| | There's always too much talk about money and contracts in the NHL. But when star players are involved, it's impossible to avoid. By signing late last week, Bruins goalie Byron Dafoe avoided protracting a messy situation -- not to mention the loss of quite a few dollars. The real question now is what will happen with Alexei Yashin and Ottawa, where things get more complicated by the day.
Here is a look at those topics, as well as the Phoenix Coyotes and Vancouver winger Alexander Mogilny.
Low pressure: Byron Dafoe and the Bruins
All along, I've had no sympathy for Alexei Yashin's holdout situation, but I could see Dafoe's situation was different. Dafoe and Boston Bruins general manager Harry Sinden had their points. It was terrific that Dafoe called Sinden, met him face to face without his agent and hashed out a three-year, $9.3 million deal.
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Mon, October 11
Vancouver is off to a good start, getting big production
from Peter Schaefer, who leads all rookies in scoring.
But a big key for the Canucks is leading scorer Alexander Mogilny.
The Canucks have overachieved despite the absence of
top goalie Garth Snow (fractured finger), a different cast of players and a less than solid defense. To keep winning, Mogilny must continue to step up. He has great talent, but has
failed to be a consistent producer in Vancouver.
Early in the season, coach Marc Crawford
described Mogilny as a "thoughtful" player who needs
other thoughtful players on his line in order to be
successful. Mogilny has them now, with center Andrew
Cassels and rookie Steve Kariya. They can think and see
the game much like Mogilny can. That makes Mogilny
more excited to play. He has proven in the past that
when he's not excited, he isn't productive.
If the Canucks can keep Mogilny playing with thoughtful
players such as Cassels and Kariya, he will be valuable
because he can supply a lot of offense on a team that
needs it consistently. |
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Every player wants to play, and not sit on the sidelines. I think it was driving Dafoe nuts, which is what Sinden was counting on. Dafoe was sitting at home, watching his teammates play on TV. He was coming off a great season, the best of his career, and wanted to build on that success. No player wants to sit by and let a good thing go to waste.
From what I understand, Dafoe and Sinden compromised more than expected to strike a deal. But that is what negotiations are all about. Dafoe needs to play, and the Bruins need him to play.
Every holdout situation is different, but the way this one was resolved calls to mind another holdout, Keith Primeau. Primeau and the Carolina Hurricanes are a long way apart, but so was Dafoe, whose situation almost seemed more hopeless. Boston's history indicated that the Bruins would come far short of the numbers Dafoe wanted. But they still got it done.
It'll be interesting to see what happens to Dafoe's relationship with agent Ron Salcer. Dafoe wouldn't comment on Salcer, but obviously it is his life and career. He wanted to get it done, so he did it himself. That doesn't mean every player should do that.
Some athletes, but not all, get bad advice from agents and get locked into a struggle. The agent is making money too, a fact sometimes lost on the players. If an athlete spends a lot of time with his agent -- who becomes a friend and confidant -- he can lose sight of the big picture. Sometimes they have to step back and say, "Where else am I going to make this kind of money?" Nowhere.
Meanwhile, by holding out, an athlete loses time that he will never regain. Winning the battle with a general manager becomes everything. Everybody has principles to live by, but it would be nice sometimes if players would simply say, "I just want to play. This is enough money for me." The way Dafoe dealt with his situation was the best way possible.
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High pressure: Yashin and Reichel
Meanwhile, Yashin, facing a Nov. 8 deadline from the Ottawa Senators, is in danger of losing the whole year. Robert Reichel has already decided to sit out the year and play in the Czech league. He said he wants to play in the NHL, but as a restricted free agent, he can't just play for anyone he wants.
Sports aren't like other occupations, where an employee can walk away and go work wherever he or she wants. The athlete has to understand the rules. Reichel isn't making anywhere near $3 million playing in the Czech league. He made his decision based on principles. He wants to play for what he thinks he is worth, not what the Coyotes think he is worth. That's fine, but he will not make the same amount of money anywhere else.
Yashin and Reichel will lose a year of playing in the NHL and building on their careers. It will be difficult for them to come back and pick up where they left off. All the other leagues are excellent leagues, but they aren't the NHL. In Yashin's case, it doesn't seem realistic to me that the Senators will come back next year and say, "OK, Alex, we will give you the money you want now."
If Yashin ends up signing an agreement close to what he would have signed for this year, he has still lost a year in the NHL and a year of income. I respect someone having strong principles, but sometimes they can make someone lose the proper perspective.
Low pressure: Surprisingly consistent Coyotes
The Coyotes are a big surprise, doing much better than I thought they would at this point. Like San Jose and Los Angeles, teams in the same situation in the strong Pacific Division, the Coyotes have shocked and surprised people with their consistency and level of play.
They have survived through Jeremy Roenick's suspension and have little depth at center ice, especially with Reichel not returning this year. With Reichel and Roenick at center, they had a chance to really build on last year and be consistently good because teams need two good scoring lines. Look at the Coyotes on paper. Where are the goals coming from? Players like Shane Doan and Dallas Drake are producing more than they have before.
Without goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, Mikhail Shtalenkov and Bob Essensa have filled in nicely. Phoenix's strength is its defense. The Coyotes' defenders aren't flashy, but they are experienced and get the job done.
There seems to be a completely different feel in Phoenix, a looser atmosphere than last year. The new laid-back approach seems to be working.
Brian Engblom is a hockey analyst for ESPN, and he played 11 seasons in the NHL. | |
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