I made the point that Sarnia shouldn't apologize for winning a playoff series against a team that decided to sell. I never said they shouldn't have sold you're merely playing both sides of the fence with your comment. If you believe the 7 year thing is garbage that's your opinion I bet you that 7 year thing bothers the guy answering questions on Saturday. Fact is if they were still playing there wouldn't be a town hall meeting and we all know that. Like I said if you don't like what I say don't respond plain and simple.
Windsor Spitfires 2018 Offseason Thread
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I made the point that Sarnia shouldn't apologize for winning a playoff series against a team that decided to sell. I never said they shouldn't have sold you're merely playing both sides of the fence with your comment. If you believe the 7 year thing is garbage that's your opinion I bet you that 7 year thing bothers the guy answering questions on Saturday. Fact is if they were still playing there wouldn't be a town hall meeting and we all know that. Like I said if you don't like what I say don't respond plain and simple.
youngblood10
Registered User
- Jan 26, 2010
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Rayzor, are you calling for Letowski to be fired? Or just calling him a poor coach & a bad hire?
I see you're not a supporter of him behind the Windsor bench, just curious to what degree.
I see you're not a supporter of him behind the Windsor bench, just curious to what degree.
nelli27
Moderator
Windsor is a young team, rebuilding (with some promising prospects). I don't think the coach/GM can be evaluated this early...wait and see what becomes of this re-build. Maybe in two or three years, you're back on top.
I think where a lot of the frustration with the team's success or lack thereof comes from the overall season/post season records the last 12 seasons.
The success they've had has been at the highest levels, 3 Memorial Cups in 9 years. That's great, no question about it.
Looking at the lack if consistent or sustained success is what can be frustrating for some of us.
Excluding the Memorial Cups for a moment their post season appearance record is
Did not make playoffs 3Xs
Eliminated in round 1 6Xs
Eliminated in conference finals 1X
OHL champion 2Xs
The lack of a consistently good product, and in sports post season success is where this is usually measured by the paying fans is not there. Fans want to support a team that always has a chance to contend and while JR hockey is typically a 4 year cycle to be seen as consistent in that cycle you need to get beyond the first round at least 50% of the time.
The typical cycle is
Year 1 sell off, miss the playoffs
Year 2 make the playoffs, likely eliminated in first round
Year 3 make it to the second round and seriously push to get to the conference finals
Year 4 should win at least 2 rounds with a chance to win your conference and league championship.
The last 12 years Windsor has
Not qualified for playoffs 3Xs - 25%
Eliminated first round 6Xs - 50%
Won at least 1 round 3Xs - 25%
With a 25% success rate of getting beyond the first round in the last 12 years the appearance of a consistently good team is not there and that leads directly to a lack of fan support.
It's nice to win championships, that's the goal in sports but the excitement fades quickly when there is a lack of sustained success, or at least the ability to always be in the run for post season success.
For the fans who always follow through good times and bad consistently being in the hunt for post season success is what many deem a sign of long term success.
As I said, winning 3 Memorial Cups is great but, the inability to get to or beyond the first round 75% of the time is not the mark of a successful organization, it's not even average when looking at a typical 4 year cycle.
The success they've had has been at the highest levels, 3 Memorial Cups in 9 years. That's great, no question about it.
Looking at the lack if consistent or sustained success is what can be frustrating for some of us.
Excluding the Memorial Cups for a moment their post season appearance record is
Did not make playoffs 3Xs
Eliminated in round 1 6Xs
Eliminated in conference finals 1X
OHL champion 2Xs
The lack of a consistently good product, and in sports post season success is where this is usually measured by the paying fans is not there. Fans want to support a team that always has a chance to contend and while JR hockey is typically a 4 year cycle to be seen as consistent in that cycle you need to get beyond the first round at least 50% of the time.
The typical cycle is
Year 1 sell off, miss the playoffs
Year 2 make the playoffs, likely eliminated in first round
Year 3 make it to the second round and seriously push to get to the conference finals
Year 4 should win at least 2 rounds with a chance to win your conference and league championship.
The last 12 years Windsor has
Not qualified for playoffs 3Xs - 25%
Eliminated first round 6Xs - 50%
Won at least 1 round 3Xs - 25%
With a 25% success rate of getting beyond the first round in the last 12 years the appearance of a consistently good team is not there and that leads directly to a lack of fan support.
It's nice to win championships, that's the goal in sports but the excitement fades quickly when there is a lack of sustained success, or at least the ability to always be in the run for post season success.
For the fans who always follow through good times and bad consistently being in the hunt for post season success is what many deem a sign of long term success.
As I said, winning 3 Memorial Cups is great but, the inability to get to or beyond the first round 75% of the time is not the mark of a successful organization, it's not even average when looking at a typical 4 year cycle.
Cfaub
Interesting points made except
when I speak to parents of players or prospective players, draft picks not one has brought up the playoff thing
They talk about cups, development ie 1st round picks other players drafted and signed, like this last Mem cup cup
season when 4D signed pro contracts,
they talk about the facility, like a poster Windsor is a top 5 draw for players,and my interactions with parents,agents etc confirms it.
Interesting points made except
when I speak to parents of players or prospective players, draft picks not one has brought up the playoff thing
They talk about cups, development ie 1st round picks other players drafted and signed, like this last Mem cup cup
season when 4D signed pro contracts,
they talk about the facility, like a poster Windsor is a top 5 draw for players,and my interactions with parents,agents etc confirms it.
That's great but fans pay the bills.
The last ownership group made a mess, new group came in and fans came back. Their contacts combined with a new building and rejuvenated fan support brought success.
We've seen a steady decline in fan support, the new building smell has worn off and even with their contacts high end players can be harder to attract. The player issue is league wide, not just Windsor.
So how does the team fix it?
The boom or bust model isn't working in terms of keeping fans interested anymore and the number of teams showing a more consistently competitive program is growing.
is no longer just London and Kitchener who have some form of post season success on a regular basis, the Soo, OS and Erie have all become more consistent the last 5 years as have others.
Can they sustain it?
Who knows but each of those teams have had more success in the post season than Windsor in the last 5, even 10 years, minus Windsor's 3 Memorial Cups.
They also have stronger fanbase support as well.
For Windsor to build their fanbase support/increase attendance they need to be more consistent in their level of post season success.
Rychel went all in last year and was forced into a major rebuild, I have no problem with that, as the host he did what he had to do but now, after 12 years its time to get this organization to where they said they wanted it to be.
They want a team that is always competitive, that always has a chance to have post season success. Time to deliver.
The more post season success they have, the more fans they will have in the seats and the more opportunities they will have to keep attracting high end talent and further success at the highest level.
You can't win a championship every year but it is possible to break the general cycle of JR hockey and have some level of consistent, sustained success on a long term basis.
This is what myself and others get frustrated about, they've had the chance to do this but so far they've relied on the boom/bust cyclical model with a few major successes and a lot of lean years in between.
Eventually it will affect the level of product on the ice and their ability to attract high end talent.
The last ownership group made a mess, new group came in and fans came back. Their contacts combined with a new building and rejuvenated fan support brought success.
We've seen a steady decline in fan support, the new building smell has worn off and even with their contacts high end players can be harder to attract. The player issue is league wide, not just Windsor.
So how does the team fix it?
The boom or bust model isn't working in terms of keeping fans interested anymore and the number of teams showing a more consistently competitive program is growing.
is no longer just London and Kitchener who have some form of post season success on a regular basis, the Soo, OS and Erie have all become more consistent the last 5 years as have others.
Can they sustain it?
Who knows but each of those teams have had more success in the post season than Windsor in the last 5, even 10 years, minus Windsor's 3 Memorial Cups.
They also have stronger fanbase support as well.
For Windsor to build their fanbase support/increase attendance they need to be more consistent in their level of post season success.
Rychel went all in last year and was forced into a major rebuild, I have no problem with that, as the host he did what he had to do but now, after 12 years its time to get this organization to where they said they wanted it to be.
They want a team that is always competitive, that always has a chance to have post season success. Time to deliver.
The more post season success they have, the more fans they will have in the seats and the more opportunities they will have to keep attracting high end talent and further success at the highest level.
You can't win a championship every year but it is possible to break the general cycle of JR hockey and have some level of consistent, sustained success on a long term basis.
This is what myself and others get frustrated about, they've had the chance to do this but so far they've relied on the boom/bust cyclical model with a few major successes and a lot of lean years in between.
Eventually it will affect the level of product on the ice and their ability to attract high end talent.
youngblood10
Registered User
- Jan 26, 2010
- 1,401
- 629
If's & but's, however I think the sanctions & their timing after championship runs compounded buy the natural talent vacuum that creates. Really set the Spits back in terms of consistency. Then having to host, a year earlier than I feel their roster was ready to make a big push, plays into it also. The next couple of years will be a much better barometer than the last couple in terms of consistency. The saving grace was winning the Memorial Cup last year.
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I am saying there isn't anything in his resume leading to the conclusion he's a good coach. At the very least the jury is still out on whether or not he can get the Spits to play at a very high level and carry that into the playoffs. Even during the playoff series you still have to wonder if that was their actual strategy to sit back the whole time and hope DiPietro keeps them in the game and hope for a break.
Legend brought up Letowski replacing Thompson last year as coach and having success. Couldn't I point to the Spits having their most success after Letowski left for World Juniors?
end of the day the past is the past, what matters now is the core that they have moving forward. rychel and co has had one successful build, one failed build and one question mark build (depending on how you value losing in the 1st round but winning the mem cup).
are we good enough right now? i think everyone says no, but they also are not done yet. there in a much better situation then they were last year due to the picks, douglas/morgan/ladd and the fact that we have a bit of depth now and dont have to rely on other teams cuts like mizzi, latta, et al. it also sounds like they will be taking their time with guys like robinson which is the right call. it think that guys like angle were hurt by being rushed, id rather take your time versus forcing a player in early (same can be said for madina)
i personally think this year will be harder and less successful due to the fact that they dont have play drivers and point producers like brown or luchuk to ride 25/30 minutes a game like they did last year, and dipietro can only do so much. theres nothing wrong with that, i think it needs to be expected that you cant replace the offense that those guys brought overnight. if you can flip dipietro for a high end 02 forward (ottawa just drafted one, saginaw pick would be great too but that wont happen for dipietro) then we have the pieces to start thinking about what they will be like in a few years.
are we good enough right now? i think everyone says no, but they also are not done yet. there in a much better situation then they were last year due to the picks, douglas/morgan/ladd and the fact that we have a bit of depth now and dont have to rely on other teams cuts like mizzi, latta, et al. it also sounds like they will be taking their time with guys like robinson which is the right call. it think that guys like angle were hurt by being rushed, id rather take your time versus forcing a player in early (same can be said for madina)
i personally think this year will be harder and less successful due to the fact that they dont have play drivers and point producers like brown or luchuk to ride 25/30 minutes a game like they did last year, and dipietro can only do so much. theres nothing wrong with that, i think it needs to be expected that you cant replace the offense that those guys brought overnight. if you can flip dipietro for a high end 02 forward (ottawa just drafted one, saginaw pick would be great too but that wont happen for dipietro) then we have the pieces to start thinking about what they will be like in a few years.
That's two terrific posts cfaub. Legend talks about bringing in kids and parents to recruit but the organization isn't going to bring up what you did cfaub with missing the playoffs 3 times etc... It would be up to the parents and the player to do that but we are getting to the point where that last championship in 2010 those kids would have been 6 or 7 years old the last time the Spits won an OHL title. Maybe they remember it but not all the kids would remember that.
I agree with you to an extent youngblood but by the same token the sanctions they time gap between losing a 1st in 2013 and 1st in 2016 you can certainly survive that. Between those years the Spits proceeded to trade Ho-Sang/Rychel/Ebert that should have certainly given you the ability to accumulate a lot of assets but they probably used a lot of them for hosting the Memorial Cup. Corcoran was the 1st pick of the 2nd round he looks to be an okay player he was certainly not close to being the best 2nd rounder though guys like Noel/Hillis/Bahl have surpassed Corcoran and playing at a much higher level.
I couldn't tell you the last great 4 year player the Spits had since 2011. That's the only way they're going to get back to being a very consistent team year to year. This upcoming year that player would be DiPietro but the team isn't close to contender status next year. The next year 19-20 your 4 year guys will be Corcoran/Angle/Playfair and that draft isn't going to yield enough to be a contender so it will be on the backs of Morgan/Ladd/Staois/D'Amico/Frasca/Foudy etc.. which isn't fair to them either.
I agree with you to an extent youngblood but by the same token the sanctions they time gap between losing a 1st in 2013 and 1st in 2016 you can certainly survive that. Between those years the Spits proceeded to trade Ho-Sang/Rychel/Ebert that should have certainly given you the ability to accumulate a lot of assets but they probably used a lot of them for hosting the Memorial Cup. Corcoran was the 1st pick of the 2nd round he looks to be an okay player he was certainly not close to being the best 2nd rounder though guys like Noel/Hillis/Bahl have surpassed Corcoran and playing at a much higher level.
I couldn't tell you the last great 4 year player the Spits had since 2011. That's the only way they're going to get back to being a very consistent team year to year. This upcoming year that player would be DiPietro but the team isn't close to contender status next year. The next year 19-20 your 4 year guys will be Corcoran/Angle/Playfair and that draft isn't going to yield enough to be a contender so it will be on the backs of Morgan/Ladd/Staois/D'Amico/Frasca/Foudy etc.. which isn't fair to them either.
While there is no doubt that the sanctions had some effect on the team how the team dealt with, assets management etc could have mitigated the effects, which they did to some degree. I think trying to build around Kerby at that time created more problems than the sanctions themselves.
Regardless of one's opinion on the severity of the sanctions it's still on the team for ending up in that position.
As for contending early, I agree 100% that they were a year early. Wish they would not have been hosting last year but since they put in the bid/Branch needed a host I agree Rychel did what he had to. First round exit in a host year is never good as we've all debated but the organization did everything they could to be successful in the tourney and were successful.
Going forward I just want to see better asset management, which should lead to a more consistent on ice product.
There will always be ups and downs but there is no reason why we can't have "cycles" like we saw in the first 5 years, miss the playoofs once, out in round one once then three very good years.
No I wouldn't expect two cups and a conference final every 5 years but a couple second/third round appearances and a legit chance to contend should be expected.
randomhero4life
Registered User
So many if's & but's!! A lot of it comes down to what do certain players do in the off season, pressure has been put on certain players when they had their exit interviews, everyone has an agenda and goals in the off season. It sounds weird because ....the off season really is not that long, but in this age group of players I have seen it many times were a player shows up to main camp and the development is very visible. With the returning "D" and hopefully some offensive flare, (no worries about DiPi) imho I think some doubter's might be shocked as to how well the Spit's chemistry shows on ice, and this team does very well. The rest of the league can see it, many coaches have stated they believe the Spitfires look very good moving forward, and they expect the Spit's to really show it as early as the 2018-2019 season!! Like OHL4Life stated "The past is the past" and as the old saying goes "You can't have a future if you live in the past" I am confident that WR & Co. are moving in the right direction. I am really looking forward to seeing how it all play's out. Sorry if this comes across as "Cheerleaderish" I do personally think some of the players have not been used to their potential, the goaltending situation this past season was ridiculous!! Some of Letowski's systems I am truly not a fan of, and I do believe that maybe certain players might have "peaked " so to speak. With that being said I see a team wanting to put the work in, adapt, and learn, and imho not only players but coach's as well. Gonna be a pretty awesome main camp!!
i think/hope that he simply coached to what he had, not what he thought was successful. i think if we take a look at the best teams in the ohl/chl they are very much puck possession, high shots, skill. im not sure that its fair to suggest that letowski can't coach that way, but its also fair to say its a question mark. being outshot by high numbers isnt a recipe for success even when you have the best goalie in the ohl, let alone what happens when you move him.
i agree regarding the peaked players, but at the same point i don't think they will be here when we are pushing to win, so its not a big deal either way for me. i just hope we dont have 16 year olds on the bench playing 5 minutes a night this year, or in the case of the goalie 5 starts, which i dont think we will. id rather the 'peeked' guys take those minutes, let the kids play in jrb instead of sitting here
randomhero4life
Registered User
So did Letowski only play this style to grab as many wins as possible at the expense of players learning systems that give them more of an opportunity for long term success?
I understand what you're saying in regards to 16 year olds but if americans like Evans and Kelly truly thrived on Saturday wouldn't you want to sign them now? Kelly is already committed to MSU and even though they weren't particularly good in the W/L column Kelly most likely saw 3 very young forwards thrive and play an up tempo system and light up the scoreboard. Evans is a D but they already have 6 D returning. From what someone told me offers will be coming in for Evans soon. It's possible if you don't sign these kids now you will never see them again.
Another reason for the lack of success was the sanctions. During that time,they lost 4 very valuable assets (2 1sts and 2 2nds) that could have changed their fortunes dramatically. Those sanctions led to the lack of playoff success. It may have other impacts that can not be quantified such as players (particularly Americans) choosing other options and the decline in attendance. When the sanctions initially were announced, Management claimed the were innocent. A few weeks later the settled with the OHL but would never admit guilt ar divulge the details. It is hard for people to forget that the organization cheated and then lied about it in public.
This is not an excuse for their problems, since it was totally self inflicted.
i think he did what every coach does, puts a game plan together to win with what he has. personally i would have preferred to see guys like mcdougall play with brown/luchuk, dj smith did that in oshawa with guys like jenner and dal colle and i think it helped make them better players. then again you could also argue that mcdougall isnt a dal colle or jenner, which is fair.
i think keeping angle at 16 hurt him, but thats not on letowski. im not sure playfair is ever going to be a top 6 guy either way, would have liked to see him play more sure, but im not a fan as of yet. im not sure what guys would have been hurt. the only two forwards that i think could be top 6 guys moving forward are damico/macdougall and they did fairly well, ice time for sirman/playfair is somewhat irrelevant for me because i think they are easily replaceable right now.
we wont find out if hes a good enough coach for a year at least to be honest. im not saying he is or is not, we just didnt give him much to work with last year.
if your asking me personally, i personally dont think evens or kelly are as good as others said, but thats me. i have no problem with signing them and letting them play locally if thats in the cards, but i dont think that either are ohl ready, but thats just me, i could be completely wrong.
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youngblood10
Registered User
- Jan 26, 2010
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Heard rumblings that the new arena inWindsor should have been bulit diwntowndoes the location affect the crowds.
They expropriated land decades ago, before the casino opened up for a new arena. Unfortunately the city could never get its act together to get it done.
There were private investors willing to build it, P3 proposals etc.
They even had a call for bids/designs and what they almost built was a design that eventually became the basic plan for the Bud in London. I believe that initial plan that they were going to use was a 7,000+ seat.
Even when talks began to heat up before there was a public announcement there were other sites a few blocks just outside the downtown that were put forth.
When the city decided they wanted to add community rinks there was no parcels of land large enough to accomodate more than 2 ice pads, main bowl plus one additional so conveniently enough the mayor at the time had a develop friend who made out like a bandit in the deal.
Edit
Most talk of a new arena in Windsor goes back to the 80s but the first plans I know of date back to 1977 or so. There were basic plans done up for a 6,000 seat arena to replace the Barn but since the Barn was privately owned at the time the city didn't want to build. I believe that proposal was for a public/private deal between the Spits and the city. Windsor arena would have been bought and demolished once the new building was built. Too many upgrades were needed and the Spits ownership was financing a lot of the upgrades that had been done to bring it as close to OHL standards as they could at the time.
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I agree it would be best if the young guys get a lot of ice time and yes I mentioned earlier Letowski was doing it much of this due to the fact he wanted to win games. The way you feel about Playfair is the way I feel about Angle. He dressed for a lot of games last year do in part to the Baird experiment going very poorly.
If fans liked the q and a with Rychel and Letowski the words from Rychel in regards to having 7-8 forwards getting 20 goals+ was maybe one of the more interesting things. He said they need more goals from Boka, he singled out MacDougall is probably one of the few capable of getting to the 30 goal mark, he said Frasca 15-20. For instance that would be a lot for a guy who played a handful of games this past year. Of course for much of the playoffs Angle/Boka were on the top line. The only way some of these guys actually elevate their games is if they get ice time.
I would agree with you in regards to Evans and Kelly but Rychel says they would have been top 3 round picks well if you really value them you probably need to make a decision shortly.
i can see the skill a bit in angle, i dont see much in playfair. playfair reminds me of an old school type who would be valued higher when non measurable stats where more important. i dont think either will be around when we hope to win again, could be wrong thou. benefit is they are better then the mizzi/latta types that we were talking about as depth players last year.
i said the same about boka during the year, was called out a bit by a poster but thats ok. hes right, boka needs to be better, get more shots on net, you cant be a front line 99 and not shot/score. you can argue he is more of a 3rd line guy then a 1st line guy, but right now hes a 1st line guy for us, so he needs to be better if we are going to be better.
with all due respect to warren hes a smarter hockey guy then me, but he also has a history of talking up spits prospects (top 10/ top 20/ etc) that dont live up to that. im sure he wants to sign them and hey, im good with that, i just think that they are not ready.
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OHL4Life
I disagree about Playfair to me one most improved players from the start of the season till the end.
I would agree I don't see him being a top 6 player but definitely 7-12, good on faceoffs,has good speed,a bit of a bite to his game,stands up for teamates, reliable penalty killer who blocks shots and enough skill to pick up points,in fact he had 3 points in 6 playoff games,and 17 points in 66 regular season,and he was +1 in the playoffs against a difficult team.
For me every team needs guys like him.
Tyler Angle has some talent,does seem to run hot and cold but this season I am willing to see how he pans out before making definitive decision on him,glad we didn't give up on Cole Purboo when many were saying otherwise, great value for a 9th round pick.
As for William Sirman, while I like him and for being a 14th round pick,with him entering his 19th birthday,he could be vulnerable if some of the younger forwards show well,we will see on this one.
Not sure why you keep mentioning Mizzi and Latta, Mizzi played only 4 games, didn't cost a card and was let go, while Latta didn't play a game.
Truth be told, hindsight being 20/20 I would kept Latta over Mizzi, don't bring in Kadlec and things would have been fine.He is good size forward with grit, something this team was missing,and would have taken up the card that Kadlec did.
Free agents Jake Smith and Igor Larionov were smart signings, didn't cost anything except 1000 for Smith,too bad Larionov had injuries,when he was healthy he contributed especially down the stretch and into the playoffs, when he went down in the playoffs it wasn't an accident that the production of Purboo and Smith dropped.
As for comments re Evans and Kelly the 2 American kids,I disagree on Evans,no doubt in my mind he can play in the O now, Kelly has skill and speed,would like to see him in main camp before saying for sure he isn't ready yet.Would not shock me if he comes to camp to see how he does against older competition.
He has dual citizenship,his mother is from Oakville,one of his sisters goes to University of Guelph,so it help that he is dual,he does though have a 4 year scholarship from Michigan State, though at this time family is being open minded re his future,I do know talking to his family and him on Saturday,they loved it here,loved the facilities,he enjoyed himself throughly
I can also see with 4-16 year olds allowed to be rostered,you want to be sure, Kelly is talented will be interesting what Spits do on this one.
With Evans I say go all out and try and sign him.I can see Spits signing Foudy, McDonald,Evans, perhaps Stevens and Medina,though Medina stays in the US till Mikey goes to Team Canada,bring him and take things from there.The thing is that he has to be signed by Dec 31 in order to play any games after Jan 1
They can do the same thing with Kelly, though I think they won't,it's either roster him this year or wait a year.That might be something all parties agree to.
I disagree about Playfair to me one most improved players from the start of the season till the end.
I would agree I don't see him being a top 6 player but definitely 7-12, good on faceoffs,has good speed,a bit of a bite to his game,stands up for teamates, reliable penalty killer who blocks shots and enough skill to pick up points,in fact he had 3 points in 6 playoff games,and 17 points in 66 regular season,and he was +1 in the playoffs against a difficult team.
For me every team needs guys like him.
Tyler Angle has some talent,does seem to run hot and cold but this season I am willing to see how he pans out before making definitive decision on him,glad we didn't give up on Cole Purboo when many were saying otherwise, great value for a 9th round pick.
As for William Sirman, while I like him and for being a 14th round pick,with him entering his 19th birthday,he could be vulnerable if some of the younger forwards show well,we will see on this one.
Not sure why you keep mentioning Mizzi and Latta, Mizzi played only 4 games, didn't cost a card and was let go, while Latta didn't play a game.
Truth be told, hindsight being 20/20 I would kept Latta over Mizzi, don't bring in Kadlec and things would have been fine.He is good size forward with grit, something this team was missing,and would have taken up the card that Kadlec did.
Free agents Jake Smith and Igor Larionov were smart signings, didn't cost anything except 1000 for Smith,too bad Larionov had injuries,when he was healthy he contributed especially down the stretch and into the playoffs, when he went down in the playoffs it wasn't an accident that the production of Purboo and Smith dropped.
As for comments re Evans and Kelly the 2 American kids,I disagree on Evans,no doubt in my mind he can play in the O now, Kelly has skill and speed,would like to see him in main camp before saying for sure he isn't ready yet.Would not shock me if he comes to camp to see how he does against older competition.
He has dual citizenship,his mother is from Oakville,one of his sisters goes to University of Guelph,so it help that he is dual,he does though have a 4 year scholarship from Michigan State, though at this time family is being open minded re his future,I do know talking to his family and him on Saturday,they loved it here,loved the facilities,he enjoyed himself throughly
I can also see with 4-16 year olds allowed to be rostered,you want to be sure, Kelly is talented will be interesting what Spits do on this one.
With Evans I say go all out and try and sign him.I can see Spits signing Foudy, McDonald,Evans, perhaps Stevens and Medina,though Medina stays in the US till Mikey goes to Team Canada,bring him and take things from there.The thing is that he has to be signed by Dec 31 in order to play any games after Jan 1
They can do the same thing with Kelly, though I think they won't,it's either roster him this year or wait a year.That might be something all parties agree to.
the good thing about a message board is we can all post our own individual thoughts and views, regardless of what others think of them. please don’t take that as a negative or a shot, its honestly not. im surprised that your surprised, like I said on a message board there should be multiple views and options, if not then it’s awfully boring.
I can have my views on players, you can have yours, we’ll both be right sometimes and both be wrong sometimes, but end of the day places like this exist for fans and others to express opinions, debate and have conversations. happens at the nhl, happens here. so while you can disagree or be confused with my thoughts, that’s how you see it, and i see it differently. neither of us are smart enough that teams have hired us to run their teams, so neither of us are smart enough to question the other to be honest, because if our views were perfect we wouldn’t be posting on here, we’d be the one building the team.
hope that comes off the right way, not an attack at all, far from it, just an expression that all opinions should be expressed and valued. there been enough drama and rage on here for the last year, im hoping that everyone’s opinion will respected and not shouted down, it’s just a message board and it’s just hockey
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