i think we mostly agree a bit more could have been done at the deadline but it is what it is. We'll see if management was right when everybody is back as I think they figured Clarke can be that goal scorer. You are right though we need to stay away from injuries to our key guys.I said they did not do enough at trade deadline and now it is really showing. A solid older defenseman and another point producing forward would of made a big difference.
They are terrible right now and anyone can beat them. Very volatile should any regulars go down for any period of time.
don't forget OMG all those D will be one year older/stronger with a lot of experience gained. We'll be OK but there is no doubt in my mind next year is a reloading year anyways.I wonder if there is any second guessing going on in the management office while wishing they had a time machine and go back to the trade deadline....
Although we do return 6 D-Men next year, assuming Rippon is an OA, we are seeing how green these rookies actually are. They have loads of potential but if we are going to reply on the six proposed returnees, we will be in trouble next year on the back end. It should be a rebuild year while giving those guys a year to gain the experience they need.
Well at least your optimism is at a high level.Not to make excuses but they seem gassed right now, a lot of 3 game weekends and its taking a toll as we have a lot of young players not used to this. Our top two lines are playing too much and its showing right now. Good news is the schedule will slow down after next week and they need to recharge before the playoffs and get healthy. We'll be fine.
Yes fair statement I tend to be optimistic. We are 42-10 or something with 8 point lead in league. So I don't think my optimism is misplaced once we get our players back and a bit of rest. We shall see. I see this rough patch as a positive.Well at least your optimism is at a high level.
You lost 2-0 and you question the rookies on defence?I wonder if there is any second guessing going on in the management office while wishing they had a time machine and go back to the trade deadline....
Although we do return 6 D-Men next year, assuming Rippon is an OA, we are seeing how green these rookies actually are. They have loads of potential but if we are going to reply on the six proposed returnees, we will be in trouble next year on the back end. It should be a rebuild year while giving those guys a year to gain the experience they need.
Good point. Defence/goaltending wasn’t the issue today - offence was.You lost 2-0 and you question the rookies on defence?
You lost 2-0 and you question the rookies on defence?
That looked like a group of forwards finishing up one of, if not the league’s most gruelling road trip. Varga showed up.
Does Tourigny ever juggle lines? Gareffa & Keating made the wolves mostly porous D look like a wall with no way through or around.
Yes that's my problem with the deadline as fully healthy I think we're OK, but they basically did not provide for a margin of error. As you say when is a team fully healthy?When you look at the weekend in general because we are seeing Sawyer and Gill out there in addition to Costantini and Matier. Those are the four rookies. They all had serious minutes and the team was flat all weekend.
The point is it doesn’t matter if Hoelscher and Rossi return. The back end returning isn’t strong enough to drive the engine of the team next year.
This is probably a better discussion for the offseason; however, it is a discussion point.
I do like each of the five guys individually (adding Belanger to that mix of rookies), but for those that think we would be contenders again next year if Rossi and Hoelscher return, think again. This weekend was a prime example of how difficult it is to win in this league with young D-Men.
So, if we really aren’t contenders next year, why not bulk up a little more at the deadline to add some depth? I know a lot of people are suggesting that the team will be different once fully healthy but when is a team actually fully healthy? Not often. You have to expect to play short handed a lot. This team short handed is nowhere near the formidable team they are when they are fully iced.
Yes that's my problem with the deadline as fully healthy I think we're OK, but they basically did not provide for a margin of error. As you say when is a team fully healthy?
Yes and no OMG. I understand your point and Nobody is saying losing is a good thing. However a little adversity is good and I rather they face some now rather than the conference final or final. I do think it was a factor last year where they were not pushed all year or in the playoffs. Then when there was pushback in the finals they didn't seem to know how to respond. ( yes Guelph was a very good team and I still think losing MDP changed the dynamic of that series). Just my opinion but I do think this little dry spell is a good thing.I’m sorry everyone but this is complete bullshit. Losing is not a GOOD thing. Going on a Northern Road-trip, losing to the worst team in the CHL 6-2 is not a good thing. It is not a wakeup call.
As the London Knights in 2005 when they had 120 points if it would have been better for them to maybe only have had 105 points. Maybe they’d have won the OHL Championship and Memorial Cup? Oh, that’s right. They won both. I guess losing isn’t as good of a thing as some of you think.
If a team keeps winning, they aren’t losing. It means they are winning.
We won 14 in a row last year in the playoffs. Maybe if they went 14-6 going into Game 3 of the OHL Final they would have won the Championship? Think again.
This team has been just about AVERAGE for a Contending team since just after the deadline. They’ve been strong compared to an average team but definitely not world beaters. I will be shocked if they are still in the top 3 ranking for the CHL. SHOCKED.
Early in the year they won a tonne of one goal games and have feasted on OT and the Shootout. For the better part of the last 6 weeks they managed to compile points but they have been far from impressive most nights in doing so. Those “not so impressive” wins are now not so impressive losses. That is what happens to teams in that situation. The scales start to balance.
I’ve said it many times. Last year’s team was superior to this team. We benefitted this year from what would surely be considered a weak year in the upper tier of the OHL. We had an opportunity to add a couple pieces to stretch the depth of the roster but we didn’t.
It will be interesting to see how we finish the year. I’ll be completely honest. I think we will be up against it to finish with the most points. we are in the drivers seat but I think it is going to be much closer than we expected it to be.
Wake up call? I think they’ve had 6 weeks of continuous wakeup calls. Why is this weekend any different?
If this weekend did show something its how important Hoef is to the pp and to drive the transition game. One of the reasons our forwards were not as effective is you didn't have Hoef pushing the puck up and giving it to our forwards with speed. Rippon was also missed as he's quite good at delivering that first pass.