Next year

[Chief Jeff]

First off just want to say congrats to the Chiefs...Way to go out on your shields despite all the adversity this year. Ok now to next year. Obviously Bowman, Tik and Roman won't be back. That leaves Bartman, Letts, Donaghy and Possibly Spurgeon back as potential OA's. Spurgeon is the whole key here...With him back the Chiefs should be the favorite in what looks like a weak US division next year. With all the offense leaving I don't think you keep Donaghy or Letts as neither is a top 6 forward. Bartman's return may depend on Spurgeon...If Spurgeon goes pro Bartman will most likely be back. Either way I think Bartman plays somewhere next year. I'm thinking the Chiefs will be looking for at least one top six OA forward. Youngsters on defense include 2 that the Chiefs need to play or trade in Leedahl (91) and Oslanski(92) along with Mort (93) Forwards include Betz, Bardaro, and maybe the Chiefs two top pick last year in Holmberg and Brassart, both of whom had good numbers and deep playoff runs. Reid looks good as the Number one goaltender with CHase Martin as the possible back up.

Still loads of talent on this team for next year. With a few forwards upping their offense (Kuhn and Gal), a few rookie surprises, a good trade or two and a good Euro possibly replacing Roman and this team could be very good.

[LifelongChiefsFan]

I do think the Chiefs will trade for a forward either during the offseason or early on next season. Probably not a big scorer maybe a 20-25 goal type of guy. I agree that the US division will be pretty weak next season, however I'd still have to call the Americans the favorites as of right now, even if Spurgeon comes back. They lose a lot of scoring (again) but they have some young scorers on that team that impressed me this year. They'll only get better next season. There are questions about how well their goaltending will hold up, but I think Owsley and Martyniuk will be fine, though I do think Reid will be the best goalie in the division next season. It's too bad we'll probably only see him as the starter for one year though. I think Everett is going to surprise people next year, they have loads of young talent and unfortunately, I still think Portland is going to occupy the cellar.

The defense will still be a strong point for this team next year, and Cowen's knee injury may just land him another season in Spokane. With so many forwards gone there will be lots of opening for the young guys to step in. Hopefully we'll see more scoring next season, not only from the rookies, but the sophomores too. I think a lot of us counted on the younger guys to find the back of the net this season more than they did. It's going to be a fun season to watch though. There won't be any expectations of a title or a title to defend, so it will be interesting to see how the team plays with very little pressure on them. I'm looking forward to it!

[Pete76]

You both think Roman will be gone next year ... I guess it makes sence, if he does not sign ne might as well go home and play pro there and make some money

[HomerSimpson]

I could picture Donaghy being a third overager, but you would need a couple of quality guys in front of him. He has a little bit of Blackwater in him - throws the fists and can add depth scoring. I wouldn't bring back Letts as an OA...not unless he were the last one in the world.

If we get Spurgeon back, that would definitely be a huge boost. With the hopes of Cowen returning, our defense should be good enough. They provide us with one of the top pairs in the league, and with Reddington, Ulmer, Kichton and Baldwin, we wouldn't really need to bring back Bartman IMO. Mort should be able to step in as well.

I think we have at least 1 spot that needs filled as far as the OA's are concerned, if not 2. It will be interesting to see how Speltz uses them, I'm not sure what the situation for next year looks like around the league.

We will get back the Koper/Johnson/Wahl trio...whether or not they play on the same line. The entire "top line" should be gone; Calla, Bowman, Roman; and we might keep Donaghy. After that, Miller/Kuhn/Gal should make either a good second line or an excellent third line. Then, it's down to Conrad, Cratsenberg, Bardaro, Betz, Holmberg, Brassart and the rest. I worry about Betz at this point; but Bardaro, Holmberg and Brassart seem to be good enough that they might be able to play a top 9 role next year. Conrad and Cratsenberg provide strong forechecking and 2-way play.

I think our goaltending will be fine, and our defense should be okay if we get either Spurgeon, Cowen, or at best both of them back. Our forwards are a bit of a concern, but if we can add a solid 20 year old, we should be able to keep pace no problem.

Should be fun, nevertheless.
See ya'll at camp!

[LifelongChiefsFan]

You both think Roman will be gone next year ... I guess it makes sence, if he does not sign ne might as well go home and play pro there and make some money

I don't see any way Roman is back next year. He'll be in the AHL or overseas as you stated. Teams rarely carry 20 year old euros.

As for Letts, I agree that I wouldn't bring him back either. He played his role well (especially during the 08 playoffs) but it's not too difficult to find players that can duplicate his role. When it comes to 20 year old forwards, I would want them to have more of a scoring prowess than Letts possesses. This is all jmo of course. I won't complain at all if he is brought back next year as an OA. At this point though it's a crapshoot as to which 20 year olds will be back, so I really don't think there's a point in trying to figure out who would fit in with this team right now.

At this point, Betz is going to have to earn a spot on the team imo. He played poorly for the Chiefs and from what I heard, didn't do much better after being sent down. If he's not interested in playing hard, maybe it's time to send him packing? We'll see what kind of effort he brings to camp next year.

[Chief Jeff]

I agree with you on Betz althought I do think he was injured in spring of 08 and never really got up to speed. I still like either Holmberg or Brassart (or both) making the team. Both were big scorers on elite midget teams this last year. Letts is a BIG stretch to keep as an OA...You would have to have loads of scorers to justify it and the Chiefs just won't next year.