As a lifelong AHL fan, I am disappointed in Vegas for disregarding the initial agreement for mutual success upon the signing of the affiliation. Keep in mind we got the shaft with St. Louis and Vancouver ever since the Thrashers dissolved, which was one franchise that took care of us. Brandon Pirri was the centerpiece of our offense. While one person cannot complete a team, when he was on the ice, it was always trouble for the defense. Now we have a huge void and there is no compensation for it. I can’t count how many times these Vegas players have day-to-day injuries for the smallest of things, and that created the path to poach Pirri from the Wolves. Not counting Haula, if he comes back, Zykov and two other forwards will be healthy scratches and waste their talents. On the defensive side, Brad Hunt will also be in the same situation as he has been since joining your organization. Let’s be real, sending players like Zykov, Nosek, or Hunt through waivers will probably fail, so consider trading a pair to another team to give the Wolves two viable forwards to make up the void we lost. The Central Division will be hotly contested until the playoffs. But even with Pirri last season, our 3rd and 4th lines are complete garbage. And I am not counting Gallant in that pool because he actually is a benefit to the team. I have urged the Wolves GM to sign some of the top ECHL leaders such as former Wolves Jesse Schultz (part of the 2008 Cup team), Zach Pochirro, and even TJ Hensick who was a consistent scorer the last few years in the AHL. Or, find some talent in Europe and sign them to a 2-way deal. Former Wolf Spencer Machacek is not doing well in the DEL but bringing him here would be great motivation. Bottom line is if you want our fans to trust this affiliation, you will need to find ways to strengthen our squad. We will be knocked out in the first round again with this current roster. The defense is fairly young and inexperienced, and our goaltending has been sub-par.
Thank you and please advocate my message to the Golden Knights organization!