Around the NHL: Crosby and Ovi

Welcome back to Around the NHL here at Wild Nation. We’ll be taking a look at some of the more interesting goings on around the NHL, and it’s been an interesting last few days to be sure.

Crosby Returns

Oh boy, did he ever.

The NHL’s hero came back on Monday night and he came back in style. Two goals, two assists and one dominant game.

Now, let’s be fair here. It would be easy to overstate the significance that Crosby’s return holds to the NHL, and many people likely already have, but it would also be a disservice to understate it.

Crosby’s presence in the NHL is important, and not just in a marketing sense.

In fact, I would argue that the NHL’s marketing grew during Crosby’s absence because it forced the NHL to focus on players other than their golden boy.

Crosby’s presence is important to the NHL because he has the “it” factor. He’s charismatic – people are drawn to him – and he may not be the most dynamic interview, but he’s certainly the most dynamic on the ice. He gives the NHL that dominant player that they so lacked during his absence.

Alex Ovechkin? A shadow of his former self in favor of being a more “well-rounded” player in favor of chasing a Cup. (I’ll speak to that later.)

Steven Stamkos? Undoubtedly good, even great, but not yet a consistently dominant player.

Phil Kessel? Really coming into his own this season, but not yet in Crosby’s league, or even close.

Evgeni Malkin? Maybe the closest the NHL has at this point, but again, no where near Crosby.

The point is that the NHL is better for having Crosby in the fold because of that dominance. In terms of wrestling, it allows him to play both the face and the heel. It allows him to be both loved and hated. His fans love to see him succeed and his detractors love to see him fail. Whatever happens, whether it’s one or the other, the games that he plays in are an undeniable draw.

That’s why the NHL needs that dominant player. He’s the NHL’s Michael Jordan or Tom Brady. He’s that dominant player that draws people in, and that’s exactly what the NHL needs.

Where has Alex Ovechkin gone?

Just two seasons ago, Alex Ovechkin was talked about as being the NHL’s best player, and why not?

He’d had three straight seasons of 100-plus points and three straight seasons of 50-plus goals. He was dominant both offensively and physically and he was simply as good as they come.

But then, last season, something happened.

Ovechkin went from being that offensive dynamo – one of the most exciting players in the league – to looking human. Whether it was forsaking his offensive explosiveness for a more well-rounded game, taking a more defensive approach to the game, a fracture in the locker room or something else entirely, the fact of the matter was that the game’s most entertaining player was no longer that.

The thought of many is that he started sacrificing personal statistics for the betterment of the team, but is that really true?

In 2007-08, when Ovechkin tallied 65 goals and 112 points, the Caps lost in seven games to the Philadelphia Flyers, despite Ovi scoring nine points in seven games. Ovi couldn’t play net, though, and the Caps floundered.

In 2008-09, the Caps made a run to the Conference Semi-Finals where they lost in seven games to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions. Ovi had 21 points in 14 games but, again, he couldn’t play net.

In 2009-10, Ovechkin had 10 points in seven games, but he couldn’t control the hot streak that Jaroslav Halak got on.

So, the natural over reaction to all of that was that he needed to be more well-rounded; that he needed to play more of a team game.

So, last season, he does that and the Caps are unceremoniously bounced from the playoffs in the Conference Semi-Finals. Ovi had 10 points in nine games after having just 85 during the regular season (“just” 85).

The problem was, though, that Ovechkin wasn’t that game breaker that he was in the past. He didn’t look as dynamic as he did in the past.

The Caps need Ovechkin to be that game breaker. That’s what’s going to win them hockey games. Not letting him be himself is like taking a Triple Crown-winning thoroughbred and putting a 300 pound jockey on him.

Whether it’s Bruce Boudreau or some other coach, it’s time for the Caps to take the reins off and let Ovi be Ovi.

Around the NHL: 8/25/11

The season is inching closer and, on Monday, we’re going to start our player profiles to start the season. Here’s what next week’s schedule will look like:

Aug. 29: Player Profile: Mikko Koivu

Aug. 30: Around the NHL

Player Profile: Pierre-Marc Bouchard

Aug. 31: Prospect Profile: Matt Hackett

Player Profile: Dany Heatley

Sept. 1:  Off

Sept. 2: Around the State of Hockey

Player Profile: Cal Clutterbuck

So that’s what we’re looking at, pending any more trades or any big news or anything, so keep tuned in, because we’ve got some great stuff on the way.

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Crosby Meets with Specialists
The big news coming is that Sidney Crosby has met with some leading specialists around the country and has said that he will make a full recovery.

The operative word there is will.

It’s nothing to panic about, it’s not a huge cause for concern, but he’s just not there yet.

Now, Pens fans really need to back away from the ledge with this one for a couple reasons, not the least of which is the fact that there is no return date set, only when he’s symptom free.

What’s important in that, though is that they’re actually mentioning the words return date. That means that Crosby’s career isn’t over. He’s not done. He’s just on the shelf. The Pens obviously don’t want him to turn into another Eric Lindros. They don’t want him to come back before he’s ready, nor should he.

The other reason why Pens fans shouldn’t have cause for concern is very simple. They still have Evgeni Malkin.

Think about it. This is a guy who, a few years ago people were debating about whether or not he was the best player in the NHL.

All indications are pointing to the fact that he’s going to be healthy to start the season and there isn’t anything that should give any Pens fans cause for concern.

Even without Crosby, the Pens will still be good. They’ll still have one of the elite offenses in the league, they’ll still have one of the elite defensive units in the league and they’ll still have Marc-Andre Fleury in net (take that however you want).

What I’m trying to say is that this team isn’t a one-trick pony. They’re not built so that the loss of a superstar player is insurmountable.

Are they going to be as good as they would be with Sid? No. Is it going to be clear sailing without him? No. But even if he doesn’t play at all this season, I don’t think it’s out of the question that the Pens could still be the class of the Atlantic, if not the Eastern Conference.

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Matt Cooke a Changed Man?
So, I guess we’re on a bit of a Pens theme today, but I just couldn’t pass this one by.

Anyone who knows me or who has followed this website for any period of time knows that I’m not a fan of Matt Cooke. I wasn’t when he was in Vancouver, I wasn’t when he was in Washington and I’m not now.

I don’t like the way he plays the game and I don’t like the level of respect (or lack thereof) that he has for his fellow players.

That’s not to say, though, that I think he’s a horrible human being off the ice.

If there was anything that HBO 24/7 showed, it was that Cooke actually seems like a decent guy, despite the way he plays.

Indeed, Puck Daddy even highlighted that Cooke’s season was marred with

personal turmoil that saw his wife undergo four surgeries. Nearly losing a loved one takes a toll on you, no matter who you are and my heart truly does go out to Cooke and his family and it’s truly a great thing that his wife has recovered.

To Cooke’s credit, too, he’s not using that turmoil as an excuse for his actions but, rather, as an excuse to change.

Cooke seems to have realized that the way that he plays (or, hopefully, played) the game was indefensible and just plain wrong and, for what it’s worth, I truly hope that he has. I just have a hard time believing it.

He’s always played the game right on the edge of legality and, it seemed, rarely tried very hard to stay on that edge, often crossing over to plain dangerous

hits and I have a hard time believing that he’s going to be able to rein that part of himself in for a full season.

The nature of his game is and always has been that he’s a pest – he’s the guy that gets under your team’s skin – and the way that he did that most effectively was by toeing that line.

Now, I have absolutely no doubt that he’s going to try to curb that part of his game. In fact, I’m positive that he is. He sought counseling during his leave of absence from the team and that, coupled with his wife’s health troubles last season, seems to have given him a new lease on life (in terms of his career). He’s saying all the right things and he’s acting the right way.

But the question I have is, will he be as effective of a pest when he’s not sneaking over that line every so often?

Players like Cal Clutterbuck and Milan Lucic have managed to become pretty dang good agitators in the NHL without really crossing the line into illegality. Even Ryan Kesler and Alexandre Burrows managed to do it last season (despite the bite) to the benefit of the Canucks.

But can Cooke be effective if he reins in his game? Can he still play that role that he has played so well for 12 NHL seasons and can he still do it effectively?

Maybe. But, the bigger question in my mind is what happens if he can’t?

He’s not a 20-plus goal scorer, though he does have some finesse in those hands. He’s not an elite offensive player, nor is he a terribly elite defensive player (though he has excelled in that role at times in his career). His bread-and-butter is getting under players’ skins and throwing them off their game.

But if he’s not toeing that line, will he be effective? And if he’s not, will he be able to adjust his game so he can be, or will he simply regress to his old self?

All of that remains to be seen.

Despite my doubts, I truly hope that we see a brand new Matt Cooke next season. He proved, last season, that the Pens are a better team with him than without him and they could definitely use him around for a full season.

I just hope he’s serious about this change, because it will be better for him, better for the Pens and better for the league if he is.

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Check back later tonight to see some of my thoughts on the demo version of NHL 12. So long!

Around the NHL: 8/16/11

Sorry for the lack of a mailbag yesterday. The kids and I were out at the Octagon Sports pro camp over at the St. Louis Park Rec Center and there wasn’t really any questions to be answered so, we had a day off. I’ll be heading there a few times a week, so I’ll put up some thoughts once more players get there.

Anyway, on to our look around the NHL. Enjoy!

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Rick Rypien Found Dead
We’re starting with a sad story today, as 27-year-old enforcer Rick Rypien was found dead in his Alberta home on Monday.

Rypien’s dead was reported by News 1130 in Vancouver as a “non-suspicious, sudden death,” and, past that, no more details have been released.

Rypien is the second NHL player this off season to be gone to soon and, out of respect for him and his friends and family we aren’t going to speculate about the cause or circumstances of his death.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family during this trying time and, once more concrete information is available, we’ll have more on this.

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Kaptain Kontroversy in New Jersey?
As funny as it sounds, there might be a controversy brewing in Newark surrounding the captaincy of the New Jersey Devils.

Will it be Ilya Kovalchuck, the $100 million-dollar man or will it be Zach Parise, the team’s franchise player whose future with the team is seemingly in limbo? Or will it be someone else like Patrik Elias (despite his insistence that he doesn’t want the job)?

For me, I can’t even imagine why there is any controversy here. The right call, beyond a shadow of a doubt, is Parise and the

rationale goes beyond a simple power play to try to convince him to stick with the team past this coming season.

First of all, Parise is the team’s true franchise player. He was drafted into the organization and has been the cornerstone of the franchise since he first suited up in a Devils’ sweater. In Parise, you have not only a strong player, but a player with a strong pedigree (son of former North Star J.P. Parise) and a player who has won everywhere he’s been. Not only that, but you have a player that has been the face of the Devils’ franchise for all the right reasons (as opposed to being the face of the franchise due to illegal cap circumvention.)

In Kovalchuk, you have a player who sat back, waited and went to the highest bidder. Does Kovalchuk really want to be in Newark? I have no doubt that he does. (He chose it over Hollywood, for crying out loud.) But he’s been the name that people think of when they think of the Devils for all the wrong reasons.

Kovalchuk does have the experience of being a captain on his side, but is that really a good thing? The Thrashers slapped the captaincy on him in the hopes that it would convince him to re-sign in Atlanta.

The experiment failed.

The franchise didn’t win and Kovalchuk left.

Now don’t get me wrong here. I love Kovalchuk. I’m probably one of his biggest supporters and he’s one of my favorite players outside of the Wild, but he’s not a captain. He’s not the guy you want your players looking to for guidance. He’s not the guy you think of and say to yourself, “Now there’s a great leader.”

I’m sorry, but he’s just not.

On the other hand, Parise has been a leader everywhere he has played. From North Dakota to the Devils to Team USA.

He is the man for the job and it’s not just a power play to keep Parise on the team. It’s the right call.

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Crosby May Not Be Ready For Camp?
In the interest of full disclosure: I hate Sidney Crosby.

I’m sure he’s a great guy and he’s certainly a great player, but I just can’t stand him.

But, my personal decisions aside, if he’s not ready for training camp, that’s a huge blow to not just the Pittsburgh Penguins, but the NHL. Crosby is a huge draw around the league and he makes the league more intriguing to watch. If he’s not ready to play this season, that’s a huge blow.

Should it be a cause for concern?

Yes.

Should anyone go into full out panic mode?

Absolutely not.

Head injuries are funny things (funny, weird, not funny, ha-ha). They’re unpredictable. One day you can be on top of the world and the next you can be unable to get out of bed.

Crosby is in a precarious position right now. He’s been cleared to work out and he’s doing so. As some Penguins blogs are pointing out, there’s a good chance that he’s feeling light-headed after workouts because, well, everyone does at one point or another.

He’s an elite athlete who is likely pushing himself to get into shape for training camp.

Yeah, he’s going to have instances where he’s not feeling his best.

As has been pointed out, though, the biggest key is going to be whether or not he is cleared for contact once camp comes around. If he is, great. If he isn’t, though, it’s going to be a huge hit for everyone.

Until then, though, it’s a disservice to everyone to speculate.

Crosby is still working out and that gives every indication that he’s doing just fine.

So, Pens fans, don’t panic…Yet.

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We’ll be hitting up more of the Octagon camp tomorrow, so we’ll try to get some photos to throw up here and we’re going to have the prospect report done tonight for you, focusing on the Wild’s newest prospect – Charlie Coyle.

Enjoy your day and we’ll be back later tonight!

Gillies Call Up Is Good News

In the wake of a bout of illnesses that the Wild have been dealing with, Minnesota has called up Colton Gillies from the Houston Aeros as either insurance or, potentially, a replacement for an ailing player.

If you recall, last season Gillies failed to make the squad right out of camp and was assigned to the Aeros of the AHL. Gillies was disappointed about his re-assignment, but took it in stride and did everything he was asked, despite being told that there was no opportunity that he would be recalled and, indeed, despite all of the Wild’s injury troubles, Gillies was never once one of their call ups.

Gillies struggled with injuries last season and scored just 20 points in 72 games, but has a goal and an assist in two games this season and this call up seems to be as much of a reward to his dedication as to his strong play this season.

But this call up is more of a testament to the new developmental philosophy of the Minnesota Wild under Chuck Fletcher – one of the largest changes between this regime and the previous management.

Player development.

When Gillies and James Sheppard were brought in to the organization, they stuck with the squad for “developmental” purposes.

It was thought that the players would learn more from Head Coach Jacques Lemaire than they would from their junior coaches and they were too young to play in the AHL at that time.

But here’s the rub. When Sheppard and Gillies were called upon by the Wild, they weren’t getting the playing time they would have in juniors, or even in the AHL.

They were players used to playing top-line minutes that were now being asked to be checkers and, instead of playing 17-20 minutes per night were playing 7-10 minutes per night – believe me when I say that 10 minutes of ice time makes a big difference, especially when players are developing.

Players like Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin – players that can enter the NHL and make an immediate impact and have the skill level necessary to play immediately on the top lines – are very rare. Even players like Steve Stamkos and John Tavares – players expected to be top, impact players in this league – experience some sort of learning curve.

If players like Crosby and Ovechkin are rare, players like Sheppard and Gillies are the norm.

These are players that need development to succeed, and that is one of the hardest calls to make for a general manager.

For every Crosby and Ovechkin, there is a Bobby Ryan or a Jonathan Toews that are elite talents, but might not be ready for the NHL the day that they’re drafted. The difference between the Ryan’s and the Toews’s and the Sheppard’s and the Gillies’s are not necessarily the ceiling of their talents (though, admittedly Ryan and Toews may have a higher ceiling than Sheppard and Gillies) but the fact that Ryan and Toews were not thrust into the NHL spotlight immediately.

Ryan and Toews were allowed to develop in situations where they were the man. They didn’t have to fight for ice time; they didn’t have to wonder whether or not they’d even be playing on a nightly basis.

Meanwhile, Sheppard and Gillies had to struggle for ice time. They didn’t get to develop their games in game situations – instead, they were forced to develop their games in practice, playing on lines with players like Derek Boogaard or Aaron Voros; players who are good at what they do, but not necessarily the players you want to use in order to help develop your young players.

The best example of this that the Wild has, right now, is Mikko Koivu.

Koivu was drafted in 2001 when he was 17 years old. He made his NHL debut when he was 22, after playing three seasons with TPS Turku and one more with the Houston Aeros. Even in his first couple seasons he wasn’t the elite center that he has turned into, but his time spent being the go-to guy in other leagues helped mold him into the player that he is today.

Sheppard has never had that opportunity and, until last season, neither did Colton Gillies.

Gillies is 21 years old now and may not yet be the impact player that many hope he will become, but if you consider that Koivu wasn’t an NHL regular until he was 22, it’s certain that he’s not done developing yet.

But right now, he’s certainly closer to being a productive NHLer than he was at this time last season.

The Rise and Fall of the Lifetime Contract?

The NHL needs to institute “Term Limits.”

No…I’m not talking about for its long lamented commissioner.  I’m not talking about for the coaches or general managers.  I’m talking about for the players.

Okay.  So maybe term limit isn’t exactly the right turn of phrase.  But the concept remains.  These “lifetime contracts” are getting absolutely ridiculous.  Sure…They’re a great way to fit your superstar players under the cap.  But, honestly, do they seem a bit shortsighted to anyone else?

Consider Chris Pronger and his $6.25M cap hit.

Not a bad deal for a superstar defenseman, right?  And look at this!  You’re going to have him for $525K per for the last two years of the contract.  Talk about a bargain!

But wait…Hold on.  If he decides to play those last two years…You’ll be paying him $525K…But be on the hook for $6.25M?  Well that doesn’t sound very good.  But, that’s Chris Pronger.  It’s a unique situation.

Okay…So Henrik Zetterberg.  There’s a good contract.  $6.083M cap hit.  That’s a great deal for a player of Hank’s caliber.  But what about when you’re paying him $1M per year in the twilight of his career, yet still on the hook for just over $6M?

Sure, these contracts look great now.  But how about when a player doesn’t have enough tread on the tires to live up to the contract?

Take Brendan Shanahan, for example.  Give him one of those front loaded contracts back in the 2000-01 season.  It looks fantastic when he’s averaging 60-70 points a season and 30-40 goals.  But after a 73 game, 46 point performance?  What about a 34 game, 14 point performance?  It begins to look a lot worse.

Or what about Sergei Fedorov?  Give him one of those contracts back in the same season and it’s looking great when he’s putting up 30-goal, 60-point seasons.  Then he dips down to average 15-goal, 40-point seasons.  Great for the beginning, pretty poor for the end.

The bottom line is that these long-term contracts will only benefit these teams for so long.  Eventually, however, the production of the majority of these players will begin to fall off.  Sure, there will be the odd player that has a career like Joe Sakic has had, whose production stays consistent right up until the end of his career, but the majority of these players?  By the end of their careers, they won’t be worth the cap hit — most of them nowhere near.  Sure…In 2013, Pavel Datsyuk will likely be as productive as he is now.  But will Henrik Zetterberg in 2020?  What about Vincent Lecavalier in 2019?  I highly doubt it.

Don’t get me wrong.  These contracts are great for the players…But they’re horrible for the NHL.  What’s more…They’re horrible for the fans.

Why?

Take a look at this.  The top free agents for 2010?  Nicklas Lidstrom, Roberto Luongo and Ilya Kovalchuk.  If you think that any of these three won’t be locked up (or in Lidstrom’s case, retired) by then, you’re crazy.  After that?  The crop is still decent…Patrick Marleau, Evgeni Nabokov, Olli Jokinen…All good players, all potential game changers…But bona fide 100% pure superstars, they aren’t.

In 2011?  You’ve got Brad Richards, Zdeno Chara and Joe Thornton…But there isn’t a UFA under the age of 31 until you get to Patrice Bergeron and, no offense to him, but I hardly think that teams will be knocking down his door.

2012?  A class headlined by Chris Drury, Ryan Smyth and Brian Rafalski.

Finally, in 2013, you get Sidney Crosby, Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Nathan Horton, all under 30…But does anyone really think that four out of the five of them will be available?

Talk about nothing for fans to get excited about.  Let me tell you that, if in 2012 I’m getting excited about the possibilities of the Minnesota Wild signing a 35 year old Chris Drury or a 36 year old Ryan Smyth, I should be committed.

The bottom line is that these long-term contracts are a plague on the NHL.  The more long-term contracts get signed, the more teams will, not only handcuff themselves, but handcuff the league’s ability to spread parity throughout.  Not only that, but it harms the fans as well.  A lack of marquee free agents during the off season can kill any momentum that the league has with the fans.

The CBA is expiring soon and it’s looking more and more like there could be another labor dispute looming.  But one thing is for certain.  In the new CBA, the NHL needs to impose some sort of limitation on the length of contracts…Not only for the entertainment of the fans, but for the long term health of the league as well.

Tanking the Season?

Around this time of year, you hear the term “tanking the season” quite a bit.

What is tanking the season?  It’s the theory that losing eventually begets winning through a plethora of high draft picks.  The team that is ultimately pointed to for this theory is the Pittsburgh Penguins.  With draft picks of Marc-Andre Fleury (1st Overall in ’03), Evgeni Malkin (2nd Overall in ’04), Sidney Crosby (1st Overall in ’05) and Jordan Staal (2nd Overall in ’06), the team has built a winner through the draft.  Great in theory; however, the team struggled through four losing seasons to get to this point.

This path will make you good for a few years; but once you have to pay all of these players, it makes it much more difficult to ice a winning team.  Just look at the top-heavy Ottawa Senators.  With a considerable amount of coin locked up in Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson (approximately $19M this season and $20M next), the Sens have about 36% of their cap room allocated to three players and that’s if the cap stays where it is right now.  To stay with our example team, in Pittsburgh, they currently have their core of Crosby, Malkin, Staal and Fleury locked up for a total cap hit of approximately $26.65M until the ’12/’13 season at the earliest, not to mention another additional $3.75M for Brooks Orpik.  That’s a total of $30.4M on five players.  If the cap stays where it is, the Pens would have approximately 54% of their cap hit allocated to five players.  A number that I would not be happy with if I were a Pens fan, especially with the impending drop in the cap ceiling.

Conversely, take a look at the Detroit Red Wings.  9 seasons with 100+ points.  They have not missed the playoffs since the ’89-’90 season and have won four Stanley Cups since this 17 season stretch began.  The Red Wings currently have fifteen players that have dressed for them this season that were drafted by the organization.  Of these fifteen, only one (Niklas Kronwall) was drafted in the first round.

So…How have the Red Wings achieved this sort of dominance?  Shrewd late round draft picks (Datsyuk, Zetterberg etc.) combined with shrewd free agent signings (Stuart, Hossa).  In fact, the Red Wings are proof that you do not need to lose to be good.  They are proof that, in fact, a winning tradition and solid management from the top down are a better strategy than “tanking it.”

Why?  The reason is simple.  For a free agent player, or any player for that matter, are you going to give your all for a team that packed it in and stopped trying just a few months earlier?  Are you going to want to come play for a team that just packs it in when the going gets tough?  Are your young players going to benefit from just coasting through games, playing for an early first round draft pick?

For teams on the outside with no hopes of making the playoffs, there is much to play for still.  There is pride.  These late season games are some of the most important for young players, because a late season winning streak can be the difference between a positive off season and an off season spent dwelling on what could have been.

As a fan, I never want to see my team pack it in or tank the season or whatever you want to call it.  I want to see my team fight to the bitter end.  There is nothing that brings a team closer together than adversity and winning in the midst of adversity.  This is what I want from my team.  Not a team that just gives up so that they can get a good draft pick. 

And if there’s a single NHL player out there thinking that way, he’s got no place on the roster of this fan’s team.