Sutter and Cyr let go

[west coast]

interesting news from the Pats today ,Sutter and Cyr,s contracts will not be renewed when their contracts are up in June.Best of luck in the future to these fine young men.

[dsquared]

It seems to me that management was looking for scapegoats - Vanstone makes an interesting point about Hunt and Ripplinger in today's LP - My guess nothing will happen until after the Bantam Draft on those 2.

I have not been a fan of Ripplinger -(I know some people - Rod Pedersen in particular think he has done a fine job). Sure he has found a lot of gems over the years but it is his inconsistency that concerns me - Why do teams like Brandon, Vancouver, Red Deer, Medicine Hat and Spokane with picks that usually come after the Pats seem to out draft the Pats, especially in the later rounds?

Also the Pats seem to have a bigger problem getting their draft picks to sign with the Pats - opting for Junior A and NCAA. I am sure that a little conversation with the prospects and their parents and a few playoff runs would help fix that.

Next to teaching (I am not a teacher) I think that a bantam hockey scout has to be one of the toughest jobs in the country.
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18HotG4ASS

[patsdude114]

I personally think Hunt will stick around, Lang & the Pats brass all know the Pats are going to suck yet again. Its a gutless move but why not just let Hunt finish out his contract next season, & then start fresh the following year when u get assets for Weal that can help build ur franchise up again.

No way in hell the Pats hold onto Weal after the trade deadline, only way Weal doesnt get traded is if somehow someway the Pats are in 1 of the top 4 seeds in the East (& the chances of that happening are slim to none) were going to be even younger this coming year then we were this past season.

If Mitchell doesnt come back to the WHL it sure doesnt leave Weal much at all to work with besides Schiedl. Reider is never going to be a 1st line player type, altho he will take on a bigger role on the 2nd line & hopefully has some success.

Unless the Pats strike gold at the euro draft its going to be another long season in Patville. For this exact reason why pay 2 head coaches next season for a season that is going to be a losing season. Pay 1 head coach & if he by some chance gets them into the playoffs then u can consider renewing his contract since he did overacheive then.

[west coast]

hopefully the coach has a say on who his assistant coaches will be.The Pats look like they are only a couple of players away from being a strong team in the East.Goaltending looks solid as Hewitt gained alot of confidence this year and will be determined to be the outright number one goalie.Bell will anchor a solid defence.It will be exciting to see Bell take it to a new level next year , he will get some solid guidance from the NHL team that drafts him, and will be one of more dominating offensive defenceman in the WHL next year.It would be nice to see the Pats land some American talent, and are due to get a gem forward from the crapshoot Eurodraft.Weal will also be more hungry if that is possible as the hardest working player in the league will be even more hell bent to make his fellow forwards a more talented creative bunch.

[patsdude114]

Goaltending looks solid as Hewitt gained alot of confidence this year and will be determined to be the outright number one goalie.

I agree Hewitt should be a treat to watch all season long, no way Ketlo is even given consideration for the #1 job, therefore he has no place on this team.

Bell will anchor a solid defence.It will be exciting to see Bell take it to a new level next year , he will get some solid guidance from the NHL team that drafts him, and will be one of more dominating offensive defenceman in the WHL next year.

I dont think our D will be solid by any means. Our D is going to be younger then it was this past season. Our D is going to determine alot on if Davidson comes back or not. I dont think he has been signed by the Oilers yet & they dont have to sign him until before 2012 draft, so he could be back in the WHL just cuz of that situation. If Davidson does come back along with Bidlevskii as a overager our D wont look too bad at all then with Bell & Blidstrand (also Blidstrand raises an interesting situation as well since he was drafted our of europe by PHI he is able to go play in the AHL as a 19yr old & the eFlyers are very happy with how he progressed this past season in junior) our 5th 6th & 7th Dmen are all up for grabs no 1 really has a inside track on either spot, Bortsmayer could very well be bumped back into the SJHL by the young Dmen that are on the rise for this coming season.

It would be nice to see the Pats land some American talent, and are due to get a gem forward from the crapshoot Eurodraft.

I agree would be nice to get some american talent on our team, we have yet to really have much of an impact american born player on our team. Im not saying a top end guy like Etem just someone who can play 2nd line minutes with more offensive upside then Reddin. A nice euro forward would help alot too, a winger to play with Weal.

Weal will also be more hungry if that is possible as the hardest working player in the league will be even more hell bent to make his fellow forwards a more talented creative bunch.

Weal will be dealt at this years trade deadline as he will be he big fish to grab. The only way the Pats wont trade him is if they are in a race for a top 4 spot in the conference (which i highly doubt will happen) Weal is the key to the Pats rebuild, with & without him. He is a hard worker, high scoring centerman who has alot to teach the young guys, but will ultimately get caught up in another poor year by the Pats & will be dealt to help restock this franchise.

If Parker had been a smart GM (funny) & dealt Eberle & Tuebert this would of been the season where the Pats could of been a contender & Weal would of been the center piece of the whole team on how far the team would go.