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

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BarberPole9 said:
I wonder if part of the reason that the 67’s have held off adding an OA is because of question marks on Jack Matier and Tyler Boucher.

Jack is currently playing for the Atlanta Gladiators in the Coast. If he were to return to the O, he might be the best Defenceman in the league. Heck, Roman Schmidt just got returned to Kitchener.

Tyler hasn’t played in two months. The old management regime that was pushing him aggressively is no longer in place. If/when he gets healthy, 22 minutes a night on the 67’s top line would do his development wonders.
Click to expand...

I can’t see Matier coming back. Maybe a 2% chance?

Depending on the rehab assignment and what the Sens want from Boucher form a health perspective, I could see a scenario where he is sent to the 67’s as the best place to ease back into competitive hockey where the opposition isn’t quite as lethal. Give him a chance to build strength in a more safe environment. That is completely up to the Sens though.
 
I'm surprised Matier is playing in the ECHL. Thought he'd find a home in the AHL this year. He's begun his pro career though, I highly doubt he'd take a step back to the OHL.

I see a somewhat higher chance (though still very low) of Boucher coming back to the OHL and the Sens treating this season as a rehab assignment against competition he's unlikely to get hurt against (relative to the AHL). He'd really need to temper his physical game though, both to avoid injury and to avoid suspensions.

EDIT: the more I think about it, the more sense it makes for Boucher to play out this season with the 67s once he's healthy. By my count he's played a total of 72 competitive games over the last 2+ hockey seasons, which is not nearly enough for him to develop into a competent professional at some point. Boucher is only 20 (turns 21 early in the new year), and power forwards such as him traditionally take longer to develop and can hit their peak play at ~25 years old (the game is different now but think about how long it took players like Neely, Tkachuk, Guerin and the like to develop back in the 1990s).

There is absolutely nothing wrong with him spending his 20-21 year in the OHL, enter the AHL when he's 21, and take a few years to percolate there with him making the Senators when he's 23. Not ideal from the Senators' perspective, but not terrible either.

The GM that drafted Boucher is now gone, and Staois and his eventual new GM are under no pressure to rush him to the NHL and make good on a 10th overall draft pick made under their watch. There was some talk of him getting dealt as part of a deal to open up cap space for Pinto, but that is no longer a factor (or at least won't be for a few more months).

The odds of Boucher getting re-injured are not as high in the OHL as they would be in the AHL.

Boucher's agent, Sens front office staff, Boyd and Cameron can get him focused in on developing his offensive play and play away from the puck, and have him tone down the physical play that, while impressive, has resulted in him getting injured and has also resulted in repeated penalties and suspensions. He can ramp up the physical play in the playoffs.

Dave Cameron is a great coach that has coached in the NHL and could help develop Boucher and put him in the right situations to succeed at the OHL level. He could play the right side on an offensive line with Pinelli and Gardiner, both drafted players on an upward trajectory.

It makes a lot of sense to me!
 
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I was just thinking of the Tyler Boucher situation today, in fact. All of a sudden, it is not out of the question for him to come back here to play as an OA. (My guess would be that we would have to agree not to trade him.) Officially he is still injured, but I have questions about that. Two months for what at the time was diagnosed as a minor groin pull? Seriously? Even a kid that injury prone should be healed up by now. I suspect he isn't good enough to crack Belleville's roster and they are trying to figure out what to do with him - ECHL or OHL.

As for Rohrer it is not the least bit surprising that Habs management would have preferred that he stay here. Sens management was unhappy with Lassi Thomson when he did the exact same thing as Rohrer - went back home for his D+2 season instead of staying here. And Thomson was a mid first round pick, hardly a scrub. I get it - these kids are homesick, and someone whispers in their ear that they can make good money playing at home instead of playing for free. Don't worry about your NHL team, they'll tell them - they will take you back if you do well here. In Lassi Thomson's case, going back home to Finland instead of staying in the CHL really hurt his development, and he never did become the player the Sens expected. Rohrer is likely headed down the same road.
 
NordiquesForeva said:
I'm surprised Matier is playing in the ECHL. Thought he'd find a home in the AHL this year. He's begun his pro career though, I highly doubt he'd take a step back to the OHL.

I see a somewhat higher chance (though still very low) of Boucher coming back to the OHL and the Sens treating this season as a rehab assignment against competition he's unlikely to get hurt against (relative to the AHL). He'd really need to temper his physical game though, both to avoid injury and to avoid suspensions.

EDIT: the more I think about it, the more sense it makes for Boucher to play out this season with the 67s once he's healthy. By my count he's played a total of 72 competitive games over the last 2+ hockey seasons, which is not nearly enough for him to develop into a competent professional at some point. Boucher is only 20 (turns 21 early in the new year), and power forwards such as him traditionally take longer to develop and can hit their peak play at ~25 years old (the game is different now but think about how long it took players like Neely, Tkachuk, Guerin and the like to develop back in the 1990s).

There is absolutely nothing wrong with him spending his 20-21 year in the OHL, enter the AHL when he's 21, and take a few years to percolate there with him making the Senators when he's 23. Not ideal from the Senators' perspective, but not terrible either.

The GM that drafted Boucher is now gone, and Staois and his eventual new GM are under no pressure to rush him to the NHL and make good on a 10th overall draft pick made under their watch. There was some talk of him getting dealt as part of a deal to open up cap space for Pinto, but that is no longer a factor (or at least won't be for a few more months).

The odds of Boucher getting re-injured are not as high in the OHL as they would be in the AHL.

Boucher's agent, Sens front office staff, Boyd and Cameron can get him focused in on developing his offensive play and play away from the puck, and have him tone down the physical play that, while impressive, has resulted in him getting injured and has also resulted in repeated penalties and suspensions. He can ramp up the physical play in the playoffs.

Dave Cameron is a great coach that has coached in the NHL and could help develop Boucher and put him in the right situations to succeed at the OHL level. He could play the right side on an offensive line with Pinelli and Gardiner, both drafted players on an upward trajectory.

It makes a lot of sense to me!
Click to expand...
NHL teams will loan their players out to ECHL teams early in the season to get more ice time, particularly in cases where they may be deeper with prospects. Matier is a Pro all day so there is no chance he comes back, scored two goals including the game winner in the their last game. Nashville has 8 guys in their development system, 5 on expiring contracts who they will need to make a decisions on at seasons end. Its a numbers not performance issue.

Boucher will be in the minors so no impact the to "cap" (Ottawa has 45 contracts so no issue their either), the question will really be when is he ready to play, and given his issues throughout his junior/NCAA career I would expect the Sens to want to keep him under their supervision. Whether it was under a previous regime or not Boucher is an asset which they will manage to the same level of any other 1st rounder they have in the system.

I'd be very surprised if either of these players are influencing the decision making.
 
The issue with Boucher returning is it cannot change the trajectory of the Ottawa 67’s. We should not look at it as a catalyst for them all of a sudden changing focus. Boucher could end up injured the week after the trade deadline and gone for the season.
 
BarberPole9 said:
Tyler hasn’t played in two months. The old management regime that was pushing him aggressively is no longer in place. If/when he gets healthy, 22 minutes a night on the 67’s top line would do his development wonders.
Click to expand...
Two months? He hasn't played since last Christmas at the World Juniors. He has missed both the Sens Development Camp in early July, and the Rookie Camp in September. He is getting passed on the prospect chart by guys drafted after him. It is shocking how little hockey he has played since he was drafted - 61 games in over two years - so it is absolutely crucial that they get him back playing, and playing a lot. If I wanted a kid to develop (and keep an eye on his training) I know that I would trust Dave Cameron and his coaches in Ottawa over a coach in the East Coast League down in Texas.
 
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PuckStop75 said:
NHL teams will loan their players out to ECHL teams early in the season to get more ice time, particularly in cases where they may be deeper with prospects. Matier is a Pro all day so there is no chance he comes back, scored two goals including the game winner in the their last game. Nashville has 8 guys in their development system, 5 on expiring contracts who they will need to make a decisions on at seasons end. Its a numbers not performance issue.

Boucher will be in the minors so no impact the to "cap" (Ottawa has 45 contracts so no issue their either), the question will really be when is he ready to play, and given his issues throughout his junior/NCAA career I would expect the Sens to want to keep him under their supervision. Whether it was under a previous regime or not Boucher is an asset which they will manage to the same level of any other 1st rounder they have in the system.

I'd be very surprised if either of these players are influencing the decision making.
Click to expand...

The cap piece I was referring to was the speculated deal involving Joseph (with Boucher as a sweetener/add-on) to Philly for draft picks iirc, to desperately shed some cap room to allow Ottawa to sign Pinto. Moot point now obviously with the Pinto situation, but that was the discussion I recall hearing about on one of Friedman's 32 Thoughts podcasts.

I'd be surprised if there was a conversation around Boucher and Matier too - definitely Matier, I don't think there is any more than a 2% chance he comes back - but Boucher makes some sense. The rationale for the Senators having him play with the 67s in the first place is still there.
 
Larionov said:
Two months? He hasn't played since last Christmas at the World Juniors. He has missed both the Sens Development Camp in early July, and the Rookie Camp in September. He is getting passed on the prospect chart by guys drafted after him. It is shocking how little hockey he has played since he was drafted - 61 games in over two years - so it is absolutely crucial that they get him back playing, and playing a lot. If I wanted a kid to develop (and keep an eye on his training) I know that I would trust Dave Cameron and his coaches in Ottawa over a coach in the East Coast League down in Texas.
Click to expand...

I think additional to that, if the Sens want him to continue his training and health maintenance, why not do it in the City your Franchise is located? He can work with the Sens medical team locally while being with the 67’s. Keep a closer eye on him. I think a lot of this makes sense BUT the NHL clubs typically want to push the player forward not backward. Boucher playing with the 67’s is pushing him backward. The new regime may very well not care about that because he isn’t one of their pieces. I’m torn on trying to predict the chances of it happening.
 
OMG67 said:
I think additional to that, if the Sens want him to continue his training and health maintenance, why not do it in the City your Franchise is located? He can work with the Sens medical team locally while being with the 67’s. Keep a closer eye on him. I think a lot of this makes sense BUT the NHL clubs typically want to push the player forward not backward. Boucher playing with the 67’s is pushing him backward. The new regime may very well not care about that because he isn’t one of their pieces. I’m torn on trying to predict the chances of it happening.
Click to expand...

I think getting Boucher some live game action is pushing him forward at this point, regardless of whether that’s in the OHL, AHL or ECHL. I’m sceptical of his ability to step into the AHL with grown men and stay healthy and continue his development. The guy just needs to play some hockey. Your point re: location is a good one, and that part of the original rationale for him playing with the 67s hasn’t changed.
 
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OMG67 said:
I think additional to that, if the Sens want him to continue his training and health maintenance, why not do it in the City your Franchise is located? He can work with the Sens medical team locally while being with the 67’s. Keep a closer eye on him. I think a lot of this makes sense BUT the NHL clubs typically want to push the player forward not backward. Boucher playing with the 67’s is pushing him backward. The new regime may very well not care about that because he isn’t one of their pieces. I’m torn on trying to predict the chances of it happening.
Click to expand...
Something to remember Belleville is not that far away and I a sure the Sens have a good system there. Keeping Boucher in Belleville is the best thing as they can regulate his ice time and development.
Coming here he would be a first-line player and would be getting huge minutes that would mean a great deal of wear and tear on his body.

Matier is playing in the ECHL's only undefeated team with the lowest goals against he is getting the ice time he needs to develop his skills for the next level and if Nashville needs to move a D from the AHL team he will be ready to step in. Add to that the 801+ K .

Neither of these guys are going to want to come back here the ECHL not as bad as it was 20 years ago and the money for these guys is pretty good
 
Mews is back and he makes a big difference. There's more thrust and purpose to the forward defence.
The 2nd goal was all Mews with the hard shot and then setup for Pinelli to fire it home.

Gerroir loooks really good tonight, so smooth and persistent. If only he were 20 lbs heavier and 4 inches taller he'd be a lock for the bigs.

It's odd seeing 2 right-hand-shot defensemen - Brady and Horner - out together. Can't recall when we had that last.

I'm afraid Barlas at centre fails to inspire. Nothing good happens when he's on.
 
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gadder said:
Mews is back and he makes a big difference. There's more thrust and purpose to the forward defence.
The 2nd goal was all Mews with the hard shot and then setup for Pinelli to fire it home.

Gerroir loooks really good tonight, so smooth and persistent. If only he were 20 lbs heavier and 4 inches taller he'd be a lock for the bigs.

It's odd seeing 2 right-hand-shot defensemen - Brady and Horner - out together. Can't recall when we had that last.

I'm afraid Barlas at centre fails to inspire. Nothing good happens when he's on.
Click to expand...

It is unfortunate we are in that situation with Barlas. He is far more effective on the wing. This is another area we need to look at for OA…centre. If we free up Donoso’s OA spot, we could add a centre and a D-Man and round out the roster nicely. Gerrior can drive his own stat line off that line but Kelly is ineffective without a capable centre. I really want to see Kelly get the proper support with a capable centre. I think it is integral for his development.

beastintheeast said:
Something to remember Belleville is not that far away and I a sure the Sens have a good system there. Keeping Boucher in Belleville is the best thing as they can regulate his ice time and development.
Coming here he would be a first-line player and would be getting huge minutes that would mean a great deal of wear and tear on his body.

Matier is playing in the ECHL's only undefeated team with the lowest goals against he is getting the ice time he needs to develop his skills for the next level and if Nashville needs to move a D from the AHL team he will be ready to step in. Add to that the 801+ K .

Neither of these guys are going to want to come back here the ECHL not as bad as it was 20 years ago and the money for these guys is pretty good
Click to expand...

Jsut a side note, Matier gets paid the same whether he is in the ECHL or the AHL. He has the two way contract NHL-AHL so he gets the AHL contract $$$ which is around $85k.
 
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STARS OF THE GAME​

Pinelli

FIRST
#20 Luca Pinelli C
G 3A 0+/- +2Ottawa

MacKenzie

SECOND
#33 Collin MacKenzie G
SH 25SV 24GA 1Ottawa

Gerrior

THIRD
#23 Will Gerrior LW
G 1A 0+/- +1Ottawa
 
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