Pre-Vacation Ponderings

To readers of this blog and those of you who landed here thanks to searching Google for "Mike Comrie boinked Salo's Wife", I'll be on vacation in sunny Tofino for the next 10 days. Don't be alarmed that I am MIA. I need the break from you :)

Sure, I'll miss the free agency frenzy, but maybe it's better that I don't see how badly Gillis screws this franchise, or fails to deliver anything but scrubs like Kyle Softwood.

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As an aside, I am looking for a co-blogger to add to Hockey Rants. As you may have noticed, Greg hasn’t posted here since Scott Lachance last scored an NHL goal. His work has kept him very busy, so we need a replacement.

Do you have a blog that you've struggled with? Have the itch to blog about hockey and rant your head off? Think Pavol Demitra should be in the Hall of Fame?

If so, click the contact links on the left side and give me a shout. This site could use another good voice.

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Some thoughts from our Southern Correspondent, Wayne:

WTF was Don Waddell (hockey killer) doing drafting a 6'1" 158 lbs. project center at the end of the first round? We need a center who can step in right away and feed Ilya the puck, along with getting garbage goals...

This guy (Levielle...isn't that what they play in the Army to wake you up in the morning?) is expected to go on to college and play at least 3 years...Great; by the time he suits up and plays for the Thrashers (after college and the minors), John McCain will be running for re-election...

Now, I'll have to disagree strongly with Wayne on this topic.

1. The only SAFE pick is a Crosby/Ovechkin type. Every other pick has an element of risk, and only the true superstars will deliver value. With 18 and 19-year old kids, you can never truly project how they'll develop.

2. When I hear SAFE pick, I always think of 'low ceiling'. Just because a guy is defensively responsible and has a good work ethic doesn't mean he is a safe pick.

Remember who was a safe pick? Nathan Smith. Yeah, look how that turned out.

Give me the guy with the highest ceiling any day, unless his attitude is complete rotten (Alexander Volchkov).

3. Never draft by positional need, unless you have a glut of 15 goaltenders.

Look, kids can rarely ever step in and make a positive impact in the lineup. How many draft picks step in right away? How many of those who do make a positive contribution? Hell, even Joe Thornton and Vinny Lecavalier sucked the big one in their rookie seasons.

By the time a draftee develops, which can be 1-5 years, the organizations positional needs will likely have changed. By the time your #1 centerman prospect develops, you may very well already have a good 1-2 centerman punch.

Simply put, you should follow the cliché and draft the best talent available. If you get a glut later on, then you make deals.

4. If you want to fill a need, then you need to sign and/or trade to fill that hole. Mr. 18-year old is not going to fill that #3 checking winger spot you need filled, is he?

5. They play the "Reveille" in the army :), and I play Reveillark in MTG. Booya!

Monday Morning Musings

The more things change, the more they stay the same *sigh*

Mike Gillis' reign of error as GM of the Canucks thus far has not been much different than the man he chopped to pieces in the media. (Nonis, FYI)

I figured since Gillis, who NEVER smiles, is going to gut the scouting staff, and would have dealt the 1st Rounder to another team.

Instead, Gillis got greedy, couldn't get a deal done, and ended up with Cody Hodson.

Now, reading Hodson's scouting reports, he's not a BAD pick for the 10th slot, he's just ... boring.

The Canucks have a history of taking boring '2-way' forwards with a rather low ceiling. Remember Nathan Smith? Hell, as hard as Ryan Kesler works and as well as he skates, he's not putting up big offensive numbers, nor will he ever.

The Canucks' are never going to be a great team if they continue to draft players that have no true "star" potential. Hodson may very well become a solid citizen for the Canucks, but it's highly unlikely he'll ever become an above-average player in the NHL.

The Canucks could have drafted bad boy Kyle Beach, but they went with the conservative pick ... bleh

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Speaking of the draft, I was out on Friday and Saturday and was glad I missed to whole thing. How could anyone sit through 4 hours of First Round draft coverage. Yeah, I missed a lot of trades, but that'll allow me to slowly catch up on what went down.

The Canucks could have had Cammalleri, but ended up being rebuffed.
Canadiens got Tanguay and want Sundin. Gainey obviously knows the time is now and is being aggressive. In today's salary cap era, where few teams seem to be able to sustain success, you'll see teams go for broke if they see an opening.

At least the Habs have lots of good young talent, so going after Sundin and Tanguay won't cripple them in the long term.

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Some very sad news to report as George Carlin, my favourite comedian and one of the very best, died at the age of 71.

The way Carlin saw the world and the way he talked about the softening of our language made him more than just a jokester. Listening to or reading Carlin's rants can open your eyes to the wicked ways of the world.

And, of course, those "seven dirty words that can't be said over the air."

"There will always be language taboos in any culture. There are aspects of our bodies that certain religions have put beyond the pale. I don't think it's cheapened our discourse. I think it limits people," he said. "I've always said I enjoy using all the language. Human beings invented all of this language. When I was a little boy, I was told to look up to policemen and look up to sports stars, and look up to the military. And we all know how they speak. Apparently it hasn't corrupted them morally. So. I think these words are overrated for their power."

Frat-boys like Dane Cook might be able to fill some arenas, but they will NEVER be 1/100 as funny or relevant as Carlin.

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Speaking about humour, the boys at 2 Man Advantage are back with another hilarious episode.

Hungry Hungry Hippos + New York Islanders = Loads of fun.

2 Man Advantage hang out with a few Islanders on Islanders Illustrated and grill newbie Kyle Okposo. This is the kind of quality fan-made content that makes the Mainstream media less relevant in our lives.

Patrik Stefan: Worst 1st Overall Pick, Ever!

by Jes

For the longest time, I've proclaimed and bleated that Alexandre Daigle is the worst 1st overall pick in NHL history.

That title, I'm afraid, must be passed on to a new man: Patrik Stefan.

Yes, we all know Daigle is the undisputed champion when it comes to unfulfilled expectations, not living up to the hype, and disappointing the fans.

Despite what Daigle couldn't accomplish, he was still a far more useful NHL player than Patrick Stefan could ever hoped to have been.

As bad as Daigle was defensively, and as much as he couldn't bring the Senators any level of success, he was still a useful and talented goal scorer in his early career. After his "I want to be an actor" phase, he came back and did well as a 2-way drone for Jacques Lemaire and the Minnesota Mild.

Stefan? He was the FRANCHISE pick for the Atlanta Thrashers, expected to be the next Bobby Holik, after being drafted 1st overall in 1999. After putting up a point-a-game in the IHL (R.I.P.), Stefan looked like a good prospect, despite the history of concussions.

Well, after 455 NHL games, all Stefan had to show for his efforts was 188 points and 0 playoff games played. Stefan never had more than 40 points in a single season, and wasn't particularly good at anything. Being a stiff skater with a lack of grit, Stefan couldn't be counted on to be a shut down type, nor could he really get his team's offence going.

Sure, Stefan could be a decent 3rd line center, but who wants a dime-a-dozen 3rd line center with their 1st overall pick?

PLAYER           GP   G   A  PTS

Alex Daigle      616 129 198 327

D. Wickenheiser  556 111 165 276

Brian Lawton     483 112 154 266

Patrick Stefan   455  64 124 188

Of course, Stefan is only 26 (27 next month), and may be able to improve on his career numbers, but it's highly doubtful he will. I can't see many teams all that eager to give Stefan the type of money he can earn overseas.

For all of his NHL crapiness, Stefan did do well during his lockout stint in Finland (41 points in 37 games), and seems a lot more suited for the International style of play over the NHL style. In that regard, Stefan reminds me of Pavel Patera, who did very little during his NHL stint.

It's a close call, but I'm going to have to give the title to Patrik Stefan. Congrats, doofus!