This is Bryan Trottier. He was smack dab in the middle of some really good decisions by Bill Torrey and the New York Islanders scouting staff.At the 1974 Amateur Draft, Torrey picked 4th overall and selected big Regina Pats LW Clark Gillies. This was one of the years that NHL teams could draft one underage player (and had to do it in the first two rounds) and Torrey called out the name of the best available player that year (Trottier). 2nd round, 22nd overall.
But Torrey didn't stop there. In later rounds the Islanders selected college defenseman Dave Langevin and Swedish Dman Stefan Persson. Four very good players in one draft.
But Torrey still wasn't finished. During the 1974 draft the Kansas City Scouts picked Bob Bourne 38th overall. The Islanders found a way to get him in September of 1974 (in exchange for the rights to two serviceable blueliners, Larry Hornung and the incredibly named Bart Crashley) and Bourne spent the 74-75 season in the majors while Trottier spent the season in western Canada.
The lesson of Bill Torrey is to collect as many good bets as possible and then keep adding to the pile. As much as we Oiler fans focus on the great Barry Fraser drafts of 1979-83 it is certainly worth noting that the Islanders did pretty well in their first drafts after expansion.
--
On last night's PPV broadcast Steve Tambellini told us that Stu MacGregor would be making the choices at the Entry Draft this summer. I think that's a terrific sign (if true) that the organization is less likely to make a screwball pick. It also tells us that the Oilers are likely to get one of Seguin or Hall in the first round.
But the lesson of Torrey is to keep building and make as many good bets as possible. Just as the Anton Lander pick was important to last season's draft, those two second round picks can't be wasted either.
One thing I do believe about the current Oilers is that they're going to devote 3rd round-and-later picks to "organizational needs" and that means a host of knuckle-draggers, long shots and guys with some connection to the friends of the boys on the bus.
Small steps, folks. Small steps.
Those are great jerseys.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't aware of the Oilers possession of 2 2nd rounders.
Brett gee: nashville's 2nd for greb.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like the past 4 drafts there have been some solid picks, and the possibility of solid players in the Org hasn't been this high in a long time.
MacGregor may be making the pick, but I'm guessing that after we package the 31st overall and whoever to move up to 15th that he'll be told to pick the best defenceman available...
ReplyDeleteBy the way, if we end up losing the lottery and picking second, do we then pick 32nd, 62nd, and so on?
Ben: Yeah, I think the second Oiler pick will be a defender. Oilers are predictable in that way.
ReplyDeleteIf the Oilers finish last and then lose the lottery, the picks will be #2, #31, #61 etc. Lottery impacts only the first round.
From what I can tell the Oilers have
ReplyDelete1 first round pick
2 second round picks
1 or 2 third round picks (depending when Calgary wants to give us the pick for Staios)
1 fourth round pick
1 fifth round pick
3 sixth round picks (Anaheim's for the Vis deal and Ottawa's from last draft).
I wound if the Oilers will try and use some of those sixth round picks to move up during the second day of the draft (say offer one of the sixth rounders to move up say 4 or 5 spots in one of the lower rounds; i.e. a low fifth and six pick to get a high fourth round, etc...)
I bring this up now because the Oilers have a lot of low drat picks to fill their quota of 'organizational needs'. I'd be fine if MacGregor spend the sixth round picks on overage Europeans, but a bunch of knuckle draggers and long shot is not what I want. So to repeat, I am hoping the Tambo/McGregor team either uses the low rounds to move up in the draft or aim for 19-20 year Euros. They better have a plan and nobody named Abney or the like is included in this plan.
I'm still annoyed that the Oilers essentially have O'Sullivan to show for Pitkanen right now. That high 2nd round pick (Los Angeles's I believe for about 35th overall) being traded for 20 games of Ales Kotalik is just madness. Even if I'm mistaken and it was Carolina's pick who would want to waste it on a rental in a decent draft year?
ReplyDeleteI suppose it could be worse, we could have Kotalik signed for 3 years at 9 million.
Ben and LT:
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, last year they took Lander after having selected Paajarvi.
How many of the Troy Hesketh draft-and-follows will turn out to be NHL players? I mean, as in a historical ratio?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletespeeds: Agreed. Lander broke with tradition and a year on has the look of an astute pick.
ReplyDeleteI don't know, LT...the creepy 80s horror movie music came on for me when Tambo was talking about the 'top 3' and Fowler in last night's interview. Very chilling. I hope it was lip service or maskarovia to conceal his real desires of the top 2.
ReplyDeleteAsides:
1. Are we all sure that Gagner is and is going to be a better player than Gilbert Brule?
2. IMO the lockout season made the 2003 draft class one of the best ever. Without it, it would have been great still, but that draft year was proof that the AHL does work for developing players. Heads up, Stevie.
3. Is Alex Burrows' contract not one of the best in the show, despite his obvious douchebagedness?
Oh, and good morning everyone.
Beau Bennet please!
ReplyDeleteDominate U19 season in BCHL last 15 years.
09/10
bennett (18) 2.1PPG
08/09
D. Grant (18) 1.7
06/07
Turris (17) 2.2
R. Nash (17) 1.5
03/04
T. Zajac (18) 1.9
02/03
G. Brule (15) 1.2
01/02
J.tambellini (18) 2.0
99/00
C. kobasew (18) 1.8
96/97
Scott Gomez (17) 2.2
95/96
S. Horcoff (17) 2.5
1. Are we all sure that Gagner is and is going to be a better player than Gilbert Brule?
ReplyDeleteNot totally sure... Sam Gagner might get eaten by a shark.
I can already see what is going to happen.
ReplyDeleteKrill Kabanov drops out of the first round due to worries about health, attitude, staying in the KHL, and him leaving his team in the middle of the first round in the playoffs after being benched for two games.
The Oilers trade down from the 31st pick to pick up an extra 3rd round and the Oilblogosphere instantly combustes and a lynching party forms on Whyte ave.
Maybe Tikhonov had his cousins in 'protective' custody and he had to fly hope to get them released?
ReplyDeleteI don't know but it sure is strange as heck how that whole Kabanov thing is going down. From all the interviews he seemed like he had a good head on his shoulders so this is very odd. Wonder how much of his attitude problems are real?
It's intriguing now to see how far his stock drops. 31st overall seems far but hell would I be happy if he did drop that far. Where that leaves Galiev, I don't know.
I know it could be a long way off but in terms of building teams you always have to either get a real player out of the third round or later or maybe steal a guy in a trade just so that you get some useful pieces out of places other than the first and second round.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Lander's that guy?
Guy Flaming has a post up that the Petry contract is close to being signed. Don't really have a read on the guy, so don't know if I should be excited or not.
ReplyDeleteDennis,
ReplyDeleteAgreed, but don't understand why you mentioned Lander.
He is a 2nd rounder.
Oiler's Draft Haiku
ReplyDeleteStu makes all the picks
Tambellini gets coffee
Lowe serves the pancakes
It would be naive to think that MacGregor will make the decisions all by himself. There are usually about 10 guys from the team at the draft table. On the first pick I'm sure that everyone on the Brain Trust has had input and it's been blessed by Katz. They have been doing in depth research on both Seguin and Hall. Thank God for that.
ReplyDeleteOilers had better not trade down from pick 31.If Kabanov is available and if he's the BPA in MacGregor's opinion, I would hope the Brain Trust doesn't allow him to make that decision all on his own. If their research has shown, as an example, that it's only 20% Kabanov will sign in the NHL and it's 90% that he's got an ego and is a prima donna, then it would be craziness to take the risk at this stage of the rebuild.
The picks should be, and I think will be, a communal decision, hopefully with MacGregor's opinion carrying a lot of weight.
Haha.. that's great Woodguy!..
ReplyDeleteNot totally sure... Sam Gagner might get eaten by a shark.
ReplyDeleteBrule could get bitten by a radioactive spider!
Stortini,
ReplyDeletePeckham,
Motin,
Hartikainen,
Vande Velde,
Hesketh,
Cornet,
Roy,
Omark,
Kytnar,
Rajala,
Dee
If Dennis is right we need some of these guys to become real NHL players (picked later than 2nd round, still showing some nice things). I sort of tried to rank them in order of the likelihood of them being useful NHL players. I'd say the first six names are all even money or better to get significant NHL minutes. After that who knows, all have their own unique upside. Some people would probably add Reddox to the list.
I'd say you could argue the Oilers seem to be doing a decent job in the later rounds. None of these guys have turned out to be hairballs.
This theory about the Oilers drafting a Russian at #31 has some legs, me thinks. How many Russians drafted after Ovie/Malkin are even in the NHL? There's Kulikov, who played in the Q and even still, slipped way past where he was projected. Varlamov I suppose. There's a few kids sprinkled around the league that are hardly regulars; Anisimov, Tikhnov, Khudobin but as for the 23 and under crowd, that's it. There's zero chance all of Kabanov, Galiev and Teresenko get drafted in the first round. I'd bet that at least two are still on the board and maybe even all three.
ReplyDeleteThe bigger question is whether the Oilers would use such a valuable asset as #31 on such a risk. I'd bet they have the opportunity to and don't.
The picks should be, and I think will be, a communal decision
ReplyDeleteMaybe someone who knows could fill us in on the decision making process. I suspect that the scouts all bring their information to Stu who compiles their work along with his own and creates profiles for the players (?). Based on that work he would then rank them and give his opinions on who the management should call. If that is the process it should be a communal thing (many brains contributing to a final decision - a la web 2.0) and therefore a much better process than one guy sitting in a room chain smoking his way through his notes on players.
Not totally sure... Sam Gagner might get eaten by a shark.
Brule could get bitten by a radioactive spider!
Or exposed to massive gamma ray bursts and grow to 10 times his normal size!
I just learned yesterday that there's an Ian Crashley who plays for the Edmonton Rush. I had the exact same reaction to the name.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if they're related.
#4 Clark Gillies 6'3" 210 Regina Pats
ReplyDelete#22 Bryan Trottier 5'11" 195 Swift Current Broncos
#36 Bob Bourne 6'3" 200 Saskatoon Blades (obtained thru later trade)
#112 Dave Langevin 6'2" 215 U of Minnesota-Duluth
#214 Stefan Persson 6'1" 190 Sweden?
Does anyone else a strategy here?
Oops--Does anyone else SEE a strategy here?
ReplyDeleteIt would be naive to think that MacGregor will make the decisions all by himself.
ReplyDeleteEspecially when Lowe has been seen just about everywhere watching prospects games.
One reason for optimism around the Oilers, at least for me, is that the Northwest Division is the weakest its been since the lockout and only getting worse.
ReplyDeleteRanked in order of projecting 3 years into the future:
1. Vancouver- they could win this division for a half decade with their core locked up for reasonable value. Add to that, they have the best or second best group of bluechippers in the division in Schneider, Hodgson and
Schroeder.
2. Edmonton- awful now, but you can't deny there are some pieces. Hemsky, Penner, Gilbert and Whitney have no questions other than health. I can't imagine a scenario where Gagner, Cogliano, Brule, Smid, Eberle, MPS and Seguin aren't solid NHLers by that time.
3. Colorado- this "blip" season may not be the best thing for them in the long run. They were "supposed" to draft another lottery pick this year and slowl rebuild but because they've ridden the percentages, they've skipped that step. Duchene, Stastney and Anderson seem like locks and Meuller was a good bet but are we all sure the no pedigree, overachievers like Yip, Cumisky and Galiardi can sustain.
And the biggest strike against them is that their market is dissappearing. They drew 11,000 a few weeks ago when they were in the hint for a division. Once people figure out how to work in a salary cap system, those with a budget will be at a huge disadvantage.
4. Calgary- maybe no team in the NHL is as sure to decline over the next 3 years as the Calgary Flames. They've constantly moved the future for the present and they still may not make the playoffs. Jarome will still be good for awhile and J-Bo and Bourque are great and solid respectively, but the cavalry isn't coming.
5. Minnesota- before they were a team with very little talent and a system that relied on great defense and a game breaker in Marian Gaborik. Now they are a team with very little talent. Mikko Koivu is phenomenal, but again, I hate their under-23 crowd.
If the Oilers can get the proper coaching and management in place, we could be on the cusp of a decade of playoff appearances. It's not '27 Yankees but its a fuck lot better than the last decade.
One thing I do believe about the current Oilers is that they're going to devote 3rd round-and-later picks to "organizational needs" and that means a host of knuckle-draggers, long shots and guys with some connection to the friends of the boys on the bus.
ReplyDeleteI don't get this criticism. Okay, they took Abney with their second third rounder last year and Bendfeld in the 7th two years ago but this is the exception not the rule. I am not aware of Keegan Lowe having been drafted. And Drew Stafford would have been nice.
Otherwise they seem to have done a nice job in the last three years.
Omark, Kyntar and Quist are decent picks from three years ago. Quist won't make it but that's not a surprise for a late rounder.
Motin, Cornet, Hartkainen are all nice picks from the later rounds two years ago.
I don't know much about Hesketh or Bigos from last year but Rajala and Roy seem like decents picks.
The draft seems to be the least of this teams problems.
The draft seems to be the least of this teams problems.
ReplyDeleteHah, our drafting could range from "subpar" to "awful" and it would still be the least of this team's problems.
I just made myself sad.
I don't see the point in anointing Stu MacGregor the Magnificent Bastard and then being critical about select picks. It makes as much sense is calling out Gus Hansen for one of his bizarre calls when overall his system clearly works.
ReplyDeleteVanilla players literally grow on trees. There is a reason why Marty Reasoner and Blair Betts are making around 1 million or less and players like Chris Neil get offered 2.5 million x 4 and clubs throw the bank at Dustin Penner.
IMO elite 3rd and 4th line players are more valuable assets than your 45-50 point 2nd line players that play with zero edge.
If Marty Reasoner's can be had every single year for bargain deals and NCAA free agents are always waiting for a chance, then wouldn't it make sense to swing for the fences with every pick?
Is Abney's chances of becoming the next Bob Probert any less than some obscure Euro becoming the next Zetterberg?
Abney was considered the toughest player in the entire draft. He had one elite skill and although its not the greatest trade not many players in the draft can say they have an elite skill.
"Vanilla players literally grow on trees"
ReplyDeleteReally? Where can I find one of these trees?
Do the vanilla players just sort of hang there on the tree, waiting to be plucked off by a team that needs a veteran centre that can kill penalties?
Bar Qu: My understanding is that the scouts all submit written reports to the head scout. They then meet and hash out a draft list. Then at the draft, in theory at least, they follow the list and the GM goes to the podium.
ReplyDeleteIn practice in 2002 Lowe may have said "Screw the list, I want Niniimaki". Or Prendergast may have had him ranked #1. I would love to know the real story.
Same with the Pouliot decision in 2003 in which I understand Nilsson and Parise were considerations, namely they wanted Nilsson, couldn't get him, didn't want Parise and decided to trade down. These were probably "Senior Management" decisions.
Most hockey people say the scouts do their real work in the later rounds. Detroit has a crackerjack European head scout.
Ducey,
ReplyDeleteHesketh is the sort of pick we laud Detroit for making. Reasonably big, good skater, exceptional hockey sense. Downside, playing high school hockey in Minnesota. Had a very good grade twelve year, just short of great. Headed to Wisconsin this fall. Good kid in good program with large upside, probably a bit like Gilbert. Certainly prepared to risk his body.
Bigos is a bit more of a long shot, being kind. Huge kid, Ryan Whitney plus. Brave, decent skater, canon of a shot, nasty disposition. Played in BCHL league, hard to forecast, went to Merrimack, tiny college. I think it has about 2,000 students. Great coach Mark Dennehy trying to rebuild joke of a program. At times this year, like against UNH, Bigos was a towering force. Other times coach was riding him for being out of position and for taking bad penalties at bad times. Led Merrimack in penalty minutes, other teams hate facing him, so still some good things but struggling with the college game. Could be classic late blooming big man.
So you can't say either of these are bad picks, Hesketh has massive upside. If he is the player at Wisconsin that he was at the high school level he will have been a value pick.
Bigos truly dominated some games in his final season in the BCHL. He has now proven he can do so at the NCAA level. So a case of swinging for the fences and still waiting to see where the ball lands.
-Does anyone else SEE a strategy here?
ReplyDeleteIt actually mirrors what MBS (Magnificent Bastard Stu) said in an interview.
To paraphrase: "We are going to concentrate on the CHL, specifically the WHL before taking players from college, europe, and US high school"
Thanks for that Lebowski (the Big?)
ReplyDeleteIt would be an interesting book, one that details what happens between draft recommendations and the actual name called from the stage. I imagine far more political things than we might realise.
Well I don't see a need to gloss, either. If you can defend the Abney pick, please post it on your blog and I'll read it.
ReplyDeleteBut, as it is, the pick looks like what we thought it looked like.
A waste.
To paraphrase: "We are going to concentrate on the CHL, specifically the WHL before taking players from college, europe, and US high school"
ReplyDeleteSomewhere Frank Musil is shaking his head and sobbing quietly, "They never listen to me...never...".
Woodguy: Exactement.
ReplyDeleteI think the Oilers should do what Torrey did and draft bigger sized Canadian boys, favoring the Dub and the O.
They have to stay away from Russians. Have they ever had any luck with a Russian?
They should also stay away from trading for anyone who has played in California, Florida, or any other warm spot. They don't seem to like playing in Edmonton very much after they have had it nice and easy.
ReplyDeleteThey should also stay away from trading for anyone who has played in California, Florida, or any other warm spot. They don't seem to like playing in Edmonton very much after they have had it nice and easy.
Whitney seems to be doing fine. Way better than most predicted. His passing is better than any other Oiler. His first pass is sublime.
Who are you referring to that didn't pan out? POS? Others?
Uni,
ReplyDeleteFrank is fine. They took Euro's with their top 2 picks.
If the Euro is the best pick, then they will take him, when the waters get muddier they will err on the size of big Canadian farm kids.
Not totally sure... Sam Gagner might get eaten by a shark.
ReplyDeleteDany Heatley wouldn't do that would he?
Hesketh is the sort of pick we laud Detroit for making. Reasonably big, good skater, exceptional hockey sense.
ReplyDeleteThere was a huge indicator of how in depth the oilers scouting will go to decide on a pick.
They used genetics!
Macgregor noted he was 6'2" but his father and brother were 6'7".
BPA first two rounds. Players that are fringe who have some marker that screams potential for steal.
2009:
Rd 3 Hesketh
Dr 3 Abbney
RD 4 Bigios RBC Cup MVP (potential)
Rd 4 Rajalas. Ovechkins u18 Record.
Rd 5 Roy Second ranked NA Goalie
2008:
RD 4 Motin playing Regular shift in SEL @ 16.
RD 5 Cornet 2nd overall bantam pick QMJHL injured Draft year.
Rd 6 Hartikainen golas core for FIN U18 w/ size.
2007:
Rd 4 Omark Sweden WJC Top 3 scorer 4" growth spurt from 1st to second draft year. 5'6" to 5'10"
Continue process gentlemen.
@Lowetide
ReplyDeleteI think picking Abney with a 3rd picks sounds a bit expensive given his skill set. If this was a 4th, 5th or 6th round would that have sit well with you ?
Or do you plain figure he would have fallen through the entire draft and not been picked at all ?
Woodguy: My point on the warmer and softer spots may not be that valid. Lupul, POS, Cole. and Pronger (St. Louis is a nice city) may have colored my thinking.
ReplyDeleteI think my view on the Russians is fairly accurate however. Generally speaking they seem to have big egos, a sense of entitlement, superiority complexes, want things to go their way, are greedy, and dare I say, booze problems.
With Cole, I never got the feeling he didn't like the weather. It sounded more like the team environment.
ReplyDeleteWoodguy, Kenta Nilsson is the Swedish/Finnish scout no? Isn't Frank Musil the guy that covers Eastern Europe?
ReplyDeleteI recall him being a big Hudler booster in 2002.
Lebowski, someone probably forgot to tell Datsyuk, Ovechkin, Malkin, Gonchar et al about all those Russian traits. Maybe they're all booze hounds.
ReplyDeleteWow, Lebowski, that was pretty Don Cherry of you
ReplyDeleteNothing like a racial slur to brighten the day
ReplyDeleteI remember one of those wack 'meet the players in private' vingettes during a game where Cole's wife had this "get me the fuck out of here" expressions the whole time they were out shopping for a TV or whatever it was.
ReplyDeleteSome nice warm city in the carolinas, for the tundra simply isn't going to make it for these millionaire's spoiled women. Especially when the team stinks, and the kids get it at school, and the player comes home pissed from dealing with a bunch of out of touch with modern day reality morons running the team.
I recall Cole being particularly disappointed about being traded last year.
ReplyDeleteIn hindsight, it was kind of disappointing, wasn't it?
Woodguy, Kenta Nilsson is the Swedish/Finnish scout no? Isn't Frank Musil the guy that covers Eastern Europe?
ReplyDeleteI recall him being a big Hudler booster in 2002.
True.
I think things are much different now than in 2002.
Yeah Cole was alright with playing in Edmonton and wasn't happy to get traded but he had a few veiled comments about the veterans on the club iirc.
ReplyDeleteI liked Cole a lot. Looks like he's close to being done but this club could use a few guys like that.
Hah, I can't believe they brought him in and had him playing with Moreau and Brodziak for such a big chunk of the season.
My my.
BDHS & Others: I heard two things about Cole and what he thought of things as an Oiler, beyond the fact that he didn't mind the city one bit:
ReplyDelete- Lowe and MacT came off as bush-league for their "we won Cups as players, therefore we're smart enough to run an NHL team" approach
- The way the veterans had a sense of entitlement and treated the rookies (specifically, the Moreau/Staios vs. Gilbert/Cogliano/Gagner thing) like crap - to quote the person who gave me this info, "it made him sick to his stomach"
Moreau and Co. are a huge problem, but it's Lowe and MacT who allowed them to operate this way.
Linneaus:
ReplyDeleteHesketh actually isn't going to Wisconsin for another year, unless something has changed from our initial thoughts from draft day. He was to be playing out his grade 12 year this year, then going to the USHL for a year, then he would begin channelling his inner Mustelid.
If you have anything to refute this, please pass it along. I'd love for him to be skipping that USHL season because it's going to convince everyone he's amazing by dominating what is essentially the CHL-lite at the ripe old age of 20. For a comparison, Petry did the same thing.
Lebowski:
Absolutely great dig at Khabibulin. I think that might have escaped the wit of others.
3rd round or later? I wish.
ReplyDeleteMcDonald, Jacques, Paukovich, and Caron were all 2nd rounders. There was a period between the '05 and '08 drafts where they didn't go with the coke machines, but that was also the time they determined that they needed skill and that size wasn't the most important factor.
They're back to focusing on size, so expect them to go with the knuckle draggers early and often.
Bruins signed Ference to a 3yr 2.25 per yr deal.
ReplyDelete$35.2m committed to the following players: Lucic, Krejci, Bergeron, Ryder, Chara, Wideman, Thomas, and Ference.
I'd say there is a chance Edmonton can get that Leaf pick if they dig Chiarelli out of that hole he is digging himself into.
Although you'd only do it if they hold on to the #2 or #3 pick and you plan on being bad for a couple more years.
Kabanov has been benched, and healthy scratched by his QJMHL team.
ReplyDeleteHe had all the reasons to quit as it was nefast for it's development, and wrong at the same time. The coach said he wasn't useful anywhere else but on a PP and first 2 lines. But it's not like Daniel Petersson with his 33 points in 51 games was really outclssing him.
Probably communication problems (Russian to English/French etc)
Don't worry guys, because Billy Bob Thornton can play the Bucky part in the upcoming epic:
ReplyDelete"The Oilers- Still a Dynasty From 30th Place".
Oiler's Draft Haiku
ReplyDeleteStu makes all the picks
Tambellini gets coffee
Lowe serves the pancakes
@ Woodguy
Not to make you lose face or bring shame upon our group, but your haiku needs a nature reference to be taken seriously & reflected upon at length.
How about:
Draft dawn rays of hope
First pick Estonian dwarf
Gretzky statue weeps
Pancakes occur naturally and Steve contemplates the roster while he gets coffee.
ReplyDeleteSteve is still evaluating the coffee.
ReplyDeleteNoticed this while bringing up the blog, LT:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.websiteoutlook.com/www.lowetide.blogspot.com
Looks like your investment of time and effort is paying off in spades! (Sort of)
It's sort of weird that they can say you generate $10 in advertisement revenue per day, even though there aren't any on the site.
Anyways, neato. Congrats.
doritogrande,
ReplyDeleteMy info on Troy Hesketh came from listening to Ryan Phelps talking about the 2A semi-final. Wisconsin still says fall 2011 so I'm guessing you're right and I got excited by one source and didn't verify. My apologies. The way this was explained to me Wisconsin is already fully committed in 2010 so even if Hesketh wanted to change his mind he couldn't.
So amend my comments about Hesketh to include the following...headed to USHL for year before going to Wisconsin in the fall of 2011.
Also, while I was trying to find confirmation for Phelps comment I realized that Hesketh is a bit like Alex Plante, he plays second fiddle, maybe third fiddle on a stacked team. Justin Holl and Andrew Prochno, to judge by local media, do some of the heavy lifting. From reading local press coverage Hesketh plays a very smart and efficient game but seldom high profile.
Looks like a well coached kid with real talent going to a good program but who could actually use a year of beating up on midgets where he can be the go to guy. In any case, as I said a long term draft and follow in the Detroit mode. Presumably still four years away at least.
Petry might be a very good comparable, of course we still have no idea how good Petry is or isn't.
Hemsky, Penner, Gilbert and Whitney have no questions other than health.
ReplyDeleteYeah. The best long-term contracts on the team, by far, are the ones signed by the guys in their 20s. We all agree that Hemsky's is an excellent contract despite minor-to-major health issues every season. Penner and Gilbert apparently have no health issues; over the three years that both have been on the team they have missed a combined total of 4 GP, all for MacT-related reasons. They're horses. As for Whitney, he missed 30-odd games the one year he had the foot surgery, and otherwise he's been a workhorse as well. Each of those contracts was 5 or 6 years at $4.0 to $4.25 MM, signed when the guy was entering his 23-26 y.o. season.
Compare and contrast the long-term commitments with the 30-somethings, especially the health context: Pisani, Moreau, Horcoff, Souray, Visnovsky, Staios, Roloson, Khabibulin ... Four years plus in every instance, and considerably bigger money in several instances than the 20-something quartet. Only Roli didn't have one or more serious health issues at some point.
Because of this imbalance I for one am very happy with the Visnovsky for Whitney exchange, and am getting happier by the game as Whitney continues to impress. I like Lubo and wish him well, and am glad to see him scoring in Anaheim, but from an age perspective alone he was in the wrong place here. Whitney is on the right side of 30, and on the right side of $5 MM for that matter.
Bruce nailed it.
ReplyDeleteDarren and Schitzo:
ReplyDeleteBooze is a big problem in our society that no one wants to talk about. It's all hush hush.
Any way, mot really racist as most Russians are Slavs who are Caucasians. I have a drop or two of Russian blood in me.
Now don't get me started on the Irish. (see Blazing Saddles if you are offended)
Here's an idea: if you want to make comments on race or ethnic background, please take the gaspipe. You're not welcome here.
ReplyDelete