Okay I'm willing to listen to that argument. Now tell me what players others will load up on.
I'll hang up and wait for your answer
Every year multiple players change teams up to and at the trade deadline. Every year, there are an amount of teams who think with a couple additions, they can be a top contender.
This year will also be one of those years.
There is no super team this year. It’s also a year this league is hosting. That’s two big reasons why there will be a healthy amount of teams going all in, in some capacity, to try to contend.
Coming into the season, in the West, I had the top four teams being Saginaw, Guelph, London, and Owen Sound.
Owen Sound is where we all thought Rangers would be, and the Rangers are even better than where I thought Owen Sound would be.
Owen Sound, based on their position in the standings, and their draft pick cupboard, should probably be sellers at the deadline. That’s who we thought we would be this year. If we continue our winning ways, even though we have a thin draft pick cupboard, there are ways for MM to get creative at the deadline, where he could improve our team while still looking after the future:
I talked about that possible two parter involving Romano / Lardis today and Rehkopf / O’Brien tomorrow. That deal allows us to contend today while adding an 07 1st rounder tomorrow.
Maybe Pobezal reports after the WJC? That would be an addition that would put the third line through the roof.
We’ll move an OA. Depending on Martin’s injury, it could be him. A top contender likely won’t bring him in if his health is in question. But, a team trying to make some noise this year may want him to fill an OA role in expensively in a conditions based deal. Missy has room for an OA and adding Martin on the cheap would help them preserve assets for the next couple years.
Can Swick replace Martin’s minutes and offence? So far it looks like he might. That means Martin may be a better choice to be the odd man out rather than an OA D. But with Martin hypothetically out, we still have to address the forward depth. How?
That possible two parter above would add a top six forward.
We could maybe add an 04 third line veteran who could provide a little offence, or maybe be a decent third piece on the second line, at an inexpensive price. Does the emergence of 06’s Ellinas and Campbell make a Bottineau expendable the same way Lam’s emergence makes Romano expendable? As a 16 year old last year he held his own in the post season. He’s been asked to play a solely defensive roll on that checking line and he’s doing it well. But down the road, he should turn into decent to pretty good top six player. Could we use that asset to bring in that veteran help up front?
There are ways to do a couple of additions while not devastating the future.
