Prospect Info: Matt O'Connor UFA, not tendered qualifying offer

[Flamingo]

I was expecting good things in his draft year.

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[Tuna99]

Could you imagine the conversation with Melnyck "uhh, Eug, remember that goalie you hate, ummm, do you think, ahhhh, as a franchise, the thing is, ummmm, yeah forget it"

 

[aragorn]

Matt O'Connor was signed out of college, he was never drafted. I thought he would have had some value in a trade package but apparently not. Kinda sad how quickly some fall after a very promising college career & unable to make it much further. Good luck to him. Another Bochenski award?

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

He should find a job in the AHL somewhere

 

[dumbdick]

Another free wallet turns out to be empty. Throw it on the pile with Da Costa and Butler.

 

[Fandlauer]

Always so much hype behind these college signings and they are always balls.

 

[RedWhiteBlackGold]

Always so much hype behind these college signings and they are always balls.

I think Schultz has probably been the best college drafted player in recent memory.

 

[dumbdick]

I think Schultz has probably been the best college drafted player in recent memory.

Bozak too.

 

[Micklebot]

I think Schultz has probably been the best college drafted player in recent memory.

Schultz was a 2nd round pick who bailed on the team that drafted him. Wheeler being probably the most prominent example of that type of college UFA. Very different than guys like DaCosta

Bozak, Tanev are closer to o'Connor

 

[Fandlauer]

I think Schultz has probably been the best college drafted player in recent memory.

I was referring more to the College guys we get.

 

[LeafChief]

Fast fall from grace for this guy.

Had a huge college career other than that final.

[mod]

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Well he has been no Matty O ala Tony O of yesteryear

but ,,, if he gets another chance those things can change .. he has to keep at it

 

[Caeldan]

Anderson, Hammond
Driedger, Hogberg
That's our stable without MOC and assuming Condon moves on.

Would have expected we keep him if only for platooning between AHL and ECHL based on injury situations.

That and I'd hoped that he could figure his game out.

 

[Cosmix]

Schultz was a 2nd round pick who bailed on the team that drafted him. Wheeler being probably the most prominent example of that type of college UFA. Very different than guys like DaCosta

Bozak, Tanev are closer to o'Connor

Bozak is close to O'Connor? Surprised by that comparison.

 

[Sun God Nika]

no real goalie of the future when the sens probably had two of the best goalie prospects in hockey a few years back. well done Murray.

 

[Real Smart Sens Fan]

Bozak is close to O'Connor? Surprised by that comparison.

In the sense that they were both undrafted FAs signed out of college

 

[Sens]

It be more disappointing if goalies were not easy to acquire

 

[BonkTastic]

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

You need to keep trying on these free wallets if you expect to get anything out of them. MoC is done, move on to the next one.

 

[OmniSens]

Had such high expectations with him. Sad to see him to without him reaching his potential.

 

[Larionov]

Always so much hype behind these college signings and they are always balls.

Wasn't Jesse Winchester an NCAA free agent also? Sure, there are some examples of success here and there, but your main point holds - in general, the hype around NCAA free agents is wildly out of line with what they actually deliver.

Part of it comes from their age. When we draft kids out of the CHL, they literally are still kids at 18 or 19 years old. The college free agents, on the other hand, are usually 22 or 23. Those four years are a huge difference, as the CHL player has room to mature, get bigger and faster, etc. The college free agent is now a young man and a lot closer to a finished product. O'Connor, for instance, is now 25 - it's tough to make the case that we should be patient with him for a couple more years while he takes the place of a younger prospect we could be developing...

 

[Caeldan]

But that's the thing. We don't have younger prospects behind him with the exception of Hogberg.

I'm working under the assumption Condon moves on, that leaves exactly four goalies left with only one being a bonafide prospect.

 

[Larionov]

But that's the thing. We don't have younger prospects behind him with the exception of Hogberg.

I'm working under the assumption Condon moves on, that leaves exactly four goalies left with only one being a bonafide prospect.

If Condon leaves, he'll be replaced by another veteran - there are lots of veteran goalies looking for work right now, which is why Dorion is playing hardball with Condon.

After that, we will no doubt draft a goalie. That puts us back at six, and if you look around there are really only so many places we can put them. Two with the big club, two in Belleville, one in the ECHL and maybe one still in the CHL - that's it.

 

[Cat Herder]

But that's the thing. We don't have younger prospects behind him with the exception of Hogberg.

I'm working under the assumption Condon moves on, that leaves exactly four goalies left with only one being a bonafide prospect.

I suspect they are targeting a goalie in the 1st or 2nd round

Would love them to take Michael DiPietro from Windsor

 

[tony d]

To bad to see this. I had high hopes for O'connor possibly being our goalie of the future. Oh well we have 28 and 45 in this year's draft. Should get a good goalie that route.

 

[david rundblad]

Schultz was a 2nd round pick who bailed on the team that drafted him. Wheeler being probably the most prominent example of that type of college UFA. Very different than guys like DaCosta

Bozak, Tanev are closer to o'Connor

Blake Wheeler was picked 5th overall