Despite the thrilling game Thursday night against the Philadelphia Flyers, it hasn’t been the best of starts for the "new" Winnipeg Jets. That’s the obvious statement. The tougher challenge is trying to figure out why. A couple of things come to mind.
Firstly, this collection of players seemed to gel best under the tutelage of Craig Ramsay, specifically in the first half of last season. Not saying that Claude Noel isn’t a good coach, but every time I’d watch a Thrashers game from October to January I’d usually see all five Thrashers moving as a unit, each knowing where to be at all times and each with a specific assignment. For a young, developing team that still needs to be taught, Ramsay was an ideal choice.
But more so, the trades of both Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk have set this franchise back a number of years. Not that I pin it all on former Thrashers GM Don Waddell, who had his back against the wall in both situations, but when you move assets like Hossa and Kovalchuk, those deals need to set up your franchise for a decade or more.
So let’s see what’s left of those two blockbuster trades.
Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis to Pittsburgh for Colby Armstrong (left as a free agent), Erik Christensen (now with the Rangers), Angelo Esposito (never lived up to the hype in junior, and injuries have damaged his career significantly) and a first-round pick that turned into Daulton Leveille (still paying Division 1 hockey at Michigan State).
Ilya Kovalchuk and Anssi Salmela and a second-round pick (Jon Merrill) to New Jersey for Niklas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier (playing with the St. John’s IceCaps, still considered a prospect for the organization), Johnny Oduya (still with the Jets but finds himself scratched occasionally), plus a first- and second-round pick in 2010, which were shipped to Chicago as part of the package in the Byfuglien-Sopel-Eager trade (those players turned out to be Kevin Hayes and Justin Holl).
Judge for yourself, but these trades are heavily tilted against the Jets.
Stumbled across something interesting this week in my normal course of conversations. Is it true the L.A. Kings once turned down a trade for Joe Sakic from Quebec for Luc Robitaille? Apparently, it is. Quebec was looking for a French-Canadian star, and although everyone knew Sakic would be a standout, there was no way he was going to learn to speak the language. The Nords were eager to do the deal, but the Kings balked at the last minute. The deal would have given L.A. a one-two punch down the middle with Wayne Gretzky and Joe Sakic. Wow.
While we’re on the topic of trades, I was reminded this week of the failed Mike Comrie trade from Edmonton to Anaheim in 2003—a deal that fell apart when Oilers GM Kevin Lowe insisted Comrie surrender $2.5 million in bonus money after the player held out on Edmonton for more dough. Bryan Murray, then GM of the Ducks, had an agreement on a contract for Comrie done at $1.65 million per season on a two-year term, but the trade fell apart when Comrie refused to refund the Oilers. The player going the other way in exchange for Comrie: Corey Perry. Comrie ended up getting traded to the Flyers for Jeff Woywitka and two draft picks, one of which turned out to be Perry’s linemate from the London Knights, Robbie Schremp.
Yesterday the New Jersey Devils signed right-winger Steve Bernier to an AHL contract. Bernier is listed at 6’3", 220 pounds, which further proves that the old saying in hockey is still true: a big man has to prove that he can’t play while a small man always has to prove that he can.
Speaking of New Jersey, as much as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins seems to get all the headlines, the best player I’ve seen play in the league from the 2011 NHL entry draft is Adam Larsson. He plays big minutes in every match, averaging nearly 24 per game. Perhaps even more shocking is this: in very un-Devils-like fashion, he hasn’t spent a single day in the AHL. Larsson went right from the draft table to the big team. If you know Lou Lamoriello at all, you know this is a rarity. He likes to season his players, especially defencemen in the American league, before promoting them to the main squad.
Really enjoyed Pucks on the Net, the latest book by Joe Pelletier, hockey researcher and fellow member of the Society for International Hockey Research. Online, Joe is best known for his daily blog, Hockey’s Greatest Legends (www.greatesthockeylegends.com), a daily stop of yours truly, and the 1972 Summit Series blog (www.1972summitseries.com). Some terrific stories about everything from old-time hockey nicknames to the top 10 oddest hockey injuries, to fixing games, to some fascinating stories about Bill Durnan, Al Rollins, and Alfie Moore, to the first goaler to wear a mask (hint: it was a woman). If you’re a hockey history junkie like me, this one’s a great read.
Today in Hockey History – Oct 28
1963: Gary Nylund is born in Surrey, B.C. Injuries ravaged what should’ve been a great career for this defenceman. After his career ended, Nylund, like many hockey players before and after him, became a professional firefighter. In 2001 he earned the British Columbia Medal of Honour after rushing in to a burning paper factory to rescue two colleagues who were trapped under cardboard boxes.
1963: Kevin Dineen is born in Quebec City. My favourite Dineen story: Kevin’s playing an exhibition game for the Whalers against Buffalo, and a young kid, a rookie, lines up next to him and says, "Mr. Dineen, I’m really trying to make this team. Would you do me the honour of a fight? I want to get John Muckler to notice me."
Dineen replies, "Sure, kid, no problem. But let’s have some fun. How about we only throw lefts?"
"That’s great," says the kid. "I’m fine with that. Thanks for doing this for me."
"No problem, son."
The puck drops, they snap mitts, and Dineen lights him up like a Roman candle in a lopsided beat-down. After they both serve five and skate back to their benches, Coach Muckler greets the kid with, "You know Dineen’s a lefty, don’t you?"
1971: Gilles Meloche, playing in his third career NHL game, earns a shutout as the Seals beat the Bruins 2-0. I still maintain that Meloche is one of the greatest goalers to ever play the game. Put him on the Bruins or Habs instead of the Seals or Barons or North Stars, and we’re talking about him like we talk about Bernie Parent or Ken Dryden.
1973: The St. Louis Blues trade Jack Egers for Glen Sather. Great Sather story: After turning pro out of junior (he played for the Edmonton Oil Kings), Sather had built into his contract with the Detroit Red Wings that as long as he played in the NHL the Wings would pay for any university courses he took. Sather later joined the Bruins and then the Rangers, at which point he decided to pursue a university degree in his spare time, and billed the Wings. Detroit initially refused to pay for Sather’s education, maintaining the deal was made when he was a Red Wing and shouldn’t stand up since he was now employed elsewhere. The case went to the desk of former NHL president Clarence Campbell, who ruled in Sather’s favour. Sather went on to earn a degree in physical education and child psychology on Detroit’s dime.
1981: Ric Seiling scores his 100th career NHL goal as his Sabres beat the Blues 6-2 at The Aud. Just over a year later Seiling would get poked in the eye by an errant Phil Russell stick, which ultimately ended his career (he did come back wearing a visor, but his vision was never the same). After leaving the NHL, Ric took up harness racing and became a jockey.
1987: Kevin Maguire scores the first goal of his career as his Sabres tie the Hartford Whalers 2-2. When he was with the Maple Leafs, Maguire once picked a fight with Wendel Clark. Let’s just say it didn’t end well for Maguire. However, he was part of one of my favourite scraps of all time with Whaler Shane Churla. Enjoy.
1988: Bernie Nicholls scores his 11th career hat trick as the Kings down the Jets 7-4. Nicholls grew up idolizing Bryan Trottier, and after the first time playing against the Islanders asked both Trottier and Bossy for their game-used sticks.