Petes should consider options to trade for a forward
Petes have found ways to win close games so far this season, despite injuries to key players
A month into the season, the Petes have been the best team in the Ontario Hockey League. That’s what the standings say.
In addition to an 8-2 win-loss record, the Petes also have the league’s best goal differential and best winning percentage.
The team is coming off a particularly satisfying weekend sweep which included victories over both the rival Oshawa Generals and defected player Will Cuylle’s Windsor Spitfires.
It wasn’t all great news for the Petes on the weekend though, with news that Zach Gallant will be out for up to three months with a high ankle sprain. Between players away at NHL camp and early injuries, the Petes haven’t iced a full lineup yet this season, making the early wins more impressive. Gallant’s injury will test their mettle once again.
The offensive slack should be picked up by the return of Nick Robertson but the intangibles Gallant brings, particularly his skill on faceoffs and physical play won’t be so easy to replace.
It might be worthwhile for GM Mike Oke to see what players are available on the trade market. With the injury and John ParkerJones’ move to defence, the Petes are down to only 13 forwards on the roster. An early addition could help shore up the depth and send a message that the Petes intend to build on their fast start.
Last season the Petes got off to a similarly hot start but early injuries took their toll on the club and they weren’t able to maintain the high level of play. This is not last season though and there is plenty of reason for optimism.
Whether as a result of improved coaching, improved health, or simply a full season with the
Petes the Petes have seen resurgent performances from the likes of Chris Paquette, Nick Isaacson, Declan Chisholm, Brady Hinz and more in the young season.
As a result, the Petes seem deeper than in seasons past with every line showing the ability to contribute offence.
Entering the season, six goals combined after 10 games from Robertson, Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, Pavel Gogolev and Liam Kirk would have seemed a bad omen but the team hasn’t missed a beat, suggesting there may be some upside remaining in this team.
The team defence has been much improved as well and the club has assembled a group skilled at moving the puck up the ice and keeping things simple in their own end.
There is still a lot of work to do. The weekend’s wins weren’t particularly pretty, the club was outshot in all three games and the Petes have leaned heavily on Hunter Jones in the early season. This is fitting for how the Petes have found their way to the league’s best record.
They haven’t been dominant but with strong goaltending and improvement throughout the roster, they have found ways to win the close games early this season and wins in October count the same in the standings as wins in March.