The reason they likely have kept Cam Gauvreau to start the season is that Sam Mayer was only sent back mid week and they are down to only six defencemen with injuries to Konnor Smith and Liam Ladds. Gauvreau sat out Thursday and played on Friday against Ottawa. Also right now the Petes are focused on winning as many games as possible and using their best players will help them do that. They will make the decision on rebuilding as the season progresses and we’re they are in the standings. They are not going sell all their top players as they feel they can compete this season. As I have said often they will likely trade Owen Beck and maybe Konnor Smith and May trade all or some of their current three overages at deadline but I am certain that they will keep the players now that give them the best chance to win.
Flint Firebirds 2023-24 Season Thread (Part One)
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The point of discussion for me is Gauvreau and Kavanaugh have more value to the Petes and Colts as extra OAs on the roster than traded or waived, and teams with OA space don’t seem to have much interest in replacement level OAs.
Bzrustowski is in the OJHL. Brantford waived an OA D, Erie waived two OA Fs, Tarasevich and Savard were traded for 8s. I mentioned Bzrustowski is the OJHL?
Section5Petes
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The issue right now for the Petes is exactly what you say. Cam Gauvreau is more valuable to the Petes than simply just shipping him out for a weak pick that this OA market is spitting out. However, the problem is that the Petes currently have 4 overagers that mean a lot to them and one has to sit every night. Through 2 games, Jax Dubois has played 2 games (and leads the league with 7 points), Sam Mayer has played 2 games (2 goals), Connor Lockhart 1 game (1 assist) and Cam Gauvreau 1 game. It is quite easy to say that Dubois, Mayer and Lockhart should be in the lineup every game and I cannot see how they keep sitting one of these three to get Gauvreau in. I have to imagine that if Konnor Smith and Liam Ladds were not hurt, Gauvreau may probably be gone, but this team is short d and now has to factor him in. Gauvreau means a lot to the Petes but not enough to consistently have Lockhart or Dubois out of the lineup.
Once Konnor Smith returns from injury which should hopefully be somewhat soon, it would be tough to find a spot for Cam Gauvreau in this d core, simply because he is an OA:
Sam Mayer - Carson Cameron
Dylan Woulds - Donovan McCoy
Konnor Smith - Brayden Velliaris
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Hockeypolice
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FireBird71
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StingUpdates
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Think I've made it obvious my thoughts of Dent but 2 games is crazyyy. Hope this isn't the start of more chaos in your org.
I don't know any parameters of his firing, but it's just frustrating that we can't ever just have a normal season without drama. Like it never ends. It gets old.
How the kids feel about it is what matters most here. From an outsider’s perspective? See ya! He was atrocious as a GM in two years. He was thoroughly out coached by Saginaw when he had a superior team. In retrospect I think it was a lot of Cavallin and the boys before that and this year? Jeez. They shouldnt be THAT bad out of the gate.
FireBird71
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I just can’t believe with his resume and AHL/NHL connections he struggled to recruit so bad. Couldn’t pull anyone at the deadline? Then panicked and spent SIX picks on Dann? Which ended up being a waste last year and then this year? 6ft 6 OA Kaleb Lawrence just went for a single 8th. Tyler Savard? 8th rounder. Nikita Tarasevich? Guess what? An 8th. I’d take Dann over Tarasevich but not at that price. This year he drafted his friend’s kid in the 2nd round and he can’t even get him to commit? They traded UP in the draft to pick kids who are playing elsewhere. I wouldn’t say he was HORRIBLE as a coach and if all the players liked him and had his back…. That’s an issue. I’m ok with seeing what Flache and company can do though. That starts tomorrow and the Soo is coming in just as pissed off after tonight as Flint will be from last week.
Yeah, I would have gave him like a B- as a coach during his tenure. WCF, 7 games with Saginaw last year.
As a GM its a pretty easy F.
Doesn't say he was fired, or resigned in the press release, which I feel like is a little strange.
I’d consider the 7 game series vs Saginaw quite a coaching failure too. I mean it wasn’t the all-time historic embarrassment of Shane Wright’s Windsor squad getting dusted in 4 by an 8 seed but Saginaw sold pretty big last year and Flint I guess “added”. Great 7 game series or not it was a failure in my eyes. Flint had a better roster but Lazary clearly out coached him his entire tenure here. He just did stuff sometimes….like last game vs Kitch. The first two goals Flint gets scored on and Dent sends a 16yo 12th round pick D out to center ice? I mean Fellinger is incredibly impressive considering his age and draft place but that’s not what you do to settle the troops and he did it twice. Bad coach…..? I wouldn’t say that. Good coach? I wouldn’t say that either from what I’ve seen. I’m really curious to see how they look tonight with the new HC, Hayes back and hopefully Pitre too. If the room liked Dent I’m concerned. If they were contributors to him leaving? Ok then. Let’s go boys. Y’know?
Agree with the end part. It just seems strange that they didn't word it as fired or as he resigned.
And idk if we see Pitre.
Has some kind of brace on that wrist/thumb last weeknd. He was back plenty early to play last weekend. Wondering if he's out for a bit.
And idk if we see Pitre.
Has some kind of brace on that wrist/thumb last weeknd. He was back plenty early to play last weekend. Wondering if he's out for a bit.
Super disappointed with Slavicek.
4-3 game, short handed 2 on 1 break, instead of making a pass to Hayes, or shooting it, he cuts center and turns it over and Soo comes down 4 on 2 and makes it 5-3. That was the back breaker, they were 100% in that game until that point.
0 goals 0 assist -6 he's been basically invisible through 3 games.
4-3 game, short handed 2 on 1 break, instead of making a pass to Hayes, or shooting it, he cuts center and turns it over and Soo comes down 4 on 2 and makes it 5-3. That was the back breaker, they were 100% in that game until that point.
0 goals 0 assist -6 he's been basically invisible through 3 games.
Hockeypolice
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Day was out of the rhythm fo the most of the game. Tough for the team when the first shot ends up in the net. But, overall much better team effort than previous games.
For sure and Day hasn’t looked great. I’m a huge supporter of his and I believe in him but while some of those goals I completely put on the D, a couple last night (again) were on Day. He needs to re-find his mojo soon or it could be an issue where they need to shop for a vet to settle things. Which hurts the development of all 3 goalies already in the system. Still….new coach. Coulson and Gavin’s first game back. Flint’s 3rd game. The Soo’s 5th. They’re coming together a bit. Slowly. Eliminate a couple bone-head miscues and a couple missed calls and that would have been a fairly close game. At least last night they looked like they could hang if they clean things up a bit.
Hockeypolice
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Few changes and this team is ready to make some noise. New coach could be our biggest asset at the moment. I have a good feeling about him.
Lost in all the frustration over the dissapointing start and HC change is the Birds’ leading scorer. 16yo Jeremy Martin has looked REALLY good 3 games into his OHL career. It blows my mind that they’re playing a 16yo 12th round pick on D regularly too. How many times has that EVER happened in the league? He’s looked good too. A lot of kids like Kaden, Aspinall, Klinkhammer have clearly taken a step forward too. They haven’t been lights out but you can see they’ve taken the next step. Still think they should have kept Pitters though.
Toldyaso
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Looks like Kressler is on his way back to Flint
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That is HUGE. They’re weak down the middle and too young on D. Problem one solved. Now go get Gavreau. Right the ship and bank as many points as possible before the deadline. Then send Gavin and possibly even Braeden somewhere they have a chance to finish with a title. Follow the Hamilton and Guelph models!!! Don’t F up and follow the Erie model. Just go read their thread and see how it works out when you “kinda” buy every year just to do a little better.
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