The Rebuild Begins...

[EastDivFan]

Guys.... Would you rather have a coach quite on his team half way through the season, or would you rather have a coach lead his team until they are mathematically eliminated? Its not different than any other coach. Woods knows their in a rebuild. Heck he's even mentioned it in interviews serveral times. He's still gotta lead the team.

I don't think dressing rosters with a view to making yourself better a month or a year down the road rather than hoping to win on a given night is quitting, especially considering where the short-term approach has gotten the Blades so far. I think the Blades have been doing the fans and the organization a disservice rolling players who 1) won't be here next year; 2) oftentimes don't show up to play; 3) consistently take stupid penalties and then go out for the ensuing faceoff after we get scored on; etc. Rolling the same ineffective players game in and game out with the same losing result would be my definition of mailing it in as a coach...but that's just me. Let's not get ahead of ourselves after two convincing wins against an apathetic Raiders squad. Remember the eleven games before those...

Having said that, a little action at the trade deadline is just what we need. I worry that a few of the players who had strong games against PA will revert back to their old selves once the trade deadline passes.

[curwie]

I don't think dressing rosters with a view to making yourself better a month or a year down the road rather than hoping to win on a given night is quitting, especially considering where the short-term approach has gotten the Blades so far. I think the Blades have been doing the fans and the organization a disservice rolling players who 1) won't be here next year; 2) oftentimes don't show up to play; 3) consistently take stupid penalties and then go out for the ensuing faceoff after we get scored on; etc. Rolling the same ineffective players game in and game out with the same losing result would be my definition of mailing it in as a coach...but that's just me. Let's not get ahead of ourselves after two convincing wins against an apathetic Raiders squad. Remember the eleven games before those...

Having said that, a little action at the trade deadline is just what we need. I worry that a few of the players who had strong games against PA will revert back to their old selves once the trade deadline passes.

Imo they are show casing those with potential trade value.

[Uknownothing]

Guys.... Would you rather have a coach quite on his team half way through the season, or would you rather have a coach lead his team until they are mathematically eliminated? Its not different than any other coach. Woods knows their in a rebuild. Heck he's even mentioned it in interviews serveral times. He's still gotta lead the team.

The team is playing with confidence right now and hopefully they can win a little more than they lose the second half of the season and go into next year ready to compete for a playoff position. They won't make the playoffs this year even if they over achieve. With 35 games remaining they would have to go approx. 25-10 in the second half of the season. Lol

Agreed on Soshnin. He's been awesome.

Getting Amundrud in the Scherbak deal is gonna be huge down the road. The kid has it.

Even if Everett and Kootney do well, those first round picks in our pocket are huge. Who knows, We may end up dealing them for some quality 16 year olds and 17 year olds. I expect Kootney to have a great second half of the season and climb quite a bit in the standings.

Curious to see who Brandon's trading partner is at the deadline. They have a few kids that teams want to get their hands on.

Connor Hobbs seems like he would be a good fit in stoon. Wonder what Medicine Hat is asking for him?

Brandon fans are hearing Brent Stovins name mentioned in trade rumors. Maybe he gets dealt?

Nice to get a couple wins!

If Brandon fans hear talk of Stovins name then its just talk.Brandon already has three high end 20yr olds.Im all for Connor Hobbs lets get this deal done .

[EastDivFan]

If Brandon fans hear talk of Stovins name then its just talk.Brandon already has three high end 20yr olds.

Quenneville, Roy, and ???

[Uknownothing]

Sorry I forgot they traded nejezchleb

[curwie]

Sorry I forgot they traded nejezchleb

That's okay. Your sporting the pacman avatar so we'll cut you a break!

[wango tango]

if the blades are going to be sellers, and they should be, this is the year to do it! there are few sellers and a lot of teams still in the hunt for a playoff spot. the blades don't have a lot left to sell, what they do have may get a bit higher price than it normally would.

who's left to trade?

i'd think about any of forsberg, stovin, henry, graham, and zajac for the right price. a deal with any of these guys may need to be paired up with a pick to get the player the blades want.

who are they looking to get?

according to woods they're looking for an 97 born defenceman and a 98 born forward. probably hobbs as the 97 born defenceman. the 98 born forward, any ideas anybody?

[EastDivFan]

i'd think about any of forsberg, stovin, henry, graham, and zajac for the right price. a deal with any of these guys may need to be paired up with a pick to get the player the blades want.

The only name I'm not sure about there is Graham, and only because he's a '96, plays physical (which the team will need from someone if they start going young), and brings some cachet having been to pro camp. On the flip side, he's *horribly* inconsistent and has be all but invisible the past number of games. If they base it purely on performance, he should be on the block for sure. Heck, they all should be. The guys you listed are the ones most likely to get some sort of return, albeit limited.

according to woods they're looking for an 97 born defenceman and a 98 born forward. probably hobbs as the 97 born defenceman. the 98 born forward, any ideas anybody?

I'm sure they're working hard to get Hobbs. Unfortunately we apparently don't have anything to offer MH other than draft picks. Good on MH for letting Hobbs stew at home after walking out on the Tigers. The last thing the Blades need is some kid's agent dictating how things get done within the organization. I heard Hobbs really was at the bottom of the depth chart in MH. Doesn't mean he wouldn't be first line with the Blades though.

Regarding the '98s, that could be a tough task. Most of them playing in the league are very highly regarded by their organizations and won't be let go easily, especially if they are showing any early promise. There may be better deals to be found on other team's PPLs rather than on their current rosters. Unfortunately, as a team whose only '98 to make the team out of camp was a listed player (Higson), I don't know if the organization knows this age group too well.

[curwie]

if the blades are going to be sellers, and they should be, this is the year to do it! there are few sellers and a lot of teams still in the hunt for a playoff spot. the blades don't have a lot left to sell, what they do have may get a bit higher price than it normally would.

who's left to trade?

i'd think about any of forsberg, stovin, henry, graham, and zajac for the right price. a deal with any of these guys may need to be paired up with a pick to get the player the blades want.

who are they looking to get?

according to woods they're looking for an 97 born defenceman and a 98 born forward. probably hobbs as the 97 born defenceman. the 98 born forward, any ideas anybody?

I'm guessing Sam Mckechnie will be offered. He's played fairly well but if you can get a decent return then you have to take a look at it at this point. I'd like to see Forsberg dealt ahead of Graham. The kid has talent and looks good on the stats sheet most nights, but is just far to lazy in his own end for my liking.

[EastDivFan]

Well, we can't let the Pats have all the action in their forum. So it's time to post something in here again...

Hobbs remains on the block so far today, after an initial scare he was going to be part of the Klimchuk deal. There's still talk of him going to Regina for Burroughs, which would make the Pats a real handful for the Blades the next few seasons. I really like the direction the Pats are moving this season. They seem to be going in a direction the Blades need to follow IMO.

Rather than talk about who the Blades should trade, I thought I would put up a list of who they shouldn't trade (because it's shorter), and my thoughts why. I'm not factoring things like who we have to replace traded players now, or any other logistical issues. Some guys left off the list couldn't really be moved/dropped until the end of the season, because we simply don't have replacements. My list below is simply the players currently on roster that I would like to see form part of the core moving forward.

Goalies

Nik Amundrud - He's looking more and more like the future of the organization in net. The Blades appear to favor him over Martin. While I prefer Martin's style of play, Amundrud is growing on me quickly.

Trevor Martin - I think Dorrin Luding, the Blade's '99 prospect who just led his team to the Mac's Midget championship, may supplant Martin as the backup next season. But I like Martin and have him only a tick behind Amundrud at the moment. Age may work against him if he's close with Luding in camp next season though.

Defense

Jordan Thomson - The most offensive of the three, but still has one of the better +/- ratings (for what that's worth on this team). He is also more experienced than the other two put together. I'd like to see more of the speed that allowed him to catch Steel on a breakaway the other night.

Schael Higson - Broke his wrist in preseason. He still looked promising before Christmas, and even better since the break. He is the most physical of the Blades defensemen while managing to stay out of the box at the same time. Good progress so far this season.

Nolan Reid - Gets it done with one of the best +/- ratings on D (again, FWIW). Also got an award at yesterday's game for the hardest working defenseman for December. Will need to add some size to play top 4 minutes full time, but has the skill and apparently the work ethic. I like work ethic...

Forwards

Nikita Soshnin - I think it was a smart coaching move by Woods to create more ice time for Soshnin. He plays much bigger than his size, skates hard, and provides skill we are lacking. One of the three 97's critical to the team's success in the next couple of years.

Cameron Hebig - Probably not having the draft year he had hoped (partly because his line mate Graham isn't pulling his weight). Still, another hard-working forward with plenty of talent and the ability to head north in a hurry.

Wyatt Sloboshan - It's going to be hard to jump back into full action mid-season and produce the way he was at the start. He will nonetheless be a welcome addition to take ice time from less talented and less motivated forwards. He shows up to play every game.

Luke Gingras - The only '98 forward on the roster. Definitely has the size to chew up minutes in the league. Once he learns to better balance the physical and skilled play (he needs to remember that little black thing on the ice sometimes), he could be a real gem.