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Knights' NHL waiting game will soon come to an end

Long before there were 31 teams and a hard salary cap, Mark Hunter played in the National Hockey League as a teenager.

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Long before there were 31 teams and a hard salary cap, Mark Hunter played in the National Hockey League as a teenager.

He made the Montreal Canadiens and lived with Doug Wickenheiser. The dynamics of the situation, even 37 years later, have not changed.

“We all think we’re ready to play, but we’ve still got lots to learn,” the London Knights GM said Thursday while tending to his farm at home. “It’s a different atmosphere. The social life is totally different. You’re with married people. You’ve got kids around. It’s nothing bad — just different.”

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Comparing one teen’s readiness to another’s is a fool’s game. So is predicting what each individual NHL franchise will do with its young talent every fall.

That’s why this next week is bound to be an emotional tug-of-war for the Knights and their fans.

Alex Formenton, Evan Bouchard and Robert Thomas are quickly approaching their 10-game threshold, the first pivotal moment when their teams — the Senators, Oilers and Blues — must decide if the players will stay up or head back for another year in the OHL ranks.

Edmonton Oilers rookie Evan Bouchard
Edmonton Oilers rookie Evan Bouchard Photo by Greg Southam

Last January, the Knights brass was so certain Thomas would stick in St. Louis this year, they traded their captain and best forward to Hamilton at the deadline in January. He ended up the OHL’s playoff MVP in the Bulldogs’ victory.

In the meantime, the Blues added veteran talent up front to its roster — Ryan O’Reilly, Tyler Bozak and David Perron. The team started slowly, Thomas didn’t score immediately, and lately, he has sat out a handful of games and seen his ice time dwindle.

The Knights are rooting for Thomas to stay largely because they think so much of the young man. But they say they won’t feel bad about the deal they made 10 months ago if he happens to land in Hamilton again.

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London cannot re-acquire him because of a league rule that prevents players being dealt back to their old teams within a 13-month period.

“It’s never a disappointment,” Hunter said. “Robby will get the whole (nine-game) blast to see what he can do, which he should. “It’s not anybody’s fault (if he comes back). The Blues don’t know the intangibles — that they’ll get Ryan O’Reilly in a trade. No one does. That’s no bearing on anything.

“Everyone thinks they’ve got it figured out, but there’s no crystal ball. You can go one game in the NHL and then a team has a different plan on which way they want to go. Who knows what will happen?”

The Knights covered themselves for this possibility. They will get two more second-round picks if Thomas spends time in the OHL this season.

Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues knocks down the puck against the Winnipeg Jets at the Enterprise Center on October 4, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri.
Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues knocks down the puck against the Winnipeg Jets at the Enterprise Center on October 4, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. Photo by Dilip Vishwanat /Getty Images

And where would London be without Connor McMichael’s first-month output, anyway? He’s scored nine goals in 11 games in his sophomore campaign and is a star in the making.

“Some trades are supposed to be hockey trades,” Hunter said. “We’re all caught up that we have to win and look the best in every situation. It kind of annoys me after a while when people think this way or that way. To me, that was a good hockey trade by (then-London GM) Rob Simpson and (Hamilton counterpart) Steve Staios.

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“On our team, we’re all part of that process and it was a tough decision to make because we think Robby Thomas is the best.”

The Knights, who play in Ottawa Friday, started this season as the No. 2-ranked team in the Canadian Hockey League. A lot of that hype was built on Bouchard and Formenton being part of the equation.

One prominent NHL scout, who requested anonymity, believes even though winger is the easiest position to adapt to quickly in the pro game, Formenton’s style of play is best suited for a more physically mature person.

Alex Formenton of the Ottawa Senators skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on October 6, 2018 in Toronto.
Alex Formenton of the Ottawa Senators skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on October 6, 2018 in Toronto. Photo by Claus Andersen /Getty Images

“Even though the kid’s put on weight, he put it on fairly quickly,” the scout said. “There’s always the threat of injury. In his role right now, he’s going to draw attention to himself. I just think there’s more offensively there and if he scored in junior again, it would be better for his career in the long term.”

Formenton is coming off a concussion, but unlike Thomas, he’s on an extremely young team, his coach adores his north-south speed and Brady Tkachuk’s injury opens up a spot for him in Ottawa’s regular lineup.

For Bouchard, the magic number is around 12 to 13 minutes of ice per game. If the Oilers can live with using him that way, he has the ability to stay the year.

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If they cut it much more than that over these next few games, he would be best served in London. You notice the Knights have yet to name a captain and won’t until they know if their old one is coming back.

“Bouchard is pretty good at moving the puck, but it takes time to learn the defensive game in the NHL,” the scout said. “It’s the most difficult position that way. I felt like last year in London, he paced himself because of how much he played. He needs to be in a situation where he’s pushed and the Hunters are more than capable of helping him get ready for that in the pro game.”

The Knights wouldn’t have to over-play him this season.

“We had a very young team at the back end last year,” Hunter said. “We were breaking in some 16- and 17-year-olds. It takes some time, everyone goes through it, but we’re older now.”

And very soon, they will find out just how good they could have been — or will be — this season.

rpyette@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/RyanatLFPress

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