Why not the Fronts?

Hope, not unlike the reality of Larry Mavety being the GM-for-life of Limestone City Light Brigade, is eternal.

In the spirit of that, the Kingston Frontenacs should get credit for adding defenceman Jesse Hebscher from Sudbury today for a forward, Zach McGillis. You can never have too many D-men, right? McGillis might have ended up being caught in a numbers game at training camp due to a surfeit of 1990-birthdate forwards, so it's a decent get if Hebscher ends up being a sixth or seventh D-man who can scrap when it's needed.

In the past eight months, his Royal Mavness has dealt for Hebscher, Corbin Crawford, Kevin Christmas and Zack Fenwick. He also spent high draft choices on Ottawa native Erik Gudbrandson and Taylor Mort, to go along with a top-two defenceman, Taylor Doherty, who's entering his second season. Peter Stevens is still around as the utility player.

That should be a good enough back end to help the Fronts hold their own in a weak Eastern Conference in the next season -- or so you would think if you weren't acutely aware of how it's gone during the first decade of Doug Springer's plan for OHL domination. Finding some good overagers -- some of the diehards might feel that Matt Kang's worn out his welcome -- would be a next item on the agenda. Now that the Belleville Bulls are at the end of a cycle that peaked with a run to the Memorial Cup, the flight deck is clear for someone to make a run in the East.

(Incidentally, some of the pot-stirrers at Fronts Talk have made a note that former Frontenacs coach Dave Allison has bought a home in Kingston. Feel free not to read anything into that, since Springer is saving a salary by having Mavety come back as coach.)

Related:
Wolves acquire rights to McGillis (Sudbury Star)