Raftis weighs in on Hounds deadline plans
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media)
With the trade deadline fast approaching, and people in charge careful about what they say, the ability to read between the lines becomes critical.
Just ask any Soo Greyhounds fan.
Asked if his club figures to be a seller prior to next Friday’s (12 noon) deadline, Hounds general manager Kyle Raftis was noncommittal.
“For us, it’s just seeing if there’s a fit that we can kind of look at,” said Raftis, whose club stopped Peterborough 4-0 at home on Friday and carries a 16-20-0-0 mark into a Saturday clash in Saginaw (7:05 p.m.).
The Spirit, coming off of a 5-2 win over Ottawa on Thursday, owns an 18-17-1-0 mark.
“With us, it’s about getting an idea – and over the last few weeks it’s become clearer – whether teams are looking at adding,” Raftis told Independent Media. “But I don’t think we’re necessarily pushing anybody out there that we want to trade.”
The deadline for deals involving overage players is Thursday at 12 noon.
Players who were competing at the World Junior Championship may be dealt beginning on Monday.
Hounds defenceman Andrew Gibson was a member of Team Canada, now eliminated.
Soo winger Noel Nordh is a member of Team Sweden, set to play Finland in a Saturday afternoon semifinal.
Raftis also added: “But if someone comes forward with a good fit for us which makes sense, we’ll definitely look at it.”
There did come a point when the GM used the words “younger talent,” offering a window into what he would be seeking prior to the deadline.
Without using the word ‘seller,’ his thought process was obvious.
“We have about a week left to see if there are potentially any fits to add younger talent to our roster,” he said. “These are players we’d want to work with over the next half a season and in the years moving forward.”
Raftis refused to mention the names of anyone the Hounds would consider dealing.
Meantime, the 2024-2025 Greyhounds have, for various reasons, skated for periods of time minus key contributors.
Raftis addressed that while explaining what he was taking into consideration as the deadline approaches.
“It’s a shame we haven’t had a chance to see our roster at full strength, due to the number of injuries we’ve experienced,” he said. “But it’s also given us a great opportunity to see a lot of our younger players playing in high-leverage situations. That’ll benefit us in the second half of the season.”
The GM spoke of how impressed he’s been with a number of the team’s first-year skaters.
If he did deal away a veteran, is Raftis willing to settle for a package of draft choices?
Or, he was asked, are the Greyhounds seeking a young player as part of any transaction?
“You always set some targets, players you’d like to have,” he said. “I don’t think you just want anybody, just to have a body. We’d want to add players we’re really interested in. That’s important.”
Raftis agreed a lot of deadline deals are draft-pick heavy.
There are always contending teams not willing to part with top young talent – even to acquire veteran difference-makers.
“But if we can get players that we’ve targeted, that would make more sense for us. However, every trade is different, depending on what player might be leaving on our side of things.”
The Soo has overage players who would likely peak the interest of rival clubs.
Would he consider dealing an OA?
“That’s hard to say, because a lot of teams are at their full capacity (three overages). We’d have to analyze everything as it comes to us,” Raftis added. “You look at everything. But I think having strong OAs on your team is beneficial.”
