Element Trade Hurts Wildcats?

Sometimes the price is right. Sometimes the price is wrong.

Yesterday’s news broken by none other than TVA’s Mikael Lalancette sent shockwaves through the QMJHL especially the Moncton Wildcats fanbase.

Shawn Element to the Cape Breton Eagles!

With the Eagles acquiring the gritty highly skilled veteran forward hurt the Moncton Wildcats chances at winning a championship?

It doesn’t help, but it doesn’t hurt either.

By all accounts the Wildcats had been in on Element for quite sometime and obviously the price may have been way too high for a player pegged for their 3rd line center role.

Yesterday’s news also means that the Cats are more than likely still in heavy on high scoring two way winger Gabriel Fortier.

Fortier if acquired will more than likely slide onto Mika Cyr and Jeremy McKenna’s line on the left side and really compliment that trio.

Fortier plays with great pace, grit and character, and brings more pure goal scoring touch and finesse to the Cats top six.

Element would have been a highly effective presence in the Cats lineup, but clearly that ship as sailed.

Do the Wildcats have enough skill and speed in their bottom six?

Are the Wildcats going regret not trading for Element? Did they lose out on that deal or does it come down to asset management?

Time will tell, but if they land Fortier that will move the likes of Elliot Desnoyers and Zachary L’Heureux down the lineup.

Can you say speed, skill and scoring touch!

It’s also rumoured that the Cats are still in on Justin Bergeron.

Do they have enough assets to land Fortier and Bergeron?

That remains to be seen, nevertheless, one can see how asset management is in the critical stages right now.

Remember the Cats still have the Jared McIsaac trade to announce, which will also significantly empty the cupboards.

So what does their line up look like right now?

Rodrigue Lund-Cornish

Huntley De Jong

McIsaac Spence

Stewart Andersson

(Dow)

Khovanov Groulx Pelletier

L’Heureux Cyr McKenna

Desnoyers Hudson Rumsey

Foreman Stewart Langlois

(King and Dauost)

That’s a very solid line up, but in my opinion it still needs more grit, depth, skill and speed.

A name that I continue to hear being thrown around is Acadie-Bathurst forward Liam Leonard.

Leonard could bring all those aspects and more to the fold. The proud Newfoundlander would add much needed speed and grit to the Cats bottom six and is another player that can comfortably play up and down your line up in case of injury.

The Wildcats may have lost out on the Shawn Element sweepstakes, but they are still in position to land massively impactful players before the end of the QMJHL Trade Period.