A month ago I felt the same way.......I honestly felt that the Petes would keep McCoy and Melee as OAs going into next season as veteran guys who would steady the ship, but as the trade market developed in the last week things changed. In this sellers' market I think any of these guys could get traded.
- The next time the OHL will host the Memorial Cup is in 2027, when all 07 players are in their 19yo seasons. By loading up on 07s, Oke will have the Petes in position to possibly be one of two teams from the OHL in the Mem Cup or, if things go sideways, he will have a number of desirable pieces in high demand in another sellers' market
- If OAs get traded (Mayer, Dubois) Oke will get OAs in return who will hopefully be character guys that support the young guys. This won't make a difference in more wins but the young guys will be sheltered somewhat. Rookies at this point in the season also have half a season under their belt and are able to handle the grind because they know what to expect. A lot of these rookies that come to the Petes will be excited to get more meaningful ice-time to show what they can do.
The Petes will get more for McCoy by trading him now instead of next year and they will struggle next season either way so it just makes sense.
IMO, he has played really well since the start of December. He is more active on the rush this year without sacrificing his defense and he makes so many smart plays that don't show up on the scoreboard but make a huge difference.
Bring on more trades Mr. Oke and welcome to all of the 07s who come this way