Buyers and Sellers this year

[OMG67]

67’s are an excellent team. This all started with your exaggerated statement of 67’s being such clear front runners that the rest of the conference may have lost the heart to be in at the deadline.

I still believe that to be true.

1> There is no super team in the OHL like any seasons past.
2> Pre-season prognosticators had Oshawa and Niagara as the clear top 2 with maybe Ottawa being the #3. Neither are on pace for more than about 94 points. This accentuates the gap between Ottawa and the supposed next best two.
3> Sudbury is proving to be every bit as good as Oshawa from a performance stand point even though they seemingly only have a goalie. Yet, Oshawa supposedly has a better goalie and can't break free from Sudbury. This also accentuates the point the Generals are probably a lot more than a couple players away from being a real challenger. Therefore, it is unlikely they even try as many Oshawa supporters have suggested, they are probably staying status quo and work for next year.
4> Teams like Owen Sound and SSM should not be in the situation they are right now. Sure, they have a small collection of stud players that are propelling their teams forward but in any other year we wouldn't see them in the position they are in. Heck, even London is somewhat surprising. That London lineup isn't that strong on paper.
5> Ottawa reeled off a 23 game unbeaten in regulation streak with one OA, a rookie goalie and supposedly no star power. They have two OA spots open and acquired DiPietro. Their ceiling is far from reached.

My point is simple. This 67's team was not given their proper due in the pre-season. They supposedly have a lack of star power but does star power really make that much of a difference? We've seen many times where bonafide solid OHL calibre players lead their respective teams to a higher degree than the projected star players.

To me, when you have a player at the Christmas break on pace for 60+ goals when last season saw only two 50+ goal guys, I think that player deserves a lot more respect, even if he isn't an NHL calibre player. The reality is, he isn't playing in the NHL right now so what does it matter?

We get hung up so much on star power that we lose sight of quality players producing at a high level. No one considers Chmelevski a star player and yet he will probably centre one of the top 2 lines for Team USA in the WJHC this year. Kevin Bahl will probably suit up for Canada next year. DiPietro is widely considered the best goalie in the CHL. Keyser fans will disagree but it is at least a solid debate. They also have two players in the Prospects game so they are high on the NHL radar for this draft. Rossi, with a late birthdate is high on the radar for the 2020 draft and was lapping the rookie field in points when he went down to injury, miles ahead of Byfeld.

The 67's may not have stars like McDavid that jump right out at you but people in the know realize exactly how impactful a large number of 67's players are.

I also referenced the fact they are short two OA's. Oa's are usually relatively cheap to acquire and rarely are traded for players, only picks, of which Ottawa has many. There are also a lot of references towards how poor the 2019 draft class is. OK, let's just assume no teams will want their 2019 picks. They still have about ten other eligible 2nds to trade on top of those four 2019 2nds. There are a lot of potential OA's on the market. It won't take too much to acquire two studs that way.

All this is to say that I do feel this 67's team (assuming they acquire two stud OA's) would stack up favourably to all those past teams that have been referenced. I do feel this 67's team is vastly underrated and it shows not only in their pre-season rankings but also coming off a 23 game unbeaten in regulation streak where somehow Niagara is still a better team? I don't see it.

I do feel there are a lot of teams sitting there looking at their situation and thinking that Ottawa will acquire two impactful OA's and when they do if they were two players behind them today, they'd be four players behind them tomorrow. If I am a GM trying to decide what to do , I'd be very weary of that fact, especially if I don't have OA spots available to acquire players more cheaply. How will a team like Oshawa, Sudbury, or Saginaw be able to acquire both Suzuki and Frost to catch up? If they only acquire one, is that a waste of the assets knowing it likely isn't enough to push across the finish line?

So, yes, I do believe the gap between Ottawa and the rest of the East and all but London in the West is big enough that when Ottawa does acquire those two OA's, the gap will be significantly wider. That will have an impact on what other teams in the East do.

 

[OMG67]

You stated the 67's if they add Maksimovich and Saigeon would be the deepest team in recent memory and another 20 game win streak post Christmas. Can not change that to Brazeau, Hancock, Durzi, Sambrook, etc... Those are not the players you had in the deepest line up of recent memory. Some play a different position = very different line up

Those are grand statements - usually you are more measured in your posts. Respectfully disagree on that Ottawa team being the deepest in memory. You may be right about reeling off a 20 win streak in the second half, but that is highly unlikely. Good luck to 67's. I like the team, and think that they are favorites especially with the new goalie but deepest in memory? No.

That's fair. I used Saigeon and Maksimovich as place holders. Who really knows who the 67's will acquire. We have to assume they are in a position to acquire two significant OA's that will play a 1st line type role. Whether they are the two I mentioned or others like were referenced, does it matter?

Eliminate injury from the equation, if the 67's were to acquire two impactful OA forwards, they'd have as many as six top 20 scoring calibre players (Felhaber, Keating, Chmelevski, Rossi, and the aforementioned two OA's). Would it matter if one of those names wasn't McDavid?

I still feel it is one of the deepest in recent memory and I stand by that statement. Of course, that is and will always be subjective. I just don't put stock into star NHL calibre players. Our OHL record books are littered with players that barely had a cup of coffee in the NHL. The last 67's team to win an OHL championship in 2001 had virtually no impactful players. I think Zenon Konopka was the only player to play more than 10 games on forward in the NHL. Same with Brendan Bell on defense. Neither goalie played NHL games. However, they had impactful OHL players. They beat a Plymouth team with quite a few significant NHL players.

We shouldn't measure the quality of a team based on the depth of its big names. It should be measured based on the depth of its character and OHL level skill. I don't give a rats ass how good a player projects in 3 years at the NHL level. I only care about how he performs today and what impact the player is having. Noel is supposedly a more impactful name than anyone on the 67's and how is that working out for Oshawa right now?

 

[Lycanthrope]

I still believe that to be true.

1> There is no super team in the OHL like any seasons past.
2> Pre-season prognosticators had Oshawa and Niagara as the clear top 2 with maybe Ottawa being the #3. Neither are on pace for more than about 94 points. This accentuates the gap between Ottawa and the supposed next best two.
3> Sudbury is proving to be every bit as good as Oshawa from a performance stand point even though they seemingly only have a goalie. Yet, Oshawa supposedly has a better goalie and can't break free from Sudbury. This also accentuates the point the Generals are probably a lot more than a couple players away from being a real challenger. Therefore, it is unlikely they even try as many Oshawa supporters have suggested, they are probably staying status quo and work for next year.
4> Teams like Owen Sound and SSM should not be in the situation they are right now. Sure, they have a small collection of stud players that are propelling their teams forward but in any other year we wouldn't see them in the position they are in. Heck, even London is somewhat surprising. That London lineup isn't that strong on paper.
5> Ottawa reeled off a 23 game unbeaten in regulation streak with one OA, a rookie goalie and supposedly no star power. They have two OA spots open and acquired DiPietro. Their ceiling is far from reached.

My point is simple. This 67's team was not given their proper due in the pre-season. They supposedly have a lack of star power but does star power really make that much of a difference? We've seen many times where bonafide solid OHL calibre players lead their respective teams to a higher degree than the projected star players.

To me, when you have a player at the Christmas break on pace for 60+ goals when last season saw only two 50+ goal guys, I think that player deserves a lot more respect, even if he isn't an NHL calibre player. The reality is, he isn't playing in the NHL right now so what does it matter?

We get hung up so much on star power that we lose sight of quality players producing at a high level. No one considers Chmelevski a star player and yet he will probably centre one of the top 2 lines for Team USA in the WJHC this year. Kevin Bahl will probably suit up for Canada next year. DiPietro is widely considered the best goalie in the CHL. Keyser fans will disagree but it is at least a solid debate. They also have two players in the Prospects game so they are high on the NHL radar for this draft. Rossi, with a late birthdate is high on the radar for the 2020 draft and was lapping the rookie field in points when he went down to injury, miles ahead of Byfeld.

The 67's may not have stars like McDavid that jump right out at you but people in the know realize exactly how impactful a large number of 67's players are.

I also referenced the fact they are short two OA's. Oa's are usually relatively cheap to acquire and rarely are traded for players, only picks, of which Ottawa has many. There are also a lot of references towards how poor the 2019 draft class is. OK, let's just assume no teams will want their 2019 picks. They still have about ten other eligible 2nds to trade on top of those four 2019 2nds. There are a lot of potential OA's on the market. It won't take too much to acquire two studs that way.

All this is to say that I do feel this 67's team (assuming they acquire two stud OA's) would stack up favourably to all those past teams that have been referenced. I do feel this 67's team is vastly underrated and it shows not only in their pre-season rankings but also coming off a 23 game unbeaten in regulation streak where somehow Niagara is still a better team? I don't see it.

I do feel there are a lot of teams sitting there looking at their situation and thinking that Ottawa will acquire two impactful OA's and when they do if they were two players behind them today, they'd be four players behind them tomorrow. If I am a GM trying to decide what to do , I'd be very weary of that fact, especially if I don't have OA spots available to acquire players more cheaply. How will a team like Oshawa, Sudbury, or Saginaw be able to acquire both Suzuki and Frost to catch up? If they only acquire one, is that a waste of the assets knowing it likely isn't enough to push across the finish line?

So, yes, I do believe the gap between Ottawa and the rest of the East and all but London in the West is big enough that when Ottawa does acquire those two OA's, the gap will be significantly wider. That will have an impact on what other teams in the East do.

Good overall observations although I’m not sure what to make of the comment that Sudbury “only has a goalie”. Maybe I’m missing something but as I have said, although the goalie is the MVP, he is not the sum total of the team (actually a little tired of the insinuation that he essentially is).
Anyhow the point of this post is to say that while what Ottawa does may indeed influence the degree to which other teams add and “go for it” so to speak but do not think that Ottawa (or Niagara for that matter) will simply be handed the East title without a dog fight. No way. Expect another team or two to make significant additions. I don’t care how “stacked” a roster is. Again the game has to be decided on the ice and not paper. Ask the Soo and their fans.

 

[NorthernVoice]

Juat a note that during the 67s "23 game unbeaten in regulation streak", they WERE BEATEN by Oshawa twice and Sudbury once. They also have another OT game against Sudbury and have been soundly beaten by Peterborough twice.

Please stop pretending this is some uber dominant team.

 

[NorthernVoice]

Top 5 teams in the East in games head to head removing loser points:

Generals 5-4
Petes 6-5
Ice Dogs 4-4
Wolves 3-3
67s 3-5

 

[OMG67]

Good overall observations although I’m not sure what to make of the comment that Sudbury “only has a goalie”. Maybe I’m missing something but as I have said, although the goalie is the MVP, he is not the sum total of the team (actually a little tired f the insinuation that he essentially is).
Anyhow the point of this post is to say that while what Ottawa does may indeed influence the degree to which other teams add and “go for it” so to speak but do not think that Ottawa (or Niagara for that matter) will simply be handed the East title without a dog fight. No way. Expect another team or two to make significant additions. I don’t care how “stacked” a roster is. Again the game has to be decided on the ice and not paper. Ask the Soo and their fans.

I was mocking those that suggest Sudbury is just a goalie. This is the same vein of what I was referring to with respect to judging a team. Like I said, somehow Sudbury is just a goalie and yet they are right there with Oshawa who supposedly has a better goalie....

 

[Lycanthrope]

Juat a note that during the 67s "23 game unbeaten in regulation streak", they WERE BEATEN by Oshawa twice and Sudbury once. They also have another OT game against Sudbury and have been soundly beaten by Peterborough twice.

Please stop pretending this is some uber dominant team.

Right, nothing to warrant that title at this point anyway.

 

[Lycanthrope]

I was mocking those that suggest Sudbury is just a goalie. This is the same vein of what I was referring to with respect to judging a team. Like I said, somehow Sudbury is just a goalie and yet they are right there with Oshawa who supposedly has a better goalie....

Cheers, thought I may have missed something.

 

[OMG67]

Top 5 teams in the East in games head to head removing loser points:

Generals 5-4
Petes 6-5
Ice Dogs 4-4
Wolves 3-3
67s 3-5

Means nothing. 3 on 3 and shootouts aren’t relevant in the grand scheme of things. They are a footnote.

Look at records in one goal games etc. Those are more meaningful.. I don’t have those numbers but I bet they are relatively strong for the 67’s.

Again, that streak was done with a rookie goalie and “no star power.” Add Dipietro and a couple “star power” players via OA trades, then what is the excuse to discredit the 67’s for what they have accomplished so far?

You all can continue to give the nod to Niagara. I understand why. They are the easy ones to pick because Ottawa has a relatively unknown team. I know those in Sudbury feel the same way.

 

[dirty12]

Means nothing. 3 on 3 and shootouts aren’t relevant in the grand scheme of things. They are a footnote.

Look at records in one goal games etc. Those are more meaningful.. I don’t have those numbers but I bet they are relatively strong for the 67’s.

Again, that streak was done with a rookie goalie and “no star power.” Add Dipietro and a couple “star power” players via OA trades, then what is the excuse to discredit the 67’s for what they have accomplished so far?

You all can continue to give the nod to Niagara. I understand why. They are the easy ones to pick because Ottawa has a relatively unknown team. I know those in Sudbury feel the same way.

Dude, almost everyone knew Ottawa was in possession of one quarter of the league’s 2nd round picks. Ottawa was a concensus top 3 pre-season pick in the conference. But, the ‘67s just are not as much a ‘front runner that the rest of the conference may have lost their heart to buy at the deadline.’ It’s not a discredit. It’s just wrong.
You should give Niagara some credit for the best GF:GA in the conference.

 

[OMG67]

Dude, almost everyone knew Ottawa was in possession of one quarter of the league’s 2nd round picks. Ottawa was a concensus top 3 pre-season pick in the conference. But, the ‘67s just are not as much a ‘front runner that the rest of the conference may have lost their heart to buy at the deadline.’ It’s not a discredit. It’s just wrong.
You should give Niagara some credit for the best GF:GA in the conference.

It isn’t a discredit to Niagara at all. I just think everyone is taking that comment too literally and to the extreme.

IF there is a team that is clearly ahead and the 67’s are when you consider the available OA spots and the seemingly available OA’s, it will be too difficult for the rest of the East to match up without going after a player like Suzuki or in the case of a team like Oshawa or Sudbury, needing two players.

A team like Niagara with an OA spot available can somewhat keep pace without going after a player at the cost of their 1st rounder but I don’t believe anyone else can.

When you look at the West, London is the clear front runner as well. After that, are there some good teams? Yes. Are they in a position to do damage? SSM went full on last year. OS isn’t usually a team that goes all in. Saginaw should do it. The rest? Meh.

That really leaves Ottawa, London and Niagara as what should be considered “serious contenders.” With Saginaw as a wild card. IF you are a GM of any of the other 20, would you think it reasonable to push the pedal to the metal and dump your 2018 1st rounder plus picks for a player like Suzuki? I doubt it.

That’s the point. A team like the 67’s that are already ahead, holding a lot of trade capital, seemingly willing to use that capital, with OA spots available, is a team that can dishearten other GM’s when the real hard decisions need to be made.

I just don’t see a team out there, other than the three I mentioned, chasing the 67’s via trade to “keep up with the Jones’” I think after considering where they sit now, combined with all those other factors, teams that may have been contenders will sit back and tinker as opposed to push.

 

[dirty12]

It isn’t a discredit to Niagara at all. I just think everyone is taking that comment too literally and to the extreme.

IF there is a team that is clearly ahead and the 67’s are when you consider the available OA spots and the seemingly available OA’s, it will be too difficult for the rest of the East to match up without going after a player like Suzuki or in the case of a team like Oshawa or Sudbury, needing two players.

A team like Niagara with an OA spot available can somewhat keep pace without going after a player at the cost of their 1st rounder but I don’t believe anyone else can.

When you look at the West, London is the clear front runner as well. After that, are there some good teams? Yes. Are they in a position to do damage? SSM went full on last year. OS isn’t usually a team that goes all in. Saginaw should do it. The rest? Meh.

That really leaves Ottawa, London and Niagara as what should be considered “serious contenders.” With Saginaw as a wild card. IF you are a GM of any of the other 20, would you think it reasonable to push the pedal to the metal and dump your 2018 1st rounder plus picks for a player like Suzuki? I doubt it.

That’s the point. A team like the 67’s that are already ahead, holding a lot of trade capital, seemingly willing to use that capital, with OA spots available, is a team that can dishearten other GM’s when the real hard decisions need to be made.

I just don’t see a team out there, other than the three I mentioned, chasing the 67’s via trade to “keep up with the Jones’” I think after considering where they sit now, combined with all those other factors, teams that may have been contenders will sit back and tinker as opposed to push.

Ok, that’s easier to stomach. Though, I think Niagara ‘could/should’ add two OA as well. They can do better than a relatively productive smallish Schafer given that they can make really good use of a C & RD with size and playoff experience.
At that point, ‘67s will need to spend more than they seem to want in order to stay the front runner.

Don’t discount Guelph. I doubt Burnett is at all concerned about next season, (right now). After their three recent trades, Burnett has the draft capital to transform that team into the BIG (all veteran) wear you down in all three zones playoff team he likes.

 

[LR8]

OMG67 - you did not say 2 OA's - you put Maksimovish and saigeon in the line up and on the third line specifically and stated it was the deepest team in recent memory. Not true. You said they will run off another 20 game win streak in the second half. Highly unlikely. Northernvoice made a point about top 5 teams record against each other removing the loser points and it is telling. Yet you discredit it saying 3 on 3 means nothing in the grand scheme of things and is a footnote. Exactly - that is the point of his post.

67's are the favorite right now. Great first half. Best Goalie tandem and best Goalie in the league with honorable mention to Pbo, Osh, Nia, Ldn, and Sud. 2 OA spots open and lots available to fill them. Sitting on lots of 2nd round picks as well however those are often overvalued, especially in a weak 2019 draft class - perhaps "weakest in recent memory". 67's may need to go back on their word and trade skaters to get what they want.

You make many good points, however you are getting ahead of yourself. Those statements were very superfan like, which has not been you in the past. Nothing wrong with admitting that perhaps you are getting a bit ahead of yourself. 67's line up you presented is not the deepest in recent memory. "Eating words has never given me indigestion" Winston Churchill

 

[HockeyPops]

I agree, Frost or Tippett would be ideal additions but a few others out there are not that bad. I wish they would also look at Hollowell or Durzi for a PP QB. Vilardi would be a great addition but he is a gamble due to his injury issues.

Ottawa doesn't need to take a flyer on a player like Vilardi unless they have a sound medical opinion that he will be back 100%. I don't think Ottawa needs another playmaker like Frost; Ottawa would probably benefit most from getting a pure sniper like Tippett, as well as getting a weapon with a shot on the point. They are a good playmaking team with the ability to finish in close, but teams will learn to shut down the front of the net against them, and acquiring those pieces will help them stretch the attack away from the front of the net.

 

[OMG67]

OMG67 - you did not say 2 OA's - you put Maksimovish and saigeon in the line up and on the third line specifically and stated it was the deepest team in recent memory. Not true. You said they will run off another 20 game win streak in the second half. Highly unlikely. Northernvoice made a point about top 5 teams record against each other removing the loser points and it is telling. Yet you discredit it saying 3 on 3 means nothing in the grand scheme of things and is a footnote. Exactly - that is the point of his post.

67's are the favorite right now. Great first half. Best Goalie tandem and best Goalie in the league with honorable mention to Pbo, Osh, Nia, Ldn, and Sud. 2 OA spots open and lots available to fill them. Sitting on lots of 2nd round picks as well however those are often overvalued, especially in a weak 2019 draft class - perhaps "weakest in recent memory". 67's may need to go back on their word and trade skaters to get what they want.

You make many good points, however you are getting ahead of yourself. Those statements were very superfan like, which has not been you in the past. Nothing wrong with admitting that perhaps you are getting a bit ahead of yourself. 67's line up you presented is not the deepest in recent memory. "Eating words has never given me indigestion" Winston Churchill

Fair enough. I meant one of the deepest or amongst the deepest in recent memory. Wasn't meant as a blanket statement. The underlying point is the same.

I put Maksimovitch and Saigeon in there as OA placeholders. Clearly they are not 67s property. Neither may end up being available at all but two other OA's will probably be acquired. Provided I am accurate and the 67s do acquire two stud OA's, it doesn't change the depth of the lineup I've presented. It still would dress 6 top 20 calibre scoring forwards.

This is not superfan. I've never been that person. This is my honest opinion.

Last year after the deadline passed I stated the 67s will acquire DiPietro and an OA. With Barron not returned, make that two OA's. When they do, and are healthy, I believe I am correct in my statements. I may have misspoke with resent to best meaning amongst the best not to disrespect those other Championship teams.

 

[OS Fan]

Oshawa will make a huge splash and win the East. Watch and see. Here come the Gens

 

[three dog night]

Oshawa will make a huge splash and win the East. Watch and see. Here come the Gens

Do not see it have to play a lot better than they did on Saturday and Sunday .

 

[Generalsupdates]

Do not see it have to play a lot better than they did on Saturday and Sunday .

You mean the games where they were missing their captain and top 3 player in the East, the best goalie in the league, their top defenceman and another top 3 forward?

LOL

 

[three dog night]

You mean the games where they were missing their captain and top 3 player in the East, the best goalie in the league, their top defenceman and another top 3 forward?

LOL

All teams miss players no excuse

 

[Generalsupdates]

All teams miss players no excuse

Yeah a junior hockey team should be the exact same even if they're missing 3 of their best 4 skaters and their starting goalie. Good call


Side note: the Gens are 1-0-0-0 against Niagara and 2-0-0-0 against Ottawa this year when Keyser and Studnicka are in the lineup

 

[three dog night]

Ice Dogs Saturday missing four players including their leader scorer and a play injured early in the game what I gather even when Oshawa had everyone they underperform.

 

[Square Corners]

All teams miss players no excuse

At the beginning of the year when Niagara wasn't doing good, literally all you would do on the NIA board is make excuses because players who weren't even good were out of the lineup lol

 

[Generalsupdates]

Ice Dogs Saturday missing four players including their leader scorer and a play injured early in the game what I gather even when Oshawa had everyone they underperform.

LOL the difference is the Ice Dogs were missing a 4th line forward and a healthy scratch D-man. They had their entire pre-Robertson trade lineup (and Jacob Paquette) on the ice. The Gens were missing 3 of their best 4 skaters and the best goalie in the league. No shit that team isn't going to play as well as they would if they had everyone

The Gens beat Niagara when they had everyone in the line up


Does London suck because they lost back to back games to OS and Sarnia? Or does their team look a little different without Formenton, Bouchard and Foudy in the lineup? (but they still beat Niagara, even without Formenton, Bouchard, Foudy, Boqvist)

 

[Finster8]

All the picks that Ottawa has Brazeau and Tippett as your 2 OA's makes a statement and definitely the favorites. Other teams would need to due the same and more.

 

[Square Corners]

All the picks that Ottawa has Brazeau and Tippett as your 2 OA's makes a statement and definitely the favorites. Other teams would need to due the same and more.

Tippett isn't an OA