With the Ontario Hockey League trade deadline just a few weeks away and a holiday/World Junior Championship trade freeze soon to commence, the league’s weaker teams are quickly running out of time to send their top players to contenders and, hopefully, get great value in return. There are plenty of big names that will have the misfortune of being stuck on their failing teams beyond the deadline, but three in particular need a change of scenery in order to pick their respective games up.
Travis Konecny, captain of the Ottawa 67’s, is the most well-known of such names. Currently a top-ten scorer in the OHL, Konecny’s team is suffering a six-game losing streak. Granted, his absence from the 67’s as he joins Team Canada for the WJC will only make things worse for them.
In an already-weak Eastern Conference, Ottawa has virtually no shot at a championship this season, as they currently hold the sixth seed and two teams are within four points of them. A player as dynamic as Konecny deserves better than that, especially considering that this could very well be his final junior season.
Selected by the Philadelphia Flyers 24th overall at the 2015 NHL Draft, the 18-year-old center/right-winger has scored 45 points (7G, 38A) in 29 games this season. He’s on pace for his best and most consistent offensive output this year, though the lack of talent around him and the losing culture he’s experienced in his junior career to-date may be cause for a trade elsewhere. The most ideal scenario would be a Western Conference team – they’re loaded with ‘dream teams’ such as the Erie Otters, Kitchener Rangers and London Knights and have plenty to offer as they prepare to load up for the playoffs.
“He’s a dynamic player,” said Flyers’ GM Ron Hextall (Philly.com). “He makes things happen. He’s one of those special players that can make something happen out of nothing, and they’re hard to find. But, again, it’s juniors and he’s got a lot of work to do, but he’s got the qualities in a player that we covet.”
On the other hand, Oshawa Generals captain Michael Dal Colle is having the worst season of his major junior career. With 23 points in 27 games, he’s on par for the lowest point-total since his rookie year (48), following 95 and 93 point seasons in 2013-14 and 2014-15, respectively.
Last year, Dal Colle fulfilled every young Canadian hockey player’s biggest dream. He won the OHL Championship and followed it up with a Memorial Cup. The Generals were not expected to be the league’s best again this year, but the newly-appointed captain was at least expected to lead his club to a playoff berth.
As of now, that looks doubtful. Oshawa holds the final playoff seed in the East by just four points, ahead of the Hamilton Bulldogs and Sudbury Wolves. Dal Colle’s down-season has been a big reason for that, and it’s even impacted his chance at representing his country at the WJC this year. For the second straight year, he was cut from Team Canada and will not take part in the prestigious junior tournament.
It’s a shame to see a two-time 90-point scorer and former fifth overall pick by the New York Islanders in 2014 have such a miserable final year of junior hockey. But there is time to send him to another team where, perhaps, he will find his scoring touch once again.
DT: Michael Dal Colle has struggled & it wasn’t a shock. When he gets traded, he needs to hit the re-set button to get his career on track!
— NA Central Scouting (@MarkSeidel) December 14, 2015
Perhaps the most likely to be moved by the deadline, the Flint Firebirds’ Vili Saarijarvi would likely welcome a change of scenery. After he and the rest of his teammates quit the team a little over a month ago due to overwhelming discontent with management, there was talk that the right-handed defender would be looking to get out of Flint. A month after the drama unfolded and tempers had settled, the Firebirds traded veterans Alex Nedeljkovic and Josh Wesley to the Niagara IceDogs – a signal that perhaps they were looking to rebuild.
Today, Flint is barely holding onto a playoff spot. In fact, they hold the eighth-seed by just one point. Saarijarvi will be off to play for Team Finland in the WJC, but when he gets back, he could see himself part of a new club. The highly-touted Detroit Red Wings prospect has a lot more to give in his first OHL season, and cannot thrive with the perpetually-falling Flint Firebirds.
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