*OFFICIAL* Kitchener Rangers 2013-14 Season Thread

[Ward Cornell]

Don Cameron has said that the Mason trade was the worst in Ranger's history. (Don has been here since Day One, he'd know.) He said though, that it was the worst, not because of the trade itself, but because Mason's frequent NHL call ups and season ending injury limited him to only 16 regular season games (13-3 W-L) and 5 playoff games (5-0 W-L) as a Ranger.

I'm not a fan of what Spott the GM accomplished at trade deadline time over his 5 years in the position, but he did make some good moves at other times of the year when the pressure was off. One of those moves was the deal with London that brought Chris MacKinnon to the Rangers. All MacKinnon did was put up seasons of 81 and 90 points during the two years he was here. Add to that the 27 points in 20 games during the 2010 playoff run, and that's pretty damn good return for the two 3rd round picks sent to London in the deal.

I'd do that type of deal with London, or anyone else for that matter, every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Never say never.

Hard to disagree with Don but I have to in this case.
IMHO the trade I truly dislike is the one the Sudbury trade last year. SS made that trade with all fingers crossed hoping that it would make the Rangers into a contender. There was absolutely nothing shown by the team last year that would suggest that they capable of being a champion. While that Mason trade the Rangers were by far the best team that year and Unice was the only 'weak link' on the team. Even giving up those assets to London, the Rangers still had a winning record against them when Kadri, Varone and Tarasuk were playing for them. Plus we also beat them in the playoffs a cpl years after.
Having Genovese, Schmaltz and Frankie this season for trading in the rebuild year would be mindblowing.
What do you think Guelph would give up just for Frankie????

Spott talked a good game but his coaching every year got worse and was more dependent on quality older players while he was busy getting his resume out to the pros.
Basically a 16 or 17 year old player needed to have exceptional talent to get any icetime under Spott the last few years of his tenure.

 

[aresknights]

Good points Ward. Really kinda confusing to an outsiders, why they went so big last year.

Even steven-Mason with "his frequent NHL call ups"? How many games/ times was he called up that season. Just curious, as I thought that was a rare thing in emergency cases only. Kadri got a game as have a few other OHLers just didn't remember any being frequent.

 

[Tim Wallach]

Hard to disagree with Don but I have to in this case.
IMHO the trade I truly dislike is the one the Sudbury trade last year. SS made that trade with all fingers crossed hoping that it would make the Rangers into a contender. There was absolutely nothing shown by the team last year that would suggest that they capable of being a champion. While that Mason trade the Rangers were by far the best team that year and Unice was the only 'weak link' on the team. Even giving up those assets to London, the Rangers still had a winning record against them when Kadri, Varone and Tarasuk were playing for them. Plus we also beat them in the playoffs a cpl years after.
Having Genovese, Schmaltz and Frankie this season for trading in the rebuild year would be mindblowing.
What do you think Guelph would give up just for Frankie????

Spott talked a good game but his coaching every year got worse and was more dependent on quality older players while he was busy getting his resume out to the pros.
Basically a 16 or 17 year old player needed to have exceptional talent to get any icetime under Spott the last few years of his tenure.

One important distinction though Ward: The Mason trade busted due to the players involved and some bad luck. The Sudbury trade busted due to Spott's own incompetence as a coach.

But you're absolutely right - he couldn't see that he wasn't getting anything from a very talented roster and instead of accepting that, he tried to add more. With most coaches, that talent being added would have meant a championship.

 

[Tim Wallach]

Good points Ward. Really kinda confusing to an outsiders, why they went so big last year.

On paper, there's no way that team shouldn't have been the #1 contender. Best junior goalie in the world. A slew of NHL prospects at all positions with Puempel, Rieder, Faksa, Leivo, Murphy and Corrado. Solid second-tier support with Bailey, McEneny, etc.

A team with that kind of talent at its disposal should have definitely been the team to beat.

 

[aresknights]

Not saying they werent talented.
Just saying in surprised he added as big as he did with a team that wasnt playing as a top contender. The reason doesn't matter to me ( talent, coaching, systems, buy in, lack of heart- whatever) They hadn't proved to be a group capable of a title and he added instead of holding or selling which would have, in hindsight left the franchise better off.

As a knight fan I'm glad they spent big, I didnt think they'd get over and posted that. It depleted future resources for an unrealistic chance.
But it is jr hockey and turnarounds can be quick, ESP with top organizations like the Rangers.

London also had a lot of talent, def comparable to the Rangers, they were just playin as a team so I'm not sure who would have been a fav if both were firing on all cylinders, but it would have been fun

 

[Tim Wallach]

Not saying they werent talented.
Just saying in surprised he added as big as he did with a team that wasnt playing as a top contender. The reason doesn't matter to me ( talent, coaching, systems, buy in, lack of heart- whatever) They hadn't proved to be a group capable of a title and he added instead of holding or selling which would have, in hindsight left the franchise better off.

As a knight fan I'm glad they spent big, I didnt think they'd get over and posted that. It depleted future resources for an unrealistic chance.
But it is jr hockey and turnarounds can be quick, ESP with top organizations like the Rangers.

London also had a lot of talent, def comparable to the Rangers, they were just playin as a team so I'm not sure who would have been a fav if both were firing on all cylinders, but it would have been fun

I agree with all of that except, as Ranger fans, we definitely cared about the reason. Watching the coaching drag the team down was painful and beyond frustrating. And it also helps explain why they made that deal. When the coach (i.e. the guilty party) is also the GM - he has control to try and paint over some of his mistakes.

I liken it to a parent whose kid keeps crashing the car, so he buys him new ones instead of admitting there might be a problem with how the kid is being raised.

But I digress. My views on Spott are well-document. I, like you, for junior hockey's sake would have liked to have seen the series that Kitchener/London should have been last year given the talent.

 

[aresknights]

Good analogy.

I'm sure well get back to the great battles we saw in the early- mid 2000s

It'll be great to watch

 

[Tim Wallach]

Good analogy.

I'm sure well get back to the great battles we saw in the early- mid 2000s

It'll be great to watch

Yep. Back when there was real intensity and emotion. We miss DeBoer in these parts.

 

[kwrangersfan22]

General question regarding OHL cards. I will use Dempsey as an example. He currently has 3 OHL games under his belt. If he plays 8 games during the World Juniors to equal 11 games played with the Rangers, does that take away an OHL card from the 3 or 4 that the Rangers has left?

 

[hockeylegend11]

dempsey

General question regarding OHL cards. I will use Dempsey as an example. He currently has 3 OHL games under his belt. If he plays 8 games during the World Juniors to equal 11 games played with the Rangers, does that take away an OHL card from the 3 or 4 that the Rangers has left?

No,games during world Jr's don't count towards 10 game rule

 

[EvenSteven]

Hard to disagree with Don but I have to in this case.
IMHO the trade I truly dislike is the one the Sudbury trade last year.

My bad. I should have mentioned that Don told me that about the Mason trade a couple years after DeBoer departed so last year's Sudbury deal hadn't happened yet.

But I agree with Ward Cornell. The Sudbury deal wasn't bad, it was Spott the coach who botched things up in the post season. I'll also add that Spott failed to acquire a #1 center. Spott's first word's after last year's elimination, "We weren't able to acquire #1 center." Yet people in the know said he could have had Alan Quine for Pederson and a 2nd rounder. Quine was great for Belleville.

Two years in a row Spott got outbid at the deadline. Quine last year and Austin Watson the year before.


areknights - Mason was called up to Columbus on an emergency basis at least twice after he arrived in Kitchener. Columbus had a rough time that year with goaltender injuries as did their AHL affiliate. I can't tell you how many Ranger games he missed as a result, but he only played 16 regular season games after coming to Kit. He missed a few.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

My bad. I should have mentioned that Don told me that about the Mason trade a couple years after DeBoer departed so last year's Sudbury deal hadn't happened yet.

But I agree with Ward Cornell. The Sudbury deal wasn't bad, it was Spott the coach who botched things up in the post season. I'll also add that Spott failed to acquire a #1 center. Spott's first word's after last year's elimination, "We weren't able to acquire #1 center." Yet people in the know said he could have had Alan Quine for Pederson and a 2nd rounder. Quine was great for Belleville.

Two years in a row Spott got outbid at the deadline. Quine last year and Austin Watson the year before.


areknights - Mason was called up to Columbus on an emergency basis at least twice after he arrived in Kitchener. Columbus had a rough time that year with goaltender injuries as did their AHL affiliate. I can't tell you how many Ranger games he missed as a result, but he only played 16 regular season games after coming to Kit. He missed a few.

One thing not mentioned is all the man games lost to injury Kitchener suffered. Those injuries probably would not have vaulted them to 1st in the division but I do believe they could have surpassed Owen Sound which would have given them a nice 3 seed. Being the 4th seed is the worst seed you can have in the western playoffs.

 

[BenchedGuy]

congrats to Ryan MacInnis in being named to the Prospects game!

 

[bobber]

Rangers played a great road game last night in Saginaw. Llewellyn is really coming on. You could see it last season but the coach couldn't otherwise he would be playing at a higher level than he is now. Teskey scored again and had other chances which bodes well for the team if he gets going. Greenfield played great. Hopefully he can keep going to solidify the number one spot. Pederson fought Sefton. Good to see. Last year he would have been thrown under the bus for it.

 

[kwrangersfan22]

Went to the Dutchies game last night against the siskens. Saw a few scouts from Oshawa gens, Niagara ice dog. Not sure who they were there to watch. Possible trades?

 

[bcspragu]

Went to the Dutchies game last night against the siskens. Saw a few scouts from Oshawa gens, Niagara ice dog. Not sure who they were there to watch. Possible trades?

Maybe there to scout Lazarev on Waterloo? Not sure whats going on with his status but he's an elite 97 goaltender who last I heard is trying to get Canadian status for playing in the OHL.

 

[bobber]

Read yesterday Lazarev is an uncommitted player when it comes to OHL. On a side note Leroux had season ending surgery. Two shifts. Skinned again by Hunter. Another trophy on his mantle.

 

[kwrangersfan22]

I have to agree lazarev is a very good goalie. He's a 97 and is impressive and has been pretty solid. Hope all works out for him.

 

[bobber]

According to Josh Brown in today's Record the Ranger GM And Mark Hunter are having discussions regarding Paxton Leroux who is out for the season after surgery. Played one and a half shifts. There is a question of wether he aggravated his shoulder in Belleville playing for the Knights in a previous game.

 

[CharlieGirl]

According to Josh Brown in today's Record the Ranger GM And Mark Hunter are having discussions regarding Paxton Leroux who is out for the season after surgery. Played one and a half shifts. There is a question of wether he aggravated his shoulder in Belleville playing for the Knights in a previous game.

I don't think anyone would be surprised to find out that Leroux was injured before he arrived in Kitchener.

I just feel badly for Leroux. A season ending injury is not the way anyone's OHL career should end. He must be so disappointed.

 

[Tim Wallach]

According to Josh Brown in today's Record the Ranger GM And Mark Hunter are having discussions regarding Paxton Leroux who is out for the season after surgery. Played one and a half shifts. There is a question of wether he aggravated his shoulder in Belleville playing for the Knights in a previous game.

Seeing how he injured it live from about 15 feet away, I'd be shocked if it wasn't an aggravation of a pre-existing injury. Healthy shoulders just don't give out on plays like that.

I think optically, it's just good karma for London to work something out. They are not obligated to and I'm certainly not accusing them of anything shady here. But if you sell what you thought was a decent used car for big bucks and it falls apart the next day and ends up in the junkyard, it'd be the decent thing to do to return some of the cash.

Remember, they may be rivals, but it's also business and maintaining cordial business relations is important. How many GMs might be leery of dealing with you if your response is "sucks to be you?"

 

[Ward Cornell]

I suspect that something will be worked out as well.
While London is a rival, Mark Hunter and Hiebert will work out a mutual agreeable resolution!
In a rebuild year I'm all for just running 1 OA out onto the ice and if Faksa is traded I'm ok with that also!

 

[bobber]

Wonder if Leroux mentioned he may have aggravated the injury in the Bull's game in a conversation with Hiebert. Fairly certain he was questioned after only playing two shifts for the Rangers and injuring himself in a harmless looking play.

 

[CharlieGirl]

Kitchener Dutchmen ‏@JrB_Dutchmen

Dutchies welcome Jared Gilbert to the team! He will be debuting tomorrow night in Brampton! #GoDutchies

Curious...

 

[bobber]

Rangers started out a little in awe of Erie last night but after they scored the first goal the played like they were on a mission. Brown had one assist and Fox was held pointless. Seemed like both spent the entire game on the ice trying to spark something. The Rangers had them frustrated by the third and they really had no answer to them. Gaunce had their only two goals in the first. They hit three post but in saying that the Rangers had a bunch of chances they failed to capitalize on also. Erie tried their best to intimidate the young Ranger players with hits, slashes and chirped but received a few hard body checks back for their troubles. Robinson had a hat trick in this one.