It would be great for us as fans. If you’ve got Mark Richardson on your 3rd D pairing then you should have a bloody strong D. It would surprise me though. I expected us to sign another top defenceman but I thought it would be a left hand shot to play alongside Richie and then Crawford and Rymsha paired together.
Rumours & Offseason Nonsense 2023/24
- Thread starter GAVIN
- Start date
Because Louis is 36 and Batch is only 32?
Plus (and it is an obvious point) Batch is a Brit and there aren’t restrictions on how many brits you can name in your gameday team.
Last summer everyone was saying how great Batch had been and how he had to be re-signed. Yet he has a poorer season and so he should be cut?
Batch has been loyal to us for over a decade and some fans want to cut him after one ‘poor’ season. And I’d argue he wasn’t anywhere near as bad as some of criticism on here that he’s got.
The import limit is rising to 15 this summer. But that still means even if you have 15 fit imports you need 5 fit brits to play 4 lines.
Belfast showed last year the importance of having spare players who can come in with others are injured or need a rest. I would hope that we do the same. Batch can play on D and on the wing and over the course of a season that flexibility could be a great asset.
Plus (and it is an obvious point) Batch is a Brit and there aren’t restrictions on how many brits you can name in your gameday team.
Last summer everyone was saying how great Batch had been and how he had to be re-signed. Yet he has a poorer season and so he should be cut?
Batch has been loyal to us for over a decade and some fans want to cut him after one ‘poor’ season. And I’d argue he wasn’t anywhere near as bad as some of criticism on here that he’s got.
The import limit is rising to 15 this summer. But that still means even if you have 15 fit imports you need 5 fit brits to play 4 lines.
Belfast showed last year the importance of having spare players who can come in with others are injured or need a rest. I would hope that we do the same. Batch can play on D and on the wing and over the course of a season that flexibility could be a great asset.
why would you want to carry an extra Brit? Guessing they cost more for less quality. “Batch can play on D and on the wing and over the course of a season that flexibility could be a great asset.” Did you watch him last season? He was done, zero effort in most games. Too slow,dosent hit, hides from confrontation. Not sure what he can offer anymore. DONT get me wrong he has been a great servant. But if your getting rid of Louis, batch has to go also
I would be surprised to see us retain more that 5 Brits. Imports provide more experience and more choice, and because of that the price comes down as there's a bigger market. With Waller signing it leaves a choice between Benny D and Batch, and even without Dugg's clanger I would pick Benny out of the two every time.
Even though we voted against it I don't see us deliberately putting ourselves at a possible disadvantage to all other teams before a puck is dropped out of principal. And like pointed out elsewhere we'll sign a spare later in the season, unlikely to start with one.
Even though we voted against it I don't see us deliberately putting ourselves at a possible disadvantage to all other teams before a puck is dropped out of principal. And like pointed out elsewhere we'll sign a spare later in the season, unlikely to start with one.