Here we are, 41 games into the 2008-09 campaign. Here's what I've observed (and what's caused me to make that extra cocktail during the course of the game):
THE GOOD:
-Mikko Koivu...nearly a point per game (despite going cold the past few games), leadership, and really, we would be waaaaaaaaaaaaaay up shit creek without him in the lineup.
-Niklas Backstrom...a well deserved all-star nomination, some Vezina Trophy consideration, and yet no deal. If (or more like when) the team keeps up this torrid pace of unspectacular play, consider him a goner when his limited no-trade clause expires March 1. I hate to see him go, but he is undoubtedly our biggest bargaining chip, and surely Doug Risebrough can't fuck it up (even moreso)...right?
-Brent Burns...now before you scratch your head, let me explain. He's played the role of good soldier, moving back and forth at the risk of stalled development, and has regained his dynamic form from last year back where he should be- the blueline.
-Cal Clutterbuck...instant a fan favorite with his style of play. He and Mikko Koivu are easily the two hardest working players night after night, and Clutterbuck is showing he may be more than just a grinder. If the game sucks, at least you'll get to see him smoke somebody.
-Special Teams...1st in PK, and either 9 or 10 on the PP.
-Eric Belanger...quietly has been solid in all 3 zones, providing some stability when Mikko Koivu isn't on the ice. As much as Koivu is vital is to this team, we cannot discount what Belanger does on a nightly basis.
The Bad:
-Injuries...Owen Nolan, Marian Gaborik, Pierre-Marc Bouchard (who might as well be on IR), Brent Burns, Stephane Veilleux, Martin Skoula, Marek Zidlicky, Eric Belanger, and Marc-Andre Bergeron have all missed multiple games due to injury/illness.
-Bergeron And Zidlicky Defensively...Oi. Don't get me started.
-5 on 5...this should be classified under ugly, but I got such an immense list of ugly in my head I got to put something under "bad"...near the very bottom of the league for goals scored even strength. And yet there's no sign of help on the horizon...
The Ugly:
The Gaborik Fiasco...the season is pretty much lost, he's gonna walk at season's end, and we'll get next to nothing (if anything)) in return for an elite scorer (when he's healthy.) At least we won't have 8 million dollars tied up on him the next few years.
Pierre-Marc Bouchard...got a fat deal in the offseason (reluctantly from the Brass), said he's got to play more assertively but has 19-20 points to show for it. I wish I got paid 4 million a year to make a nifty spin move at the opponent's blueline.
The Kids...I don't know which is worse; the lack of production from James Sheppard, Benoit Pouliot, and Colton Gillies (who gets lumped in but shouldn't have been counted on to contribute) or the fact that Doug Risebrough hasn't done anything about it. First he said kids weren't gonna be given roster spots, and now here we are...
December...'nuff said. Some would say it was a harbinger.
Doug Risebrough...generally I've refrained from lashing into the Brass, not because they are without blame, but guys like Risebrough, Tom Lynn, etc. can't control what happens on the ice, night after night, but this season more so than other ones have illuminated the fact that this is a very poorly run team. Jacques Lemaire, the coach, has come out and said that this team isn't very talented. You can't fault Lemaire doing what he has to do just to win. Who is responsible for fielding the team?
No one could have forecast Gaborik's injury, or the kids struggling, or the injuries, but the double talk and the lack of action on many fronts has to bring some heat on the folks in charge. Mike Russo nailed it on the head in a relatively scathing editorial which lambasted so many aspects of the organization. I don't fault Risebrough resigning Brian Rolston, who signed for more than what he is worth, but I do fault him in not being proactive about trying to help the team that currently can't score more than once a game, and has slid from Division leader to 10th in the Conference. I simply do not buy into the fact that scoring help can't be had (be creative Doug, although its hard to be creative when our draft picks, aside from our 1st rounder, are dealt all willy-nilly;) surely there has to be options out there. Jonathan Cheechoo is struggling- perhaps he'd look good with PMB feeding him the puck. I hear Montreal fans clamoring for a right handed Power Play QB; perhaps a Chris Higgins or a Guilliame Latendresse could be had for Marek Zidlicky. Something.
What, in the past few months, makes you think this team is a legit contender? Sorry, I for one am not content just to make the playoffs. So, then the onus is to go out and make moves to make this team into a contender, or you pull the plug, try and recoup some draft picks and get some young players, and build for next season.
No more "in the middle" shit.
This sort of apathetic attitude toward improving the team (I just realized this last night, that "what kind of team we are" and the moves that try and correlate to that mantra are always based on the year previous; first we were a speed team, then a physical team (after Anaheim kicked our ass,) then we needed more blueline production...what are we gonna be next year?) is worse than Bill Smith and the Twins. Its maddening, especially when I'm paying $130 a game for season tickets!
I hate to be so negative (it is kind of fun) about this, but there is nothing in the past two months that make me think that this team is going to do anything- we go out and take 5 of 6 points from teams like San Jose, Boston, and Detroit, and then we suck it up in Philly (especially on the PP, our only lifeline) and then lose to a bunch of kids and AHLers in Columbus. We can't score. Period.
Take a look at teams like Columbus (the low end of the point I am gonna make,) Chicago, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, and LA; these are teams who have done it right; take the lumps, and load up with young talent and draft picks. Do I think its bad that Minnesota opted to be more competitive as an expansion franchise? No, but the success attained in 2003 surely has set the high water mark, a point that we haven't reached since. So I ask you, is it worth taking a step (or two) back to make that giant leap forward? Hell fucking yes it is. I can (and my wallet) can tolerate some subpar, mediocre, and struggling seasons to set up the future, because at this point, we got next to nothing to look forward to.
Ask Calgary fans what they think of Doug Risebrough's tenure there. Am I calling for his head? No, but I think a shift in perspective is in order.
2 called shenanigans:
Wow Dan did you forget to poor your whiskey into your water? Such aggression one would think you just got done watching a really shitty hockey game....oh wait you probably did if you watched the last wild game!
I pretty much agree with you on this entire post. Especially what you say about Risebrough. And you're right, they need to just start looking at what they're going to do with the roster next year, and what they're going to do with all the kids. Cause they obviously can't keep all of them around.
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