BY SCOTT HADDOW  
After the Kitchener Rangers acquired Steve Downie from the
Peterborough Petes on Sunday, it leaves the Sudbury Wolves in
an interesting position.
 
There has been a lot of talk about the Wolves making some
serious moves in order to "go for it" this year.
With Downie out of the running now, does giving up your entire future for a long shot really make sense?
The Wolves were hoping to land Downie and Daniel Ryder from
the Petes in exchange for a number of players and draft picks.
Landing just Ryder will not put them over the top and
severely hurt the future of this club.
I read in an on-line article Ryder had no interest in leaving
Peterborough. That raises flags for me. If they guy doesn't
want to leave, it's obvious he doesn't want to try and
win again. So why bother with him at all.
Downie was the most sought after player on the trade market.
With his combination of edge, toughness, skill and winning
attitude, Downie would have made the perfect fit in Sudbury. He
could have been that straw that stirs the drink.
I believe the Wolves should now go in a much different
direction.
They should really consider trading their most valuable assets
in order to make a real run at a title in a couple of seasons.
I know I will not be popular with these next few statements,
but I feel they need to be stated.
First, the Wolves should move Marc Staal. Imagine the package
Sudbury could get from London, Kitchener or Saginaw for Staal.
It would not only help the team down the road, but the talent
coming back would pay immediate dividends.
They could probably land Philip McRae and a package of other
players and draft picks for Staal.
Trading Staal wouldn't mean the Wolves were out of the
hunt. As I said above, the talent coming back for him would be
enough to keep the team quite competitive this year and make
them a force for seasons to come.
Sudbury could even go a little further and trade Nick Foligno,
Adam McQuaid, Jonathan D'Aversa and Kevin Beech.
The mountain of young players and draft picks Sudbury could get
for those elite players would set this franchise up for long
playoffs runs for several years to come.
It's a seller's market right now and many teams are
going overboard to add the final pieces to their puzzles.
Smart teams know when to cut their losses and build for the
future.
Out of those five elite Wolves' players, Foligno is the
only one who could possibly be back in the OHL next season. (I
doubt it because he should be in the pros somewhere next
season.)
Does it not make sense to make a plan to win a championship in
the near future when you have the right assets to do it?
Instead of assembling a team just to make the playoffs, create
a true winner. Any smart and reasonable fan would understand
this logic...I hope.
Still, if the Wolves need to make moves and "go for it"
there's slim pickings now. With Barrie adding defender Mike
Weber from Windsor recently and the Downie trade, the top
players are off the market. What's really left?
Of course there's still Ryder, but after him, there really
isn't a lot of available talent. And the talent that is
actually available is going to cost plenty...probably too much.
I am not saying the Wolves are done like dinner, but they
should be reasonable and make moves that's best for the
franchise and fans.
Yes, a player like Ryder would bolster the offence, but would
he be enough to help them get by Barrie? London? Kitchener? I
have a hard time believing it.
It's a tough spot to be in as the City of Greater Sudbury is starved for a championship.
