Not far off now...

Well we are only two weeks away from training camp and I'm starting to get that buzz again. I am very interested to see how this years team will shake out. The trade freeze was just lifted on Tuesday and its quiet summer for the Gens so far...

I would expect we will see a lot of free agent invites to camp this year as the roster seems very fluid....lots of bodies but not all of them will stay with the team....

I really hope the Gen's make a few trades, this roster won't compete in the East this season unless they make a few moves. I'm a Generals fan through an through, but just looking at their roster it doesn't give me much hope. We Lost Jenner who did everything, PP, PK, 1st Line Center, took crucial faceoffs (as does Laughton), an he made Dal Colle and Biggs even Better. I've read Lessio is going to start in the AHL with Phoenix's farm club. Biggs is 95% gone as the Marlies have let all their veterans go on to other clubs and are giving the young guys opportunities. We lost Sabourin to OA as well as arguably are top two D in Petgrave and Schemitsch. Not to mention Laughton could very well be gone as well. An the only trade we've made this off season was for an Import that isn't even gonna play for us. Whats that leave us ...

Dal Colle - Cassels - Latour
Dundace - Hughes - Morbeck
Llyod - Harding ('13 31st overall) - McGuire
Manchurek - Wallace - Smith
Hore - McDade

Sullentrop - Brown
Carlisle - Petschening
Karlsson - Vande Sompel

Sad looking lineup! Karlsson won't be back. Don't want to see Hughes, Morbeck, Lloyd or McGuire in the lineup ever again! Bring in some young kids and develop them. I know it's not very realistic to have that many 2013 and 2012s in a Major Junior lineup but with those last year players still around, all you're doing is going with mediocrity and standing still. It's going to be a long year! Dream that we will get one or two of Laughton, Lessio or Biggs back!

Macker88 wrote:I really hope the Gen's make a few trades, this roster won't compete in the East this season unless they make a few moves. I'm a Generals fan through an through, but just looking at their roster it doesn't give me much hope. We Lost Jenner who did everything, PP, PK, 1st Line Center, took crucial faceoffs (as does Laughton), an he made Dal Colle and Biggs even Better. I've read Lessio is going to start in the AHL with Phoenix's farm club. Biggs is 95% gone as the Marlies have let all their veterans go on to other clubs and are giving the young guys opportunities. We lost Sabourin to OA as well as arguably are top two D in Petgrave and Schemitsch. Not to mention Laughton could very well be gone as well. An the only trade we've made this off season was for an Import that isn't even gonna play for us. Whats that leave us ...

Dal Colle - Cassels - Latour
Dundace - Hughes - Morbeck
Llyod - Harding ('13 31st overall) - McGuire
Manchurek - Wallace - Smith
Hore - McDade

Sullentrop - Brown
Carlisle - Petschening
Karlsson - Vande Sompel

Why trade for player(s), you will have to give up something dear to get something, other GM's are not just going to give us players for McGuire Hunter etc. This will be a rebuilding year, and maybe closer to the trading deadline there will be a deal, hopefully some of the rookies will shine and surprise us.
One trade that I can see happening @ the Deadline is a goalie will be moved

I agree with you about the goalie trade. If Appleby shows ok, Altshuller should bring in a pretty good haul come January. The Petes might take a run at it and could use a top notch goalie. I think they have three 2nd rounders in each the next three years and might be persuaded to part with 2 this year and another one or two in 2015, especially with the Twohey/ Petes connection.

Jaycro - I agree completely with you, sad looking lineup indeed. I wasn't sure about Karlsson, but none the less he won't be much of a loss, he was hardly able to crack the top 6 last season. As far as Llyod, Morebeck & Hughes.. They serve no purpose, they're older players who produce less then rookies. As far as McGuire, he does serve a purpose, is he talented.. not really. But as a forth line winger/13th forward he makes sense. If where going young he'll provide some toughness an protection for the younger guys.

Steamed - You will not have to give up something dear for average OHL players.. coming from some teams that is. Lots of teams have to many overage players, an they will be looking to move them. We should look to pick up OA players that provide more to the team then guys like Morbeck, Hughes and McGuire.
For Instance, Belleville has Michael Curtis, Austen Brassard, Alan Quine, Tyler Graovac, Scott Simmonds, Carter Sandlak, Jake Worrad, & Brady Austin all going overage. Quine and Graovac may go to the AHL. That still leave 6 Overage players for only 3 spots. Kingston has Greenaway, Hietkamp, Nixon, Moffat and traded for Mahalek.. so likely Hietkamp and Nixon would be available. Kitchener, Keli Grant, Eric Ming, Ben Thomson, Ben Fanelli and traded for Teichman.. so two of Grant, Ming and Thomson likely have to go... Owen Sound Brace, Janes, Hope, Gabriel, Rose... My point being lots of these mentioned players might not be superstars, but they'd be upgrades in lots of cases and would likely produce more on a team like the generals as they'd get top 6 minutes rather then bottom six on contending teams.

Also to further my point.. giving up a 13-15th round pick for an OA could greatly benefit the Generals. As the OA they acquire could produce fairly well an then come the trade deadline a contender may want to acquire them for the playoff run an trade a 4-5-6 rounder or young player for their services. Just theories.. but it doesn't cost an arm an a leg to acquire players in the OHL.. only superstars.

If Laughton is sent back the Generals should look to deal him for assets, like wise with Altshuler. The Generals could always replace a goalie with a veteran back up from another team. But if there rebuilding losing only benefits them so it doesn't matter who starts.