Owen Sound Attack 2023-24 Season Thread (Part One)
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Might need to do something to spark this team.. the D isn’t very good.. need to make some improvements on the back end..
HLLYWD99
Registered User
Hindsight is always 20/20, no way anybody would have predicted that a 17 year old who scored 28 times last year would fall off a cliff offensively at 18. As much as it hurts to lose a player like Bryant, if they don't want to be here then you have to move on. I personally thought the trade looked good for the Attack when it happened considering the circumstances so it would be tough for me to sit here and criticize Dale for it now. Sometimes it just doesn't work.
It's going to be a very telling weekend for the Attack. They essentially had their character questioned, very publicly at that through the media, after Wednesday's no show performance. If we don't see any form of response this weekend then I think that seals this team's fate in terms of what direction DeGray chooses to take the team. The weekend's games will show if the players are willing to fight for their season. If we don't see any improvements in terms of effort and compete then Dale's job becomes quite clear moving forward.
Does his job become clear or does his job security become in question as well... I love DD and most of his trades have been decent enough however this team deserves a chance to actually go for it one time and not just be status quo for the 30 win seasons. At what point does that not become enough and the fans, owners and players want something more. I for one am ready to live with a few down seasons if it means we took a legit Crack at it one time but that's not the way he does business.
I don't think Dale's job is in jeopardy, nor do I think it should be. I think this is where having an experienced steady hand at the helm is a good thing. I don't expect Dale to make any irrational moves. While we all expected better this season I don't think Dale will try and push the round peg in to the square hole. He'll make the course correction that's required.
The way I look at it is if the team doesn't turn it around then you have to sell. If they tear it down they will get good picks and/or players in return for their talents. If they want to make a serious run, the next window is around the 06/07 group when George is 19. Selling now means they would have the assets necessary to be serious players in deadline dealing during that season. In theory they would be better positioned that year than they are now but between now and then you would need a couple of stars to come out of the 06/07 class and potentially 08 group. The only 05s rostered that would be back are Brennan, Waddick and Petrovski as OA candidates.
I think in general everything has to been done in consideration of ownership and with respect to the market we are in. The games I've attended this year haven't had great turnouts minus the hockey fights cancer game. Attendance figures affect gate revenue that keep the organization afloat. I'm not confident the ownership group would stomach the financial impacts of a few down seasons. We are the smallest market in the league and I think we have to do things a little differently than the rest of the league.
Tonight will be a test for you guys. There was zero emotion in the game Wednesday, and yes I'm going to say it because many others have. Stewart was not there to bring enrgy and drag the boys along. It will be a tough rink tonight with 10000 fans. I think it will be up to Barlow to bring his team up. Although it looked to me like he has had a nagging injury by the way hes been playing. I hope he is able to play, although it wouldn't surprise me if he is hurt more than he or the team is letting on.
Good luck tonight, I'll maybe watch replay when I get home from our Remembrance Day game.
Good luck tonight, I'll maybe watch replay when I get home from our Remembrance Day game.
DCruickshank
Registered User
- Jan 8, 2022
- 275
- 287
The Only real problem I have is Dale never goes all in either direction. IMO if we are going to sell we should try to sell as much as possible to help put us in the best spot for the future or if we are going to go for it do the same.. Actually go for it. Obviously not every season but atleast once in a while. If we put our selves jn a situation this season that we are not what we hoped and the season looks somewhat in trouble then just make the necesary trades. Give up your Barlow, Sedley, Guindon or Goure. All these guys will net decent returns
PensFan101
Forever Champions.
I don't buy the fair weather market argument, because attendance has stayed relatively steady by the looks of it even in "rebuilding" years for this club (like 2018-2019 and the year after). And it's an attitude that if the team does have at the top, has held them back tremendously.
Two seasons ago was a "build up" year, and the team got 3 home playoff dates. Last year the team wanted to be contenders and got 2 home playoff dates. This year the team wanted to be competing for the championship, and they'll be lucky to get more than 2 home dates right now.
While I agree that selling would be beneficial to go for it in the next year or two, our GM has been too timid to pull the trigger until it's too late far too many times to have faith in it.
I'm fully on the train that DeGray's time has come and I think the team would do even better if we had a GM that was willing to ride the all in nature of the OHL. Winning a couple rounds every few years and none for a couple is an improvement on the mediocrity the fans and players have been served the past number of years. Every season the owners hold on and give him this kind of leeway is a year we fall further behind the times.
If we start counting after 2011's championship run, the team has won four playoff rounds. Four. In 10 completed seasons. That's a maximum of four home playoffs games per year in 7 of those seasons. And that's with some incredible teams that could have done more.
Anyway, back to the hockey...
I think if it comes to it and the team sells, and strips it right down, they would be positioned well to be buyers two seasons from now and not completely deplete the cupboard. I think that's the biggest thing holding them back is not wanting to completely deplete the draft picks. With this being such a cyclical league, draft picks are really important to keep the talent flowing into the roster year over year. If they completely empty the cupboards it takes longer to build back to relevancy. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see them be a player in the market but I totally understand why they can't.
I get it. I think the thing we have to keep in mind is the GM represents ownership and acts on their wishes. DeGray acts as the voice of the team but a lot of decisions he has to make are being done on behalf of or with the approval of the ownership group. If the ownership group says we need the playoff gate every year to sustain the franchise then the GM needs to manage accordingly. I don't know that it's entirely up to DeGray to buy big or sell big. At the end of day, the moves made directly impact the ownership group and team revenues.
That being said, I think we know it's very challenging to be a legit title contender operating this way and can certainly come with fan frustrations. It's tough to watch other teams acquire stars at the deadline while the Attack tinker at the edges but I think that's representative of the market we are in and the need to be relevant each year to maintain attendance to maintain the revenue stream. The team operates as a business and money in is what determines the money out.
I think Dale DeGray is a smart GM and generally makes good or the right decisions. I think he's earned the right to see things through good or bad. If we sell, I'd rather him at the helm and steer those conversations and transactions in the right direction. You don't want to see a new GM making those kind of decisions. I think if it comes to change, you would do it post deadline, prior to the draft. It would seem Sean LaFortune is likely next in line but that's most likely when Dale decides to ride off into the sunset.
Barlow sitting tonight. Injury related or performance? If he's not injured that's a pretty big statement to the rest of the team. Have to think it's injury.
AttackRinkRat
Registered User
- Apr 1, 2017
- 294
- 275
The Attack could benefit by hiring a shooting coach.
I'm serious.
I'm serious.
Story of the season right there. Play one of their better efforts of the year and come up short. They dominated the second period, mostly due to the PPs, and only get 1. Went down early in the third and fight back to tie, Brennan with some much needed depth scoring, and then take the lead only to give it up 7 seconds later. Go up 4-3 late and the undefended player at the net front bangs in the rebound to tie it again.
Overtime was horrible. They had the puck for the majority of the OT period but I think they only made one attempt at the net the whole time. Just a constant skate it back into neutral territory and reset with no real effort to take it to the net.
The recipe for this team is to follow up a great effort with a dud in the next one so hopefully they can break from that and play a good game against the fish at home. They need to start stringing these kinds of performances together with consistency.
Overtime was horrible. They had the puck for the majority of the OT period but I think they only made one attempt at the net the whole time. Just a constant skate it back into neutral territory and reset with no real effort to take it to the net.
The recipe for this team is to follow up a great effort with a dud in the next one so hopefully they can break from that and play a good game against the fish at home. They need to start stringing these kinds of performances together with consistency.
WTH was with the OT it felt like we spent the whole time retreating from the offensive zone in OT while in possession of the puck. Possession is great but we did literally nothing with it and it was so frustrating to watch. The longer it went on you just new London was going to score.
The team is lacking confidence in themselves.
They played four minutes of overtime NOT to lose.
They weren't willing to take a chance to win .
Like Wayne Gretzky once said, ' you don't score on 100 % of the shots you don't take "
Will be interesting to see what's in store for tonight, the league's highest PIMS vs the leagues fewest PIMS. See how they respond to Mississauga's brand of hockey.
StingUpdates
Registered User
- Jan 12, 2019
- 5,731
- 7,839
What was our record when they fired Walters? I think it’s time for Degray to go.. I really don’t understand how he is still the GM of this team.. this season since the firing has been a train wreck. This team is underperforming from top to bottom, the Defense is terrible.. goalies get left out to dry.. I’m sick of the same thing that the goal is 30 wins per season.. f**k that.. we want to see playoff success.. who cares if you win 30 games then get swept in the first round.. I dunno what was supposed to be a promising season as been a complete disaster.. I’d trade Sedley and 29 stock pile some picks for for next year.
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