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Post by Citris on Aug 31, 2023 17:01:25 GMT -4
You’re joking right? And honestly I know people are going to jump on me for responding this way, but look at what you just wrote and there’s now way you can think this team is better. Let’s start with the 20yo we had going into the year compared to this. Boucher in 37 games scored 25 goals as a 19yo. Fournier scored 13 goals in 68 games. How about our euro’s last year now. I will admit last year Biasca we were hoping he finds his game and he finally did last year. IMO Ponzetto might be around 15 goals this year. If he gets 20 goals or better that will be huge but I thin 0.5 point per game is where he will be, maybe 0.75 at best. But I would take Biasca over a rookie Yannik any day. Crosby is basically Swan. Both have a lot of promise but what have they done? That’s a wait and see how it plays out. Hopefully better than it did with Sean. If Fournier turns out to be as good Huard that would be great. But the likelihood is not likely. Lastly do why does everyone have such high hopes of MacPhee being something more than he has been? He has played over 100 games in regular season and playoffs with only 9 goals total. Not saying he’s bad just saying he’s a role player that is a PK checking type. There’s definitely a spot for him but not on the 2nd line. Like honestly I can't figure out if you're just reacting this way to get a rise or if you're actually just so self-absorbed you assume anyone who isn't you doesn't have an internal thought process. Your reading of my post is so uncharitable that it borders on sociopathy, so let me spell it out - 1 - This team needs to be improved drastically up front to compete. 2 - The roster we have right now is extremely comparable to last seasons at the same point in the off-season.(please note the use of the word "comparable" not "better") You might contend with point #2, but I'll get to that. It's more important to say that like last year, this team will be improved by the time the season starts and again by Christmas. So, regarding a couple of your points - Yes, Boucher was a proven commodity coming into the season, but, he was also injured. Boucher was useless for the first 6 games of the season (where that roster was taken from) until the team sat him for a month. He was a non-factor until mid-November, and the team still did fine. As for Biasca, he did end up stepping up and performing pretty admirably for the first half of the season when we needed him to. He was just a hair under a PPG player. Here's the thing tho - I don't really see why Fournier couldn't be expected to have a similar output. Brody Fournier was ALSO about a PPG player in November before all the adds were made. With a full year under his belt, it's not a stretch that he's going to be able to contribute in that ballpark, especially considering he'll likely be getting some PP time. You compared him to Huard Jr. but... I remind you, this time last year, Huard Jr. was still a member of the Sherbrooke Phoenix. Halifax is obviously going to fill that other 20 year old slot with a forward, so like... have some patience? Also nobody said anything about MacPhee being more than he is, he's a 3c ideally, and is probably put there as soon as 20 spot #3 is filled. But I also don't see why you think the idea of a 19 year old being better than he was in what was officially his rookie season is so laughable. Nobody is saying he's going to come out and score 20 goals, but he's a more experienced and physically stronger player than he was last year. The obvious disadvantages this roster has to last years are 1 - There's no Zach L'Heureux coming at the halfway mark of the season to boost that lineup 2 - Obviously, once he was back Boucher was actually pretty decent. This circles back to what everyone already agrees on - the roster is going to need significant work at the Christmas trade period if they want to be a Memorial cup contender... but at the same time there's not a rush. You still have a good 3-4 months for players to play and improve, maybe a few guys become valuable trade chips, maybe Crosby is actually ready to take that step we all thought he could last year. Either way there's no need to rush or panic.
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Post by hfxfan2002 on Aug 31, 2023 17:37:58 GMT -4
Just want to say this right now, you can disagree, but Boucher sucked in the 1st half, he came off an injury and took a stretch to get back to par, I can’t remember his numbers but a lot of us thought Huard Jr was going to be the guy over Boucher.
Fournier should be given a chance, I think he can replicate those numbers. It was his first year in the league, Boucher on the other hand played half a season prior to the 2023 season.
I do think we go a different way and acquire two 20’s but we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out first. Patience is key.
Only reason he played fourth line was because they felt like having a bumper grit spot on the third line with MacPhee worked best. Fournier doesn’t really fit the third line when constructing a hockey team. So he’ll prob get a lot or 2nd line opportunity to prove his worth.
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Post by statsman18 on Aug 31, 2023 17:43:15 GMT -4
You’re joking right? And honestly I know people are going to jump on me for responding this way, but look at what you just wrote and there’s now way you can think this team is better. Let’s start with the 20yo we had going into the year compared to this. Boucher in 37 games scored 25 goals as a 19yo. Fournier scored 13 goals in 68 games. How about our euro’s last year now. I will admit last year Biasca we were hoping he finds his game and he finally did last year. IMO Ponzetto might be around 15 goals this year. If he gets 20 goals or better that will be huge but I thin 0.5 point per game is where he will be, maybe 0.75 at best. But I would take Biasca over a rookie Yannik any day. Crosby is basically Swan. Both have a lot of promise but what have they done? That’s a wait and see how it plays out. Hopefully better than it did with Sean. If Fournier turns out to be as good Huard that would be great. But the likelihood is not likely. Lastly do why does everyone have such high hopes of MacPhee being something more than he has been? He has played over 100 games in regular season and playoffs with only 9 goals total. Not saying he’s bad just saying he’s a role player that is a PK checking type. There’s definitely a spot for him but not on the 2nd line. Like honestly I can't figure out if you're just reacting this way to get a rise or if you're actually just so self-absorbed you assume anyone who isn't you doesn't have an internal thought process. Your reading of my post is so uncharitable that it borders on sociopathy, so let me spell it out - 1 - This team needs to be improved drastically up front to compete. 2 - The roster we have right now is extremely comparable to last seasons at the same point in the off-season.(please note the use of the word "comparable" not "better") You might contend with point #2, but I'll get to that. It's more important to say that like last year, this team will be improved by the time the season starts and again by Christmas. So, regarding a couple of your points - Yes, Boucher was a proven commodity coming into the season, but, he was also injured. Boucher was useless for the first 6 games of the season (where that roster was taken from) until the team sat him for a month. He was a non-factor until mid-November, and the team still did fine. As for Biasca, he did end up stepping up and performing pretty admirably for the first half of the season when we needed him to. He was just a hair under a PPG player. Here's the thing tho - I don't really see why Fournier couldn't be expected to have a similar output. Brody Fournier was ALSO about a PPG player in November before all the adds were made. With a full year under his belt, it's not a stretch that he's going to be able to contribute in that ballpark, especially considering he'll likely be getting some PP time. You compared him to Huard Jr. but... I remind you, this time last year, Huard Jr. was still a member of the Sherbrooke Phoenix. Halifax is obviously going to fill that other 20 year old slot with a forward, so like... have some patience? Also nobody said anything about MacPhee being more than he is, he's a 3c ideally, and is probably put there as soon as 20 spot #3 is filled. But I also don't see why you think the idea of a 19 year old being better than he was in what was officially his rookie season is so laughable. Nobody is saying he's going to come out and score 20 goals, but he's a more experienced and physically stronger player than he was last year. The obvious disadvantages this roster has to last years are 1 - There's no Zach L'Heureux coming at the halfway mark of the season to boost that lineup 2 - Obviously, once he was back Boucher was actually pretty decent. This circles back to what everyone already agrees on - the roster is going to need significant work at the Christmas trade period if they want to be a Memorial cup contender... but at the same time there's not a rush. You still have a good 3-4 months for players to play and improve, maybe a few guys become valuable trade chips, maybe Crosby is actually ready to take that step we all thought he could last year. Either way there's no need to rush or panic. My point was last years team was better and I would take that team over this one all day every day. The biggest thing you’re missing is the frame work with last years team had an easier path than this one. Last year Cam added 2 guys that’s it. Also you are forgetting I said all along last years team was a winner when most including yourself they were a year away. I think this team is actually a year away. Sure they might add 2 20yo forward…… whiiiich I have been saying the whole time too. The others part of that who’s this year’s Lawrence and Doucet? Gill might be Doucet if you look at the comparables. Lawrence doesn’t exist. A player who’s a career PPG guy. A guy who unarguably was a face off savant. And maybe the most durable player in the league. Who is this years him? Halifax last year to this year is not parallel. It’s just not, the team last year starting off was better and had pieces to get be with. This year they don’t have those pieces and the roster starting off is not as good. Even the one listed had a 2nd line. Looking at this roster it’s put names on a dart board and who ever we hit will be the 2nd line. It’s not good. And at Christmas with Cam’s MO of not trading futures I don’t see it getting much better. Alllllllllllllll of this actually can be traced directly back to the none Desnoyers trade. If that trade happens this conversation is different. We would have ever asset we gave up for Lawrence back plus a player and maybe a pick. If that was the case then yes I would be optimistic about this team. Also I will add I do think this team can win but I think a Moncton or a CB could sneak past us very easily this year. Once again go back to Desnoyers trade.
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rookieq
Blue-Chip Prospect
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Post by rookieq on Aug 31, 2023 18:45:55 GMT -4
I just started on these boards and Ive noticed that your the most negative person I’ve ever seen (statsman) never anything good to say always belittling and putting team and players down , give them a chance they may surprise you a lot of good young talent to go with the older vets , ms. U gotta give a rest and try and say something positive or say nothing!!! Unfortunately, I am with Statesman18 here. Does not mean that I throw the towel. It could be a team that still finishes #6-7 of the league if the team stays like this, but the problem is that we expect a lot more. And 6-7 of the league would still be a fun team to watch. I expect Dumais to miss a few games at the beginning of the season and probably a big part of the month of December. Let's see how it goes, but Vidicek and Cataford will find it tough if they become a duo for a while. I hope that our Ds will be as good as we expect them to be. I really hope that Cam has a few surprises soon enough, but I think that his hands are tight and the quality of the 20s in league this year is pretty low compared to other years.
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Post by statsman18 on Aug 31, 2023 18:56:07 GMT -4
My point was last years team was better and I would take that team over this one all day every day. The biggest thing you’re missing is the frame work with last years team had an easier path than this one. Last year Cam added 2 guys that’s it. Also you are forgetting I said all along last years team was a winner when most including yourself they were a year away. I think this team is actually a year away. Sure they might add 2 20yo forward…… whiiiich I have been saying the whole time too. The others part of that who’s this year’s Lawrence and Doucet? Gill might be Doucet if you look at the comparables. Lawrence doesn’t exist. A player who’s a career PPG guy. A guy who unarguably was a face off savant. And maybe the most durable player in the league. Who is this years him? Halifax last year to this year is not parallel. It’s just not, the team last year starting off was better and had pieces to get be with. This year they don’t have those pieces and the roster starting off is not as good. Even the one listed had a 2nd line. Looking at this roster it’s put names on a dart board and who ever we hit will be the 2nd line. It’s not good. And at Christmas with Cam’s MO of not trading futures I don’t see it getting much better. Alllllllllllllll of this actually can be traced directly back to the none Desnoyers trade. If that trade happens this conversation is different. We would have ever asset we gave up for Lawrence back plus a player and maybe a pick. If that was the case then yes I would be optimistic about this team. Also I will add I do think this team can win but I think a Moncton or a CB could sneak past us very easily this year. Once again go back to Desnoyers trade. So what do you suggest to fix moving forward? What do you mean?
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Post by canbeer on Aug 31, 2023 19:14:24 GMT -4
I just started on these boards and Ive noticed that your the most negative person I’ve ever seen (statesman) never anything good to say always belittling and putting team and players down , give them a chance they may surprise you a lot of good young talent to go with the older vets , ms. U gotta give a rest and try and say something positive or say nothing!!! This team is bad. Truth is the truth. Wait till people from other teams come and put in their two cents. Cataford, Vidicek and Dumais will all flirt with 100 points. After that who is going to score? Yannik is probably 2 years away from being a stud. Kilfoil is a year away from being a stud. Peitzsche looks very promising but there’s been no word on his concussion from the hit in the PEI game. Hopefully Crosby finally clicks. This is 100% my opinion but I don’t think Fournier is worth keeping as a 20yo. Defence is this teams strength there’s no argument there. But you still need to score goals. Also Milner as a back up could be a problem if Rousseau gets hurt. I’m not sold on him after watching him in the preseason. The problem is there was no better option. If the team was good we wouldn’t have this problem. Last year at this time I was saying this team could win it all. While others were saying we should trade players like L’Heureux, Whynot to have a better chance this year. So if you don’t like the truth don’t read my post. And we had to add two 50 goal, 100+ point guys to that team. This year we need additions as well. Last year our D was mostly rookies and 2nd year guys, we had a less established Rousseau and a untrusted James in nets, Cataford/Vidicek/Dumais were only coming off 16/17 year old seasons. Everything was a question mark last year… this year we are way more solid in a few areas, the holes are just much clearer. But we also have an open 20 year old spot and one probably upgradable. We know the playbook, we literally just seen it last year. We went for it last year and got close but had to add the two best guys available. What would we be this year with Swan, a couple extra 1sts and 2nds and what they would have got for Whynot and L’Heureux? I don’t know that the people calling for that were entirely wrong. There’s different paths, maybe we shouldn’t pretend one is always right and the other wrong. We seem to gloss over half the team and just mention about Rousseau being solid and what should be a great D. I think we underestimate this somewhat. We talked goal predictions in another thread but how much more will our D help the scoring this year, I don’t think it will be insignificant. Three forwards returning that were something like 1st, 14th and 21st in scoring… now they need to add to that.
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Post by nsvees on Aug 31, 2023 22:40:21 GMT -4
You’re joking right? And honestly I know people are going to jump on me for responding this way, but look at what you just wrote and there’s now way you can think this team is better. Let’s start with the 20yo we had going into the year compared to this. Boucher in 37 games scored 25 goals as a 19yo. Fournier scored 13 goals in 68 games. How about our euro’s last year now. I will admit last year Biasca we were hoping he finds his game and he finally did last year. IMO Ponzetto might be around 15 goals this year. If he gets 20 goals or better that will be huge but I thin 0.5 point per game is where he will be, maybe 0.75 at best. But I would take Biasca over a rookie Yannik any day. Crosby is basically Swan. Both have a lot of promise but what have they done? That’s a wait and see how it plays out. Hopefully better than it did with Sean. If Fournier turns out to be as good Huard that would be great. But the likelihood is not likely. Lastly do why does everyone have such high hopes of MacPhee being something more than he has been? He has played over 100 games in regular season and playoffs with only 9 goals total. Not saying he’s bad just saying he’s a role player that is a PK checking type. There’s definitely a spot for him but not on the 2nd line. Like honestly I can't figure out if you're just reacting this way to get a rise or if you're actually just so self-absorbed you assume anyone who isn't you doesn't have an internal thought process. Your reading of my post is so uncharitable that it borders on sociopathy, so let me spell it out - 1 - This team needs to be improved drastically up front to compete. 2 - The roster we have right now is extremely comparable to last seasons at the same point in the off-season.(please note the use of the word "comparable" not "better") You might contend with point #2, but I'll get to that. It's more important to say that like last year, this team will be improved by the time the season starts and again by Christmas. So, regarding a couple of your points - Yes, Boucher was a proven commodity coming into the season, but, he was also injured. Boucher was useless for the first 6 games of the season (where that roster was taken from) until the team sat him for a month. He was a non-factor until mid-November, and the team still did fine. As for Biasca, he did end up stepping up and performing pretty admirably for the first half of the season when we needed him to. He was just a hair under a PPG player. Here's the thing tho - I don't really see why Fournier couldn't be expected to have a similar output. Brody Fournier was ALSO about a PPG player in November before all the adds were made. With a full year under his belt, it's not a stretch that he's going to be able to contribute in that ballpark, especially considering he'll likely be getting some PP time. You compared him to Huard Jr. but... I remind you, this time last year, Huard Jr. was still a member of the Sherbrooke Phoenix. Halifax is obviously going to fill that other 20 year old slot with a forward, so like... have some patience? Also nobody said anything about MacPhee being more than he is, he's a 3c ideally, and is probably put there as soon as 20 spot #3 is filled. But I also don't see why you think the idea of a 19 year old being better than he was in what was officially his rookie season is so laughable. Nobody is saying he's going to come out and score 20 goals, but he's a more experienced and physically stronger player than he was last year. The obvious disadvantages this roster has to last years are 1 - There's no Zach L'Heureux coming at the halfway mark of the season to boost that lineup 2 - Obviously, once he was back Boucher was actually pretty decent. This circles back to what everyone already agrees on - the roster is going to need significant work at the Christmas trade period if they want to be a Memorial cup contender... but at the same time there's not a rush. You still have a good 3-4 months for players to play and improve, maybe a few guys become valuable trade chips, maybe Crosby is actually ready to take that step we all thought he could last year. Either way there's no need to rush or panic. Outside of the top line, this team is really thin up front; that was known going into camp. They will add an another forward, likely a 20 year old top 6. They really need Crosby and Pietzche to take the next steps up. I'm optimistic on Pietzsche; not so sure about Crosby; I hope he does. Hopefully they can get a little more production from Kilfoil; a lot to expect from a 16 year old rookie; there'll be a lot of ups and downs with him. If it were me, I would just let things roll until the holiday break and see where they are. They aren't a top contender as of now, so they can be patient. If things go sour, they can sell before the trade deadline.
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Post by Fryar on Sept 1, 2023 9:00:26 GMT -4
I just started on these boards and Ive noticed that your the most negative person I’ve ever seen (statsman) never anything good to say always belittling and putting team and players down , give them a chance they may surprise you a lot of good young talent to go with the older vets , ms. U gotta give a rest and try and say something positive or say nothing!!! Unfortunately, I am with Statesman18 here. Does not mean that I throw the towel. It could be a team that still finishes #6-7 of the league if the team stays like this, but the problem is that we expect a lot more. And 6-7 of the league would still be a fun team to watch. I expect Dumais to miss a few games at the beginning of the season and probably a big part of the month of December. Let's see how it goes, but Vidicek and Cataford will find it tough if they become a duo for a while. I hope that our Ds will be as good as we expect them to be. I really hope that Cam has a few surprises soon enough, but I think that his hands are tight and the quality of the 20s in league this year is pretty low compared to other years. I understand you didn't say "this team is bad" but you did agree with that statement. Last year SJ, BB, VD, and Bathurst were bad. There's no way this team, even in it's current state, is going to perform down to those levels this year. They currently have, arguably, the best 6 D-core and starting goalie combo in the league and what could be the best line if they are placed together with Cataford/Dumais/Vidicek. Regarding the quality of 20's being down this year in the league, then that means all things are equal across the league when any team is trying to upgrade your 20 year olds. No disadvantage to any team trying to upgrade as they're all fishing in the same pool this year, so other years aren't relevant.
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Post by Briwhel on Sept 1, 2023 9:12:03 GMT -4
Unfortunately, I am with Statesman18 here. Does not mean that I throw the towel. It could be a team that still finishes #6-7 of the league if the team stays like this, but the problem is that we expect a lot more. And 6-7 of the league would still be a fun team to watch. I expect Dumais to miss a few games at the beginning of the season and probably a big part of the month of December. Let's see how it goes, but Vidicek and Cataford will find it tough if they become a duo for a while. I hope that our Ds will be as good as we expect them to be. I really hope that Cam has a few surprises soon enough, but I think that his hands are tight and the quality of the 20s in league this year is pretty low compared to other years. I understand you didn't say "this team is bad" but you did agree with that statement. Last year SJ, BB, VD, and Bathurst were bad. There's no way this team, even in it's current state, is going to perform down to those levels this year. They currently have, arguably, the best 6 D-core and starting goalie combo in the league and what could be the best line if they are placed together with Cataford/Dumais/Vidicek. Regarding the quality of 20's being down this year in the league, then that means all things are equal across the league when any team is trying to upgrade your 20 year olds. No disadvantage to any team trying to upgrade as they're all fishing in the same pool this year, so other years aren't relevant. These ridiculous statements need to stop. Halifax does not have the best D plus G. Victoriaville is significantly better and Rouyn might be better. Halifax won't bottom out but if they aren't careful, they might not win the division.
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Post by moosefan1994 on Sept 1, 2023 9:51:47 GMT -4
I understand you didn't say "this team is bad" but you did agree with that statement. Last year SJ, BB, VD, and Bathurst were bad. There's no way this team, even in it's current state, is going to perform down to those levels this year. They currently have, arguably, the best 6 D-core and starting goalie combo in the league and what could be the best line if they are placed together with Cataford/Dumais/Vidicek. Regarding the quality of 20's being down this year in the league, then that means all things are equal across the league when any team is trying to upgrade your 20 year olds. No disadvantage to any team trying to upgrade as they're all fishing in the same pool this year, so other years aren't relevant. These ridiculous statements need to stop. Halifax does not have the best D plus G. Victoriaville is significantly better and Rouyn might be better. Halifax won't bottom out but if they aren't careful, they might not win the division. No, your fucking bullshit on this board needs to stop!!! You obviously hate our team so why do you spend so much time on here? Get a life bud!!!
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Post by Citris on Sept 1, 2023 9:52:13 GMT -4
These ridiculous statements need to stop. Halifax does not have the best D plus G. Victoriaville is significantly better and Rouyn might be better. Halifax won't bottom out but if they aren't careful, they might not win the division. With all due respect... what are you talking about? To say it's ridiculous that the statement Halifax has "arguably the best defense in the league" is... well in itself pretty ridiculous. Halifax is returning 6 D and a Goalie from a team that made the finals. Victo is returning a D that lost 2 of their top 4 including a very significant piece in Brunet... and while they did add Warren that's a wash at best. Victo was pretty bad in the second half last year and was upset in the first round in 5. P-O Roy is probably the best defenseman in this conversation, I'll give you that, but Halifax has absurd depth. And Owen Phillips isn't a 16 year old rookie anymore.
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rookieq
Blue-Chip Prospect
Posts: 301
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Post by rookieq on Sept 1, 2023 9:54:32 GMT -4
I understand you didn't say "this team is bad" but you did agree with that statement. Last year SJ, BB, VD, and Bathurst were bad. There's no way this team, even in it's current state, is going to perform down to those levels this year. They currently have, arguably, the best 6 D-core and starting goalie combo in the league and what could be the best line if they are placed together with Cataford/Dumais/Vidicek. Regarding the quality of 20's being down this year in the league, then that means all things are equal across the league when any team is trying to upgrade your 20 year olds. No disadvantage to any team trying to upgrade as they're all fishing in the same pool this year, so other years aren't relevant. These ridiculous statements need to stop. Halifax does not have the best D plus G. Victoriaville is significantly better and Rouyn might be better. Halifax won't bottom out but if they aren't careful, they might not win the division. I totally agree about our Ds, but I don’t get into this confrontation here, cause I find that I am already negative and I like the balance of our Ds, haha. Having Roy, Warren and Iasenza is already way better than our D squad and there is a rumour that Luneau might join them and go back home. The other strong rumour is Luneau to Drummond. With Lamoureux and Luneau and the rest of their Ds, I don’t see how we can say that our Ds are stacked and the best. Also, I agree that the other teams also do not have access to top 20s as the pool is light this year, but my point was more that our existing 20s combined represent one of the worst group of overager among all contending teams. Anyway, I am sure that we are gonna have a great year, but this is definitely not a powerhouse.
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Post by Jack Bauer on Sept 1, 2023 10:08:30 GMT -4
I understand you didn't say "this team is bad" but you did agree with that statement. Last year SJ, BB, VD, and Bathurst were bad. There's no way this team, even in it's current state, is going to perform down to those levels this year. They currently have, arguably, the best 6 D-core and starting goalie combo in the league and what could be the best line if they are placed together with Cataford/Dumais/Vidicek. Regarding the quality of 20's being down this year in the league, then that means all things are equal across the league when any team is trying to upgrade your 20 year olds. No disadvantage to any team trying to upgrade as they're all fishing in the same pool this year, so other years aren't relevant. These ridiculous statements need to stop. Halifax does not have the best D plus G. Victoriaville is significantly better and Rouyn might be better. Halifax won't bottom out but if they aren't careful, they might not win the division. I think it's more ridiculous to say Victo is significantly better then is it to say Halifax has the best D+G combo.
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Post by Jack Bauer on Sept 1, 2023 10:11:27 GMT -4
These ridiculous statements need to stop. Halifax does not have the best D plus G. Victoriaville is significantly better and Rouyn might be better. Halifax won't bottom out but if they aren't careful, they might not win the division. With all due respect... what are you talking about? To say it's ridiculous that the statement Halifax has "arguably the best defense in the league" is... well in itself pretty ridiculous. Halifax is returning 6 D and a Goalie from a team that made the finals. Victo is returning a D that lost 2 of their top 4 including a very significant piece in Brunet... and while they did add Warren that's a wash at best. Victo was pretty bad in the second half last year and was upset in the first round in 5. P-O Roy is probably the best defenseman in this conversation, I'll give you that, but Halifax has absurd depth. And Owen Phillips isn't a 16 year old rookie anymore. Phillips and MacKinnon should both take big leaps. I think Phillips is actually not getting enough talk in terms of what he can do this upcoming year. He and MacKinnon are going to be a scary duo for the rest of the league over these next 2 seasons.
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Post by Briwhel on Sept 1, 2023 10:13:48 GMT -4
These ridiculous statements need to stop. Halifax does not have the best D plus G. Victoriaville is significantly better and Rouyn might be better. Halifax won't bottom out but if they aren't careful, they might not win the division. With all due respect... what are you talking about? To say it's ridiculous that the statement Halifax has "arguably the best defense in the league" is... well in itself pretty ridiculous. Halifax is returning 6 D and a Goalie from a team that made the finals. Victo is returning a D that lost 2 of their top 4 including a very significant piece in Brunet... and while they did add Warren that's a wash at best. Victo was pretty bad in the second half last year and was upset in the first round in 5. P-O Roy is probably the best defenseman in this conversation, I'll give you that, but Halifax has absurd depth. And Owen Phillips isn't a 16 year old rookie anymore. Halifax lost the guy that was their number 1 D heading into the playoffs and made the finals almost exclusively behind the best FW corps and Rousseau (I consider him the 3rd best returning G but an argument with Darveau could be had for 2). Take away a massive advantage up front and your D will actually have to play D (where Phillips, Schultz and Martin all got exposed vs Quebec). Halifax has openings and could fix their problems, but let's not just pretend that they are already the best team in the league and perfect right now. A top 4 D and 2 top 6 FW and I'd agree, but this is a one-line team with potential on D as opposed to depth. You win with 19s and 20s, but hey let's say that your 17 year-old, 18 who played mostly as a 7th D last year, and 19 who is a bottom pairing D is awesome. Cape Breton has a similar D but no one is proclaiming theirs as the 'best'
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