Here we go one last time for this year.
Alphabetically we Bathurst , Cains River, Riverview, Saint John and South Esk left to shake out and see the odds on favorite to win the 11th ODBHL Cup.
South Esk Scotsman 9.26 : 1
There is a lot to like about what’s going on in South Esk. Based on lack of draft capital and over 21 developed talent the rebuild is done. Two deep at every position and with one of the youngest starting goalies in ODBHL the future is bright.
Somehow GM Goodfellow has developed and traded trading for both skilled , intense and defensive minded forwards that should be able to keep the games close and help out the blue line. The team is lacking the game breaking offensive stud that takes over games and not having it so close that it takes the pressure off Askarov.
Master capitalist will also need to resign 89 rated Elias Petterson and Noad Dobson this season, as they are the leader of this team and are looked at as the leaders of this team with their outstanding contributions. Having the team friendly deals with Askarov and Lafreniere will help in the long run.
The team's aggressive nature means whoever meets them in the playoffs will be black and blue by the time that series is over, win or lose.
Cains River Blues 8.02 : 1
Staying in the Lemieux conference we find the rednecks favorite team. Always a consistent team, the franchise will meld in newer younger players as aging veterans fade out and eventually reach free agency.
The current team has all around talent in newly acquired Nico Hischier and my favorite defenceman ever in Miro. Aside from that not a lot is certain. With almost half the team looking for new deals the questions become what next. Connor Zary is certainly looking for a sizeable raise working his ass off in the offseason and becoming one of the best young stars in the league.
While on the other end armed with 33 M in cap space what become of certain team veterans like Nurse , Mackinnon and Hedman. Cam York and Alex Holtz are the heir apparent in both positions but what choice will be made. 1 year deal maybe free agency or trades the future of the roster could be in flux in a couple of years.
On top of that will be the goaltending swap that brought Veini into town. Sometimes change is good but it looks like a downgrade after this season as the 30 year old Veini will become aging like a bottle of Hermits wine.
Riverview Royals 7.74 : 1
Here we have the 5 time Gretzky Bowl winning Royals. They have won the trophy every second year this league has been in existence. They are a team with combinations that shouldn’t work together but somehow they do and have worked for a long time.
Armed with the “Bullwinkle line” of Eichel , Aho and Lundstrom they were the top scoring forward line last year. What is the weird combination is that the Russian mafia defense are average when it comes to moving the puck but somehow it works even with Zach Werenski manning second line duties. Between the aggression and all out speed from the forwards it may be the best line in the ODBHL.
And then there is Monty. Will the Royals be forced to make another big move near the trade deadline just for team security? No goalie with the first four stats like that wears down quite as badly as Monty does with no apparent injury or fatigue. Is Georgiev going to win the team's trust and if not does the team go shopping for a upgrade at back up.
With last season's trade with Dorchester, Austin Matthews will get duties behind Eichel and fall into the Ryan Jonansen role that has been part of frustration for the Riverview squad. Inconsistency from the 2nd or third line usually throws the team into flux which needs stability especially with Monty’s later season purge.
Bathurst Mighty Ducks 6.97 : 1
Now it's time for a new favorite person. Still not a Ducks fan seeing as though we’ve been division rivals since the inception of this league. But he went to the Canucks store for me while in Vancouver and was my virtual shopper. I think he sent a photo of every square inch of the Canucks store.
The team returns with all of the same faces from the cup winning run last season. The questions will be how much and costly it will be to resign Robertson, Ekblad and Ristolainen. With McDavid turning 30 and Blackwood turning 28 and Laine 28 the team has a couple more runs of going for the championship before having to think about the future. Because there isn’t much going on development wise in Dildo and Bathurst has traded a large amount of draft picks in the past.
The big question will be what will Matthew Tkachuk’s long term impact with the team be. Will he be able to keep up with his speedy teammates or will he cause chaos as he has with the team in the past. Bathurst has one of the most potent power plays in the league but when your playing against the better teams in the playoffs with no Miramichi giving those teams extra chances with the man advantage could equal a playoff exit.
And finally
Saint John Kings 5.67 : 1
It seems like every year we have the Kings in this spot for good reason. Never Content and always canvassing to change the makeup keeps the team relevant. From Murray to Veini to Thompson the Kings seem to swap out their goalie away every couple of years for the younger to keep the championship window open.
The teams forwards are interchangeable and can pass to each other in pitch darkness without missing a beat. Will the team look to bring back Kucherov and Draisaitl on similar short term deals while Raymond, Lundell, Kotkaniemi , and Miller needing new deals. Likely backup goalie and his 4 million dollar contract will likely not be renewed. The cap crunch might result in the Kings having to lose on the UFA’s.
Aside from that the team is stacked everywhere and young as well with the younger nucleus that is 24 or younger should continue and we could talk about a dynasty.
We just need it to start with one.
8/6/2024 - 1084 words
