Ottawa 67s 2024-25 Season Thread, Part I

[SoupNazi]

Continued from Ottawa 67's 2023-2024 Off-Season Thread (Part 2)

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[44 95 plus tax]

Starting the season with 4 O/As

https://post.futurimedia.com/cfgoam/playlist/4/listen-328.html?cb=1727358075.162262

 

[beastintheeast]

There are a lot of teams with 4 OA I have to think that boyd is trying to see if there is anyone that wants a player. He also has to decide if he wants to go with 2 D and MacK or 1-1-1

 

[OMG67]

Interesting that Boyd says he anticipates Stonehouse back (start of November). They need to be down to a total of 4 by mid-November and then 3 by the deadline in January.

Sounding like they are looking forward to having Mayich back. No mention of Gerrior or MacK. Trying to find good places for them to play.

He recognizes there will be a couple powerhouse teams in the East. See how Ottawa fits in at the quarter-pole.

 

[beastintheeast]

Interesting that Boyd says he anticipates Stonehouse back (start of November). They need to be down to a total of 4 by mid-November and then 3 by the deadline in January.

Sounding like they are looking forward to having Mayich back. No mention of Gerrior or MacK. Trying to find good places for them to play.

He recognizes there will be a couple powerhouse teams in the East. See how Ottawa fits in at the quarter-pole.

Interesting I really do not see Stonehouse back by then. I think he is going to get some time in the AHL so they can see where he is.

If Boyd keeps him then he has screwed up again.

In order to keep Stonehouse, he has to release Gerrior and Sirman. To me, that makes little sense. I think they have to keep Sirman and Mayich at least until Dietsch gets back and we see what he can do.

Keeping Stonehouse means that we are again stuffing the system and taking away time from young players to develop.

Stonehouse coming back would mean that you are benching Kelly again. Korbler is getting less ice time, and Horner may as well quit . Foster is going to be a second-line player at best or shoved into center.

Looking at this team as it stands to me the OA that you keep are Sirman
Mayich and MacK.

macK and Sirman because no one wants them and we need the defence.
Mayich gives us stability and will be a help to the rookies.


Gerrior, to me, is the odd man out because we have too many forwards.

Stonehouse should be traded before he even comes back here.

 

[OMG67]

My prediction is Dietsch returns and Sirman is released. Then if Stonehouse gets returned, they rotate Gerrior and Stonehouse until a deal is worked out.

 

[Larionov]

Pinelli sent back by CBJ early this morning, so he should be dressed for tomorrow night.

 

[sirius67fan]

Question! Just saw that the Colts just acquired an import from Niagara ( surprise, surprise) who was drafted this year. I thought you couldn't trade imports for a year. Has the rule changed?

 

[OMG67]

Question! Just saw that the Colts just acquired an import from Niagara ( surprise, surprise) who was drafted this year. I thought you couldn't trade imports for a year. Has the rule changed?

Yes. You can trade them anytime now.

 

[frontsfan67]

Yes. You can trade them anytime now.

Believe you have to wait for the reg season to start

 

[beastintheeast]

My prediction is Dietsch returns and Sirman is released. Then if Stonehouse gets returned, they rotate Gerrior and Stonehouse until a deal is worked out.

Could Gerrior be released so that they have the extra defenceman? Stonehouse's coming back, I think, will be interesting. I am not sure anyone will want him, and if they do, the price will not be great.

I get the feeling there is going to be a waiver war.

 

[OMG67]

Could Gerrior be released so that they have the extra defenceman? Stonehouse's coming back, I think, will be interesting. I am not sure anyone will want him, and if they do, the price will not be great.

I get the feeling there is going to be a waiver war.

Stonehouse is the type of player that contending teams want. The fact he is coming back in early November is great. He will have more than enough time to establish a market for himself.

No one seems to have a strong sense of what the plan is. Boyd seems to feel his guys have value and are wanted around the league. We will just have to wait and see how realistic that is.

 

[sirius67fan]

Could Gerrior be released so that they have the extra defenceman? Stonehouse's coming back, I think, will be interesting. I am not sure anyone will want him, and if they do, the price will not be great.

I get the feeling there is going to be a waiver war.

I can't see Gerrior being released Beast. He's just too good. My belief is you've got to keep your best players irrespective of position. And our best Oa's are without a doubt Mac, Mayich and Gerrior. I agree with you we are a bit thin on D and keeping Sirman would be nice but as much as I like him ,and the fact he's a great teamate, he's not as talented. I suspect by keeping him Boyd is hoping to find a good landing spot for a good kid but the return will not be the priority. It will be doing right by the kid. I hope though if there is no market he's released early so he can look at the Q/Dub. This also be more fair to the other 3 guys. The other reason you keep your three best is it gives you a chance to see what this team has got this year. If we're doing well at the deadline keep them and help the next wave develop and gain experience ( but please James DO NOT ADD THIS YEAR). If we're middling all three could have good value as OA upgrades at the deadline. Now the Stoney conundrum. Yes he could turn pro but I believe he'll be back. I know some would disagree but I still think Gerrior is the better player in junior ( Stoney imo has more pro upside). So I'd be ok if they trade whoever they get the best return for or even trade 2 OA'S we're out of it....but I hope it's not Gerrior!

 

[OMG67]

I can't see Gerrior being released Beast. He's just too good. My belief is you've got to keep your best players irrespective of position. And our best Oa's are without a doubt Mac, Mayich and Gerrior. I agree with you we are a bit thin on D and keeping Sirman would be nice but as much as I like him ,and the fact he's a great teamate, he's not as talented. I suspect by keeping him Boyd is hoping to find a good landing spot for a good kid but the return will not be the priority. It will be doing right by the kid. I hope though if there is no market he's released early so he can look at the Q/Dub. This also be more fair to the other 3 guys. The other reason you keep your three best is it gives you a chance to see what this team has got this year. If we're doing well at the deadline keep them and help the next wave develop and gain experience ( but please James DO NOT ADD THIS YEAR). If we're middling all three could have good value as OA upgrades at the deadline. Now the Stoney conundrum. Yes he could turn pro but I believe he'll be back. I know some would disagree but I still think Gerrior is the better player in junior ( Stoney imo has more pro upside). So I'd be ok if they trade whoever they get the best return for or even trade 2 OA'S we're out of it....but I hope it's not Gerrior!

Sirman doesn’t have value in this market. Arguably, neither does Gerrior nor MacK. Those guys would need to be significantly better than other teams 3rd OA for there to be a market for them.

There are TEN OA goalies on OHL Rosters right now. We could discuss which OA goalies are better/worse but if we consider there are as many as five teams with OA goalies that are in the seller category, you have to think there are options other than MacK out there available.

What makes the most sense? As of right now, it looks like Sirman will dress as the #6? Dietsch will be back soon so I imagine when he is back, Boyd will make a decision on Sirman. He may very well keep him but I don’t think he would need to play him. They could also make room for Gerrior by rotating Horner into the #6 D-Man slot. They may rotate that around a bit to get all three into the lineup. This also allows for the younger wingers to get in if Horner is back on defence.

They only have two goalies rostered so I doubt they would sit MacK and play the 3rd skater.

I think we will have answers this weekend.

With respect to Stonehouse, I think he may have the highest value of all the perspective OAs. He brings a skill set that is tough to find. I could see a contending team reach out looking for that skill set to add to their lineup. Some would disagree about that because he had a down season last year with the shoulder injury but he should have a month to showcase himself in case there are any doubters.

 

[sirius67fan]

Sirman doesn’t have value in this market. Arguably, neither does Gerrior nor MacK. Those guys would need to be significantly better than other teams 3rd OA for there to be a market for them.

There are TEN OA goalies on OHL Rosters right now. We could discuss which OA goalies are better/worse but if we consider there are as many as five teams with OA goalies that are in the seller category, you have to think there are options other than MacK out there available.

What makes the most sense? As of right now, it looks like Sirman will dress as the #6? Dietsch will be back soon so I imagine when he is back, Boyd will make a decision on Sirman. He may very well keep him but I don’t think he would need to play him. They could also make room for Gerrior by rotating Horner into the #6 D-Man slot. They may rotate that around a bit to get all three into the lineup. This also allows for the younger wingers to get in if Horner is back on defence.

They only have two goalies rostered so I doubt they would sit MacK and play the 3rd skater.

I think we will have answers this weekend.

With respect to Stonehouse, I think he may have the highest value of all the perspective OAs. He brings a skill set that is tough to find. I could see a contending team reach out looking for that skill set to add to their lineup. Some would disagree about that because he had a down season last year with the shoulder injury but he should have a month to showcase himself in case there are any doubters.

I agree Mac will be hard to trade because of the market, although healthy he's arguably an upgrade on most if not all the other OA goalies. He could be traded with an undefperforming OA goalie coming back maybe?? I disagree about Gerrior there would be a solid market for him imo as well as Mayich/Stoney. Let's see how the first twenty games go and trade who brings the best return

 

[beastintheeast]

The issue is going to be simple. If you are bringing Stonehouse back and plan on dressing him, then you need to get rid of 2 OA because he will be back after you have to be down to 3, I believe. I see a deal that has us get a 8th round pick for stonehouse with the upgrade os another pick 4th maybe dependingon what he does with the team that picks him up.

The fact that Stonehouse numbers were crap last year and everything that has been going on with him I blame on my 2 favourite whipping boys, DC and Boyd. They knew he was hurt, and they knew this was not a team that was going anywhere except making the playoffs. He should have been sent for treatment and the surgery earlier. I am assuming that Edmonton did not know the severity of the issue.

Nevertheless, we need to get rid of these guys ASAP that we are waiving like everyone agrees so that they can find another junior A team to play on. I do not see any of them adding much to a Q team, and the West is brutal and usually full. I see them laying OJHL or CCHL this year and getting ready for university or college next year.

 

[OMG67]

I agree Mac will be hard to trade because of the market, although healthy he's arguably an upgrade on most if not all the other OA goalies. He could be traded with an undefperforming OA goalie coming back maybe?? I disagree about Gerrior there would be a solid market for him imo as well as Mayich/Stoney. Let's see how the first twenty games go and trade who brings the best return

The challenge with MacK is he has never put up starter minutes in a single season. If he’d have played 45 games last year and not been injured, we’d be having a completely different conversation right now. IMO, if that had been the case, he’d be one of the most sought after goalies this season.

Half the league has four OA’s right now. Only one team (Brampton) has only two. He is only marginally better than other teams top 3 OA’s. Also, when considering the teams that are most likely to upgrade OA’s, you have to look more at the contenders. None of the contenders would be looking to upgrade their OA’s with a player like Gerrior. They will be looking at guys like Wakely, VanSteensel, Mayich, Stonehouse, Smith, McCoy, and DeAngelis before they look at Gerrior.

The reality is, the OA’s we have are more valuable to the 67’s than they are on the open market because there is available supply of quality excess OA’s.

 

[OMG67]

The issue is going to be simple. If you are bringing Stonehouse back and plan on dressing him, then you need to get rid of 2 OA because he will be back after you have to be down to 3, I believe. I see a deal that has us get a 8th round pick for stonehouse with the upgrade os another pick 4th maybe dependingon what he does with the team that picks him up.

The fact that Stonehouse numbers were crap last year and everything that has been going on with him I blame on my 2 favourite whipping boys, DC and Boyd. They knew he was hurt, and they knew this was not a team that was going anywhere except making the playoffs. He should have been sent for treatment and the surgery earlier. I am assuming that Edmonton did not know the severity of the issue.

Nevertheless, we need to get rid of these guys ASAP that we are waiving like everyone agrees so that they can find another junior A team to play on. I do not see any of them adding much to a Q team, and the West is brutal and usually full. I see them laying OJHL or CCHL this year and getting ready for university or college next year.

For clarity, we need to be down to four OA’s in mid-November and three OA’s the day before the trade deadline in January.

The two OA’s that will have value are Mayich and Stonehouse. Those are two players that can fill a role on a contending team. Mack also has value but there may be too much supply of OA goalies out there. Someone would really need to want him and only him. That is possible but who knows?

Personally, I agree with Sirius. The three we keep are MacK, Mayich, and Gerrior. I think strategically speaking, those are the ones that help develop the young kids and provide stability. Stonehouse will have value because he is a pest that can score goals. There will be a contending team out there that will want that and will pay for it. I wouldn’t be surprise din the slightest if he ended up on Brampton.

 

[Hinterland]

My prediction is Dietsch returns and Sirman is released. Then if Stonehouse gets returned, they rotate Gerrior and Stonehouse until a deal is worked out.

I hope so. Sirman was brutal during playoffs. Largely outplayed by Smyth. I hope Sirman gets a shot elsewhere but the 67's have better options for the overager slots.

 

[OMG67]

Interesting side note. I was looking at the 67’s draft picks. They are rather fortunate in 2025. It seems like all of their picks in rounds 2-3-4 are picks from teams likely to finish in the bottom quarter of the standings. It is possible these may be the four teams out of the playoffs:

2nd - Niagara
3rd - Owen Sound
4th - NIagara, Peterborough, Kitchener

Those should be some solid picks to add players in this next draft. Having the three 4ths will allow them to go off the board with one of the picks

 

[sirius67fan]

Anybody know where Jordan Perrier is playing to start the year?

 

[OMG67]

Some odd lines tonight. Foster playing Centre again. I guess if at first, second, third, fourth, fifth you don’t succeed, try a sixth time.

The one thing I do like to see is Barlas playing with Ekberg. They played really well together vs Kingston in that las t exhibition game. It is good to see them stay together. Houben is with them too so it does look like DC is trying to not have a 4th line. He is spreading it out.

Sirman is the OA Scratch. Surprisingly, Amidovski is the other scratch.

 

[Hinterland]

Poor Ekberg, having to play with Houben and Barlas. Rough, but they're probably just trying to ease him in.

 

[AGranderson]

Hilton & Houben can not skate well enough to play in this league, Ekberg looked lost in the first, first period was also a big reminder why Horner was moved to forward last year

 

[Vector Calculus]

Hilton & Houben can not skate well enough to play in this league, Ekberg looked lost in the first, first period was also a big reminder why Horner was moved to forward last year

I agree that Houben looked like he had lead in his skates in the first. Sitting Amidovski is certainly…a choice.

Still early, but Eshkawkogan has looked good I think. Getting top-4 minutes too it seems, and doesn’t look out of place.