That was one terrific hockey game last night!
I'm no sentimentalist for Bob Cole—I appreciate an announcer who can correctly identify the players on the ice and who doesn't stare at the guy who scored the third Chicago goal and say "Number 20....ummm.....Saad" like the player has just parachuted in from another planet. But not even he could spoil that action, especially in overtime. Both teams played like they believed they would win.
So, I guess the fire sale in Chicago is on hold for at least a few more days. I think the series could still go either way, but the 'Hawks should certainly get a boost from that performance. Even "old man" Michal Handzus is redeemed after scoring the winning goal.
Thanks to DarthKane for pointing out yesterday that the Blackhawks used both their compliance buyouts last summer, on Steve Montador and Rostislav Olesz. The Marian Hossa contract will indeed play out to its natural conclusion in 2020-21.
Meanwhile, over in New York, the Dale Weise/Raphael Diaz trade continues to be at the centre of the Habs/Rangers series. NHL.com is reporting that Weise will not play—not due to a concussion, according to Michel Therrien, but a "body injury." Therrien really has learned everything he knows from Alain Vigneualt, hasn't he?
As if it's not weird enough that Weise is a major hockey storyline as the calendar is about to flip over to June, of course the Rangers will be replacing the suspended John Moore with none other than Diaz—the man that Weise was traded for. Even in the Eastern Conference, all roads still wind through Vancouver.
Player Development and Deployment:
I touched on this idea early in the playoffs with the emergence of Weise, but I saw some of you talking yesterday about the Kings' development of their young players, who have now been effectively worked into their lineup. Perhaps this is where Ron Delorme does get a bit of a pass as Canucks' scout—it might not be the Canucks' raw materials that have been poor, so much as how they've been developed.
It's hard to believe now, but there were plenty of question marks surrounding both Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli when they were drafted. From The Hockey News website:
Pearson: Doesn't have ideal size for the National Hockey League, and he also is only an average skater by today's standards. Also lacks a physical dimension to his game.
Toffoli: Isn't strong enough yet to handle physical pro defensemen, so he needs to bulk up. Needs to become a better player without the puck.
Both players now boast the "HOT" marker on their Hockey News profile pages and are looking very much like they've figured it out.
Toffoli was drafted 47th overall in 2010 and Pearson went 30th in 2012, so every team in the league passed on these guys before the Kings picked them up. There has been some talk on the game broadcasts of the work that both players did in Manchester to get them to the point where they're now important NHL regulars. The Kings were able to polish potential and maximize their return.
The 'Hawks have done the same with Brandon Saad, drafted 43rd overall in 2011. With his big body and bushy beard, he's a mature-looking 21-year-old, especially compared with his teammates Kane and Toews. It was easy to see last night why the Blackhawks are so high on this player.
I've talked before about what a good development system Chicago has—where even guys like Ryan Stanton who can't crack the lineup on the big club are serviceable NHLers on teams like Vancouver. Chicago and Los Angeles are now two very good hockey clubs that are well-constructed both on and off the ice.
I remain hopeful that the first step for the Canucks in improving their player development is the ownership of the Utica team. If the next coach actually communicates with the Comets group, well, that'd be an added bonus.
It might take a couple more years to see the rewards from the Utica purchase, but I think it was a good move that should pay dividends.
More on John Weisbrod:
Here's a great example of the value of mainstream media in our offseason discussions. When we don't have any game action or live interviews to analyze, we can rely on our newspaper reporters to dig up more information on the hot topics being bandied about.
In this case, after Bob McKenzie dropped John Weisbrod's name last week as a potential new member of Vancouver's management team, Ben Kuzma of The Province went to work, finding out more about this new name.
You’d think Benning would at least kick the tires hard on Weisbrod because of his pro-scouting input with the Bruins and the college talent he scouted. Asked if he’ll add to his staff, Benning was noncommittal on his first day on the job last week and chose to focus on what’s in place.
Kuzma goes on to commend Weisbrod for his input into the Calgary Flames' 2013 draft. He neglects to mention that Weisbrod was part of the group that selected obscure high-schooler Mark Jankowski 21st overall for the Flames in 2012—one of the weirder picks ever in NHL draft history.
The article's worth a read—to get a bit more insight into what Weisbrod's about, why he might be headed this way and who he might replace in the Canucks' organization. Something to watch as we count down the days till the draft.