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Post by hockeyfanatic on Oct 27, 2024 19:45:05 GMT -4
Great road trip, looking the the team is starting to come together nicely ! 3 wins in a row on the road is a big deal especially the first game against Drummondville ( # 1 team in the Qmjhl).
Lots of different players contributing , and the latest D parings seem to be working well. Mullen is looking pretty good in his rookie year .
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twfc
Draft Pick
Posts: 5
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Post by twfc on Oct 27, 2024 20:43:52 GMT -4
Long time viewer here, giving my two cents..
Now that we’re a dozen or so games in, I think we’re really starting to see chemistry forming on all four lines. The second line of Vidicek, Mercier and Pekarcik is starting to click.
Mercier is becoming a quiet force. His skating and quick snap shot are going to become a problem for other teams as the cats continue to gel.
We’re starting to see Pekarcik adjust and produce.
Vidicek covers all zones extremely nicely.
Morin seems to have tightened up defensively and his stats are showing for it as of late.
There’s still some defensive woes happening but it seems to be less as time goes on. Mullen’s positioning seems to always be on par, but does get beat by a speedy winger.
McKinnon, this is probably the second time I’ve noticed a bad defensive pinch/out of position and gets walked around. I’m sure that can be worked on.
For 3 games in 3 days, the biggest impression was against Drummondville. Great to see the team respond in a big way after the loss to Cape Breton.
Steinman has been a brick wall and I think defensive structure infront of him has helped his game a ton.
We’re still seeing quite a few 30+ shot games against us, although improving.
Looking forward to seeing how everyone progresses.
Where do you all see improvements being made at the December trade period?
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Post by riverviewroyal on Oct 28, 2024 6:57:51 GMT -4
Long time viewer here, giving my two cents.. Now that we’re a dozen or so games in, I think we’re really starting to see chemistry forming on all four lines. The second line of Vidicek, Mercier and Pekarcik is starting to click. Mercier is becoming a quiet force. His skating and quick snap shot are going to become a problem for other teams as the cats continue to gel. We’re starting to see Pekarcik adjust and produce. Vidicek covers all zones extremely nicely. Morin seems to have tightened up defensively and his stats are showing for it as of late. There’s still some defensive woes happening but it seems to be less as time goes on. Mullen’s positioning seems to always be on par, but does get beat by a speedy winger. McKinnon, this is probably the second time I’ve noticed a bad defensive pinch/out of position and gets walked around. I’m sure that can be worked on. For 3 games in 3 days, the biggest impression was against Drummondville. Great to see the team respond in a big way after the loss to Cape Breton. Steinman has been a brick wall and I think defensive structure infront of him has helped his game a ton. We’re still seeing quite a few 30+ shot games against us, although improving. Looking forward to seeing how everyone progresses. Where do you all see improvements being made at the December trade period? The only place I can really see an upgrade is on D. To me I would probably get another puck-mover who is strongest in his own zone and against the rush and can move the puck in transition (Seems to be where we've had most of our goals against is on the rush). But who would we move out/bump? Grenier hasn't been having as good of a year as we probably all thought and has been playing limited minutes, but he would be the guy I would see to step in and take some PP/O-zone time should Morin go down with an injury. If they can find an upgrade on Grenier I would go for it I feel like we can't go wrong with our Forward group right now, I don't see any holes. I think Sampson and Cormier work very well on the 4th line but I feel Shantz looks a little lost sometimes (The effort is definitely there though), perhaps a small depth upgrade is in order for our 4th line and give Shantz the time to rotate in every once in a while? |
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Post by WhiteTyAffair on Oct 28, 2024 7:29:35 GMT -4
Long time viewer here, giving my two cents.. Now that we’re a dozen or so games in, I think we’re really starting to see chemistry forming on all four lines. The second line of Vidicek, Mercier and Pekarcik is starting to click. Mercier is becoming a quiet force. His skating and quick snap shot are going to become a problem for other teams as the cats continue to gel. We’re starting to see Pekarcik adjust and produce. Vidicek covers all zones extremely nicely. Morin seems to have tightened up defensively and his stats are showing for it as of late. There’s still some defensive woes happening but it seems to be less as time goes on. Mullen’s positioning seems to always be on par, but does get beat by a speedy winger. McKinnon, this is probably the second time I’ve noticed a bad defensive pinch/out of position and gets walked around. I’m sure that can be worked on. For 3 games in 3 days, the biggest impression was against Drummondville. Great to see the team respond in a big way after the loss to Cape Breton. Steinman has been a brick wall and I think defensive structure infront of him has helped his game a ton. We’re still seeing quite a few 30+ shot games against us, although improving. Looking forward to seeing how everyone progresses. Where do you all see improvements being made at the December trade period?Definitely need to add some depth up front. With Cloutier no longer around, playing with 12 forwards is a dangerous game. One or two need to be added via free agency or trade. That should be the #1 priority right now. |
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Post by lirette on Oct 28, 2024 8:37:43 GMT -4
I'd be taking a look at Mael Lavigne if they want to replace the size lost with Cloutier gone. He's 19 and putting up big numbers in Victo and plays physical. His price will be much higher than Cloutier obviously. Looking at the top scorers in the league so far many of them are either 20 year olds or already on contenders, or 18 year olds who are unlikely to be moved. Hard to imagine Rimouski doesn't make a move on Lavigne as well.
You need to plan for injuries in a season as big as this one so i'd hope they add at least 1 guy who could play a top 6 role in case there's a major injury.
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Post by fanofthegame on Oct 28, 2024 8:44:22 GMT -4
I'd be taking a look at Mael Lavigne if they want to replace the size lost with Cloutier gone. He's 19 and putting up big numbers in Victo and plays physical. His price will be much higher than Cloutier obviously. Looking at the top scorers in the league so far many of them are either 20 year olds or already on contenders, or 18 year olds who are unlikely to be moved. Hard to imagine Rimouski doesn't make a move on Lavigne as well. You need to plan for injuries in a season as big as this one so i'd hope they add at least 1 guy who could play a top 6 role in case there's a major injury. Lavigne would be a fantastic add, but he is not coming to play 4th line. Who does he replace? Is there someone you could move out? I see RIM or Cape both going after a guy like Lavigne, with both teams needing more help in their top 9. |
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Post by lirette on Oct 28, 2024 9:17:14 GMT -4
I'd be taking a look at Mael Lavigne if they want to replace the size lost with Cloutier gone. He's 19 and putting up big numbers in Victo and plays physical. His price will be much higher than Cloutier obviously. Looking at the top scorers in the league so far many of them are either 20 year olds or already on contenders, or 18 year olds who are unlikely to be moved. Hard to imagine Rimouski doesn't make a move on Lavigne as well. You need to plan for injuries in a season as big as this one so i'd hope they add at least 1 guy who could play a top 6 role in case there's a major injury. Lavigne would be a fantastic add, but he is not coming to play 4th line. Who does he replace? Is there someone you could move out? I see RIM or Cape both going after a guy like Lavigne, with both teams needing more help in their top 9. You can apply the same logic to acquiring any quality forward really. I agree with you that the current depth on this team looks strong, adding anyone to even the top 9 means one of Lounsbury/Smith/Collard are playing 4th line, or whoever you are acquiring is playing 4th line, which is wild. I just find it hard to imagine in a year this big with the assets they have that they wont add one more forward even if its over the top, especially since they don't need to spend any assets on a goalie or top 2 D. If you add a forward who can play top 6, Gardiner can roll 4 lines confidently in any game, and if any major injury happens you just move everyone up a slot. My assessment is more about what I think they will do vs what they need to do. If you look at their depth you could upgrade Shantz and maybe a bottom pair defenseman and keep your 2026 and 2027 1sts and call it a day. Its just hard for me to imagine thats all they will do. If they are going to add a forward I'd expect its a guy who can play top 6 and Lavigne is a good fit because he'd fit well in a checking role but can play PP2 as well. If his price gets too high then there is other options. |
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Post by jimmy on Oct 28, 2024 13:12:03 GMT -4
Lavigne would be a fantastic add, but he is not coming to play 4th line. Who does he replace? Is there someone you could move out? I see RIM or Cape both going after a guy like Lavigne, with both teams needing more help in their top 9. You can apply the same logic to acquiring any quality forward really. I agree with you that the current depth on this team looks strong, adding anyone to even the top 9 means one of Lounsbury/Smith/Collard are playing 4th line, or whoever you are acquiring is playing 4th line, which is wild. I just find it hard to imagine in a year this big with the assets they have that they wont add one more forward even if its over the top, especially since they don't need to spend any assets on a goalie or top 2 D. If you add a forward who can play top 6, Gardiner can roll 4 lines confidently in any game, and if any major injury happens you just move everyone up a slot. My assessment is more about what I think they will do vs what they need to do. If you look at their depth you could upgrade Shantz and maybe a bottom pair defenseman and keep your 2026 and 2027 1sts and call it a day. Its just hard for me to imagine thats all they will do. If they are going to add a forward I'd expect its a guy who can play top 6 and Lavigne is a good fit because he'd fit well in a checking role but can play PP2 as well. If his price gets too high then there is other options. If you come at it from the traditional buyer/seller angle, you can certainly come to the conclusion that the Cats need nothing more than a few spare parts. But I wonder if we won't see something more bold ... maybe a series of trades that sees us move one or more key players off the current roster in order to turn around and acquire others that fit needs better ... remember the year Ted Nolan was here and we moved our leading scorer mid-season? Something along those lines ... cost us Girard and other assets, but ended up adding a Team Canada d-man (Bourdon) and the best OA goalie in the league (Tordjman) if I recall correctly. |
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Post by jordo999 on Oct 28, 2024 14:12:59 GMT -4
I'd be taking a look at Mael Lavigne if they want to replace the size lost with Cloutier gone. He's 19 and putting up big numbers in Victo and plays physical. His price will be much higher than Cloutier obviously. Looking at the top scorers in the league so far many of them are either 20 year olds or already on contenders, or 18 year olds who are unlikely to be moved. Hard to imagine Rimouski doesn't make a move on Lavigne as well. You need to plan for injuries in a season as big as this one so i'd hope they add at least 1 guy who could play a top 6 role in case there's a major injury. was going to make a post about some good trade bait players that could be available come Christmas, Lavigne should be on every contenders radar. He's big and can score, would be the perfect add tbh. |
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Post by jordo999 on Oct 28, 2024 14:14:54 GMT -4
You can apply the same logic to acquiring any quality forward really. I agree with you that the current depth on this team looks strong, adding anyone to even the top 9 means one of Lounsbury/Smith/Collard are playing 4th line, or whoever you are acquiring is playing 4th line, which is wild. I just find it hard to imagine in a year this big with the assets they have that they wont add one more forward even if its over the top, especially since they don't need to spend any assets on a goalie or top 2 D. If you add a forward who can play top 6, Gardiner can roll 4 lines confidently in any game, and if any major injury happens you just move everyone up a slot. My assessment is more about what I think they will do vs what they need to do. If you look at their depth you could upgrade Shantz and maybe a bottom pair defenseman and keep your 2026 and 2027 1sts and call it a day. Its just hard for me to imagine thats all they will do. If they are going to add a forward I'd expect its a guy who can play top 6 and Lavigne is a good fit because he'd fit well in a checking role but can play PP2 as well. If his price gets too high then there is other options. If you come at it from the traditional buyer/seller angle, you can certainly come to the conclusion that the Cats need nothing more than a few spare parts. But I wonder if we won't see something more bold ... maybe a series of trades that sees us move one or more key players off the current roster in order to turn around and acquire others that fit needs better ... remember the year Ted Nolan was here and we moved our leading scorer mid-season? Something along those lines ... cost us Girard and other assets, but ended up adding a Team Canada d-man (Bourdon) and the best OA goalie in the league (Tordjman) if I recall correctly. I can see something like that happening too depending on who they'd be after. Titan did similar in their 2018 championship year they moved Theede out who was a great top 6 forward in order to add Galipeau who was the best D-man available. Then they went out and replaced Theede with Asselin. |
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Post by Penguins23® on Oct 28, 2024 14:33:14 GMT -4
If you come at it from the traditional buyer/seller angle, you can certainly come to the conclusion that the Cats need nothing more than a few spare parts. But I wonder if we won't see something more bold ... maybe a series of trades that sees us move one or more key players off the current roster in order to turn around and acquire others that fit needs better ... remember the year Ted Nolan was here and we moved our leading scorer mid-season? Something along those lines ... cost us Girard and other assets, but ended up adding a Team Canada d-man (Bourdon) and the best OA goalie in the league (Tordjman) if I recall correctly. I can see something like that happening too depending on who they'd be after. Titan did similar in their 2018 championship year they moved Theede out who was a great top 6 forward in order to add Galipeau who was the best D-man available. Then they went out and replaced Theede with Asselin. This example along with the 2006 Wildcats one both involve shipping out a 20 year old to use that spot on someone else. The Cats are not going to trade Vidicek, Loshing or Steinman to upgrade another position in the lineup. All 3 are important pieces. |
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Post by jordo999 on Oct 28, 2024 15:06:13 GMT -4
I can see something like that happening too depending on who they'd be after. Titan did similar in their 2018 championship year they moved Theede out who was a great top 6 forward in order to add Galipeau who was the best D-man available. Then they went out and replaced Theede with Asselin. This example along with the 2006 Wildcats one both involve shipping out a 20 year old to use that spot on someone else. The Cats are not going to trade Vidicek, Loshing or Steinman to upgrade another position in the lineup. All 3 are important pieces. That's fair, honestly looking at Moncton's lineup, there's not really anyone who needs this type of replacing, especially with how well the team is clicking. I think if they add a strong D-man that can play as #6 that can move up the lineup over Mullen (keep as #7) or Diamond than that's probably the first target. In nets the team is also solid with both goalies. adding a guy like Lavigne in Victoriaville, or Dorion in Quebec to the 4th line to replace Shantz or Cloutier and be able to roll 4 lines consistently or in case of injury is also probably ideal. other than that I don't think this team really needs any more adjustments. Then on paper you likely have one of the scariest teams with those adds. |
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Post by lirette on Oct 28, 2024 15:07:27 GMT -4
If you come at it from the traditional buyer/seller angle, you can certainly come to the conclusion that the Cats need nothing more than a few spare parts. But I wonder if we won't see something more bold ... maybe a series of trades that sees us move one or more key players off the current roster in order to turn around and acquire others that fit needs better ... remember the year Ted Nolan was here and we moved our leading scorer mid-season? Something along those lines ... cost us Girard and other assets, but ended up adding a Team Canada d-man (Bourdon) and the best OA goalie in the league (Tordjman) if I recall correctly. I can see something like that happening too depending on who they'd be after. Titan did similar in their 2018 championship year they moved Theede out who was a great top 6 forward in order to add Galipeau who was the best D-man available. Then they went out and replaced Theede with Asselin. I just don't see the player on the market where that's happening. The Wildcats don't have glaring holes in the lineup right now where they need some out of the box thinking. This is a good problem to have, it means you can pay a premium on essentially what would be overkill (Lavigne) and still have solid cupboards for the rebuild. Instead of going out upgrading on Shantz or Cormier by spending a 4th or 5th you can spend a few premium assets and get a higher quality forward and dman who can step up in case of injuries. Lavigne may be overkill on the 4th line but he also gets to play for a championship and potentially a memorial cup. If you get priced out of Lavigne then so be it, go after Justin Gendron or many of the other mid tier 2005's instead. There isn't really some stud 18 or 19 year old defenseman out there that's the top prize of the deadline that I can see. There's some solid D that can play a 3/4 on a contender but there's no issue with assets to aquire someone like that where you need to get creative. We are also in a year where teams like BC, DRU, CHI, ROU, BBA may all decide to stand pat, or even be light buyers given the makeup of the league. The trade deadline will be determined by what that other conference and teams like BC decides to do. |
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Post by jordo999 on Oct 28, 2024 15:17:08 GMT -4
I can see something like that happening too depending on who they'd be after. Titan did similar in their 2018 championship year they moved Theede out who was a great top 6 forward in order to add Galipeau who was the best D-man available. Then they went out and replaced Theede with Asselin. I just don't see the player on the market where that's happening. The Wildcats don't have glaring holes in the lineup right now where they need some out of the box thinking. This is a good problem to have, it means you can pay a premium on essentially what would be overkill (Lavigne) and still have solid cupboards for the rebuild. Instead of going out upgrading on Shantz or Cormier by spending a 4th or 5th you can spend a few premium assets and get a higher quality forward and dman who can step up in case of injuries. Lavigne may be overkill on the 4th line but he also gets to play for a championship and potentially a memorial cup. If you get priced out of Lavigne then so be it, go after Justin Gendron or many of the other mid tier 2005's instead. There isn't really some stud 18 or 19 year old defenseman out there that's the top prize of the deadline that I can see. There's some solid D that can play a 3/4 on a contender but there's no issue with assets to aquire someone like that where you need to get creative. We are also in a year where teams like BC, DRU, CHI, ROU, BBA may all decide to stand pat, or even be light buyers given the makeup of the league. The trade deadline will be determined by what that other conference and teams like BC decides to do. yup fair points, I think in the end that's what happens barring anything drastic like a major injury. Loshing - Vidicek - Mercier Pekarcik - Sumpf - Collard Lounsbury - Desnoyers - Lavigne (VIC) Cormier - Smith - Sampson (or add a Gendron(VIC) or Dorion(QUE) for the 4th line) that forward group is terrifying. Morin - MacKinnon Johansson - Fortier-Gendron Martin (HAL)- Grenier Mullen or if they become available could target Perron or Clements in Bathurst, or Brunet or Beaudry in Drummondville. prepping for injuries is the thing that makes the most sense though. Can go overkill without breaking the bank too much + being able to offer futures and potentially Desnoyers next year means this team can kinda go for what they want/need with little downside. |
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twfc
Draft Pick
Posts: 5
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Post by twfc on Oct 28, 2024 15:47:59 GMT -4
I just don't see the player on the market where that's happening. The Wildcats don't have glaring holes in the lineup right now where they need some out of the box thinking. This is a good problem to have, it means you can pay a premium on essentially what would be overkill (Lavigne) and still have solid cupboards for the rebuild. Instead of going out upgrading on Shantz or Cormier by spending a 4th or 5th you can spend a few premium assets and get a higher quality forward and dman who can step up in case of injuries. Lavigne may be overkill on the 4th line but he also gets to play for a championship and potentially a memorial cup. If you get priced out of Lavigne then so be it, go after Justin Gendron or many of the other mid tier 2005's instead. There isn't really some stud 18 or 19 year old defenseman out there that's the top prize of the deadline that I can see. There's some solid D that can play a 3/4 on a contender but there's no issue with assets to aquire someone like that where you need to get creative. We are also in a year where teams like BC, DRU, CHI, ROU, BBA may all decide to stand pat, or even be light buyers given the makeup of the league. The trade deadline will be determined by what that other conference and teams like BC decides to do. yup fair points, I think in the end that's what happens barring anything drastic like a major injury. Loshing - Vidicek - Mercier Pekarcik - Sumpf - Collard Lounsbury - Desnoyers - Lavigne (VIC) Cormier - Smith - Sampson (or add a Gendron(VIC) or Dorion(QUE) for the 4th line) that forward group is terrifying. Morin - MacKinnon Johansson - Fortier-Gendron Martin (HAL)- Grenier Mullen or if they become available could target Perron or Clements in Bathurst, or Brunet or Beaudry in Drummondville. prepping for injuries is the thing that makes the most sense though. Can go overkill without breaking the bank too much + being able to offer futures and potentially Desnoyers next year means this team can kinda go for what they want/need with little downside. I could also see Smith anchoring the 4th line. This could potentially be a gritty line that gets under other teams’ skin while putting up a few goals during the season. |
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