|
Post by Joe Rogan on May 5, 2014 13:15:19 GMT -4
The way I see our team shaping up is this upcoming season will be a re-tooling year, where we are a competitive team, but not a contender. But if the right moves are made, we can contend again in 2015-16.
I think if Cam wanted to mortgage the future, next year would be possible to try ice a contender again. We have a good core of 20's. We have elite skill in Ehlers. Meier should make a huge jump next year (he was a force in the playoffs before he got hurt). And we have some good bottom 6, PK, role players in Shewfelt, Falkenham, Leblanc, Watt. We'd obviously be set in goal with Fucale. Realistically we would need to add a top scorer, and some depth on D. But those moves would be costly, and would hurt us for the next couple of years.
I think the smarter thing would be to try to move a couple of pieces at the draft. Ciampini obviously, Lussier if there's interest (unlikely) and go into the season with what we have plus hopefully a few promising rookies that will make tough decisions at camp on players like Watt, Leblanc, Lovell and Jacques. Ideally you'd like to see some rookies make these guys expendable, especially Lovell and Jacques who don't have much upside, and Leblanc who will be 19 and not really suited for 4th line duty. Then as xmas you assess and make moves.
Let's say we're upper mid-pack (6th-9th overall) which is what I expect. Then you start entertaining offers for Gadoury, Murphy and Fucale. Someone should be looking to upgrade on their 20 year olds in a Memorial Cup year so Gadoury should be move-able, and even if he does have a no trade agreement, I can't see him not wanting to go to a contender in a Mem Cup year. Can't see teams upgrading their OA spots on players like Ryan and Hardie. Fucale and Murphy should have big value being 19, question being will be there be suitors willing to pay the price? There's almost always teams on the cusp looking to upgrade in net (Val d'Or - Bibeau) but there's also times that you can't find a fit (SJ - Auger). We don't want to be stuck holding onto Fucale in a year we aren't contending imo. This would be worst case scenario. Murphy is a guy you may want to hang onto because he will play as a 20 year old and will probably be one of the better dmen in the league by that point.
If we are leading our division (crazier things have happened, it's not out of the realm of possiblity) then I don't mind holding onto our assets and 'contending' again, even if it's a half-assed run, as long as it doesn't involve spending assets.
But I still think our core is better suited for a run in 2015-16 with Falkenham (20), D Moynihan (20), Murphy (20), Ehlers (19), Meier (19), Shewfelt (19), Fortier (18), C Moynihan (18) and our less proven players like Fitzgerald (19), Ford (18), Taillefer (18), King (18) plus our 2014 draftees which would be 17 or 18 that season. Ideally a couple of those dmen could turn into top 4 dmen in the Q and we have a pretty good roster. Only question mark would be in goal, but I think if you're moving Fucale next year you have to get a good young goalie in return, or target one in this draft.
|
|
|
Post by melly on May 5, 2014 14:43:32 GMT -4
You have to wonder though if much of this is just talk to keep the season ticket interest going at this point. He can look at his roster and say they will compete, sure, but realistically he should know what it takes to win and our returning roster isn`t it. The moves at the draft, if any, will give us a better indication of his vision. But I would guess based on his comments, we will probably start the season with as good a team as we can, and when Xmas rolls around (and we should inevitably see we are no contender) he makes moves then. but what if Weegar does come back? and what if you find yourselves leading the division again next Christmas? while you probably in no way will be an overall contender for the league title.... if you are sitting in a top 5 overall spot next Christmas....... who knows? i think it's 2015-16 where you start the rebuild process..... i think next year you once again have a solid regular season and probably 2 maybe even 3 rounds of playoffs As a Moose fan I appreciate the words of encouragement. However, I just don't see it. We lost too much in the way of leadership, scoring, and puck moving D. Drouin, Ashley, Andrews and Weegar were 4 of our top 5 scorers. Duke was an underrated puck mover, not necessarily an offensive guy, but made a decent 1st pass. Lussier also has a decent 1st pass, and is likely out of overage picture. On D we'd be left with Hardie and Murphy, then it falls off. I suspect we will be struggling on D next year. Up front we will have some huge holes to fill...literally right down the middle. No Drouin or Andrews, leaving 1 center(Moynihan). Scoring depth will be an issue, you can't remove 4 of your top 5 scorers and it not be. Other factor - Drouin - It is hard to imagine his total contribution. He was in on 37% of the total goals for the Moose but only played 46 games. If you look at that number, he was in on more than 50% of the goals scored in the games he played. That can't be replaced. What would this team have been without Drouin? I would not want to see a 'Gut'. We will be no better then 9-10th next year, with a moderate chance of getting out of 1st round, because we likely face PEI or CB, and I predict both will be stronger then Moose next year. Take advantage of our assets and re-stock a bit.
|
|
|
Post by nsvees on May 5, 2014 19:25:55 GMT -4
|
|
|
Post by guru on May 5, 2014 19:37:06 GMT -4
Big deal. He only answers softballs. With the large fan base, there has to be questions other than fanboy questions.
|
|
|
Post by mooseinfo on May 5, 2014 20:46:22 GMT -4
Q site has cleaned up the players too old to return. Interesting that Darveau is not listed in goal, Someone must have made the call that he is out as a 20 as all others potential 20s are there.
|
|
|
Post by hfxfan09 on May 5, 2014 21:02:36 GMT -4
Like I said even though this season is our first were going with Season tickets I can put up with some lean years now after the last 3 seasons I'm looking forward to watching our kids develop we still have talent Meier will grow, we still have Ehlers, Fortier is a scorer; kind of cool to think I watched Jo in Junior and that next Christmas I may get to see him in the NHL! (Then there's always the off chance of probably less than 5% that Tampa sends Drouin back and he's too young for the AHL.)
|
|
|
Post by Jacques Strap on May 5, 2014 21:16:47 GMT -4
Like I said even though this season is our first were going with Season tickets I can put up with some lean years now after the last 3 seasons I'm looking forward to watching our kids develop we still have talent Meier will grow, we still have Ehlers, Fortier is a scorer; kind of cool to think I watched Jo in Junior and that next Christmas I may get to see him in the NHL! (Then there's always the off chance of probably less than 5% that Tampa sends Drouin back and he's too young for the AHL.) I am still pretty excited about watching the guys develop next season. Ehlers will be a leader offensively, but I am looking forward to seeing Meier develop and see how good Fortier adjusts. Defense could kind of be scary. I wonder if they still have a lot of hope in Taylor Ford. He was a second round pick, but that doesn't guarantee much. Not sure if he is a guarantee to make the team. He had pretty good stats but seems very small. See link. www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=219380
|
|
|
Post by mooseinfo on May 5, 2014 21:26:57 GMT -4
Will need FA and perhaps trade for a vet to keep the D respectable. Cant plug in rookies on D to start full time and expect much. A few teams have 10 or 11 20s listed on their rosters so lots of holes/roster spots to fill in the league.
|
|
|
Post by paulmcswain on May 6, 2014 7:44:09 GMT -4
“We’re definitely not looking at rebuilding, we’re looking at being competitive and taking a run at the championship next year,” says Russell. Where did he say that? Not doubting he said it, just don't recall hearing/reading it. That is a tad scary hah. atlantic.ctvnews.ca/halifax-mooseheads-look-to-the-future-after-playoff-exit-1.1800205Right at the end of that article. basically I am scared of the situation bois suggested. I don't think you're going to see him make major additions at the draft. Heck, I don't think you'll see him sacrifice the future for major additions at any point. But if we're top 5 in the league next year at xmas, or near the lead of the division (which is very possible), I am worried he won't cash in on guys like Fucale/Gadoury etc. Right now, with no big moves either way, we're set up for exactly what Russell has been talking about shooting for. Ie. We will be competitive every year. Especially if he continues to add free agents like he has been. But realistically, how long can you keep finding guys like Weegar, Gadoury and Gazzola for free? I am a bit worried about the vision Russell has here, it reeks of late nineties to mid 2000's. Let's assume for a second we flash forward to xmas 2014, and the Moose find themselves 3 points out of the division lead. How many here are confident we sell at that point? We will see I guess.
|
|
|
Post by CrazyJoeDavola on May 6, 2014 8:07:10 GMT -4
Where did he say that? Not doubting he said it, just don't recall hearing/reading it. That is a tad scary hah. atlantic.ctvnews.ca/halifax-mooseheads-look-to-the-future-after-playoff-exit-1.1800205Right at the end of that article. basically I am scared of the situation bois suggested. I don't think you're going to see him make major additions at the draft. Heck, I don't think you'll see him sacrifice the future for major additions at any point. But if we're top 5 in the league next year at xmas, or near the lead of the division (which is very possible), I am worried he won't cash in on guys like Fucale/Gadoury etc. Right now, with no big moves either way, we're set up for exactly what Russell has been talking about shooting for. Ie. We will be competitive every year. Especially if he continues to add free agents like he has been. But realistically, how long can you keep finding guys like Weegar, Gadoury and Gazzola for free? I am a bit worried about the vision Russell has here, it reeks of late nineties to mid 2000's. Let's assume for a second we flash forward to xmas 2014, and the Moose find themselves 3 points out of the division lead. How many here are confident we sell at that point? We will see I guess. I think we should probably give him this year before panicking... see what he does, where we stand etc. So far the "vision" gave us 3 great years overall and we are still in good shape moving forward. Could we have used another player or two this year? Sure... but at the same time, we didn`t sell assets and could easily be playing in the finals right now. If those scenarios you talked about play out, then we can worry. But until then, we should probably assume he will make the smart decisions needed. Selling key players was never the reason we sat in the basement for 3 years, and I am sure he recognizes this. In fact, not selling key players is more the reason we sat in the basement - and having to spend every asset we had to improve to be a contender later on.
|
|
|
Post by nsvees on May 6, 2014 8:11:38 GMT -4
Where did he say that? Not doubting he said it, just don't recall hearing/reading it. That is a tad scary hah. atlantic.ctvnews.ca/halifax-mooseheads-look-to-the-future-after-playoff-exit-1.1800205Right at the end of that article. basically I am scared of the situation bois suggested. I don't think you're going to see him make major additions at the draft. Heck, I don't think you'll see him sacrifice the future for major additions at any point. But if we're top 5 in the league next year at xmas, or near the lead of the division (which is very possible), I am worried he won't cash in on guys like Fucale/Gadoury etc. Right now, with no big moves either way, we're set up for exactly what Russell has been talking about shooting for. Ie. We will be competitive every year. Especially if he continues to add free agents like he has been. But realistically, how long can you keep finding guys like Weegar, Gadoury and Gazzola for free? I am a bit worried about the vision Russell has here, it reeks of late nineties to mid 2000's. Let's assume for a second we flash forward to xmas 2014, and the Moose find themselves 3 points out of the division lead. How many here are confident we sell at that point? We will see I guess. This is concerning to me also. I hope this was just "GM speak", not wanting to show his cards. The casual fans may not like it, but most of the knowledgeable die-hards would understand what the plan is and be more favourable to it. It's time for at least some sort of rebuild. They can be built to top contender status in short order.
|
|
|
Post by SteveUL on May 6, 2014 8:40:47 GMT -4
That statement is probably more geared toward selling season tickets more than anything. But with the draft and trading period coming up ... opportunities arise and who knows what might fall into your lap.
|
|
|
Post by statsman18 on May 6, 2014 9:01:05 GMT -4
Man I hope Weegar comes back with the price of 20s already we can cash in huge on him. If MacKinnon can get a 1st and a 5th and Clapperton is going can get a 1st and 2nd the price for the top Defencemen in the league would be sky high. Also in saying that I would think Hardie and MacKinnon are pretty much the same type off players. He'll Ryan being a 20 plus goal score the past 2 seasons the way the masked is would be a big chip too you would think. Just some food for thought there.
|
|
|
Post by melly on May 6, 2014 11:27:42 GMT -4
atlantic.ctvnews.ca/halifax-mooseheads-look-to-the-future-after-playoff-exit-1.1800205Right at the end of that article. basically I am scared of the situation bois suggested. I don't think you're going to see him make major additions at the draft. Heck, I don't think you'll see him sacrifice the future for major additions at any point. But if we're top 5 in the league next year at xmas, or near the lead of the division (which is very possible), I am worried he won't cash in on guys like Fucale/Gadoury etc. Right now, with no big moves either way, we're set up for exactly what Russell has been talking about shooting for. Ie. We will be competitive every year. Especially if he continues to add free agents like he has been. But realistically, how long can you keep finding guys like Weegar, Gadoury and Gazzola for free? I am a bit worried about the vision Russell has here, it reeks of late nineties to mid 2000's. Let's assume for a second we flash forward to xmas 2014, and the Moose find themselves 3 points out of the division lead. How many here are confident we sell at that point? We will see I guess. This is concerning to me also. I hope this was just "GM speak", not wanting to show his cards. The casual fans may not like it, but most of the knowledgeable die-hards would understand what the plan is and be more favourable to it. It's time for at least some sort of rebuild. They can be built to top contender status in short order. I too find it quite concerning, based on the way Cam is stating the plans. "GM Speak" is usually worded in a somewhat vague, non-committal way. Cam is stating, "we will be very competitive", "no rebuild", and "Fucale going nowhere". Based on the situation with the 20s, we will be entering the regular season with only 2 of our top 5 D, Hardie and Murphy. Positions 3-7 will be filled by unproven rookies, and possibly one under-achieving 19 year old (Lovell). As a fan, I will accept a developmental year, however, if Cam goes with a plan to try and contend, he will have to use assets to acquire some veteran help. I think we have no choice but to go through a small rebuild. We may find ourselves behind CB and Monc in our division. The organization has never traded away a prized asset when it should, and I unfortunately think Cam may not as well. Fucale has one season left, and it is a season where we will have a hard time contending, so take advantage of an asset that can boost a rebuild big time.
|
|
|
Post by mooseinfo on May 6, 2014 11:48:43 GMT -4
This is concerning to me also. I hope this was just "GM speak", not wanting to show his cards. The casual fans may not like it, but most of the knowledgeable die-hards would understand what the plan is and be more favourable to it. It's time for at least some sort of rebuild. They can be built to top contender status in short order. I too find it quite concerning, based on the way Cam is stating the plans. "GM Speak" is usually worded in a somewhat vague, non-committal way. Cam is stating, "we will be very competitive", "no rebuild", and "Fucale going nowhere". Based on the situation with the 20s, we will be entering the regular season with only 2 of our top 5 D, Hardie and Murphy. Positions 3-7 will be filled by unproven rookies, and possibly one under-achieving 19 year old (Lovell). As a fan, I will accept a developmental year, however, if Cam goes with a plan to try and contend, he will have to use assets to acquire some veteran help. I think we have no choice but to go through a small rebuild. We may find ourselves behind CB and Monc in our division. The organization has never traded away a prized asset when it should, and I unfortunately think Cam may not as well. Fucale has one season left, and it is a season where we will have a hard time contending, so take advantage of an asset that can boost a rebuild big time. As some teams already have trades lined up you would have to think Russell has been in conversation with other GMs. Russell tends to get good return on players going out, ones needed to be traded, so if someone has talked to him about Fucale or anyone else it maybe just a negotiation position. Heard it before and when the right amount is offered they just say it was too good to refuse, best for the team going forward, will make us a better team, he deserved another shot at a Cup etc. So many ways to spin it. In any case a new starting goalie would be needed before playing the cards too early. This is not a Quebec GM where everyone is told ahead of time.
|
|