State of the Loons; Damaged Goods

 Off-season trading recently opened up and the Loons have made a splash adding some high end talent, however some are damaged goods. 

First order of business was to address the head coaching position. After the Loons and Craig Janney mutually agreed to part ways mid way through last season, local scout Steve Heinze stepped up and led the Loons to some wins down the stretch. Being the long term coach was never what Steve wanted, however his success with the team was rewarded with the head coaching position for our minor league team the Northampton Chicks. Northampton's schedule allows Steve to spend more time with his family by remaining close to home. Steve came to us and recommended that we reach out to his former teammate Mike Sullivan.  Mike is a lifelong Massachusetts resident, having played for both the BU Terriers and the Boston Bruins during his playing career. Mike also is the only American born coach to win multiple Stanley Cups.

Having Mike at the helm definitely speeds up our rebuild. After both our fire sale last year and our investment in last year's draft we found ourselves with a very deep prospect pool. So deep that we were in a position to package multiple prospects together in order to bring in top end talent. Due to injuries, two such players became available: Jack Eichel and Marco Rossi. Both are dealing with significant injuries but the potential reward is worth the risk. Jack gives the Loons its first true superstar, and a Massachusetts star as well. Marco is someone we planned on drafting at the 4 spot before moving up to 2 and grabbing Stutzle. Capeside's center position looks to be stacked for years to come with Eichel, Zegras, Rossi and Turcotte.

After adding Eichel, it was time to start building around him. An immediate hole was at a top pairing defenseman. A trade with Bismark filled that by bringing in Jonas Brodin. Jonas is enjoying a breakout year and is entering the prime of his career at a manageable $5m a year. Pat Nemeth, Connor Garland and Nick Schmaltz were acquired to fill out the roster. Talented rookies Oliver Wahlstrom, Trevor Zegras, Janne Kuokkanen, Jesse Puljujarvi and Jake Oettinger are expected to make the team next year and be main contributors. 

After a large investment in last year's draft, the Loons currently do not own a draft pick in either the first or the second round. The 2021 draft class is thought to be on the weak side with a lot of unknowns so we will be looking to load up on longshots in the later rounds. 

We still have some holes to address either through trades or bargains in free agency. A top line wing would be a priority if we could find one without jeopardizing our future. Depth defensemen and a bottom 6 right wing are also areas of need for us.