The Fort Erie Falcons offseason makeover has begun with four trades already, unofficially, having taken place.
In the first move, the Falcons sent Blake Wheeler to the Canosa Conference champion Sudbury Miners for Ian Cole, prospects Peyton Krebs, and J.J. Petreka. Fort Erie will also receive a third-round draft pick in this trade.
While it hasn't become official yet, it appears that Ian Cole could become part of a re-sign and trade for the teams' given Cole's pending UFA status and Sudbury GM Terry James' admiration for the player.
The next trade saw Reilly Smith and Chippawa's fifth-round pick in 2022 move to Bismarck for Gabe Vilardi and a third-round pick in 2021.
Fort Erie General Manager Matt Young wasted little time from there in moving Vilardi as he was off to Denver to join the Spurs in a deal that saw Casey Mittelstadt return to the Falcons. Mittelstadt appears to have taken a step in his game and while he may not be ready for duty with the Falcons next season, the following year Mittelstadt could crack the lineup as a top-nine forward.
The final deal of the week has Braydon McNabb and Nick Paul moving from Fort Erie to Amos in exchange for prospects Adam Mascherin and Antonio Strangers.
While Young hated to move Paul in the deal, the reality is that Paul wasn't going to be able to earn significant playing time and with his salary, he needed to move to a team where he can contribute now.
The word out of the Falcons' offices is that they are not done dealing. Jeff Petry is in the middle of a great NHL season and is projected to have ratings higher than Alex Pietriangelo for the upcoming season. It's surprising nobody has jumped on the opportunity to improve their defence thus far but something tells this reporter it won't be long before somebody recognizes the opportunity to improve.
The team is also rumored to be shopping one of Artemi Panarin or Jack Eichel. While Young doesn't want to deal either player, the reality is that spots need to be created to give the younger players an opportunity to play in the CCHL.
It should be an exciting few weeks around the CCHL as the offseason kicks into high gear and teams shuffle to improve their lineups for the 2021-22 season.
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