Thomas Vanek will become the test case. The impending free agent winger from Montreal who cost the Canadiens next to nothing to rent, except maybe the Eastern Conference finals during which he was AWOL, will either prove or disprove the theory that no one’s price goes down on the market regardless of his walk year performance.
Hours before Game 1 of Rangers-Canadiens, Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin was speaking in somewhat general terms about constructing an NHL roster.
“There are players who get you in, and there are players who get you through,” he said, offering an adage as universally applicable as Bill Parcells’ famous, “You are what your record says you are.”
There is no evidence at all Vanek is a player who can be depended upon to get his team through the playoffs — no evidence of that whatsoever off his negligible impact in the series against the Rangers through which he had two assists while his ice time was reduced to under 12:00 a game.
No evidence at all the winger is remotely worth the seven-year, $50 million deal he rejected from the Islanders before being sent to Montreal at the deadline. No evidence he is anyone’s missing piece to a playoff puzzle.
And yet, the rule of the NHL market is — or has been: Players don’t pay a price for having underperformed and teams indeed will pay the manufacturer’s sticker price, regardless.
See: Semin, Alex for a prime example. Another: Thornton, Joe.
Vanek, the former Gopher with family ties to Minnesota, has been linked for months to the Wild, who appear to be the proverbial one or two players away from being able to break into the Chicago-
Los Angeles Western monopoly, but that would be one or two players who can get them through.
Minnesota hit it big two summers ago by giving monopoly money to free agents Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, a pair of character players who qualify as both get-in and get-through guys. But Vanek doesn’t fit that category.
Free agency is a supply-and-demand business. The demand this summer for difference-makers will far exceed the supply. On the wing, the marquee names are Vanek, Marian Gaborik, Matt Moulson (who had his own get-through issues as a rental for the Wild), Mike Cammalleri and Ryan Callahan. At center, it is Paul Stastny, perhaps to be joined by Brad Richards. On defense, Dan Boyle, Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik.
Other than for the occasional shift, Vanek was dreadful against the Rangers; barely noticeable. One would think the Wild — or any other team fancying itself as a Cup contender — noticed. But we’ll see. We’ll find out on July 1.
All right, universal draft of forwards to start a team. You probably would pick Sidney Crosby first, and if not, chances are you would go with Jonathan Toews or maybe, just maybe, Ryan Getzlaf.
But you could never go wrong with Patrick Kane, who at this moment is the most electrifying talent in the game.
On defense, Duncan Keith is terrific, no doubt about that, but at this point isn’t it likely Drew Doughty would be a unanimous first selection?
And if you’re not starting with Henrik Lundqvist in goal, then you are not paying attention.
If Bergevin isn’t prepared to give impending restricted free agent P.K. Subban a contract with a pair of eights in it — as in for eight years for an average salary that begins with an eight — then the GM had best not expect to see his dominant defenseman on the ice for a while.
James Neal, another one who will get you in but won’t get you through.
Indeed, ranking disappointing playoff performances against the Rangers: 1) Crosby; 2) Neal; 3) Claude Giroux; 4) Vanek; 5) Scott Hartnell.
Ranking the top 1-2 draft selections as a tandem: 1) 1971, 1. Guy Lafleur, Montreal, 2. Marcel Dionne, Detroit; 2) 2004, 1. Alex Ovechkin, Washington, Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh; 3) 1988, 1. Mike
Modano, North Stars, 2. Trevor Linden, Vancouver; 4) 1. Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay, 2. Doughty, Los Angeles; 5) 1. Pierre Turgeon, Buffalo, 2. Brendan Shanahan, Devils.
Honorable Mention: 1973, 1. Denis Potvin, Islanders, 2. Tom Lysiak, Flames. Dishonorable Mention: 1976, 1. Rick Green, Washington, 2. Blair Chapman, Pittsburgh.
You could do this for just about any and every draft, that’s almost a given, such as 2006 when the Rangers selected Bobby Sanguinetti 21st overall rather than Giroux, who went next to
Philadelphia, or perhaps most famously 1980, when the Capitals selected defenseman Darren Veitch fifth overall instead of Paul Coffey, who went next to Edmonton.
But keep it in the back of your mind that in 2012 the Devils selected Stefan Matteau 29th, one slot ahead of the Kings’ selection of Tanner Pearson.
The hiring of Brian MacLellan as GM in Washington tells me either owner Ted Leonsis or team president Dick Patrick — or both — did not want to yield any power or influence relating to the hockey department.
No, Ulf Samuelsson doesn’t have the job as the next head coach in Carolina, not yet, anyway, but the short list of the current Rangers assistant coach’s close friend, Hurricanes GM Ron Francis, is pretty darn short.
Bob Cole: The Voice.
This just in: Canadiens announce Alexei Emelin was sidelined from the final two games against the Rangers because of windburn.