67’S UNLIKELY TO FINISH BITTEN DEAL
The Ottawa 67’s are heading on a road trip that will eventually take them to Flint, Mich., but negotiations that might have allowed them to return with forward William Bitten of Gloucester have ended.
More succinctly, they’re “dead,” or at least that was how 67’s coach and general manager Jeff Brown put it Sunday, and that was all he said about the matter.
Bitten has refused to report back to the Firebirds for what would be his third season with that Ontario Hockey League club, and he requested a trade to Ottawa in part so he could continue his education in French.
Brown confirmed when training camp started a few weeks ago that he had discussed trade possibilities with the Firebirds but said even then that he wasn’t willing to mortgage the future of the 67’s.
That future has been built largely on a trade last January that sent captain Travis Konecny and another forward, Sam Studnicka, to the Sarnia Sting in exchange for forwards Sasha Chmelevski and Chase Campbell a generous array of draft picks.
The OHL has taken over operational control of the Firebirds following a series of controversies in 2015-16, including firings of the coaching staff and eventually the five-year suspension of owner Rolf Nilsen.
In May, the OHL named George Burnett as the new general manager of the Firebirds, and Ryan Oulahen was hired as head coach.
The Firebirds have won two of their first three games this season, with shutout victories at home against the Saginaw Spirit and Owen Sound Attack, and a 4-2 road loss against the Kitchener Rangers.
Bitten was a third-round draft pick by the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens in June. He had 45 goals and 51 assists in 130 games with the club known as the Plymouth Whalers before moving to Flint and becoming the Firebirds.