Ottawa 67s 2024-25 Season Thread, Part I

[OMG67]

Wow , you realize that that is what I have been preaching about all the OA this year. They need to go somewhere that they are going to get the games. At this stage, I doubt there is another CHL team that needs him. I think the best he can hope for is the same as Donoso. Looking at the way that OA has been treated on this team, I think Boyd has screwed up. I can see the team view, but looking at the players, I think he has been unfair. The only player who is guaranteed to play when released is Stonehouse, as I am sure the Oilers can make room in the ECHL for him.

This is not an Ottawa issue; it is a league issue. I think the rule needs to be changed so that you can have a two-OA period by the end of October. That would allow players to move and find a place.

Next year we arepotentially going to go through the same crap

Horner
Foster
Barlas
Dever
Pinelli

That is why I think we need to trade at least 2 of these players this year at the deadline. No matter what the return it for some of them.

That’s actually not what I am saying.

Every player makes a decision. In Ottawa’s situation, all the OA’s knew what the situation was. Sirman knew he was not going to be in Ottawa all year. He had to either wait it out with Ottawa until he had a landing spot or decide to go the same route as Smyth and go to school now. The team allowed him to play long enough for a spot in the QMJHL to open up for him. Kudos to Boyd.

In MacK’s situation, he knew that there would be him, Stonehouse, Gerrior, and Mayich. One was going to hae to go. If I knew coming into the season that the OA situation league wide was going to be an issue, then clearly Boyd knew it and every one of those players agents knew it and advised accordingly. I was told by multiple people on the inside that Stonehouse was always set to come back to Ottawa. There was never a situation on the table where he wasn’t coming back to the OHL.

This was not some sort of hidden agenda where a player is getting screwed out of the blue. Each of them knew the situation. So each of them signed up for it. I have zero sympathy for the players. However, we are now in a situation where one needs to go within the next 8 weeks. This has reverted from trying to do their best to get assets back for a trade to trying to ensure as best as possible the player that is removed lands somewhere. If that means you keep the player rostered for a bit longer then so be it. Keep him rostered. Liam Sztuska ended up in the QMJHL so clearly the Q-League is not in the same situation for OA’s. IT may be possible for MacK to end up there. If not Mack, then Gerrior. Maybe Gerrior ends up in the CCHL? Who knows? But, that is not the point.

You are taking the stance of doing right by the players by not hanging on to them. You don’t know that is happening. You are assuming there is a landing spot out there now and Ottawa is blocking them. That is likely not the case. It could and is very likely they are trying to do right by the player and waiting for a spot that makes the most sense for the player as opposed to discarding them and making them fend for themselves. Look at last year. Donoso couldn’t get a spot to play until that team moved a couple OA’s right at the deadline which opening up the spot for Donoso. The same situation may happen this year as well. Who knows? But, I can tell you that the reason they are holding on to the player sis specifically because they are doing right by the player, not blocking them.

WRT your comment on the OA’s next year, deal with the OA’s next year. You dont’ bastardize your roster this year to prepare for next year when you don’t know which players will return. You have two NHL draft picks on that list of five players and you are suggesting they need to trade two of them now. Which two? Dever and Barlas? For anything they can get? How about Dever for a 5th and Barlas for a 9th? Then Foster and Pinelli graduate and we have Horner? So we then have to trade for replacements for Barlas and Dever and maybe we pay a 2nd and a 3rd for each. That isn’t a great idea now is it? You have a terrible habit of making these blanket statements without digging into the next level. I KNOW that is not necessarily what you meant but you leave yourself open for criticism when you group players together like they are all the same as if their impact next year will all be the same. It discredits the point you are trying to make.

I think what you are trying to say is it is unlikely that Pinelli returns so maybe we should trade him. Then because we have some younger guys that need ice time, it may be a good ideal to move a player like Barlas because he doesn’t revise anything valuable enough and it isn’t like he would return as an OA next year anyway. You would have provided some depth to why you trade these “particular” players. But, when you say we need to trade at least two of those five, it makes zero sense because then I can cherry-pick and make it sound dumb. This is not the place where you can allow people to cherry-pick and make you sound dumb. They will. Don’t give them fuel.

 

[beastintheeast]

That’s actually not what I am saying.

Every player makes a decision. In Ottawa’s situation, all the OA’s knew what the situation was. Sirman knew he was not going to be in Ottawa all year. He had to either wait it out with Ottawa until he had a landing spot or decide to go the same route as Smyth and go to school now. The team allowed him to play long enough for a spot in the QMJHL to open up for him. Kudos to Boyd.

In MacK’s situation, he knew that there would be him, Stonehouse, Gerrior, and Mayich. One was going to hae to go. If I knew coming into the season that the OA situation league wide was going to be an issue, then clearly Boyd knew it and every one of those players agents knew it and advised accordingly. I was told by multiple people on the inside that Stonehouse was always set to come back to Ottawa. There was never a situation on the table where he wasn’t coming back to the OHL.

This was not some sort of hidden agenda where a player is getting screwed out of the blue. Each of them knew the situation. So each of them signed up for it. I have zero sympathy for the players. However, we are now in a situation where one needs to go within the next 8 weeks. This has reverted from trying to do their best to get assets back for a trade to trying to ensure as best as possible the player that is removed lands somewhere. If that means you keep the player rostered for a bit longer then so be it. Keep him rostered. Liam Sztuska ended up in the QMJHL so clearly the Q-League is not in the same situation for OA’s. IT may be possible for MacK to end up there. If not Mack, then Gerrior. Maybe Gerrior ends up in the CCHL? Who knows? But, that is not the point.

You are taking the stance of doing right by the players by not hanging on to them. You don’t know that is happening. You are assuming there is a landing spot out there now and Ottawa is blocking them. That is likely not the case. It could and is very likely they are trying to do right by the player and waiting for a spot that makes the most sense for the player as opposed to discarding them and making them fend for themselves. Look at last year. Donoso couldn’t get a spot to play until that team moved a couple OA’s right at the deadline which opening up the spot for Donoso. The same situation may happen this year as well. Who knows? But, I can tell you that the reason they are holding on to the player sis specifically because they are doing right by the player, not blocking them.

WRT your comment on the OA’s next year, deal with the OA’s next year. You dont’ bastardize your roster this year to prepare for next year when you don’t know which players will return. You have two NHL draft picks on that list of five players and you are suggesting they need to trade two of them now. Which two? Dever and Barlas? For anything they can get? How about Dever for a 5th and Barlas for a 9th? Then Foster and Pinelli graduate and we have Horner? So we then have to trade for replacements for Barlas and Dever and maybe we pay a 2nd and a 3rd for each. That isn’t a great idea now is it? You have a terrible habit of making these blanket statements without digging into the next level. I KNOW that is not necessarily what you meant but you leave yourself open for criticism when you group players together like they are all the same as if their impact next year will all be the same. It discredits the point you are trying to make.

I think what you are trying to say is it is unlikely that Pinelli returns so maybe we should trade him. Then because we have some younger guys that need ice time, it may be a good ideal to move a player like Barlas because he doesn’t revise anything valuable enough and it isn’t like he would return as an OA next year anyway. You would have provided some depth to why you trade these “particular” players. But, when you say we need to trade at least two of those five, it makes zero sense because then I can cherry-pick and make it sound dumb. This is not the place where you can allow people to cherry-pick and make you sound dumb. They will. Don’t give them fuel.

Okay we sort of have the same feeling.

I agree that these guys may not have had anywhere to go at the beginning of the year. I also agree that with the OA cohort this year, OAs are a dime a dozen. It may be that there was nowhere for them to play, but I doubt it. I am sure that many Junior teams would have enjoyed having a goalie of MacK's skill or Gerrior.

As for next year, we have agreed for most of the year that Pinelli will likely not be back and will bring in a reasonable return.

Barlas could or could not be back again if he has no university goals then he may come back to camp.

Foster may or may not be back but he is a 6th rd pick that is unsigned so odds are he will be back
but if he isn't we never know

Horner is likely going nowhere he has little value other than to the 67's as a utility player

Dever is undrafted and unsigned and would be a beneficial part of next year as a top center

The worst-case scenario is that we trade Pinelli and Foster, and the other 3 decide not to come back. But is that a worse-case scenario for the team?

That would leave the team with 3 open OA positions to fill as needed. I think you will agree that is not a huge issue to have.

 

[OMG67]

Okay we sort of have the same feeling.

I agree that these guys may not have had anywhere to go at the beginning of the year. I also agree that with the OA cohort this year, OAs are a dime a dozen. It may be that there was nowhere for them to play, but I doubt it. I am sure that many Junior teams would have enjoyed having a goalie of MacK's skill or Gerrior.

As for next year, we have agreed for most of the year that Pinelli will likely not be back and will bring in a reasonable return.

Barlas could or could not be back again if he has no university goals then he may come back to camp.

Foster may or may not be back but he is a 6th rd pick that is unsigned so odds are he will be back
but if he isn't we never know

Horner is likely going nowhere he has little value other than to the 67's as a utility player

Dever is undrafted and unsigned and would be a beneficial part of next year as a top center

The worst-case scenario is that we trade Pinelli and Foster, and the other 3 decide not to come back. But is that a worse-case scenario for the team?

That would leave the team with 3 open OA positions to fill as needed. I think you will agree that is not a huge issue to have.

Just for clarification, when you say “many junior teams,” do you mean JrA or are you talking about OHL? Or maybe you are talking about QMJHL or WHL?

If we are strategically assigning OA spots next year, I think that is probably a more productive conversation.

1> Foster. I think he is worth rolling the dice on. HE is unsigned. IMO, he doesn’t project as an NHL prospect and is unlikely to sign an ELC. Someone may throw an AHL contract at him but I don’t think it would be in his best interest to jump on that. Guys in his situation almost always return to Junior to give it one more year.
2> Dever. Undersized player with speed that can play centre. Perfect OA candidate IMO. Apparently he really likes being in Ottawa. To me, he is a no brainer OA next year. Just put a stamp on it.
3> Barlas. I think Barlas is a decent OA candidate. He can play up and down the lineup. Is he a strong OA candidate eon a contender? No. But, he is a strong candidate to score 15-30-45 as an OA player. For a rebuilding team, having a versatile player that can sub in at centre is valuable. I would start the year with Barlas and see how it goes.
4> Horner. He is sort of in the same boat as Barlas except he won’t’ provide the same offence but he can sub in as a spare D-Man. I am not sure that is more valuable than what Barlas brings.
5> Pinelli. He will turn pro. End of discussion on him.

So, IMO, you keep all four of Foster, Dever, Barlas, and Horner. If Foster returns, then waive Horner. If Foster graduates, keep the remaining three and see how the year progresses.

For my strategy, Pinelli would be the only player we should consider moving. I don’t think this team has anywhere near enough depth to be moving bodies out for middling picks just because we may end up with 4 returning OAs.

 

[beastintheeast]

Just for clarification, when you say “many junior teams,” do you mean JrA or are you talking about OHL? Or maybe you are talking about QMJHL or WHL?

Junior A or U sport or anywhere including CHL teams

If we are strategically assigning OA spots next year, I think that is probably a more productive conversation.

1> Foster. I think he is worth rolling the dice on. HE is unsigned. IMO, he doesn’t project as an NHL prospect and is unlikely to sign an ELC. Someone may throw an AHL contract at him but I don’t think it would be in his best interest to jump on that. Guys in his situation almost always return to Junior to give it one more year.
2> Dever. Undersized player with speed that can play centre. Perfect OA candidate IMO. Apparently he really likes being in Ottawa. To me, he is a no brainer OA next year. Just put a stamp on it.
3> Barlas. I think Barlas is a decent OA candidate. He can play up and down the lineup. Is he a strong OA candidate eon a contender? No. But, he is a strong candidate to score 15-30-45 as an OA player. For a rebuilding team, having a versatile player that can sub in at centre is valuable. I would start the year with Barlas and see how it goes.
4> Horner. He is sort of in the same boat as Barlas except he won’t’ provide the same offence but he can sub in as a spare D-Man. I am not sure that is more valuable than what Barlas brings.
5> Pinelli. He will turn pro. End of discussion on him.

So, IMO, you keep all four of Foster, Dever, Barlas, and Horner. If Foster returns, then waive Horner. If Foster graduates, keep the remaining three and see how the year progresses.

That is one option but are you sure Boyd will not do the same 4 player dance he did this year. To who you waive it will be interesting and dependent on what the returning players bring next year as well as the draft class this year.

I would agree with Foster and Dever if they return. The toss-up is Barlas versus Horner.

Horner brings an RW to an area that right now is projected to be weak, as well as giving you an extra D to fill in for injuries and sickness.

Barlas brings an LW that can sort of play center on either the 3rd or 4th line.

For my strategy, Pinelli would be the only player we should consider moving. I don’t think this team has anywhere near enough depth to be moving bodies out for middling picks just because we may end up with 4 returning OAs.

Trading Pinelli, if your prediction is correct, will bring us at least one player and picks. If we traded Foster, we would get picks and could use them to fill the gap with a journeyman winger.

Mews being traded could also change things depending on what we get in return

One of the issues with 4 OA is that especially if they are forwards you have a hard time setting your lines

But your point is understood.

 

[OMG67]

I think Boyd keeps the four OA’s until he finds an opening. Not only does that benefit the team, it also benefits the players. If gives more of a runway to find a landing spot, even if that landing spot doesn’t net Ottawa an asset in return.

 

[beastintheeast]

I think Boyd keeps the four OA’s until he finds an opening. Not only does that benefit the team, it also benefits the players. If gives more of a runway to find a landing spot, even if that landing spot doesn’t net Ottawa an asset in return.

I think it would benefit the team more if he could trade one of them this year when they have a little value. As we have seen there is not much value for OA forwards of their level of play but they might provide something for a team this year looking for depth peice

 

[OMG67]

I think it would benefit the team more if he could trade one of them this year when they have a little value. As we have seen there is not much value for OA forwards of their level of play but they might provide something for a team this year looking for depth peice

He’d need to get a higher value for the player this year than their replacement value next year if they are short. So, if you trade Foster, and you need to replace him next year, you are likely shelling out a 2nd, 3rd, and 5th. That means you need to get more than that this year for Foster. Significantly more.

So, again, it cannot simply be a flat statement of “get whatever you can this year.”

 

[beastintheeast]

He’d need to get a higher value for the player this year than their replacement value next year if they are short. So, if you trade Foster, and you need to replace him next year, you are likely shelling out a 2nd, 3rd, and 5th. That means you need to get more than that this year for Foster. Significantly more.

So, again, it cannot simply be a flat statement of “get whatever you can this year.”

Where did I say get whatever you can this year? What I said was tht there is more of value for Foster right now than there will be next year.

The same with Horner and Barlas, although I really do not see any trade value in them.

 

[OMG67]

Next year we arepotentially going to go through the same crap

Horner
Foster
Barlas
Dever
Pinelli

That is why I think we need to trade at least 2 of these players this year at the deadline. No matter what the return it for some of them.

 

[AGranderson]

I have heard that Boyd will be pushing some chips in to add. They likely won’t sell anything unless a drastic change. Plan to see a big sell in the summer with Mews, Marelli, Foster. They feel if they can add a couple people this team can compete

 

[OMG67]

I have heard that Boyd will be pushing some chips in to add. They likely won’t sell anything unless a drastic change. Plan to see a big sell in the summer with Mews, Marelli, Foster. They feel if they can add a couple people this team can compete

And, when they exit stage left in round one, it will be a new management and coaching team that will be doing the trading….

 

[ScoutLife4]

And, when they exit stage left in round one, it will be a new management and coaching team that will be doing the trading….

I think Cameron is locked in for next season i don't think they would can him in the summer but maybe after a slow start next fall.

 

[NordiquesForeva]

And, when they exit stage left in round one, it will be a new management and coaching team that will be doing the trading….

Would be very dumb imo to push any chips in this year, and I say that as someone who supported the buyer moves made last year.

Edit: I should say I supported the buyer moves last year in concept; in typical fashion Boyd didn't go far enough/push in enough chips to establish the 67s as a true contender. Moved them from second round cannon fodder instead of first round.

 

[OMG67]

Would be very dumb imo to push any chips in this year, and I say that as someone who supported the buyer moves made last year.

Edit: I should say I supported the buyer moves last year in concept; in typical fashion Boyd didn't go far enough/push in enough chips to establish the 67s as a true contender. Moved them from second round cannon fodder instead of first round.

Ottawa has five 2nds and three 3rds for key draft picks. That is nowhere near enough picks to do anything meaningful. That is far less than Kingston, Brampton, and Brantford who are all competing for the same players at the deadline. Barrie and Oshawa are already in contender status as well. AND, that is just our conference.

Imagine for a second if Boyd decided to move Amidovski? Oh my! That is what he would need to do to make a meaningful acquisition. I cannot see him do that but if he did do it while not moving bodies in years they were a front runner as opposed to a middling .500 hockey team…. As I said, this decision is and should be one where jobs hang in the balance.

I know that if I were the owner and the GM came to me this year and under these circumstances and said he wanted to make a push, I would not stand in his way but I would say that if he is wrong, he would need to pack his bags. That includes the Head Coach supporting the decision.

Personally, I think this is just boastful confidence. When push comes to shove as we get closer to the deadline, I cannot see this as actually happening. These are the types of things coaches and management say to motivate the team in the short term.

I reiterate, that if Boyd were to trade Amidovski and pretty much all the 2nds and 3rds in a THIRD YEAR IN A ROW half assed playoff push, he should be fired as soon as the buzzer goes to end the 67’s playoffs in round one or two.

So, unless we manage to get a handful of NCAA recruits (or current NCAA players) report to change the fortunes of the foundation of this club prior to any player acquisitions being made via trade, this seems like a pure pipe dream to me. Naive pipe dream.

 

[gadder]

I have heard that Boyd will be pushing some chips in to add. They likely won’t sell anything unless a drastic change. Plan to see a big sell in the summer with Mews, Marelli, Foster. They feel if they can add a couple people this team can compete

From his previous posts I know better than to imagine AGrand is trolling.
With this plan the only thing we'd be competing for next year is with Peterborough for last place. The time to go for it come h-ll or highwater was the previous 2 years.

 

[Vector Calculus]

From his previous posts I know better than to imagine AGrand is trolling.
With this plan the only thing we'd be competing for next year is with Peterborough for last place. The time to go for it come h-ll or highwater was the previous 2 years.

I’m in the same boat - being a buyer this year given how next year is shaping up comes across as desperate. We are staring down the barrel of a few years in the basement without some seller moves, and don’t have realistic prospects this post season no matter what we do…and I say that as someone who thinks the team is actually pretty decent and certainly better than their record so far this year.

 

[OMG67]

From his previous posts I know better than to imagine AGrand is trolling.
With this plan the only thing we'd be competing for next year is with Peterborough for last place. The time to go for it come h-ll or highwater was the previous 2 years.

He’s not trolling. I can pretty much guarantee that. He’s clearly being told this from a reliable source.

Again, this may very well be a situation where Boyd is putting up a brave front in an effort to motivate the team. The question is whether he is out there in the marketplace actually trying to bag big fish RIGHT NOW. I have not heard anything regarding Boyd “seriously inquiring” on major players. The only thing I have heard is him staying in the loop but no real discussions on any players. This is why I am skeptical of the true intentions of the “plan.”

Boyd’s job is to do everything he can (within reason) to win hockey games and put his team in a position to win in the playoffs. One of the ways of doing that is rewarding the team that is competitive with additional players at the deadline. To me, this is a situation where he is putting it on the players to prove they are worthy. So, yes, Boyd will add at the deadline if the team is worthy. The question really is whether the team is actually in a position to truly be THAT TEAM. From where I am sitting, I cannot see it unless a few NCAA commits land in Ottawa unexpectedly.

We’ve seen this before. DC is a good coach at getting the team up and running in a strong system to start the season. The rest of the league usually takes longer. So, Ottawa gets some early positive results but when the rest of the league catches up, they find they aren’t quite as good as they think they are.

They are probably looking at this internally thinking if they hadn’t had such a poor start on the PK, they’d likely have 4 more points in the standings which brings them up to a .636 win%. That matches Kingston for the division lead. So, in some respects you may be able to justify it if you twist the stats around. But, the bottom line is the team lacks overall depth and the goal scoring comes from three players, maybe four with Ekberg on pace for 20 goals.

 

[ScoutLife4]

He’s not trolling. I can pretty much guarantee that. He’s clearly being told this from a reliable source.

Again, this may very well be a situation where Boyd is putting up a brave front in an effort to motivate the team. The question is whether he is out there in the marketplace actually trying to bag big fish RIGHT NOW. I have not heard anything regarding Boyd “seriously inquiring” on major players. The only thing I have heard is him staying in the loop but no real discussions on any players. This is why I am skeptical of the true intentions of the “plan.”

Boyd’s job is to do everything he can (within reason) to win hockey games and put his team in a position to win in the playoffs. One of the ways of doing that is rewarding the team that is competitive with additional players at the deadline. To me, this is a situation where he is putting it on the players to prove they are worthy. So, yes, Boyd will add at the deadline if the team is worthy. The question really is whether the team is actually in a position to truly be THAT TEAM. From where I am sitting, I cannot see it unless a few NCAA commits land in Ottawa unexpectedly.

We’ve seen this before. DC is a good coach at getting the team up and running in a strong system to start the season. The rest of the league usually takes longer. So, Ottawa gets some early positive results but when the rest of the league catches up, they find they aren’t quite as good as they think they are.

They are probably looking at this internally thinking if they hadn’t had such a poor start on the PK, they’d likely have 4 more points in the standings which brings them up to a .636 win%. That matches Kingston for the division lead. So, in some respects you may be able to justify it if you twist the stats around. But, the bottom line is the team lacks overall depth and the goal scoring comes from three players, maybe four with Ekberg on pace for 20 goals.

He most likely has to show he is improving the team if he wants any chance of Pinelli and Mews not begging to be moved.
I would expect them to be smaller depth moves and not a big name player like Allard or Musty.

 

[OMG67]

He most likely has to show he is improving the team if he wants any chance of Pinelli and Mews not begging to be moved.
I would expect them to be smaller depth moves and not a big name player like Allard or Musty.

I expect to see somewhat of a clear division by the time we hit the christmas break. Most everyone called it a five team race and with the exception of Brampton slumping, that is pretty much how this is shaping up so far. The only variable was going to be Sudbury. With top end talent and a decent number of picks, there was a possibility they would jump into that group.

I will be shocked it Ottawa were to be part of a true seven team race including Sudbury when the deadline rolls around.

 

[OMG67]

To me, this is a two year reset. This year we deal Pinelli and next year we deal Mews. We don’t need to bottom out. We can stay competitive enough that the hockey is entertaining and we win our fair share of games while hovering somewhere around .500 or close to it.

If Boyd is going to be the GM long term, we need a massive load of draft picks at our disposal. He has not proven willing to move young players in buyer trades; therefore, we need those picks if we want to acquire players in the future. Recent trades as the comparable suggests you need upwards of eight good picks plus a couple deep picks to acquire an elite player. That is basically three straight years of 2nds, 3rds, and 4ths to acquire one guy. If you need two guys, that means we need to have double the standard number of picks in the top four rounds. Again, this is assuming Boyd doesn’t move his 1st rounder or any quality 17 year olds to help lessen the pick burden.

We could acquire those picks doing what we are doing now by moving what seems like an endless stream of players that don’t want to be here. I mean, that is one option I guess. But, that is not an ideal situation. It relies on players not happy being an Ottawa 67s player.

That leaves the option of moving key players when the time is right and from my perspective, that time has come.

Boyd has picked a lot of NCAA committed players. He should be able to attract one or two of them. That should help keep the team competitive and help push for a future run. If he can’t get them to sign here, then there is something wrong with the strategy of drafting those players to begin with. The door is wide open now. There should be no reason Boyd is unable to get a couple of those guys. Other teams are already getting that done.

This could be a solid opportunity to make a run in 2026-27 provided we play this right.

 

[ScoutLife4]

To me, this is a two year reset. This year we deal Pinelli and next year we deal Mews. We don’t need to bottom out. We can stay competitive enough that the hockey is entertaining and we win our fair share of games while hovering somewhere around .500 or close to it.

If Boyd is going to be the GM long term, we need a massive load of draft picks at our disposal. He has not proven willing to move young players in buyer trades; therefore, we need those picks if we want to acquire players in the future. Recent trades as the comparable suggests you need upwards of eight good picks plus a couple deep picks to acquire an elite player. That is basically three straight years of 2nds, 3rds, and 4ths to acquire one guy. If you need two guys, that means we need to have double the standard number of picks in the top four rounds. Again, this is assuming Boyd doesn’t move his 1st rounder or any quality 17 year olds to help lessen the pick burden.

We could acquire those picks doing what we are doing now by moving what seems like an endless stream of players that don’t want to be here. I mean, that is one option I guess. But, that is not an ideal situation. It relies on players not happy being an Ottawa 67s player.

That leaves the option of moving key players when the time is right and from my perspective, that time has come.

Boyd has picked a lot of NCAA committed players. He should be able to attract one or two of them. That should help keep the team competitive and help push for a future run. If he can’t get them to sign here, then there is something wrong with the strategy of drafting those players to begin with. The door is wide open now. There should be no reason Boyd is unable to get a couple of those guys. Other teams are already getting that done.

This could be a solid opportunity to make a run in 2026-27 provided we play this right.

You guys are not in a bad spot draft pick wise right now with 5 2nds, 3 - thirds.
Moving Pinelli definitely would have you guys in really good shape to build for the 2026 season.

 

[Fawlty]

It's going to be interesting to see how this season unfolds and any potential player additions or subtractions. If Boyd is unable to snag some NCAA committed players he'd previously drafted, that doesn't bode well. Either as OMG suggests the strategy is flawed and/or players are reluctant to come to the 67s.

 

[beastintheeast]

If Boyd makes a move to be top competitive and it tanks as it probably will He will be gone before the end of the playoffs. Remember that the draft is during the playoffs and who ever is going to take over is going to need time.

As to NCAA players reporting I think a lot of that is if it will benefit the player. DC and his rookie (and anyone coming in is a rookie no matter how old) is a deterent.

If you have committed to BU or Michigan you are going to value their input as to what you should do.

Last year everyone was saying that we should make trades and go for it. We did and we saw what happened.

This year we have 1 consistent scorer and a couple that are showing signs. we do not have a second line or a tihird line to compete this year.


The solution for this team is to trade Pinelli get something for him which should be a good return.
That helps with next year.

Every team has to go through a retool or rebuild. We have to accept that there is a price for being at the top for so many years.

As to Brampton I was the first person to say that Erie was going to tank because they started slow. mmmm

It is going to take some thime there have been a lot of injuries and penalties to this team so I think we are going to see a different team the rest of the year and up to the draft. Also reember they have a load of draft pcks to get into the musty et al deadline trades.

The draft this year is going to have some size to it so if we can get good early draft icks it is definitley a year to grow and resolve size issues.

 

[Larionov]

Boyd has picked a lot of NCAA committed players. He should be able to attract one or two of them.

Is this ever going to be a wild card for CHL teams for the next while. Which teams are successfully able to attract kids who previously were committed to the NCAA route? As the old saying goes you don't need a thousand guys - just a few of the right ones. You're going to see teams being able to turn their fortunes around much more quickly. Conversely, teams who thought they were on a contending track suddenly get hurt by a key player or two leaving a year early for NCAA. Buckle up - it's going to be a wild ride...

 

[OMG67]

If Boyd makes a move to be top competitive and it tanks as it probably will He will be gone before the end of the playoffs. Remember that the draft is during the playoffs and who ever is going to take over is going to need time.

As to NCAA players reporting I think a lot of that is if it will benefit the player. DC and his rookie (and anyone coming in is a rookie no matter how old) is a deterent.

If you have committed to BU or Michigan you are going to value their input as to what you should do.

Last year everyone was saying that we should make trades and go for it. We did and we saw what happened.

This year we have 1 consistent scorer and a couple that are showing signs. we do not have a second line or a tihird line to compete this year.


The solution for this team is to trade Pinelli get something for him which should be a good return.
That helps with next year.

Every team has to go through a retool or rebuild. We have to accept that there is a price for being at the top for so many years.

As to Brampton I was the first person to say that Erie was going to tank because they started slow. mmmm

It is going to take some thime there have been a lot of injuries and penalties to this team so I think we are going to see a different team the rest of the year and up to the draft. Also reember they have a load of draft pcks to get into the musty et al deadline trades.

The draft this year is going to have some size to it so if we can get good early draft icks it is definitley a year to grow and resolve size issues.

Like I mentioned, this doesn’t pass the smell test IMO. I think some other things need to go right first. This sounds more like a motivational push where management says they aren’t giving up and they will do whatever necessary to make a run this year.

I can understand the logic though. Next year is a complete write-off. We won’t be able to score goals. Our ‘06 class will graduate to be our 19 year olds. We will have Mews, Marrelli, and Brady from that draft class (three D-Men). From the ‘07 class, we will have Whitehead, Dietsch, Yanni, Houben, and Nelson. Another D-Man, a Goalie and three underwhelming forwards. The three forwards may very well be able to contribute and maybe even turn it around, settle in and be very productive. But, it will be a tough year next year trying to score goals.

So, if next year is the REAL rebuild year, I can understand maybe trying to do something this year. The challenge is the competition isn’t going to pull back and let Ottawa push through.