest.

Injuries will happen and that is more about luck than anything. We lost last year in the 2nd round to the team that won the Championship. We weren’t expected to win a playoff game in 2022. In 2019 we lost in the Finals. 2018 we lost to the team that won the Championship. We’ve been knocked out of the playoffs three times by the team that won the Championship out of the last four playoffs. I really don’t think you can point a finger at the team limping into the playoffs when they lost three times against the Champs and suggest we should have gone further Than we did.

I could argue we probably should have beaten the Petes and we lost because of injuries and guys banged up but that is part of the game. Guys like Morrison sat out quite a few games prior to the playoffs. You still need to play the games and injuries happen.

 

[PuckStop75]

I see it from both sides on this one, it’s in the teams best interests in playoffs to have 3 complete lines rolling. This means a commitment to rectifying some things in the defensive zone and some patience in allowing the combinations and chemistry to develop. This may also mean losing a few games that are winnable if the top two lines are loaded up and the bench is shortened every night.

The bench shortening has a physical toll but more importantly impacts the teams development as a group. I don’t believe in losing games but also know the 3rd line isn’t going to be impactful watching. That said I believe that the final 3-5 mins of any game should be open to playing the guys who are performing better that night (not always the top line).

Finishing 4th or 5th is never better than 2nd or 3rd. No playoff team is going to lose games to improve their draft position.

Commit to the process and know the results will come. Know that in playoffs that 3rd line will be as important as the first.

 

[PuckStop75]

There is no benefit of finishing 4-5-6.

League Overall Standings prediction:
1-4 = London, Saginaw, SSM, and Kitchener
5-6 = North Bay and Sudbury
7-10 = Guelph, Ottawa Brantford and Oshawa
11-13 = Missy, OS, Erie

I think this is how the breakup will happen in the final standings. The top 4 teams in the league will be Western Conference teams. The next two will likely be Sudbury and North Bay. They have Barrie and Niagara inter division and both are trash. Even Missy has slowed down a lot because of their youth’s inability to carry the team.

So, that leaves a four team group from 7 to 10. The division winner will likely finish 7th and gain the 14th pick. If the 67’s finish 5th in the conference, they will likely get as low as the 11th pick. It is possible that MAYBE Missy picks up their play but they don’t seem to have the discipline, nor the offence to carry them in the second half of a long season against more veteran laden rosters.

So, truthfully, even in a best case scenario, finishing 6th behind Missy gets them the 10th pick Vs the 14th? That gap is nowhere near wide enough to make a difference. The 10th pick would not put Ottawa in a group of stud players. Usually the 8th through 15th picks are relatively the same. Someone will get lucky and one of the players will end up being elite but that is more luck than anything else.

Even if Ottawa were to drop 10 points the rest of the way, they still don’t finish behind Kingston For 7th. If they finished right behind Kingston, they get the 8th pick? It is not a difference maker. They’d have to nose dive to get there.

They have an eight game stretch over the next three weeks. That is a much tougher stretch. They need to battle during that stretch and try to stay within reach of the top of the division. If they can, they finish with a relatively easy 13 game stretch. They will be able to roll 4 lines and not have to scratch and claw their way to the playoffs. During that stretch, they only have six games that are back to back. The other seven games have at least one rest day between each game. They seem to have a decent number of weekday games to loosen up the heavy weekend schedule. During that stretch, their furthest away game is Niagara so no long bus rides.

Even during this next tough three week stretch of eight games, they have six of those at home. So, they will get some rest.

Injuries will happen and that is more about luck than anything. We lost last year in the 2nd round to the team that won the Championship. We weren’t expected to win a playoff game in 2022. In 2019 we lost in the Finals. 2018 we lost to the team that won the Championship. We’ve been knocked out of the playoffs three times by the team that won the Championship out of the last four playoffs. I really don’t think you can point a finger at the team limping into the playoffs when they lost three times against the Champs and suggest we should have gone further Than we did.

I could argue we probably should have beaten the Petes and we lost because of injuries and guys banged up but that is part of the game. Guys like Morrison sat out quite a few games prior to the playoffs. You still need to play the games and injuries happen.

They lost to the Petes last year and Guelph in 2019 because those teams had a more complete roster and executed their game plans better. Physicality was a factor in both series.

 

[OMG67]

They lost to the Petes last year and Guelph in 2019 because those teams had a more complete roster and executed their game plans better. Physicality was a factor in both series.

Agreed. The bottom line is we lost 3 of 4 playoff series to the Champs. It is not like we lost to crap teams. We lost to the best team. The other year we weren’t expected to win a game in the playoffs. We were a bottom team. IT wasn’t’ a testament to whether we had a Championship calibre team or not. That answer was clear when we lost.

 

[dirty12]

There is no benefit of finishing 4-5-6.

League Overall Standings prediction:
1-4 = London, Saginaw, SSM, and Kitchener
5-6 = North Bay and Sudbury
7-10 = Guelph, Ottawa Brantford and Oshawa
11-13 = Missy, OS, Erie

I think this is how the breakup will happen in the final standings. The top 4 teams in the league will be Western Conference teams. The next two will likely be Sudbury and North Bay. They have Barrie and Niagara inter division and both are trash. Even Missy has slowed down a lot because of their youth’s inability to carry the team.

So, that leaves a four team group from 7 to 10. The division winner will likely finish 7th and gain the 14th pick. If the 67’s finish 5th in the conference, they will likely get as low as the 11th pick. It is possible that MAYBE Missy picks up their play but they don’t seem to have the discipline, nor the offence to carry them in the second half of a long season against more veteran laden rosters.

So, truthfully, even in a best case scenario, finishing 6th behind Missy gets them the 10th pick Vs the 14th? That gap is nowhere near wide enough to make a difference. The 10th pick would not put Ottawa in a group of stud players. Usually the 8th through 15th picks are relatively the same. Someone will get lucky and one of the players will end up being elite but that is more luck than anything else.

Even if Ottawa were to drop 10 points the rest of the way, they still don’t finish behind Kingston For 7th. If they finished right behind Kingston, they get the 8th pick? It is not a difference maker. They’d have to nose dive to get there.

They have an eight game stretch over the next three weeks. That is a much tougher stretch. They need to battle during that stretch and try to stay within reach of the top of the division. If they can, they finish with a relatively easy 13 game stretch. They will be able to roll 4 lines and not have to scratch and claw their way to the playoffs. During that stretch, they only have six games that are back to back. The other seven games have at least one rest day between each game. They seem to have a decent number of weekday games to loosen up the heavy weekend schedule. During that stretch, their furthest away game is Niagara so no long bus rides.

Even during this next tough three week stretch of eight games, they have six of those at home. So, they will get some rest.

Injuries will happen and that is more about luck than anything. We lost last year in the 2nd round to the team that won the Championship. We weren’t expected to win a playoff game in 2022. In 2019 we lost in the Finals. 2018 we lost to the team that won the Championship. We’ve been knocked out of the playoffs three times by the team that won the Championship out of the last four playoffs. I really don’t think you can point a finger at the team limping into the playoffs when they lost three times against the Champs and suggest we should have gone further Than we did.

I could argue we probably should have beaten the Petes and we lost because of injuries and guys banged up but that is part of the game. Guys like Morrison sat out quite a few games prior to the playoffs. You still need to play the games and injuries happen.

NB might be <0.500 vs Barrie & Niagara so far

 

[OMG67]

NB might be <0.500 vs Barrie & Niagara so far

That was likely when DiVin was shitting the bed earlier in the season……. Something tells me NB won’t be having issues with them through the 2nd half.

 

[PuckStop75]

Agreed. The bottom line is we lost 3 of 4 playoff series to the Champs. It is not like we lost to crap teams. We lost to the best team. The other year we weren’t expected to win a game in the playoffs. We were a bottom team. IT wasn’t’ a testament to whether we had a Championship calibre team or not. That answer was clear when we lost.

And the 2020 team may have been the best of the lot from the standpoint of talent and completeness of roster. Organizationally I think they have figured out how to shallow the bottom out now they just need to learn how to polish a Championship roster.

 

[OMG67]

And the 2020 team may have been the best of the lot from the standpoint of talent and completeness of roster. Organizationally I think they have figured out how to shallow the bottom out now they just need to learn how to polish a Championship roster.

They need to draft differently. They cannot polish the roster with size/grit. It usually isn’t available. You can really only draft that type of player. Using the first round pick on a 5’9” skill guy isn’t the best option If your end goal is to win Championships. They need to use their top two picks on players they are confident about filling out and becoming more of a physical force top tier player. I’d like to think that to be possible all the time but it is not Unfortunately. Easier said than done.

 

[beastintheeast]

OK with all thesse players passing on am I the only one feeling old?

RIP MATT SPEZZA AND LOGAN HUNTER

 

[OMG67]

OK with all thesse players passing on am I the only one feeling old?

RIP MATT SPEZZA AND LOGAN HUNTER

It is always tragic when young people pass. But, that isn’t’ what is making me feel old. It is my body when I get out of bed!