Ottawa 67's 2023-24 Season Thread (Part One)

[Stellar29]

At this point in time, definitely seems like Kaleb Lawrence will be dealt. Owen Sound wants to make a push this year and a Goure-Barlow combo is a good starting point. Now of course if Owen Sound is out of it by the deadline, then Goure would be a premier forward on the market no doubt.

That would seem the logical conclusion but I'm not sure that will end being the case. There was some internal grumbling about back to back poor playoff showings from Goure. With the OA market being as soft as it is currently they likely move Lawrence and keep Goure rather than sell a player like Goure on the cheap. They don't have a lot of trade assets and I think they would have liked to have added something of value for later in the year but I don't think they can get that out of the current OA situation.

Lawrence to Ottawa would make sense. He's from the area and probably at a price point Ottawa would be happy with. Still some upside in the player that I think should be of interest, just not enough to likely get fair market value.

 

[BarberPole9]

That would seem the logical conclusion but I'm not sure that will end being the case. There was some internal grumbling about back to back poor playoff showings from Goure. With the OA market being as soft as it is currently they likely move Lawrence and keep Goure rather than sell a player like Goure on the cheap. They don't have a lot of trade assets and I think they would have liked to have added something of value for later in the year but I don't think they can get that out of the current OA situation.

Lawrence to Ottawa would make sense. He's from the area and probably at a price point Ottawa would be happy with. Still some upside in the player that I think should be of interest, just not enough to likely get fair market value.

You’re right. Ottawa and Owen Sound make logical trading partners here. Personally, I like bringing local OA players if there are comparable players. The 67’s could use Lawrence’s size.

 

[Stellar29]

You’re right. Ottawa and Owen Sound make logical trading partners here. Personally, I like bringing local OA players if there are comparable players. The 67’s could use Lawrence’s size.

Ottawa is in a great position to leverage the market with 2 OA spots open and multiple teams trying to clear the OA log jam. They have the potential to get a couple of useful players on the cheap. It will be interesting to see what they end up with.

 

[BarberPole9]

Ottawa is in a great position to leverage the market with 2 OA spots open and multiple teams trying to clear the OA log jam. They have the potential to get a couple of useful players on the cheap. It will be interesting to see what they end up with.

They waited until the deadline last year to add Morrison. I feel like they may add one player now and another at the deadline. They may add two at the deadline if Mackenzie outplays Donoso in the first half.

 

[Stellar29]

They waited until the deadline last year to add Morrison. I feel like they may add one player now and another at the deadline. They may add two at the deadline if Mackenzie outplays Donoso in the first half.

Just a thought but if Ottawa was going to move a goalie, MacKenzie would be a tremendous piece. I don't know what Ottawa plans to do next year but if they put MacKenzie on the market at the deadline they could potentially squeeze a hall out of Barrie, Soo, Guelph or Saginaw as he would be a very high end 04 goalie. Unless North Bay puts Dom DiVincentiis on the market, Ottawa could hold one of the biggest deadline chips. Ottawa has a nice 06 group and you'd obviously want a goalie that fits with their 18 and 19 year old seasons so maybe that doesn't work unless you've got somebody up an coming in the pipe line. Donoso would provide stability for this year but how that effects future seasons would be TBD. Interesting to think about though.

 

[OMG67]

Beck is really the only LW you can truly differentiate though, and I think he has higher offensive upside in addition to a better fit for the hounds style.
Would Barrie if not loaded with forwards prefer Beck over the bigger better board player for their cycling game, probably not. But if both SSM (not a fast team to start) & London prefer Beck for a much different puck possession style over the power forward, the cost is normal.

We are comparing a package of a 2nd and 3rd vs an 8th. I don’t feel there is a straightforward justification based solely on talent and impact. There needs to be a secondary justification like a player request or a second part of a trade or transaction of some kind.

 

[dirty12]

We are comparing a package of a 2nd and 3rd vs an 8th. I don’t feel there is a straightforward justification based solely on talent and impact. There needs to be a secondary justification like a player request or a second part of a trade or transaction of some kind.

Martin, Gilmartin, Savard, Lawrence, Ertel (LW/RW); is there enough difference that you’d pay anything for one knowing that there is not five teams wanting them as much as the teams wanting to get down to three OAs?
Perhaps SSM thought Beck was different enough to suit their team as LW1, wanted him prior to the season start, and thought London might also be interested so paid the 2, 3 Ottawa wanted.

 

[beastintheeast]

I think that we have to look at getting a center getting anything else right now makes no sense.

 

[Boris67]

JFC what a brutal effort that was for home/season opener
How in the world players cannot be ready for a game like that is beyond me…..
Boyd — please don’t overspend draft capital for an OA to supplement this group….yuck

 

[analyser]

JFC what a brutal effort that was for home/season opener
How in the world players cannot be ready for a game like that is beyond me…..
Boyd — please don’t overspend draft capital for an OA to supplement this group….yuck

I agree, it was a complete embarassment and nobody truly gave much effort. In addition, it still boils down to the team lack of size and grit. Once the Pete's decided to use the body the 67s had no answer.

Tyler Savard would have went a long way in solving this issue and he only went for an eight round pick.

 

[beastintheeast]

I agree, it was a complete embarassment and nobody truly gave much effort. In addition, it still boils down to the team lack of size and grit. Once the Pete's decided to use the body the 67s had no answer.

Tyler Savard would have went a long way in solving this issue and he only went for an eight round pick.

One game is not a huge thing. A lot of these guys are getting their jr legs sorted out ets see what happens in a month.
We knew this was going to be a rebuild year so wait and see what happens.

 

[analyser]

One game is not a huge thing. A lot of these guys are getting their jr legs sorted out ets see what happens in a month.
We knew this was going to be a rebuild year so wait and see what happens.

It is pretty sad when you can't get up for the home opener against the team that knocked you out of your playoff run last spring. Banners raising night and not eleven a solid effort. I for one will not make excuses for them they are mostly the same players from last year so why did they look like such an incohesive unit. The Petes played the night before and still had all the jump.

Cameron should of at least had his guys ready to go from the start.

 

[NordiquesForeva]

Could be a loooong season here in Ottawa. Poor effort.

 

[BarberPole9]

Could be a loooong season here in Ottawa. Poor effort.

Not a good game for sure, but it’s a 68 game season. Let’s see where they are after 20 games.

 

[NordiquesForeva]

Not a good game for sure, but it’s a 68 game season. Let’s see where they are after 20 games.

Sure, perhaps I’m jumping the gun a bit but I’m not optimistic about this year’s team. I see them finishing somewhere in the 5-8 range in the east unless Boyd trades for some help (which may in itself be a mistake in this particular year if they view it as a rebuild of sorts). I didn’t like the makeup of the team heading into the season and last nights game confirmed some of my thoughts. Ewles shouldn’t be on a top D pair for a contender. Mayich is a fine #2-3 defensive guy but doesn’t have enough offensive talent to truly anchor a D group like Matier did. Pinelli is a stud, but is a winger and should line up as a winger with a centre who can complement him. Like last year the forward group lacks size and physicality overall. Several forwards playing a level higher on the depth chart than they probably should be. No signs of the forwards being able to successfully execute what made them so good last year, which was the relentless puck pursuit style by Rohrer, Gardiner, Gerrior, Tolnai, and Stoney. The three returnees in that group were very mediocre last night. Hilton was what I’d call a bright spot, but his line with i think Whitehead and Dever was non-competitive most of the night.

MacKenzie (brutal giveaway on the first goal aside) was solid and will give this team plenty of chances to win, but I’m not sure if the pieces are there at this point to do so. I hope I’m wrong.

Some egregious mistakes led to the first and third goals so hopefully the team can brush those off, clean the slate and move forward, but I’m of the view that there are some early warning signs from last nights game.

 

[badnova]

Do you think a guy like Mayer could help Ottawa's defense?

 

[Petes1987]

Do you think a guy like Mayer could help Ottawa's defense?

I doubt he is going to be traded by the Petes. The Petes from the start they have look to be very competitive this year. He is an alternate captain and is going to be relied upon to be a key part of their defence. If he is traded it will be at the deadline and the price tag would be costly

 

[ecraigs]

It was a bad night all round. The officials were brutal. Two blown icing calls in the first 40 minutes, with a centre ice face-off. Then the refs just ignored a dust-up after Stonehouse took a needless shot on net after one of the blown calls. Just terrible game management.

The 67s looked inept offensively and worse on defence. After 30, shots were 9-9 and the score was 1-1. In the second, Ottawa was outshot 19-6, but gave up just one goal. They were in it, but in the third, very little net presence, and the Petes' goalie saw every shot. Three Petes' goals were just gifts, not counting the empty net. Brutal.

Pete's were the better team everywhere on the ice. Cameron's tactics are no mystery to them.

All of this capped off by a 15 minute wait to get out of parking while the attendants had to explain the "paying for parking" thing to two drivers blocking the only two Driveway exit lanes while hundreds of cars sat and waited. How hard would it be to get their licence number and open the gates. It's $20. Get a grip.

 

[OMG67]

Sure, perhaps I’m jumping the gun a bit but I’m not optimistic about this year’s team. I see them finishing somewhere in the 5-8 range in the east unless Boyd trades for some help (which may in itself be a mistake in this particular year if they view it as a rebuild of sorts). I didn’t like the makeup of the team heading into the season and last nights game confirmed some of my thoughts. Ewles shouldn’t be on a top D pair for a contender. Mayich is a fine #2-3 defensive guy but doesn’t have enough offensive talent to truly anchor a D group like Matier did. Pinelli is a stud, but is a winger and should line up as a winger with a centre who can complement him. Like last year the forward group lacks size and physicality overall. Several forwards playing a level higher on the depth chart than they probably should be. No signs of the forwards being able to successfully execute what made them so good last year, which was the relentless puck pursuit style by Rohrer, Gardiner, Gerrior, Tolnai, and Stoney. The three returnees in that group were very mediocre last night. Hilton was what I’d call a bright spot, but his line with i think Whitehead and Dever was non-competitive most of the night.

MacKenzie (brutal giveaway on the first goal aside) was solid and will give this team plenty of chances to win, but I’m not sure if the pieces are there at this point to do so. I hope I’m wrong.

Some egregious mistakes led to the first and third goals so hopefully the team can brush those off, clean the slate and move forward, but I’m of the view that there are some early warning signs from last nights game.

Many of these points were discussed at length in the offseason.

They need a centre or two. Gardiner is a good prospect and can hold down a line but not necessarily a first line. As you mentioned, Pinelli is a solid winger and very productive in that role. Shifting him to centre pulls him off the wing where he is more productive and puts him in a situation where he is less productive and that is coupled with his wingers also being less productive as a result. Adding a top 6 centre is a key position to fill. The OA market may spit one out. If not, they will have to settle with a lessor centre between two great wingers.

I also agree about Ewles. We have depth on Defence but it is low depth chart defence where we are loaded. That #2/3 hole is vacant and I don’t see anyone filling that internally at this point.

To me, there are two wide open gaps that can be filled with OA’s. The cost would be minimal. The question is whether adding these players is the right move when it isn’t a year to contend. Regardless, I think they need to add the centre.The D-Man would be more a luxury if they are rebuilding.

 

[rossiroo]

Poor effort by the 67s, Mews is shockingly bad with weak telegraphed passes and no effort getting to pucks.

 

[44 95 plus tax]

You're not going to win many games when your 16 year old rookie is your best player on the ice.

 

[NoQuit67s]

Great deal for the Petes to Acquire Bowen for Simpson.
Bowen has been very good both times he's played in his hometown.

 

[NordiquesForeva]

Many of these points were discussed at length in the offseason.

They need a centre or two. Gardiner is a good prospect and can hold down a line but not necessarily a first line. As you mentioned, Pinelli is a solid winger and very productive in that role. Shifting him to centre pulls him off the wing where he is more productive and puts him in a situation where he is less productive and that is coupled with his wingers also being less productive as a result. Adding a top 6 centre is a key position to fill. The OA market may spit one out. If not, they will have to settle with a lessor centre between two great wingers.

I also agree about Ewles. We have depth on Defence but it is low depth chart defence where we are loaded. That #2/3 hole is vacant and I don’t see anyone filling that internally at this point.

To me, there are two wide open gaps that can be filled with OA’s. The cost would be minimal. The question is whether adding these players is the right move when it isn’t a year to contend. Regardless, I think they need to add the centre.The D-Man would be more a luxury if they are rebuilding.

What is it with this team and taking solid top 6 natural wingers and moving them to centre? I think Boyd more or less has to add if he wants this current group to continue developing and potentially contending next season. A season of good-but-not-great hockey and getting dominated physically by bigger/stronger opponents will only impair the development of the players who’ll be the core of next years group. Sucks to have to waste draft capital on bringing someone in, but the forward group needs a focal point that can lead the group and help the good talent at the wing position tilt the ice. I guess that was supposed to be Beck (also a winger mid you) but so be it.

The D will get abused all year without a viable #2 guy to play top pairing with Mayich. Mews and Marrelli are an acceptable second pairing.

What’s Donoso still doing here? Doesn’t feel right to have him backing up MacKenzie. Not on the inside on him but feels like they should do right by the player and move him out. I can see Smyth being dealt as well upon Sirman’s return (assuming Sirman has more utility as a D than a F this season…maybe I’m wrong on that).

My assessment is that Boyd needs to bring an in OA top-6 quality centre and a fairly strong #2-3 D-men (OA) if they want to finish somewhere in the 3-6 range and help get the core group a solid round or two of playoff hockey in preparation for a better run next year. It’ll cost us. But, pros outweigh the cons IMO.

 

[beastintheeast]

I doubt he is going to be traded by the Petes. The Petes from the start they have look to be very competitive this year. He is an alternate captain and is going to be relied upon to be a key part of their defence. If he is traded it will be at the deadline and the price tag would be costly

The Petes are going to be smart. They are going to stay with what they have and see where they are at the deadline. Then I think depending on offers they will sell. Much like Hamilton did last year.

As to the game EH! tis junior hockey. I think that Boyd nd cameron are doing some experimenting to see what they can do about the hole at center. I agree that Pineli may not be the best suited but then again let's give hm some time to see.

also we need to look at the other teams and see if there is a viable OA center avail.

As to defence again let's see what we have and let them play. Yes some of these guys played on this team last year but there is no returning line.

With a lot of players away at NHL camps there is going to be a time period to get used to each other.

We cheered these same guys and praised them to the heavens last year. Let's not start jumping off the wagon after 1 game.

 

[Petes1987]

Many of these points were discussed at length in the offseason.

They need a centre or two. Gardiner is a good prospect and can hold down a line but not necessarily a first line. As you mentioned, Pinelli is a solid winger and very productive in that role. Shifting him to centre pulls him off the wing where he is more productive and puts him in a situation where he is less productive and that is coupled with his wingers also being less productive as a result. Adding a top 6 centre is a key position to fill. The OA market may spit one out. If not, they will have to settle with a lessor centre between two great wingers.

I also agree about Ewles. We have depth on Defence but it is low depth chart defence where we are loaded. That #2/3 hole is vacant and I don’t see anyone filling that internally at this point.

To me, there are two wide open gaps that can be filled with OA’s. The cost would be minimal. The question is whether adding these players is the right move when it isn’t a year to contend. Regardless, I think they need to add the centre.The D-Man would be more a luxury if they are rebuilding.

Ottawa’s lack of natural centres was a factor last night. The Petes dominated on the face offs. Jax Dubois won almost 70 percent of the face offs he took. The other Petes centres were 50 percent or better. The cost of an overage centre depends on who the 67s go after. Ethan Larmand would be inexpensive likely cost a mid round draft pick where Deni Goure or Pasquale Zito would likely cost a 2nd and a 3rd. Kaleb Lawrence would be a little less costly likely cost a 4th and 5th. Tyler Savard trade was an outliner and is not indicative of what an overage centre would cost. The only available overage defenceman from teams that have too many are Cam Gauvreau in Peterborough and James Jodoin in Windsor. Gauvreau likely would likely be traded for a mid round pick and I am not sure of Jodoin’s value. At this point I doubt Sam Mayer is available as he just been given an A with the Petes. If he is, he would be expensive likely costing a 2nd and 3rd or a player and a 3rd.