What Went Wrong For Canada With the trade deadline mere days away, another huge OHL trade was announced earlier today. In exchange for Brady Smith and eight draft picks, Oshawa acquired Canadian World Junior Championship defenseman Andrew Gibson. The big piece in this trade is Gibson, who will lace up his skates for a team besides Sault Ste Marie for the first time in his OHL career. The Nashville Predators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/] prospect had 72 points in 145 games played for the Greyhounds during his OHL career. What really stands out about Gibson's game isn't his offensive numbers, but everything else around them. At 6-foot-4 he is a physical force on the ice who can bully his opponents in the corners and in front of the net. He is also an accomplished shot-blocker who can play minutes shutting down the opponent's top players. The addition of Gibson takes what was already a strong D-corps and takes it up to the next level. There are a plethora of options available to Generals' Head Coach Steve O'Rourke including placing Gibson next to one of the league's highest-scoring defenders, Luca Marrelli. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyDH2TiwjOE[/embed] The trade suits Oshawa perfectly because it strengthens their blue line without sacrificing a whole lot of firepower on the ice. The price for Gibson won't be felt now but in the future. Sault Ste. Marie receives a 2027 second-round pick (OS), a 2027 third-round pick (OSH), a 2026 fourth-round pick (OSH), a 2027 fourth-round pick (OSH), a 2027 fourth-round pick (PTB), a 2027 sixth-round pick (OSH), a 2028 sixth-round pick (OSH) and finally a 2028 seventh-round pick (OSH). The only player going the other way is the 2024 OHL Priority Selection 17th overall selection Brady Smith. In 37 games this season Smith has seven points in 37 games played. Prior to the trade he was averaging under 10 minutes a night on the season. While Smith won't have a ton of impact this year for Oshawa he could develop into a very important player for the Greyhounds in the future. Oshawa now finds themselves without a large number of their own picks in the 2027 draft. The Greyhounds can either use them to complete further trades or stock up on young players in future drafts. Currently, the Greyhounds are barely holding onto the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. While they will likely make the playoffs, it seems unlikely they will make much noise in the postseason. Their roster is fairly, young with a large number of 2006, 2007 and 2008-born players. As such, their window to win is likely coming in the next few years. Smith clearly fits that window, and based on how he and his new teammates develop the Greyhounds could be firing on all cylinders in the near future. As such, this trade suits both teams. Oshawa has declared their bid for a championship while the Greyhounds gain young talent and a wealth of draft capital they can sit on like a dragon guarding its treasure. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
