Erie Otters 2023-24 Off-Season Thread (Part One)

[NOA]

Fimis, Alfano, Sova are likely the 3 they keep while trading/releasing Smith and McDonald.

Stan indicated he wanted a playoff birth (accomplished), assess, and decide on a run for this upcoming season. If not this season then you'd be looking a run with Spence/Schaefer instead of Spence/Sova/Terrance/Schaefer with the added bonuses of Fimis, Alfano, Edwards and some other players who are above average IMO. The major concern being goalie at this point.

Yeah the problem is if it’s not next year, then when? As you said, they lose more at the end of next yr vs this year. Terrance / Sova / Fimis / Alfano at minimum are gone. I would rather they add 1/2 pieces to be better next year (maybe a 3/4 seed?) and compete a bit more in the playoffs vs standing pat. There is zero chance they are going to “sell” next year unless things go bad unexpectedly (i.e. injuries, goalie situation isn’t addressed)

Right now their major weaknesses are goalie and depth, specifically in the top 9 forward group. They still have an import pick that should help to address one of those issues. Their draft capital is limited but they should have enough to add one key piece if they wanted to. If McDonald develops even more, it’s possible he has some value as a trade and you can add some picks to flip for a younger depth option as well.

I think their best path to success is drafting a goalie with the import (they need a proven starter and going that route vs assests in a trade seems a little better), and then going into camp to see where guys are at in their development. At some point adding a 3rd line veteran would be needed but I’m only doing that if guys like Spence / Terrance / Schaefer really take off to give them the star power they need. The following season could be another bad year but with the ability to trade Spence/Schaefer, they could recoupe assets way more than they were able to between 2018-2022. If you actually commit to selling them off immediately and with their age, you could easily add 7-8 high picks, and 2 young players. By 2026-27, you’ll be young but back on the rise and this time with REAL assets in the cupboard

 

[Mata]

Yeah the problem is if it’s not next year, then when? As you said, they lose more at the end of next yr vs this year. Terrance / Sova / Fimis / Alfano at minimum are gone. I would rather they add 1/2 pieces to be better next year (maybe a 3/4 seed?) and compete a bit more in the playoffs vs standing pat. There is zero chance they are going to “sell” next year unless things go bad unexpectedly (i.e. injuries, goalie situation isn’t addressed)

Right now their major weaknesses are goalie and depth, specifically in the top 9 forward group. They still have an import pick that should help to address one of those issues. Their draft capital is limited but they should have enough to add one key piece if they wanted to. If McDonald develops even more, it’s possible he has some value as a trade and you can add some picks to flip for a younger depth option as well.

I think their best path to success is drafting a goalie with the import (they need a proven starter and going that route vs assests in a trade seems a little better), and then going into camp to see where guys are at in their development. At some point adding a 3rd line veteran would be needed but I’m only doing that if guys like Spence / Terrance / Schaefer really take off to give them the star power they need. The following season could be another bad year but with the ability to trade Spence/Schaefer, they could recoupe assets way more than they were able to between 2018-2022. If you actually commit to selling them off immediately and with their age, you could easily add 7-8 high picks, and 2 young players. By 2026-27, you’ll be young but back on the rise and this time with REAL assets in the cupboard

And then there is that issue with the GM, Dave Brown who in almost every year has a failing grade. Couple that by the fact he has now littered the organization with his family, it puts owner Jim Waters in an extremely tough position (one that he is responsible for).

Note: I have no idea how well Dave's kin do for the organization so I don't have an opinion there, but one thing probably comes true, if he fires DB as we've all been calling for, his kids are likely gone too and that would be A LOT for any organization to undertake especially with the team we have coming back.

This will be a razors edge season with zero room for error from all sides and executing it would be looked at as genius and probably a miracle.

 

[OttersFan]

And then there is that issue with the GM, Dave Brown who in almost every year has a failing grade. Couple that by the fact he has now littered the organization with his family, it puts owner Jim Waters in an extremely tough position (one that he is responsible for).

Note: I have no idea how well Dave's kin do for the organization so I don't have an opinion there, but one thing probably comes true, if he fires DB as we've all been calling for, his kids are likely gone too and that would be A LOT for any organization to undertake especially with the team we have coming back.

This will be a razors edge season with zero room for error from all sides and executing it would be looked at as genius and probably a miracle.

Yet how does DB win all these mentions and bids/awards to manage a tournament team? What are we missing that people see in him?

A bunch of scouts quit this year because of DB. I believe it’s just his one son who works with the team. He always travels on the road with them. Shane Clifford quit because of DB.

Erie didn’t draft any Americans. Likely we didn’t have the scouts/resources to cover all the areas. We have only 3 scouts. How many scouts do teams usually have on staff?

Most of our draft picks came out of the Toronto area. There’s so much talent out there and I hope they found pieces to build with.

 

[NOA]

Yet how does DB win all these mentions and bids/awards to manage a tournament team? What are we missing that people see in him?

A bunch of scouts quit this year because of DB. I believe it’s just his one son who works with the team. He always travels on the road with them. Shane Clifford quit because of DB.

Erie didn’t draft any Americans. Likely we didn’t have the scouts/resources to cover all the areas. We have only 3 scouts. How many scouts do teams usually have on staff?

Most of our draft picks came out of the Toronto area. There’s so much talent out there and I hope they found pieces to build with.

Even worse when you consider 1 of the 3 scouts is for u18, like wow.. what a waste of severely limited assets. Again though, if all this is true and going on then it falls on the owner. JW is the ultimate leader and the one who can make any decision he wants or deems necessary. If the dysfunction is that large or the scouts are that limited, it falls on the owner. I can’t imagine DB wants less scouts or less resources, but he could be limited if the owner is only giving him so much, which ultimately falls back on lack of revenue over 6-7 years due to DB management but either way, it’s still the owner who continues to employ the current staff

 

[Guy In Burlington]

Yet how does DB win all these mentions and bids/awards to manage a tournament team? What are we missing that people see in him?

A bunch of scouts quit this year because of DB. I believe it’s just his one son who works with the team. He always travels on the road with them. Shane Clifford quit because of DB.

Erie didn’t draft any Americans. Likely we didn’t have the scouts/resources to cover all the areas. We have only 3 scouts. How many scouts do teams usually have on staff?

Most of our draft picks came out of the Toronto area. There’s so much talent out there and I hope they found pieces to build with.

Devin Brown is Dave’s youngest brother, not his son. The other Brown who works for the Otters (name escapes me) is perhaps a son or nephew but I’m not 100% sure.