it’s my Parting Shot to use facts to show that the Saskatoon Blades’ roster right now is likely to undergo some significant changes in the next six-to-seven weeks!…..
Remember the old Fram oil filter commercial from the early 70s? The one that had the auto mechanic say – you can pay me now or you can pay me later – when it came to regularly changing your oil and filter!
In today’s junior hockey, you paraphrase that by saying – either you re-stock your draft picks now or you run the risk of not being very good for several years as a result!
You see, this season’s Saskatoon Blades are mirroring last season’s Wenatchee Wild, formerly the Winnipeg ICE. At about this time last season, the Bridge City Bunch visited Wenatchee who were leading the U-S Division and near the top of the Western Conference. However, in getting to the Eastern Conference final in 2022 and the W-H-L final in 2023, the ICE/Wild dealt several high draft picks for elite talent to try and win a W-H-L title. It didn’t happen and with bare draft cupboards going into the January 10 trade deadline, Wenatchee dealt N-H-L first round draft pick forwards Matthew Savoie and Connor Geekie to Moose Jaw and Swift Current, respectively, to restock the draft shelves! And, they dropped in the standings last season and were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs!
The Blue and Gold are in the same boat. As of right now, the Blades don’t have a pick in the first three rounds of the 2025 Prospects Draft and they aren’t scheduled to be called to make a selection until the eighth round in 2026!
Defending champion Moose Jaw doesn’t have a first round pick in 2025, 26 and 2027 as it stands now after going for it and getting it done last season. With a 4-13-4 start this season, the Warriors have already started re-stocking second, third and fourth round picks and are all but certain to deal Saskatoon product and Winnipeg Jets’ prospect Brayden Yager somewhere to some team with championship aspirations this season in order to get a couple of those first rounders back!
While Blades City might look at Saskatoon’s 13-5-2 record and first place standing in the East Division and Eastern Conference, and the fact that the franchise has never won a W-H-L title, as being ample reason to go for it again this year – the question is, is that a prudent move for the future competitiveness of the franchise?! That’s why I’m glad that Colin Priestner, Steve Hildebrand and Dan Tencer are the ones making that decision and not me! I know which way I lean and I know which way the fans lean! We’ll see what happens!!
But, as I quoted at the beginning – you can pay me now or you can play me later!
That’s my Parting Shot. I’m Les Lazaruk…and it turned out nice again!
