QMJHL trade winds swirling
Published Thursday December 11th, 2008
With the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League trade window opening in nine days, the Telegraph-Journal's expert panel says stars on bad teams should start packing their bags.
The experts see the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, Halifax Mooseheads and Val-d'Or Foreurs as obvious sellers who will build for the future. Other teams near the bottom like the Gatineau Olympiques, Lewiston Maineiacs, Acadie-Bathurst Titan and Prince Edward Island Rocket should also be sellers, according to the experts.
At the top, the Shawinigan Cataractes, Quebec Remparts, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and Memorial Cup host Rimouski Oceanic are expected to add older players. The Moncton Wildcats and Drummondville Voltigeurs could also be buyers, although maybe less active.
With other teams it's not so clear. The Saint John Sea Dogs, eighth overall at 18-14-1-1, are one of those, along with the Montreal Junior.
"A lot will depend on whether Saint John and/or Montreal are buyers or sellers at the deadline," said Moncton Flyers midget AAA coach John DeCourcey. "(Saint John's) Alex Grant and Chris DiDomenico and (Montreal's) Angelo Esposito are all guys that could shift the balance of power."
Most experts don't believe Saint John will really be a seller.
"Saint John has to be a player, I think. There's the expectation this has to be their year," said University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds coach Gardiner MacDougall.
But that doesn't mean they won't trade a big name like captain Grant or all-time leading scorer DiDomenico. Both are 19, NHL-drafted, and longshots to return next year. And Grant is part of a defence that includes fellow first overall QMJHL draft picks Yann Sauve, 18, and Simon Despres, 17, rock-solid Czech David Stich, 19, and steady Pascal Amyot, 18.
"It's rare to have such a talented defensive corps, but the Sea Dogs' goals against (10th in the 18-team league at 3.39) is too high to be considered a deep playoff threat," said Rogers Sportsnet analyst Sam Cosentino. "They could deal away a top-end blueliner for a top-six forward and a fourth or fifth defenceman that will better balance this team. General manager Jacques Beaulieu has a tough task ahead all the while thinking about his organization's goal to bring the Memorial Cup to New Brunswick in 2012."
MacDougall said Saint John's biggest area for improvement is its three 20-year-old spots. Last year's team, which advanced to the league semifinal, got 65 goals and 138 points from overagers Scott Howes and Alexandre Picard-Hooper, while Travis Fullerton was a stalwart in net. This year Ryan Sparling leads the team with 36 points in 33 games, Payton Liske has a modest 22 points in 32 games, and the third spot is open.
"They're getting something out of Sparling, but to me if you're going to make a run for it, usually your 20s are a big part of being successful," MacDougall said. "Your 20s and your (two Europeans) are like a poker hand: it's easier to win if they're kings, queens and aces instead of sixes, sevens and eights."
Here's a closer look at the potential impact players who could move:
-Paul Byron, F, 19, Gatineau: Leads the Olympiques with 40 points in 31 games. "If he was traded to a team like Saint John, they could move up from eighth and become a top-four team," said Matt Ebbs, a family advisor and player agent with Octagon. "The Sea Dogs have enough depth at defence to make a serious move and shift the balance." Meanwhile, forward J-P Chabot, 20, leads Gatineau in goals with 16 and is a character player who kills penalties.
-Felix Petit, F, 20, Baie-Comeau: Leads the Drakkar with 45 points in 31 games. "He will draw a ton of interest and could greatly affect the overall balance of power," Cosentino said. "Although he didn't play a ton with Quebec in the Remparts' run to the Memorial Cup (in 2006), he does have experience on a playoff-tested team."
-Logan MacMillan, F, 19, Halifax: Has missed most of the season with a knee injury, but was a first-round NHL draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2007. "If he's healthy he could help your hockey club," said Screaming Eagles president Paul MacDonald.
-Bathurst's 20-year-olds: Forwards Spencer Jezegou and Tomy Joly lead the Titan with 39 and 34 points, while defenceman Drew Paris is third with 25. "Even if they got rid of one of them they could get a lot," MacDougall said.
-Defencemen: Baie-Comeau has 20-year-olds Pierre-Luc Lessard and Maxime Ouimet. Lewiston has 19-year-olds Michael Ward of Shippagan, Patrick Cusack and Denis Reul. "They're not going to be a team that's going to go for it, and you're probably not going to have three 20-year-old defencemen (next year)," MacDougall said.
-Anyone on Val-d'Or: The last place Foreurs have a talented group of underachievers that includes forwards Maxime Sauve, 18, and Alexandre Monahan, 20, and defenceman Marco Scandella, 18.
-Goalies: There isn't much buzz about netminders, but 20-year-old Bobby Nadeau of the Rocket is fifth in the league in save percentage. Baie-Comeau's Marco Cousineau, 19, a 2008 Anaheim first-rounder having an off year, was also mentioned.
-Something for nothing: Moncton is working on the Los Angeles Kings to return defenceman Slava Voynov from the American League's Manchester Monarchs. Another possibility is for Drummondville to orchestrate a return to junior for 20-year-old forward P-J Corsi, who left the Volts for the Charlotte Checkers of the ECHL but has just one goal in 16 games.
The Telegraph-Journal will be polling its expert panel throughout the season with questions about teams, players, trends and issues. Here are the seven members of the panel: Sam Cosentino, Rogers Sportsnet analyst; John DeCourcey, Moncton Flyers major midget AAA coach; Matt Ebbs, family advisor and player agent; Al MacAdam, Buffalo Sabres scout; Paul MacDonald, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles president; Gardiner MacDougall, UNB Varsity Reds coach; Bobby Smith, Halifax Mooseheads owner
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