home | about | search | archive | lcs classic
|
home | about | search | archive | lcs classic |
||
|
|
||
February 4, 2012
Online: 8
The Dave
The Ed
Radio Show
 Links
|
Draftyby Michael Menser Dell, Editor-in-Chief First, LCS Hockey would like to thank Versus for the hospitality it showed in actually broadcasting the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. I'm proud of you. LCS would also like to say hello to all our fans reading our draft coverage on their computer machines. You're 12 of the nicest people I've ever met. With the first pick in the 2007 NHL Draft, LCS Hockey is proud to select... vodka. If only every draft choice could be as consistent and hard-hitting. I found the Draft fairly entertaining. But before we get into the actual hockey end of things, there's a few other things I wanted to mention...
OTHER STUFF * At least Doug MacLean isn't bitter about losing his job in Columbus. Yikes. Nikolai Zherdev better have someone else start his car for a while. * It was painful watching David Poile get interviewed about the current situation in Nashville. Poile is one of the best GMs in hockey, and he's doing his best to keep the Predators competitive, but you could see the hopeless resignation in his eyes. The Preds are a dead team walking, and Poile knows it. * Speaking of Nashville, owner Craig Leipold sent a letter to the NHL basically telling the league the sale of the franchise is on hold until he gets a binding agreement from Jim Balsillie. Leipold is desperate to unload the Predators, and he's simply making a public spectacle to pressure Balsillie into getting a deal done. If Bettman were smart, he'd crawl on his hands and knees and beg Balsillie to buy the Preds and move them to Hamilton. The NHL has to get out of Tennessee. Put the team in Canada where it belongs. * How annoying was it to hear everybody thank Columbus for its hospitality? Enough already. But, to be fair, the Blue Jackets and their fans were very accommodating. In fact, to make it seem like a normal trip to Columbus, they even insisted everyone leave with two points.
* And I want to see someone go up to the podium and bust out a Dwight Schrute speech.
"Blood alone moves the wheels of history!
"Have you ever asked yourselves, in an hour of meditation which everyone finds during the day,
how long we've been striving for greatness? Not only the years we've been at war, the war of
drafting. But from the moment as a child when we realize that the world could be conquered. It
has been a lifetime struggle, a never-ending fight, I say to you, and you will understand that it is a
privilege to draft! We are warriors! General managers of the NHL, I ask you once more rise and
be worthy of this historical hour! No draft is worth anything unless it can defend itself!
"Some people will tell you GM is a bad word, they'll conjure up images of used car dealers and
door-to-door charlatans. This is our duty to change their perception. I say, general managers of
the world, unite! We must never acquiesce, for it is together, together that we prevail! We must
never cede control of the motherland for it is together that we prevail!"
I could definitely see Dean Lombardi doing it. He seems crazy. I want to party with that dude.
And nothing has made me feel older than watching last night's Draft. For the first time in my life, the players selected looked like kids. I swear Patrick Kane delivered my newspaper this morning. I didn't recognize Kyle Turris without his cub scout uniform. It was ridiculous. I haven't seen any of these kids play a lick of hockey, so far be it from me to judge any of them, but going on the few highlights I've seen and just the way they carry themselves, here are some of my initial impressions. * I don't see any way possible Patrick Kane makes an impact on the Chicago Blackhawks next season. Not many 5'9", 160-pound 18-year-olds play in the NHL. It's just not gonna happen. I know the Hawks are saying they'll give him every opportunity to make the team, but I have to think he's at least two years away. Martin St. Louis, Brian Gionta, Andy McDonald, and Jason Blake, all of similar stature to Kane, didn't become NHL regulars until their mid-to-late 20s. It could be a long wait. * On first impressions alone, my top two picks would have been Alexei Cherepanov and Angelo Esposito. They both seem to have that little extra something that defines star players. It's shocking they slipped as far as they did, with the Rangers getting Cherepanov at 17 and Esposito falling all the way to Pittsburgh at 20. Watching Cherepanov in the stands and during his interviews, he immediately reminded me of a young Jaromir Jagr, so it's only fitting he landed with the Blueshirts. Remember, the Penguins found Jagr with the fifth overall pick because teams were scared of trying to get him out of the Czech Republic. If anyone passed on Cherepanov because of the Russian transfer agreement, they're idiots. Now, if they passed on him because of his haircut, well, that's understandable. Cherepanov has said he wants to play one more year in Russia, but he'll be a star in the NHL. He's got the goods. A year ago, Esposito topped everyone's board; he was even the top-ranked player as late as January. But for whatever reason, whether it was perceived laziness, selfishness with the puck, or general uninspired play, Esposito's stock plummeted, dropping him to eighth among North American skaters. Going into the Draft, the 18-year-old Montreal native made no secret of his desire to play for the hometown Canadiens. It seemed doubtful he'd be available when the Habs picked at 12, but team after team bypassed the slick center, and when the Carolina Hurricanes, one of the clubs rumored to be enamored with Esposito, went in a different direction at 11, the Canadiens came face-to-face with a public relations nightmare. Incredibly, Montreal, a team with no identity and even less charisma, turned its back on its native son, instead choosing American defenseman Ryan McDonagh. Hard to get happy after that one. It's a perplexing decision to say the least and the kind of arrogance that can build a rift between fans and team management. After Montreal passed, Esposito lasted seven more picks before Pittsburgh took advantage of everyone else's foolishness, adding yet another weapon to its already fearsome offensive arsenal. Give Pittsburgh GM Ray Shero credit. With Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal already in place, lesser GMs would have shied away from taking a center, but Shero acquired another enviable asset, who, if he doesn't fit into the team's plans, could easily be traded for a proven scoring winger. The pick also creates even more excitement for an already frenzied fan base. Ask Montreal fans how they're feeling this morning. Pittsburgh is the perfect situation for Esposito. He won't have to be the face of the franchise. Even if he develops into an All-Star, he'll never be more than the fifth- or sixth-best player on the roster. Crosby's presence ensures there's zero chance of Esposito dogging it. And don't overlook the influence Gary Roberts will have in training camp. Even if Esposito doesn't stick with the team this year, being around Roberts for a few weeks will definitely leave a mark. I think Esposito will eventually thrive on Crosby's wing. He's gonna be a star. I can see the "Angelo's Italian Army" signs now. * Carolina passed on Esposito in favor of Brandon Sutter, who's the son of Brent Sutter. As a general rule, you can't go wrong picking a Sutter. That should work out for the Canes. If nothing else, Brandon definitely has his family's ears, so that's pretty cool. Edmonton also snagged a potential second-generation star in Sam Gagner, the son of former Minnesota North Stars great Dave Gagner. Anything to make me feel decrepit. The only thing worse than seeing the sons of players you grew up watching being drafted, is seeing their dads look like plumbers. * The Florida Panthers selected Keaton Ellerby with the 10th overall pick. But how's that for a name? Keaton Ellerby. It sounds like a Raymond Chandler character. The Cats are hoping Ellerby develops into another Jay Bouwmeester-type defenseman, but if all else fails, maybe he can kidnap an eccentric millionaire's daughter or something. * A couple other guys that impressed me were Vancouver's Patrick White (25th overall), who seems like a fine fellow, and San Jose's Nicholas Petrecki. How did Petrecki last until 28th? He looks like an absolute monster. And the Sharks and Doug Wilson know what they're doing. If they trade up to get somebody, rest assured, that kid's a player.
This is really a good deal for both clubs. In Vokoun, Florida gets a legit No. 1 netminder who, when healthy, is among the top five or six puck-stoppers in hockey. And upgrading in net is the quickest way to improve a team. Nashville will remain solid in goal with Chris Mason and youngster Pekka Rinne. Vokoun was definitely expendable, particularly with his $5-million salary. Getting what will likely be a top- 10 pick in next year's Draft, which by all accounts will be very strong, is a swell return. Even if Poile wasn't forced to cut payroll, this deal still makes a lot of sense. The only other significant trade saw San Jose ship Vesa Toskala and Mark Bell to Toronto for the Leafs' first-round pick (13th overall), their second-round pick (No. 44), and a 2009 fourth- rounder. This is another in a long line of horrible trades by the Maple Leafs. Toronto GM John Ferguson is apparently auditioning for a similar post with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ferguson is simply awful. Don't get me wrong, Toskala is a nice goaltender and all, but where are the Maple Leafs going? Are they really a goaltender away from Cup contention? Toskala isn't a top-10 netminder; it's doubtful he's even in the top 15. He's not going to be a difference maker. Giving up the 13th overall pick for him, especially when your team isn't exactly overflowing with talented prospects, is asinine. Worse yet, the Leafs have to take Bell and his $2.25 million price tag, making the trade a complete disaster. A team is only as good as its ownership and front office, making the Maple Leafs a sad, pitiful joke.
Although, it will be interesting to see what Burke does with backup Ilya Bryzgalov. His manageable contract and strong showings the past two postseasons give him plenty of trade value. But with reliable goaltending so instrumental to Anaheim's success, Bryzgalov might be worth keeping around. Burke also re-signed defensemen Sean O'Donnell and Kent Huskins. Pittsburgh made some headlines re-signing Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi to one-year deals. Roberts will get $2.5 million, while Recchi's base will be around $1.75 million with incentives possibly lifting it to $2 million. Getting Roberts, even at $2.5 million, is brilliant. I reckoned they'd have to give him at least two years. Roberts doesn't need to play 82 games to have an enormous impact on the young, impressionable Penguins. His work ethic and character will have influence long after he decides to retire, likely planting the seeds for multiple championships in the Steel City. The Pens would be wise to limit his regular season minutes, even if it means making him a healthy scratch on occasion. Keep him fresh for the playoffs. Roberts could have surely cashed similar paychecks elsewhere. Failing to get Roberts at the trade deadline is what cost John Muckler his job in Ottawa, so you know the Sens would have been calling on July 1. But Roberts obviously knows a good thing when he sees it. The Pittsburgh Penguins have the potential to be real special, and he wants to be a part of it. It's a testament to Crosby's greatness. As for Recchi, I would have liked to see him retire. He's done. Giving him $2 million is a waste of money. He's completely useless on the ice. If you wanted him to stick around as a mentor and advisor, give him a front office job. But for the love of Don Knotts, keep him away from Crosby's wing. He's like an anchor out there, and a soft, pudgy one at that.
Toronto has to be considered a loser. The Leafs gave up way too much for Toskala, crippling their entire draft class. And I'm not sure Kane was the right choice at No. 1 for Chicago. Unless, you know, maybe now they get a discount on their newspapers.
The Bears now have ties in front and old school shoulder patches, harkening back to the days of Bobby Orr. The B in the logo is also no longer connected to the spokes. The Caps are returning to their old red-and-white color scheme, complete with an updated version of the old logo, and they've got some sleek new striping on the arms. The Blue Jacket's changes are hardly noticeable, just a streamlining of the shoulders and sleeves. Overall, they're not too shabby. It's a good start to a new era in sweaters. We're planning some sort of jersey retrospective in the coming weeks, where we rank the best and the worst of all time. Stay tuned.
|
|
