|
|
Post by jkr on Jan 31, 2010 22:06:42 GMT -5
I'm not sold that Phaneuf is the best player in the trade. If someone argued that he has the most potential, I would agree. At this very moment I think a very strong argument can be made that Stajan is as good, or better. Burke gets the biggest 'name' in the deal. But is he better down the road? Hard to say. Phaneuf has a lot of work to do to become a complete player (like his salary would indicate). IMO he's a faster version of Komisarek with more offense and a better shot. They've got more than $20 million invested in Phaneuf, Komisarek, Kaberle, Finger, Exelby, Schenn. Finger and Exelby have likely played their last games of the season barring injury. I would expect Garnett to be be traded for a low pick. Finger they'll likely have to eat. IMO, Burke is setting up to trade Kaberle at some point. Tomas has his NTC for the rest of the season but, starting this Summer, it's gone. I would seem en mass that Leafs fans are ecstatic and Flames fans feel like it's 1991 all over again. At least that's the sense I get from hfboards. The sense I got from the Flames board is not so much disappointment that Phaneuf was traded but that they feel they could have received more. I don't know if that's true or like all fans, they overvalue their players. |
|
|
|
Post by jkr on Jan 31, 2010 22:09:40 GMT -5
My mistake on the 1st round pick. I was going off the early reports I read, then left to stew while out before coming home and posting. Giggy for Toskala and Blake without a 1st entry is an even deal. Still doesn't mean Gainey shouldn't have been after NYR's 1st for taking Gomez off their hands. Yeah, BG was doing Sather a favor there. I think, on the New York side this deal will hinge on McDonagh.. He's back at school for a 3rd year & didn't make the WJC team for the U.S so who knows. Higgins has been lousy this year & is a UFA & Valentenko may not come back to North America. |
|
|
|
Post by Rhiessan on Jan 31, 2010 23:35:50 GMT -5
I'm not sold that Phaneuf is the best player in the trade. If someone argued that he has the most potential, I would agree. At this very moment I think a very strong argument can be made that Stajan is as good, or better. Burke gets the biggest 'name' in the deal. But is he better down the road? Hard to say. Phaneuf has a lot of work to do to become a complete player (like his salary would indicate). IMO he's a faster version of Komisarek with more offense and a better shot. They've got more than $20 million invested in Phaneuf, Komisarek, Kaberle, Finger, Exelby, Schenn. Finger and Exelby have likely played their last games of the season barring injury. I would expect Garnett to be be traded for a low pick. Finger they'll likely have to eat. IMO, Burke is setting up to trade Kaberle at some point. Tomas has his NTC for the rest of the season but, starting this Summer, it's gone. I would seem en mass that Leafs fans are ecstatic and Flames fans feel like it's 1991 all over again. At least that's the sense I get from hfboards. Being down here in the golden horseshoe and all I get to hear all the Laff crap and Exelby along with a couple others that weren't playing, requested a trade last week. It inspired a nice lil tirade by Wilson in an interview after that went something like "Boo hoo, i'm not playing, trade me". Paraphasing of course but the "Boo hoo" was a direct quote ;D |
|
|
|
Post by BadCompany on Feb 1, 2010 10:38:51 GMT -5
...this deal will hinge on McDonagh.. He's back at school for a 3rd year & didn't make the WJC team for the U.S so who knows. McDonagh wasn’t cut from the last WJC, he was actually too old to play. OCD is contagious.  Not directed at you jkr, but in general I don’t get the fascination with getting NCAA into the pro ranks as quickly as possible. Obviously every player is different, but you would think that with our recent experiences with NCAA players we would be a little more patient. In my ever-humble opinion I think Hainsey, Komisarek, Higgins and Pacioretty were ALL rushed to the AHL, and all of them could have benefited from a 3rd, if not 4th year in college. * Hainsey and Higgins had the skill, but in my from-a-distance opinion not the maturity. You took a couple of kids away from disciplined, structured environments like school, gave them a boat-load of cash and the free time to match it, and well you’re looking for trouble. Not millions in the AHL, but $75,000 to a 19 year old is still a lot of money. Heck, it’s a lot of money to me. And yes, I realize that there are some wild parties in college (I watch Fox, I know), but there is still some degree of accountability in terms of school attendance and performance. Higgins, in particular, was attending Yale and I somehow don’t think Yale would sacrifice it’s academic standards for a player on a minor sport like hockey. * Komisarek definitely, and perhaps Pacioretty as well, could have really benefitted from a couple of more years in college, if you ask me (and nobody ever does, why is that?). I’ll confess I never saw Max play in NCAA, so I’m doing some reverse psychology, looking at his lack of NHL confidence and assuming… but Komisarek I saw several times and am confident in my analysis. I said then, and I say it now, he really needed at least one more year under Red Berenson’s tutelage. I remember watching Michigan games and he wasn’t even the top 3rd or 4th player on his team let alone in all of the NCAA. I remember Berenson once saying that “Komisarek had untapped offensive potential” and while that quote seems laughable now, what if he was right? Komisarek rarely played the power-play, rarely played offensive situations, rarely exploited his skating or worked on his puck-handling. He was a young player on a veteran team, so he did what all young players did; played it safe. Remember, Komisarek only started playing hockey around 11, so he was always “behind” kids who’ve been handling a puck since they were three. He was never “the man” on a team, never the go-to guy, never the one expected to carry the team. As a third year player in Michigan he would have been counted on, and perhaps he would have developed some puck confidence. Instead, he was yanked out and sent to the AHL where he was playing against much better competition, where any mistake he made was going to end up in the back of his net. So again he plays it safe and gets down on himself when he makes a mistake. He gets called up to the NHL, where he is “coached” by Rick “Hey! Ho! Off-the-glass-you-go!” Green. Result? He never, in his entire hockey career, is taught how to be an offensive player. Perhaps the instincts never would have been there, but I’ll defer to Berenson, who thinks they might have been. Which brings us to McDonagh and his “wasted” third year in NCAA. The third year where he is now co-captain of a powerhouse NCAA team, where he has built up his strength and conditioning (now benches 300+ apparently) and where he is a go-to guy. A leader. Something he wouldn’t have been in Hamilton, or Hartford, or wherever. They always say a player should dominate before moving up, and that’s what he is in the process of learning how to do, something our “rushed” NCAA prospects were never allowed to do. Which I guess is a long-winded way of saying Louis Leblanc should stay at Harvard for at least one more year, if you ask me. At least. What was this thread about again? |
|
|
|
Post by Skilly on Feb 1, 2010 10:52:46 GMT -5
How come other teams always manage top trade their scrubs for something ....
I disagree about the players being rushed. Higgins for example, played 2 years in college and was basically a point a gamer. In college. Weak competition in other words when compared to the CHL and the AHL .... then he spent 2 years on the Hamilton Bulldogs. He wasn't brought up straight to Montreal. And he had about 0.7ppg in the AHL .... a decline in production that you would expect when going to a more competitive league. Also, I might add, a decline you would expect from someone who wasn't first line material from the start and only looked it against the NCAA competition.
If Higgins was rushed, it was at the NHL level ... not the developmental leagues. He was scouted as a third liner, with second line potential, and he was drafted as a third liner .... but for some unknown reason known only to the Gods, Montreal coaches convinced Higgins and themselves that he was a first line 40 goal scorer.
|
|
|
|
Post by jkr on Feb 1, 2010 10:59:15 GMT -5
...this deal will hinge on McDonagh.. He's back at school for a 3rd year & didn't make the WJC team for the U.S so who knows. McDonagh wasn’t cut from the last WJC, he was actually too old to play. OCD is contagious. Not directed at you jkr, but in general I don’t get the fascination with getting NCAA into the pro ranks as quickly as possible. Obviously every player is different, but you would think that with our recent experiences with NCAA players we would be a little more patient. In my ever-humble opinion I think Hainsey, Komisarek, Higgins and Pacioretty were ALL rushed to the AHL, and all of them could have benefited from a 3rd, if not 4th year in college. * Hainsey and Higgins had the skill, but in my from-a-distance opinion not the maturity. You took a couple of kids away from disciplined, structured environments like school, gave them a boat-load of cash and the free time to match it, and well you’re looking for trouble. Not millions in the AHL, but $75,000 to a 19 year old is still a lot of money. Heck, it’s a lot of money to me. And yes, I realize that there are some wild parties in college (I watch Fox, I know), but there is still some degree of accountability in terms of school attendance and performance. Higgins, in particular, was attending Yale and I somehow don’t think Yale would sacrifice it’s academic standards for a player on a minor sport like hockey. * Komisarek definitely, and perhaps Pacioretty as well, could have really benefitted from a couple of more years in college, if you ask me (and nobody ever does, why is that?). I’ll confess I never saw Max play in NCAA, so I’m doing some reverse psychology, looking at his lack of NHL confidence and assuming… but Komisarek I saw several times and am confident in my analysis. I said then, and I say it now, he really needed at least one more year under Red Berenson’s tutelage. I remember watching Michigan games and he wasn’t even the top 3rd or 4th player on his team let alone in all of the NCAA. I remember Berenson once saying that “Komisarek had untapped offensive potential” and while that quote seems laughable now, what if he was right? Komisarek rarely played the power-play, rarely played offensive situations, rarely exploited his skating or worked on his puck-handling. He was a young player on a veteran team, so he did what all young players did; played it safe. Remember, Komisarek only started playing hockey around 11, so he was always “behind” kids who’ve been handling a puck since they were three. He was never “the man” on a team, never the go-to guy, never the one expected to carry the team. As a third year player in Michigan he would have been counted on, and perhaps he would have developed some puck confidence. Instead, he was yanked out and sent to the AHL where he was playing against much better competition, where any mistake he made was going to end up in the back of his net. So again he plays it safe and gets down on himself when he makes a mistake. He gets called up to the NHL, where he is “coached” by Rick “Hey! Ho! Off-the-glass-you-go!” Green. Result? He never, in his entire hockey career, is taught how to be an offensive player. Perhaps the instincts never would have been there, but I’ll defer to Berenson, who thinks they might have been. Which brings us to McDonagh and his “wasted” third year in NCAA. The third year where he is now co-captain of a powerhouse NCAA team, where he has built up his strength and conditioning (now benches 300+ apparently) and where he is a go-to guy. A leader. Something he wouldn’t have been in Hamilton, or Hartford, or wherever. They always say a player should dominate before moving up, and that’s what he is in the process of learning how to do, something our “rushed” NCAA prospects were never allowed to do. Which I guess is a long-winded way of saying Louis Leblanc should stay at Harvard for at least one more year, if you ask me. At least. What was this thread about again? BC I happen to agree with you about the whole "rushed prospects" situation. We used to complain that guys were held back by spending too much time in the minors or school. Now we have taken the opposite tack & want them to move forward ASAP. Pacioretty, for example, came out of school early, played app. 20 AHL games & was elevated to the NHL. I hope he stays in Hamilton for the season this time. It seems that the organization has lost patience or is rushing people because they need bodies at the NHL level. Thanks for the info on McDonagh though. The U.S. made a lot of changes to their WJC roster & I thought he had been left off. Speaking of prospects still in school - what's going on with Fischer? |
|
|
|
Post by Douper on Feb 1, 2010 12:02:06 GMT -5
I find it comical every time I see Dreger saying "Toronto's horses on Defense: Komisarek, Phaneuf, Schenn, Beauchemin".
It's like when they pumped up Justin Pogge so much....where is he now? Falling in the Ducks system!
I'd love to see another Canadian team make a big trade just to lessen the Maple Leaf Propaganda machine! TSN, Sportsnet, the Score should all have Blue and White logos. Just horrible.
|
|
|
|
Post by BadCompany on Feb 1, 2010 12:44:03 GMT -5
What's going on with Fischer? I don’t get Fischer… great, great skater, but doesn’t seem to be able to do anything otherwise. I never expected him to be a big point getter, but I thought he would be a Ron Hainsey type of player; good puck mover, gets the puck out, smooth in the transition game, reliable (somewhat) defensively. Or a Josh Gorges type, for those who still have a hate-on for Hainsey. Nothing spectacular, but a good 3rd or 4th defenseman nonetheless… But geez, even that’s looking like a stretch now. Still an extremely pretty skater, but so is Gaetan Boucher… Hopefully he pans out, because frankly speaking our defensive depth has taken quite a hit in the last year, with the losses of Emelin, Valentenko and McDonagh, and the regressions of Weber, Carle (injuries) and O’Byrne… |
|
|
|
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Feb 1, 2010 13:45:25 GMT -5
...this deal will hinge on McDonagh.. He's back at school for a 3rd year & didn't make the WJC team for the U.S so who knows. McDonagh wasn’t cut from the last WJC, he was actually too old to play. OCD is contagious. Not directed at you jkr, but in general I don’t get the fascination with getting NCAA into the pro ranks as quickly as possible. Obviously every player is different, but you would think that with our recent experiences with NCAA players we would be a little more patient. In my ever-humble opinion I think Hainsey, Komisarek, Higgins and Pacioretty were ALL rushed to the AHL, and all of them could have benefited from a 3rd, if not 4th year in college. I don't know if that would be the case solely, BC. I think you're right in that a lot of players could have benefited from developing longer in Hamilton. However, I can't help but think what things could have been had coach Boucher come on the scene earlier. There was a steady graduation of Bulldogs to Montreal at one point. The team looked set for the next several years. Things were positive and moving forward. But, but Don Lever was at the helm in Hamilton and I think it might have been difficult to know whether those prospects really were properly prepared or not. One thing that seems to be a consensus is that development under Coach Boucher seems to have improved. Matt Carle said that he learned more this year under Boucher and his staff than he had in three years in Hamilton. I think you're bang on with the teenager-with-money reference as well. But, looking back at the way things were in Montreal over the past few years, where was the mentoring? It's one thing to give fame and money to young people, but they need mentors there to show them just what to do and how to handle it. No one is saying they can't spend their money, get hammered, what have you. Matt Schneider said he did the same thing when he was that age and in that position. He didn't make the papers for his partying, nor did his teammates (or at least if they did I honestly can't remember). So, what did Matt have that these young guys didn't? I believe it was a lack of proper mentoring. Over the past few years Montreal was not a good place to play. Why? I really don't know because I'm not in the organization. But, there's a lot of these Hamiliton graduates who have now simply moved on and I believe it's due to a combination of poor development and a lack of mentoring at the crucial levels. One thing about bringing in Giguere, though. Burke has brought in a veteran goaltender who's a winner and who can provide the mentorship Gustavsson will need as he progresses as a pro. Where's Carey Price's mentor? Burke also brought in a young defenceman who has unlimited potential. Yet, unlike Gustavsson, I feel young Phaneuf is missing a proper mentor. If Burke lands that kind of experience in the next little while I think Phaneuf will excel again. Cheers. |
|
|
|
Post by jkr on Feb 1, 2010 18:36:44 GMT -5
McDonagh wasn’t cut from the last WJC, he was actually too old to play. OCD is contagious. Not directed at you jkr, but in general I don’t get the fascination with getting NCAA into the pro ranks as quickly as possible. Obviously every player is different, but you would think that with our recent experiences with NCAA players we would be a little more patient. In my ever-humble opinion I think Hainsey, Komisarek, Higgins and Pacioretty were ALL rushed to the AHL, and all of them could have benefited from a 3rd, if not 4th year in college. Burke also brought in a young defenceman who has unlimited potential. Yet, unlike Gustavsson, I feel young Phaneuf is missing a proper mentor. If Burke lands that kind of experience in the next little while I think Phaneuf will excel again. Cheers. Dis - what I wonder about Phaneuf is something Damien Cox was alluding too. He was making a comparison between McCabe & Phaneuf. Both are good offensive D men with defensive shortcomings & also with very large contracts. With those large contracts came large expectations. It eventually became untenable for McCabe. I wonder if it will happen with Phaneuf. |
|
|
|
Post by jkr on Feb 2, 2010 15:41:32 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by franko on Feb 2, 2010 16:01:22 GMT -5
what does it say about a team when a new guy comes in 2/3 through the season and immediately becomes the alpha leader -- without a whimper from the others in the pack?
|
|
|
|
Post by Boston_Habs on Feb 2, 2010 16:22:58 GMT -5
No one is saying they can't spend their money, get hammered, what have you. Matt Schneider said he did the same thing when he was that age and in that position. ...He didn't make the papers for his partying, nor did his teammates (or at least if they did I honestly can't remember). Cheers. A HUGE difference was the level of media scrutiny. That and the fact that the Habs were a pretty successful team in the mid-late 1980s. Guys like Shayne Corson, Chris Chelios, and Mathieu Schneider were huge party animals but their exploits didn't show up in the papers every morning. You always heard rumors about players or you knew some girl who partied with some of the Habs, but it was largely out of the media who pretty much let the boys be boys. I know Ronald Corey didn't like it and it's been speculated that he wanted guys like Corson and Chelios shipped out because they didn't represent the CH image. Today, if a Habs player gets trashed on St Laurent it's practically caught on a cell phone camera and posted to youtube within 24 hours. Which only strengthens BC's argument about developing these kids slowly and giving them plenty of time and supports to adjust to life in the NHL. |
|
|
|
Post by ValkyrieNS on Feb 2, 2010 16:43:17 GMT -5
Dion needs a language coach too... and I'm not volunteering for the job  Far from intimidated, however, Dion Phaneuf stepped into the fray, cracked a smile and said – 15 times in his nine-minute address, no less – he was “excited” to be there. what does it say about a team when a new guy comes in 2/3 through the season and immediately becomes the alpha leader -- without a whimper from the others in the pack? They all know they suck? That or no one was up to the task? Only five of their guys are 30 or older... and one of them is brand new [Jiggy]. |
|
|
|
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Feb 2, 2010 17:27:26 GMT -5
Burke also brought in a young defenceman who has unlimited potential. Yet, unlike Gustavsson, I feel young Phaneuf is missing a proper mentor. If Burke lands that kind of experience in the next little while I think Phaneuf will excel again. Cheers. Dis - what I wonder about Phaneuf is something Damien Cox was alluding too. He was making a comparison between McCabe & Phaneuf. Both are good offensive D men with defensive shortcomings & also with very large contracts. With those large contracts came large expectations. It eventually became untenable for McCabe. I wonder if it will happen with Phaneuf. It's plausible for sure. Phaneuf's contract is huge and that's a lot to live up to. What's missing now is a veteran on that blueline to show him the ropes. Gustavsson now has Giguere, but I think Phaneuf would benefit from a veteran d-man as well. He has that huge contract, granted, but he also had his best years when he was paired with Hamrlik. At least I think so anyway. If Burke finds a 'Bill White' kind of guy, that might do the trick. Easier said than done though. Still, you're right in that he's got a lot to prove, more so when you look at the contract. Cheers. |
|
|
|
Post by habernac on Feb 2, 2010 17:30:02 GMT -5
what does it say about a team when a new guy comes in 2/3 through the season and immediately becomes the alpha leader -- without a whimper from the others in the pack? not surprising coming from a team in 29th place in the NHL. |
|
|
|
Post by Andrew on Feb 2, 2010 23:09:00 GMT -5
I don't like the trade at all - it reminds me of the Thornton trade. Toronto lands a potential franchise player for a bunch of spare parts. I haven't seen much of Phaneuf, but 24 is way too early to give up on a defenceman who's struggling - given the promise he showed both in the WJC and early in his NHL career.
When Calgary came to town recently, I remember thinking that I was glad he played in the west - after a couple of big hits on our forwards.
|
|
|
|
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Feb 3, 2010 18:17:35 GMT -5
Just caught the end of the telecast, but I got the gist that the Leafs and the Black Hawks are talking about another "blockbuster" trade.
Anyone hear that part of the telecast?
Cheers.
|
|
|
|
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Feb 3, 2010 18:44:09 GMT -5
No one is saying they can't spend their money, get hammered, what have you. Matt Schneider said he did the same thing when he was that age and in that position. ...He didn't make the papers for his partying, nor did his teammates (or at least if they did I honestly can't remember). Cheers. A HUGE difference was the level of media scrutiny. That and the fact that the Habs were a pretty successful team in the mid-late 1980s. Guys like Shayne Corson, Chris Chelios, and Mathieu Schneider were huge party animals but their exploits didn't show up in the papers every morning. You always heard rumors about players or you knew some girl who partied with some of the Habs, but it was largely out of the media who pretty much let the boys be boys. I know Ronald Corey didn't like it and it's been speculated that he wanted guys like Corson and Chelios shipped out because they didn't represent the CH image. Today, if a Habs player gets trashed on St Laurent it's practically caught on a cell phone camera and posted to youtube within 24 hours. Which only strengthens BC's argument about developing these kids slowly and giving them plenty of time and supports to adjust to life in the NHL. I can buy into that to a degree, BH, but like you said, we're talking about Montreal. The circumstances are different in Montreal where young millionaire hockey players are hounded, celebrated and revered. However, in some other NHL cities hockey players can go about their daily and nightly business without that kind of attention or scrutiny. You're right about the lack of privacy in Montreal. I remember a You Tube vid that was posted here on the board with S. Kostitsyn being hounded while he was trying to drive his sports car downtown. However, we're talking about Montreal which is different from a lot of other NHL cities. Colorado's Matt Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly don't seem to be having the same kind of problems the Kostitsyns have been reported to have had. Honestly, BH, yes, bring the kids along slowly; show them the ropes of NHL celebrity status, but for the sake of Mother McRae, have some decent mentors with the big club when they get there. I believe it's at this level where they learn to deal with a paparazzi-mentality and that kind of mentoring should be in place for them. I just don't think that kind of leadership was prevalent in Montreal over the past few years. That's only an opinion, BH, because I'm only an outsider looking in. Cheers. |
|
|
|
Post by jkr on Feb 4, 2010 9:15:26 GMT -5
Just caught the end of the telecast, but I got the gist that the Leafs and the Black Hawks are talking about another "blockbuster" trade. Anyone hear that part of the telecast? Cheers. Other than Kaberle, what to the Leafs have left to trade that would constitue a blockbuster trade? I can't see the Hawks seriously messing with their lineup now. They certainly don't need a shakeup. |
|
|
|
Post by jkr on Feb 4, 2010 9:18:57 GMT -5
A HUGE difference was the level of media scrutiny. That and the fact that the Habs were a pretty successful team in the mid-late 1980s. Guys like Shayne Corson, Chris Chelios, and Mathieu Schneider were huge party animals but their exploits didn't show up in the papers every morning. You always heard rumors about players or you knew some girl who partied with some of the Habs, but it was largely out of the media who pretty much let the boys be boys. I know Ronald Corey didn't like it and it's been speculated that he wanted guys like Corson and Chelios shipped out because they didn't represent the CH image. Today, if a Habs player gets trashed on St Laurent it's practically caught on a cell phone camera and posted to youtube within 24 hours. Which only strengthens BC's argument about developing these kids slowly and giving them plenty of time and supports to adjust to life in the NHL. I can buy into that to a degree, BH, but like you said, we're talking about Montreal. The circumstances are different in Montreal where young millionaire hockey players are hounded, celebrated and revered. However, in some other NHL cities hockey players can go about their daily and nightly business without that kind of attention or scrutiny. You're right about the lack of privacy in Montreal. I remember a You Tube vid that was posted here on the board with S. Kostitsyn being hounded while he was trying to drive his sports car downtown. However, we're talking about Montreal which is different from a lot of other NHL cities. Colorado's Matt Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly don't seem to be having the same kind of problems the Kostitsyns have been reported to have had. Honestly, BH, yes, bring the kids along slowly; show them the ropes of NHL celebrity status, but for the sake of Mother McRae, have some decent mentors with the big club when they get there. I believe it's at this level where they learn to deal with a paparazzi-mentality and that kind of mentoring should be in place for them. I just don't think that kind of leadership was prevalent in Montreal over the past few years. That's only an opinion, BH, because I'm only an outsider looking in. Cheers. Other than Montreal, no other place gets more scrutiny than Toronto. Yet last year when Schenn made the team at 18 I remember reading that he was living on his own in a hotel. He had no "mentor" until they traded for Brad May later in the season. He moved in with Schenn until season's end. I don't think that's such a great idea but Montreal is not the only team that works this way. |
|
|
|
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Feb 4, 2010 11:16:45 GMT -5
I can buy into that to a degree, BH, but like you said, we're talking about Montreal. The circumstances are different in Montreal where young millionaire hockey players are hounded, celebrated and revered. However, in some other NHL cities hockey players can go about their daily and nightly business without that kind of attention or scrutiny. You're right about the lack of privacy in Montreal. I remember a You Tube vid that was posted here on the board with S. Kostitsyn being hounded while he was trying to drive his sports car downtown. However, we're talking about Montreal which is different from a lot of other NHL cities. Colorado's Matt Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly don't seem to be having the same kind of problems the Kostitsyns have been reported to have had. Honestly, BH, yes, bring the kids along slowly; show them the ropes of NHL celebrity status, but for the sake of Mother McRae, have some decent mentors with the big club when they get there. I believe it's at this level where they learn to deal with a paparazzi-mentality and that kind of mentoring should be in place for them. I just don't think that kind of leadership was prevalent in Montreal over the past few years. That's only an opinion, BH, because I'm only an outsider looking in. Cheers. Other than Montreal, no other place gets more scrutiny than Toronto. Yet last year when Schenn made the team at 18 I remember reading that he was living on his own in a hotel. He had no "mentor" until they traded for Brad May later in the season. He moved in with Schenn until season's end. I don't think that's such a great idea but Montreal is not the only team that works this way. Right on, JKR. This sort of supports my belief that we can develop all the talent we want, but unless there's a supporting cast in the show to help them along, they could lose their focus and their development pretty quickly. I left a post on the main board about what Boucher is doing for his players, specifically Darche. He's an older, journeyman kind of player but he points out the support he still gets from Boucher even though he's in Montreal now. This is the support I'm talking about and the lack of that kind of support in Montreal. Ref Schenn: I'm really glad you posted that, JKR. A scenario like that is inexcusable in my books. But, still, imagine having to go back to a hotel after having a bad game or stretch of games. We're talking about an 18-year-old and the last thing I'd let the kid do is go back and relive his mistakes over and over. Having said that, correct me if I'm wrong (some of you TO-based folks would know a bit more on this), but wasn't there talk about demoting Schenn at one point last year? He was bascially floundering on the ice and he couldn't come out of it. I don't know how often that sort of thing happens or with which clubs. But, I'm more concerned about mentorship in Montreal. That simply has to be in place if we're going to properly develop young hockey players. Cheers. |
|
|
|
Post by Doc Holliday on Feb 6, 2010 10:51:36 GMT -5
I don't like the trade at all - it reminds me of the Thornton trade. Toronto lands a potential franchise player for a bunch of spare parts. I haven't seen much of Phaneuf, but 24 is way too early to give up on a defenceman who's struggling - given the promise he showed both in the WJC and early in his NHL career. When Calgary came to town recently, I remember thinking that I was glad he played in the west - after a couple of big hits on our forwards. I'm still shaking my head on this one... Trading a young dmen with this kind of potential for a bunch of rowboats... Hard to believe Calgary couldn't find a better deal... |
|
