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Peter Tessier: Taking Notice, Kane and Byfuglien |
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Peter Tessier is the Winnipeg Jets blogger for HockeyBuzz. He is filling in today for the vacationing Eklund. Eklund's rumor blog will resume tomorrow.
It’s not often a writer for one of the NHL’s smallest markets gets to fill in for the boss in HockeyBuzz's lead blog space, so I was pretty honoured when asked to step in while Ek is on vacation. I’ve had a great ride here at HB as I’ve been around since the very beginning back in late 2004, before there was a site and only a chat room.
So in essence the cliché is right there, a lot has sure changed in nine years. The most important change is that fans have evolved and probably faster than most recognize. They’re smarter, more in tune with the teams and league, statistically literate, and with a more voracious appetite for information. In fact fans/readers/listeners/viewers demand and require more information about the sport of hockey than ever before.
I think Rogers knows this reality and made a large bet (5.2 billion) that they can meet the demands, and profit from the needs, of hockey fans. That being said what about Hockeybuzz?
This site, as have many more, has had a tremendous effect on how our regular media interacts with fans along with the expanse of topics and discussions. There’s never been a better time to be a hockey fan in my opinion. Just take a look that the different levels of revolution going on.
From the early days of Behind the Net to the ultra-slick and user-friendly Extra Skater we’ve all come a long way. From java script chat rooms to full sites devoted to discussion of all things hockey from prospects to team alumni. It’s all there yet never before has there been so much competition for eyeballs, reader loyalty and quality content.
Where are you going with this, Tessier? A big chance to pucker up on the boss’s rear end? No, not at all, but I will say this: I still believe HB is one of the best places to come and discuss hockey in any capacity you want. Stats you say, wel,l Yost has you covered. You want the inside pulse on teams with people connected to them Engels, Meltzer, Jaeckel, Cordell, Garth and many more are giving you more than game recap fluff to consider.
The last part is probably what I think makes sites like HB so strong and hard to resist: the writers here want to engage and give you something to engage with, whether you agree with it or not. It’s not the same with many other outlets nationally or locally, mainstream or new media.
The players in the media, who may have what many consider dream jobs, don’t feel the same way but they have taken notice. They know how to mine for information, and more frequently they are doing it through blogs, podcasts and ‘new media’.
The amount of casual hobbyist writers who have risen to something greater because of their ability to communicate in this online medium is impressive. There is a guy by the name of Wyatt Arndt who now resides in the Canucks press box after riding his fame and comedic talent after creating a Twitter handle as the stanchion that fed Bieksa the puck he shot in OT that put the Canucks into the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.
Ty Anderson is member is the PHWA in Boston. Eric Engels is basically everywhere in Montreal. John Jaeckel is regularly considered one of, if not the best ,online Blackhawks writers. Bill Meltzer's work has been published just about everywhere there is to be published in this business. That’s who is still here, some have gone on to other things after a foundation in the formation of HB.
The funny part, at least to me, is that far too often we here and around the Internet are seen as threats, ones never accountable to anyone. The fact is the rise of HB and other sites has pushed all media towards a singularity, a point where there is little difference in what is done just who, you the readers feel, does it best. If we thought things had changed in nine years I’m betting the next five go way beyond and I’m looking forward to the ride.
Tessier's Take: Kane and Byfuglien Rumours
So I cover the Jets and right now you can’t turn device on without a Byfuglien or Kane popping onto your screen. Here’s why I don’t think either are dealt anytime soon.
First Byfuglien: What can the Jets get back from any team that puts them in a better spot than they were with Buff? I’m not so sure that deal exists without a GM being asleep at the wheel, much like how Buff is perceived to play at times. Since Byfuglien became exclusively a defenseman his stats are insane and since 2010 he is easily a top 10 if not top 5 player in his position. Check both traditional and fancy stats- he’s good. So why move him? Say it with me; "only if some overpays, only if some one overpays."
Now Kane. Is there a player in the league who gives as many mixed messages about their contentment as Evander Kane? There might not be a player who feels the wrath of the public as frequently as Kane. Could any GM get value for a guy who scored 30 goals as a 20 year-old two years ago, value that would offset the loss of said player? Ask the Flames how they made out after trading Phaneuf.
Kane may want out, or he may just want to win, but his desire to win and be the best may get the better of him at times. He is a top 5 pick, and is there any team with a ‘for-sure’ top 5 pick in this draft worth dealing with? Looking at you Oilers. A team that wants Kane is one that probably is dealing a pick from the lower third of the draft and that helps the Jets little and that’s before you measure the value of a roster player coming back.
If Kane is dealt, it’s a blockbuster in the off-season with another team that needs to reset itself. Right now we’re too far away to know who that organization might be if it will even exist at all as a viable trading partner.
One other thought on Winnipeg and possible players. With a fair bit of cap space coming up this off-season speculation has come as to whether the Jets make a play for Alexander Steen, son of long-time Jets player and current Winnipeg city councilor Tomas Steen. Not gonna happen. The elder Steen has been quite open about saying his son is not looking to have the pressure of a hometown fan base around him.
PARTING THOUGHTS
Thanks for reading and when you take a wander around the interwebs consider how much enjoyment you get from those working to engage with you. Hockey is a sport all about engagement within the game and when it comes to media I believe the new media has really pushed everyone to be far better in our chosen arena of competition.
I hope you do too and continue to visit, read and most importantly discuss!
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