Blades playoffs

[sbtatter]

I hope your right about him regarding next year. He'll need to be huge for us. This years playoffs will be a test run for him.

A little bit off topic, but Makarov will have to be huge for you next year. The season before the WK's hosted the playoffs, we accumulated 101 points and played at a .701% clip.
Then we added Wiebe, Hamonic and Radaeke, Urbom and Rajala to an already good team, but only improved to 104 points and .722%. And that team only went 2 and 3 at the Mem Cup.
So it looks to me as though your team will need major surgery next season. At least you have a top goalie to build on though.
Not trying to be controversial here, just musing through the next season. And I wish we wouldn't have done our trades this year, rather have waited for next year when there are 2 slots open for the dub in the Mem cup....

[lordstanley]

A little bit off topic, but Makarov will have to be huge for you next year. The season before the WK's hosted the playoffs, we accumulated 101 points and played at a .701% clip.
Then we added Wiebe, Hamonic and Radaeke, Urbom and Rajala to an already good team, but only improved to 104 points and .722%. And that team only went 2 and 3 at the Mem Cup.
So it looks to me as though your team will need major surgery next season. At least you have a top goalie to build on though.
Not trying to be controversial here, just musing through the next season. And I wish we wouldn't have done our trades this year, rather have waited for next year when there are 2 slots open for the dub in the Mem cup....

Yeah 40 wins for us the year before hosting the Memorial Cup isn't to bad considering what we lost from last years team

As for next season we lose 3 players from the roster Burns Trask and Paradis that's it, we get back 11 forwards 7 defense and 3 goalies so the real only help will be up front, if you could add a rattie type a mcneil type a grinder and a fighter you should be good to go easier said than done i know that but that's what it will probably take

[curwie]

A little bit off topic, but Makarov will have to be huge for you next year. The season before the WK's hosted the playoffs, we accumulated 101 points and played at a .701% clip.
Then we added Wiebe, Hamonic and Radaeke, Urbom and Rajala to an already good team, but only improved to 104 points and .722%. And that team only went 2 and 3 at the Mem Cup.
So it looks to me as though your team will need major surgery next season. At least you have a top goalie to build on though.
Not trying to be controversial here, just musing through the next season. And I wish we wouldn't have done our trades this year, rather have waited for next year when there are 2 slots open for the dub in the Mem cup....

I thought we agreed a couple months ago that we were going to ship every pick we have for the foreseeable future to Brandon to whomever you have left over next year? Problem solved!

Out of curiosity, how many 19 year olds did you have on the mem cup team back then?

[wango tango]

what if there is no nhl to start the fall? the league and players would be stupid to risk another lost season, and i don't think they will, but it could be a shortened season.

could it mean some players, who might otherwise play as 19's or 20's in the nhl next season, instead be returned to junior?

i think coaching and management are going to be watching the team very closely during these playoffs. it's going to be a kind of audition to see how they respond in the bigger pressure, and who wants to be a blade.

[sbtatter]

As far as I can remember we brought back 8 forwards and 5 dmen and 1 goalie from the season before the mem cup. Then we added Deserres, hamonic, Wiebe, raedeke, Urbom and Rajala, ferland, walker, and that team was good enough to win the Mem Cup if Windsor hadn't been so stacked ( we did beat both other teams at Men Cup).
To answer Curwie, the players we brought over from the squad in 08/09 to the mem cup team were playing in the following age groups (not including goalies) in the mem cup year
17's Stone
18's Schenn, Glennie, Melnychuk, Ciarelli, Miller
18's Robak, Bestland, Hale, Schneider
20's Fehr, Lewadniuk, calvert.

IMO, at the mem cup it's no point having fighters/tough guys if they can't play a solid game (re, Hale). They may help you through the season, but at the Mem Cup, you have to be able to contribute. Lower level players for us who got shown up were hayes, bestland, miller, hale, schneider.

I think the Blades have a tonne of work to do, many of your current players just aren't good enough, so you need to replace them as well as bring in the stars that you need. Once again, not a jab, just how it looks from the outside. I don't think you had any players make the all star teams or win league awards did you? Guys like Benson need to be traded, or take a 3rd or 4th line role.

[Western Elite]

Saskatoon is pretty much set in goal and on the Blueline.

G- Makarov, Todd, Moodie
D- Siemens, Thrower, Cox, Pufahl, Dietz, Schmidt and Stipancik
F- Nicholls, Stransky, Sutter, Benson, Stovin, Collins, Olsen, McEvoy, Haas, Muller, Zajac

Players on the bubble/Traded:
Benson - Would have to accept a 3rd line checking type roll and chip in his 40-50 pts.
Stovin - Can he step up and be a top 6 forward? If not, he should be used as trade bait.
Collins - To be released to make room for the team to add a high end 20 year old.
McEvoy, Haas and Muller - They will be released and/or dealt for mid round picks.
Schmidt - He will be 19, perhaps could be upgraded for hard hitter.
Stipancik - Injury problems and concussion issues. May be best served playing closer to home.
Todd - Likely to be traded/released.

[curwie]

As far as I can remember we brought back 8 forwards and 5 dmen and 1 goalie from the season before the mem cup. Then we added Deserres, hamonic, Wiebe, raedeke, Urbom and Rajala, ferland, walker, and that team was good enough to win the Mem Cup if Windsor hadn't been so stacked ( we did beat both other teams at Men Cup).
To answer Curwie, the players we brought over from the squad in 08/09 to the mem cup team were playing in the following age groups (not including goalies) in the mem cup year
17's Stone
18's Schenn, Glennie, Melnychuk, Ciarelli, Miller
18's Robak, Bestland, Hale, Schneider
20's Fehr, Lewadniuk, calvert.

IMO, at the mem cup it's no point having fighters/tough guys if they can't play a solid game (re, Hale). They may help you through the season, but at the Mem Cup, you have to be able to contribute. Lower level players for us who got shown up were hayes, bestland, miller, hale, schneider.

I think the Blades have a tonne of work to do, many of your current players just aren't good enough, so you need to replace them as well as bring in the stars that you need. Once again, not a jab, just how it looks from the outside. I don't think you had any players make the all star teams or win league awards did you? Guys like Benson need to be traded, or take a 3rd or 4th line role.

Not counting Patrick Johnson, (the third string goalie), we have 10 roster players that are (93) 18 years old this year. So you can't over look how we go from being a very inexperienced and young team this year to a older team and more experienced core than most teams next year.

I dont disagree with you though, there is some work to do here. I just dont think its as bad as you believe. This years playoffs will be a good indicator of just how much work needs to be done. If certain vets don't step up, give em an apple and a road map and get someone in here that will.

[sbtatter]

Saskatoon is pretty much set in goal and on the Blueline.

G- Makarov, Todd, Moodie
D- Siemens, Thrower, Cox, Pufahl, Dietz, Schmidt and Stipancik
F- Nicholls, Stransky, Sutter, Benson, Stovin, Collins, Olsen, McEvoy, Haas, Muller, Zajac

Players on the bubble/Traded:
Benson - Would have to accept a 3rd line checking type roll and chip in his 40-50 pts.
Stovin - Can he step up and be a top 6 forward? If not, he should be used as trade bait.
Collins - To be released to make room for the team to add a high end 20 year old.
McEvoy, Haas and Muller - They will be released and/or dealt for mid round picks.
Schmidt - He will be 19, perhaps could be upgraded for hard hitter.
Stipancik - Injury problems and concussion issues. May be best served playing closer to home.
Todd - Likely to be traded/released.

All due respect, that defence is no where good enough. Need a serious upgrade by the likes of Ryan Murray, Ryan Pulock type (a la Hamonic)

[curwie]

Saskatoon is pretty much set in goal and on the Blueline.

G- Makarov, Todd, Moodie
D- Siemens, Thrower, Cox, Pufahl, Dietz, Schmidt and Stipancik
F- Nicholls, Stransky, Sutter, Benson, Stovin, Collins, Olsen, McEvoy, Haas, Muller, Zajac

Players on the bubble/Traded:
Benson - Would have to accept a 3rd line checking type roll and chip in his 40-50 pts.
Stovin - Can he step up and be a top 6 forward? If not, he should be used as trade bait.
Collins - To be released to make room for the team to add a high end 20 year old.
McEvoy, Haas and Muller - They will be released and/or dealt for mid round picks.
Schmidt - He will be 19, perhaps could be upgraded for hard hitter.
Stipancik - Injury problems and concussion issues. May be best served playing closer to home.
Todd - Likely to be traded/released.

Of your list, a player I disagree with you on is Stovin, he's gonna be real good.

Mixed feelings on dealing Benson, and Mcevoy. However you do what you got to do when hosting the big dance I guess. If the return is good, it really becomes a no brainer,

[curwie]

All due respect, that defence is no where good enough. Need a serious upgrade by the likes of Ryan Murray, Ryan Pulock type (a la Hamonic)

Been thinking of Ryan Pulock all year. Lets make the deal tonight and tell Kelly and Lorne in the morning.