HOWLING FOR THE ’DOGS

Are they good enough to go for it? Or should they move stars?

The Hamilton Bulldogs took on the Mississauga Steelheads in front of nearly 9,000 screaming students Wednesday, including this group from Parkdale Elementary School. More from the game,

With two beautiful assists on Wednesday, Logan Morrison didn’t just set the Hamilton Bulldogs’ alltime assist record, he got just a little bit closer to becoming the franchise’s scoring leader. He’s on pace to get there well before the end of the year.

If he’s still here, that is.

This is a confusing time for middle-of-the-pack teams like the Bulldogs. The Ontario Hockey League trade deadline is a month away and you know teams will be sniffing around for guys like Morrison.

He’s a proven producer in the regular season, having collected 100 points last season and scoring at an even faster rate this year. More importantly, he’s shown he can do it in the playoffs. Last year, he put together a 24-game scoring streak in the post-season and won the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as playoff MVP.

So do you go for it, hoping you can go on a miracle run? Or do you deal your veteran stars and gather assets that you can use to build for the future?

Do you look at a team that’s sitting 15th in a 20-team league and decide it just doesn’t have it this year? Or do you look at the talent that’s in black and gold once everyone’s healthy and believe it can conjure some magic again?

“We’re still trying to figure out how good we are,” says general manager Matt Turek.

Wednesday morning’s school day game — which saw 8,732 wired elementary school students spend a couple hours turning innocent eardrums into shrapnel — showed both sides of the coin.

The unusually frisky contest (there were five fights and 88 total penalty minutes in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Mississauga Steelheads) saw the Bulldogs display moments of brilliance and then some horrendous turnovers.

Followed up by more brilliance. And then some more gaffes. So what’s the answer?

Fold or call?

Hamilton has at least four guys who would draw significant interest from contenders at the Jan. 9 deadline.

There’s Morrison, for obvious reasons. There’s his linemate Avery Hayes, who has a ridiculous 22 goals in 24 games including two on Wednesday. There’s overage defenceman Gavin White, who’s played just 13 games this year but has 18 points. And there’s Ryan Winterton.

Winterton is a massive wild card in all this. He hasn’t played a game yet this season after injuring his shoulder in last season’s playoff run and then playing through the pain. The third-round draft pick of the Seattle Kraken is a terrific player who could significantly improve the Bulldogs when he returns in the new year. Or attract a hefty price.

Former GM Steve Staios significantly emptied the cupboard to get Mason McTavish and Arber Xhekaj last season. Nobody’s complaining. Both were terrific and they were key in bringing Hamilton a title. You accept that cost for a championship every time.

But it’s left the quiver a little empty for next time. Injecting a bushel full of picks would set the franchise up for the future. But is this team still too good to completely give up on?

As we say, it’s confusing. And you can throw one more wrinkle into the mix. You may have heard that First Ontario Centre is being closed for renovations in the fall so the Bulldogs won’t be here. Do you therefore go for it again now and live with the consequences over the next two years while you’re out of town so the local fan base is left with a positive impression?

The biggest indicator of how the team plans to proceed may be what happens with Morrison.

He’s not just the leading scorer and the captain but he has that team scoring record in his sights.

Moving him would mean Turek doesn’t really think there’s a realistic chance for a defence of last year’s championship or even a deep playoff run. Holding onto him suggests there’s a belief that if things fall into place and the stars align just right, there might be. There’s a month to figure out which is the right answer.