Who?

Many people may not know the name of the last man to be the General Manager of the Atlanta Thrashers, but anyone who followed the team before they relocated to Winnipeg truly understands the impact he had on the franchise. The man is Rick Dudley, who was plucked from the Blackhawks organization after being the assistant GM from 2006, taking the same position with Atlanta in the spring of 2009. He replaced long-time GM Don Waddell in 2010, and took upon the duty of giving the franchise their first ever successful season, a task Waddell completed zero times.

To give a little perspective as to just how bad Waddell was, we can delve into some easy examples that highlight just how pitiful his tenure was. Continue reading

Since the Edmonton Oilers drafted consecutive 1st overall picks Taylor Hall (2010) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2011), they have been considered hockey’s scapegoat anytime a rebuild is brought up.

On the flip side of things, hockey’s rebuilding legends are the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Chicago drafted Jonathan Toews 3rd overall in 2006, then Patrick Kane 1st in 2007; becoming Champions of hockey within 5 years of beginning their rebuild.

Pittsburgh was almost identical, drafting Evgeni Malkin 2nd in 2004 and then Sidney Crosby 1st in 2005. They would win their first Stanley Cup in 2009, also within 5 years of their franchise changing first overall pick.

So what’s the difference? What happened with Edmonton that has kept them from making the jump? Or even a leap? Why was Pittsburgh able to make the playoffs one single year after drafting Crosby first? How was Chicago able to hoist the Cup so quickly after ending their playoff drought just one year prior?

There are a couple of factors. Continue reading

Youth Movement Continues in Winnipeg

Jets youngsters Mark Scheifele, Nik Ehlers, and Nic Petan celebrate a goal during preseason action. Photo courtesy of pinterest.com.

The Winnipeg Jets started their season with a considerable amount of new youth to insert. Nik Ehlers, the headliner of the group has looked dangerous on many shifts playing with an offensive unit in Mathieu Perreault and Mark Scheifele. Ehlers has shown he’s consistently looking to be a threat, whether it be through a quick snapshot or his unique ability of cutting inside on defenders and getting a quick shot off. Paul Maurice has also mentioned no concern of his defensive game, saying the effort has been there since day one.

Nic Petan, although in a much different role than Ehlers, has looked like looked like the rare case where a highly skilled offensive player actually benefits from playing on the fourth line. His linemates, Andrew Copp and Chris Thorburn, don’t play a particularly skilled game, but Petan is benefitting from being afforded time to learn to adjust his 5’9 frame to the rigors of the NHL. Maurice has also shown trust in him and a willingness to help him develop, since he is also getting plenty of time on the second power play unit. In most cases your fourth liner’s only special teams contribution is on the penalty kill, but the Jets have been afforded the rare opportunity where a power play man is stored in the bottom of your lineup.

Should any top 9 Jet go down with an injury, look for Petan to seamlessly slide to the left of Scheifele, and move the defensively responsible Mathieu Perreault off of his line to play with Adam Lowry and Alex Burmistrov. Continue reading

When the Canucks surprisingly decided to keep Roberto Luongo and trade Cory Schneider, they obtained the 9th overall pick of the 2013 draft. For a goaltender of Schneider’s caliber, it seemed as though the return should have been significantly higher. Then GM Mike Gillis all but confirmed that he had received a stronger offer from the division rival Edmonton Oilers. Gillis turned the deal down saying that he simply could not fathom having to play multiple division games against Schneider for the next decade and a half.

The Canucks had a choice to make with pick 9. They could pick enigmatic but supremely talented Russian Valeri Nichushkin, who was drawing comparisons to Evgeni Malkin for his combination of size, speed, and strength – the type of player that could change the dynamic of a game with one rush. Or they could pick the soft-spoken two-way Canadian centreman, Bo Horvat, who excelled at both ends of the ice. His offensive numbers didn’t blow anybody away, but he was a proven winner and someone who played for the team and not for himself.

In hindsight, the Canucks seem to have made the right decision. It would surprise no one if Nichushkin ended up being one of the top ten best players in the NHL someday. It would also surprise no one if Horvat was named team captain when Henrik Sedin retires and if he won multiple Selke Trophies over the next decade. Bo Horvat is exactly the type of player the Canucks needed at exactly the right time. Continue reading

Paul Maurice gives young center Mark Scheifele some strong instructions during a game against Detroit. Photo courtesy of windorstar.com

Since Paul Maurice has been hired in Winnipeg, I’ve found his interviews to be enlightening and engaging; I’ve enjoyed listening to pretty much every single one. In this article you will find analysis and insight highlighting topics he speaks about that I find interesting. He is one of the best interviewees in hockey and, in my mind, one of the most intelligent as well. He is well known for delivering insightful, well-communicated answers when asked about his hockey club.

When highlighting the differences between last year’s playoff roster and this upcoming season’s roster, the names are easy to switch out, and they’re all at forward. Gone are proven veterans Jiri Tlusty, Lee Stempniak, Jimmy Slater, and Michael Frolik. The Jets now have a bunch of kids to replace ‘em. New to the team this year are Nik Ehlers (19), Nic Petan (20), Andrew Copp (22), and Alex Burmistrov (23), an average age of 21 years old. Continue reading