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It hasn’t been a normal year, so why would the Ontario Hockey League trade deadline be any different?
For the Soo Greyhounds, the Monday’s noon deadline could see the team make a move, but it might not necessarily be anything earth shattering.
“I’d like to improve some areas, but I don’t think it’s necessarily a huge shakeup in any particular spot,” Greyhounds general manager Kyle Raftis said. “At the same time, it’s an interesting year because you’ll probably see certain teams adding and there seems to be a lot of teams that want to add a little bit, moreso a player here and a player there. There are some teams, because of the delays, have 40 games left in the season and there’s not that same kind of eagerness. In a regular year after the trade deadline, sometimes there are 25 or 26 games left. There are a lot of teams that are still competitive and think they can still get back in a playoff race. It’s been tough to navigate on that side of it.”
“For us, it’s about if we can find some players that add some depth for the group,” Raftis added. “Obviously, if there’s a higher-end player that can compliment our group, we’ll definitely look at that. It’s a matter of finding a fit.”
With the schedule changes and uncertainty of some teams having played significantly fewer games, Raftis said his approach to the deadline isn’t changing from the way he would have approached it in any other year.
“I don’t think it changes my approach at all,” Raftis said.
“For the most part, we’ve drafted and developed all of the players on our roster,” Raftis added. “And whether it was injuries or suspensions or guys going to the World Juniors, we had a good chance to get our young players in the lineup and playing some big minutes and they’ve played extremely well. We got a good chance to see everyone in their spots and we know where we’re at.”
Raftis said that other teams having played fewer games has altered the deadline for some teams who may not know exactly where their players are at in their development yet.
“Usually, it’s pretty obvious by the trade deadline who should be moving players and who is going to be adding,” Raftis said. “This year I think we’ll see some teams add that will make you a little confused with what their theory might be.”
Raftis added that some 19-year-old players making an early jump to pro hockey because of the year off last season and getting a chance to play at 18-year-olds also means some players that might have been on the move at the deadline have already graduated.
On Friday, the OHL’s deadline for trading overage players pass with teams needing to be down to the maximum three 2001 birth years on their rosters.
For the Greyhounds, the deadline came and went without and moves on that front and little talk of it even being a possibility.
“It’s been busy this week as far as conversations,” Raftis said. “But I don’t think I got one call on our overagers. Everybody knew where we sit. All three guys are such big members of this team. There wasn’t even a thought about changing it.”