OK so my prediction that Niagara was not going to be the team to walk over is at least correct so far YEAH ME!!!!!!Well a spirited 3-2 loss to Niagara. Notes:
- Boy, can Pinelli snipe that puck! I think he's gotten better.
- Mews skated well but he's way too soft in the defensive zone. And the head-punching penalty he took was selfish and dumb
- Ekberg did look a bit lost. Today he was the 4th line centre behind Foster, Dever, Whitehead.
- Middle of the 2nd we were 20-42 faceoffs win/loss. It's going to be a long year if we don't get that competent cheap centre.
That was my comment to my wife. To be anywhere near a playoff spot, this team needs to find another 230 goals this year. That is going to be a tall order.Gonna be a long season.
This was a surprise for me tonight. I thought Ekberg looked far better in the preseason than he did tonight.- Ekberg did look a bit lost. Today he was the 4th line centre behind Foster, Dever, Whitehead.
It starts downt he middle where we seem most weak.That was my comment to my wife. To be anywhere near a playoff spot, this team needs to find another 230 goals this year. That is going to be a tall order.
LOL. Very clever!Eshkawkogan looked very confident for a 15 yo and very comfortable gathering in passes that ended up in his skates. He will need that skill.
Again, we made Flores look good. Too many shots dead centre of the net.Niagara went 3 for 4 on the PP, Ottawa was 0 for 5 and that was the game. Just too predictable and lots of missed shots. It looked the same as last year, with different names on the jerseys.
Was Amidovski hurt or a healthy scratch? Sitting out your first draft pick in the home opener would be a terrible idea.
Down the center is going to be an issue, but I also think the rest of the team is an issue, and as I have said, it is the coaches' fault.It starts downt he middle where we seem most weak.
LOL. Very clever!
Again, we made Flores look good. Too many shots dead centre of the net.
I have a feeling that the early going will see Houben Hilton, and Amidovski all rotate into two LW positions. We play Oshawa on Sunday and that is Hilton’s home town. I assume he will play that game so I predict Houben will be the odd man out and Amidovski will play.
The ‘06 forwards are pretty weak. All of Kelly, Hilton, and Korbler will struggle to combine for 30 goals. The ‘07s will likely outscore the ‘06’s but likely not by much. That doesn’t bode well for next year when your 19 year old forwards are so non-descript.
I know it is only one game in but a lot of what was highlighted in the offseason came to fruition tonight in a home game against a team that you are literally battling against for a playoff spot this season.
The coaches don’t draft/trade players.Down the center is going to be an issue, but I also think the rest of the team is an issue, and as I have said, it is the coaches' fault.
Playing Ekberg on the 4th line is an insult to him. It either says he is not ready for the OHL and not as good as the draft people say he is, or as we know with DC, he has no idea what to do with rookies.
We’ll see.My prediction is that Amidovski is lucky to see 5 minutes a game.
More an unfortunate circumstance. Gardiner requesting out is an issue but the question becomes whether they flip those picks from the Gardiner deal for a replacement 19 year old. Clearly that is not what you’d prefer so they need to make adjustments in the early stages of the season to find the right combination.We knew last year that this team was going to be offensively challenged. Just look at the senior players we have coming back. There is only 1 goal scorer, and they keep messing with Foster, trying to make him a center one week and a winger the next.
They gave up 50 shots to a team that will struggle to make the playoffs. I wouldn’t call this game a trophy measuring stick.I predicted during the break that Niagara would not be the pushover they were last year.
They did use 5 of those players on two lines. So, they are already pretty close!Ottawa has to look at things realistically in that this is a 7-9 team. It has no scoring and has no heart. They need to take the young guns Ekberg, Hilton, Houben, Whitehead Yanni and Amidovski and play them and create 2 lines with them.
The first two ‘06s were D-Men so that is a drafting issue. The ‘07s may have some difficulties but their 1st rounder defected. They may not end up with an elite player from that draft but they do have five players playing right now. That’s not bad considering they didn’t have a 1st.If DC stays in DC mode then you can forget about competitive hockey in Ottawa for a long time. You will not develop your 2006 and 2007 players by 4th line and sitting in the stands.
You continually fail to understand that when you put players out there to chase a puck all game, you end up with the first four seasons of the Mississauga Ice Dogs with Don Cherry bragging about having 23 returning players for year two of the franchise. They went from 16 points in year one to 21 points in year two. Playing young players just because they are young and expecting them to develop without the proper situations and/or players to play with is asinine.That is one reason I think Gerrior should be traded or released: to open a spot for these guys to play and develop.
It is far better to carry the extra players in the first half so you have more options. See what you have. At the deadline, you trade Pinelli and a spot opens. Maybe you trade Foster as well provided the return is adequate. You organically open those spots at the deadline as opposed to opening the spots now and handcuff yourself at the deadline not having enough bodies to finish the season.My line up and I know it is not going to be popular.
Pinellli Ekberg Korbler
Yanni Dever Foster
Hilton Whitehead Horner
Amidovski Barlas Kelly
HOUBEN
Wave Gerrior, you could also let Barlas play enough games to guarantee this year of scholastic and waive/trade him.
At the deadline or whenever you get a good offer trade Pinelli and move everyone up one space.
Boyd neglected to make the trades that were needed and see where this team was going last year and pushed a square peg at the round hole by making trades to add OA and keep players that have value to start the build last year. Now we pay.
The coaches don’t draft/trade players.
Maybe not the acquiring, although I am sure that when they are drafting, he has some input. Compare the input that Tourigny had to that of DC and teh ability to find what he needed out of the players.
Technically, Whitehead would be considered the 4th line centre, especially when it was Whitehead that was pulled from his line with the two wingers sitting in the 3rd period.
We’ll see.
Again, I think this is a Boyd issue, possibly development, but definitely, Boyd is not trading or drafting the players needed.More an unfortunate circumstance. Gardiner requesting out is an issue but the question becomes whether they flip those picks from the Gardiner deal for a replacement 19 year old. Clearly that is not what you’d prefer so they need to make adjustments in the early stages of the season to find the right combination.
No, but last year, as bad as we are, we could beat them. I think that we will be fighting Niagara for a playoff spot in MarchThey gave up 50 shots to a team that will struggle to make the playoffs. I wouldn’t call this game a trophy measuring stick.
Granted hope they continue to do so and not sit and bench themThey did use 5 of those players on two lines. So, they are already pretty close!
The problem I see here again is a GM issue that there is not the ability to play them and a coaching issue with DC not developing them.The first two ‘06s were D-Men so that is a drafting issue. The ‘07s may have some difficulties but their 1st rounder defected. They may not end up with an elite player from that draft but they do have five players playing right now. That’s not bad considering they didn’t have a 1st.
I don't think you put them out there to chase a puck. Hopefully, the coach has developed into them the systems that he wants and what he wants them to do on a shift. Consider that Amidovski is the only rookie player not having experience with the team last year.You continually fail to understand that when you put players out there to chase a puck all game, you end up with the first four seasons of the Mississauga Ice Dogs with Don Cherry bragging about having 23 returning players for year two of the franchise. They went from 16 points in year one to 21 points in year two. Playing young players just because they are young and expecting them to develop without the proper situations and/or players to play with is asinine.
It is far better to carry the extra players in the first half so you have more options. See what you have. At the deadline, you trade Pinelli and a spot opens. Maybe you trade Foster as well provided the return is adequate. You organically open those spots at the deadline as opposed to opening the spots now and handcuff yourself at the deadline not having enough bodies to finish the season.
I have no idea why you are in such a rush to purge the lineup and put players in awkward situations.
In that, we agree. I would stretch back to the 2022-23 season though. He created a log jam trying to hoard players for no reason. Refusing to move bodies at the deadline and burning picks in an effort to roll over too many skaters into the following season handcuffing the coaches ability to properly run out the younger guys in 4th line roles was stupid. Entering the season with 10 D-Men is just dumb.
That is frightening. No one at all who would put the puck in the net with any consistency. Taking a team that is already going to struggle to produce offence and removing 4 of its top players would be a disaster both in terms of results and development. We somehow have like 2 top-6 forwards in that group if I’m being generous.Amidovski - Dever - Korbler
Hilton - Ekberg - Kelly
Houben - Whitehead - Horner
Yanni - Perrier
Late to the party but a few thoughts on last night
1-agree with a lot of posters that Amidovsky should have been in the lineup ( unless injury related). First rounder, tenth overall! Just play him
2- Shocked that Ekberg was centering the fourth line with Hueben/Barlas ( in fairness Barlas impressed me last night). You bring in a prized prospect, potential first rounder and you do that....are you kidding me! It's not like we've got studs in front of him at center. For God's sake play him with Pinelli/Foster/Gerrior.
I can’t say enough how much I dislike Foster at centre. Starting that way simply messes up the entire flow of the lineup.3- very poor line combos by Cameron imo
Except of course when we are on a 5 on 4 powerplay and Mews decides (TWICE) to go 1 on 4….5-Mews needs to get some urgency to his game. Great skater! Use it and push the pace jnstead of sitting back there analyzing the situation forever.
6-discipline was poor and it killed us
YUP!1-first game of the year so let's not overreact ( like I did above)
2- to echo others was imoressed by Esh a lot
3- Barlas had a good game
3- Marelli was solid
4- Mac was moving well in goal. Hopefully he stays healthy
I like Cameron. He's a good coach but sitting Yanni to play Sirman is stupid. At some point you need to move on and properly play the kids. Sirman was a liability last season. I don't see a single reason why he should be playing over any of the kids.
I also agree re Foster at C. Time to move on from that idea as well. Let Ekberg center the topline or bring in somebody else if you don't think he's ready for it. I'd honestly just give Ekberg a shot and use Amidovski as 4C. Gotta play the kids.
Once Cameron is done with his bs I'm hoping for something like this:
Pinelli, Ekberg, Kelly
Foster, Dever, Körbler
Gerrior, Whitehead, Horner
Yanni, Amidovski, Hilton/Houben
Marrelli, Mews
Mayich, Eshkawkogan
Dietsch, Brady
What a frustrating period - like Friday, lots of shots and they controlled the play but come out down 2-0. I counted two posts struck but the announcers had it at 3. Mews had a period to forget for sure…looked like he gave up a bit on the rush back that resulted in Oshawa’s second goal, and had some giveaways as well.67's down 2-0 after 1, but outshooting Oshawa 24-8
What a frustrating period - like Friday, lots of shots and they controlled the play but come out down 2-0. I counted two posts struck but the announcers had it at 3. Mews had a period to forget for sure…looked like he gave up a bit on the rush back that resulted in Oshawa’s second goal, and had some giveaways as well.