If you’re having trouble wrapping your head around the fact that the Senators traded Karlsson yesterday, here are a few items of information that you can read as you’re enjoying your morning coffee.
Here are your morning links:
In an excellent blog article for TSN that is well worth reading, Ian Mendes wrote at length about the unfounded rumour that Spezza could not handle playing in a Canadian market.
“I don’t think that’s accurate,” Spezza told TSN.ca. “My biggest motivator for a trade was to win. It will be portrayed however they want it to be portrayed, but the last thing I was worried about was coming out and doing interviews in front of my stall.”
In his most recent rumblings blog for ESPN, Pierre Lebrun commented on the fact that the Senators and the Stars were able to pull off the trade considering some very unusual circumstances.
“The funniest thing about the Spezza trade is that, as late as Saturday, Nill was under the impression that Spezza didn’t want to go to Dallas. There was some miscommunication or confusion with Ottawa on that. Once that got cleared up over the weekend, Nill got back hard into the Spezza situation.”
In a franchise altering move that involved trading the captain, the Senators couldn’t even communicate a message to the Dallas Stars to let them know that Spezza had indeed left them off his list of ten teams that he could not be traded to by as late as Saturday night?
That sounds absolutely insane, but as one friend pointed out to me, Lebrun was one columnist who wrote that the Stars were one of the teams that Spezza would not waive his NTC for, but that detail was eventually removed from his piece. It’s possible this blog rumbling was his way of covering himself for getting the information wrong in the first place.
After mentioning that the Senators are looking to add another player via trade, the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch speculates that the deal “may involve moving a defenceman for a forward. That is close, but not done.” (All together now, “Please not Chris Stewart. Please not Chris Stewart. Please not Chris Stewart. Please not Chris Stewart.”)
In another article at the Sun, Donny Brennan mentions that he has heard Chiasson compared to a more talented Blake Wheeler.
“Is Chiasson a solid prospect? Yes. He scored six goals in his first six NHL games, two years ago. He has strong playmaking skills from the wing. He’s been called a “more talented version” of Blake Wheeler. And he’s got some grit.”
I finally found out where the Wheeler comp came from and it’s from Chiasson’s Hockey’s Future bio page.
“Has a good blend of size and skill. Decent speed on his feet, but needs to work on skating, especially stride. Obviously needs to fill out his 6’3 frame. Can stickhandle through traffic with so much poise. Goes to the net, but will have to learn to get a bit grittier in close. Needs to be a little more patient in his own end. Likes to take off before team has secured possession. There are some concerns about his effort level. Is a very good playmaker from the winger position. Potential top-six playmaking winger, like a more talented version of Blake Wheeler.”
For what it’s worth Wheeler put up 39 goals and 83 points in the 163 games before the 2010-11 season when he turned 24 and during his first two years in the league, he had some of the best relative corsi ratings on his team. He’s always been a player who can put up points and positively impact the game when he’s not scoring.
I’m not sure the same can be said about Chiasson, who by comparison turns 24 on October 1st before the start of the season. He has 19 goals and 42 points in 86 games in the NHL, but this modest production and his relatively mediocre puck possession numbers make me wonder how much more room there is for growth in his game.
Over at The Hockey News, Rory Boylen fairly wonders what kind of impact the Jason Spezza decision will have on Bobby Ryan’s desire to remain in Ottawa. It’s an odd predicament that the Senators are in and I don’t believe the honeymoon period is over yet for this city and Ryan, but this team is further away from contention than they previously thought when they acquired Ryan, so if they cannot come to terms on a new deal, trading Ryan might be best for the team’s long-term future.
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