Burke Wheels and Deals for Phaneuf and Jiggy

0

Written on 1/31/2010 by Jim Cerny

As the losses mounted and his team sunk further into the basement of the Eastern Conference you just knew that Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke was itching to pull the trigger on something that would shake up his team. Not just something, something big. A headline grabber that would befit his DNA makeup.

On the last day of January consider it Mission Accomplished. Actually make that Mission Accomplished Times Two.

Burke announced this morning that the Leafs had acquired defenseman Dion Phaneuf (photo) from the Calgary Flames as the headliner in a seven-player trade. Shortly after that announcement Burke was back to confirm that he had picked up goaltender J-S Giguere from Anaheim in a three-player swap.

Phaneuf and Giguere. A couple of years ago Burke would have been heralded as a genius for landing this pair. Then again a couple of years ago there is no way Calgary would have traded Phaneuf or Anaheim would have dealt Giguere, two All Stars playing at the top of their game.

But the last two years have tarnished the on-ice images of both Phaneuf and Giguere as each player has seen a rather steep decline in his play. Burke is banking on both to return to form, and if that happens, he will indeed be heralded as a gutsy genius.

Of course both players will have to resurrect their careers in the crucible that is hockey-mad Toronto, while also trying to lift a marquee Original-Six franchise back to respectability. No easy task for Phaneuf and Giguere. This isn't exactly going to Nashville or Atlanta or Long Island to quietly go about getting your game back on track.

At his best Phaneuf is a monster on the blueline, a vicious hitter with a booming shot. He can be a force in both ends of the ice, a minute-muncher who is deployed in all critical game situations. Two years ago he played in all 82 games, notched 17 goals and 60 points, and racked up 182 penalty minutes while being selected to the NHL's First All-Star Team.

The last year-and-a-half Phaneuf has seen his offensive numbers decline along with his steady play in his own end. He was a minus-11 last year, and often seemed disinterested and not engaged. Did anyone say "Security of long-term contract"?

Though better this season, Phaneuf's play has not quite returned to form. Hence today's deal as the Flames gave up on the 6'3", 214 pounder who is still only 24 years old.

"[Phaneuf] is a warrior. He's got a cannon for a shot," Burke said after the deal was announced. "He plays the game hard and I want players who play the game hard because they're hard to play against."

To get Phaneuf, useful 3rd/4th line winger Fredric Sjostrom, and six-foot-six defense prospect Keith Aulie from Calgary, Burke traded away four players, losing quite a bit of his limited scoring depth along the way. Toronto sent winger Niklas Hagman (a three-time 20-goal scorer who has exactly 20 this year), center Matt Stajan (41 points in 55 games this season), rugged Jamal Mayers, and solid defenseman Ian White (a career-high tying 26 points, plus a respectable plus-1 rating) to Calgary.

From Calgary's point of view they are clearly trying to shake up the mix. The Flames have been struggling, and clearly the Sutter Brothers felt Phaneuf was expendable what with their deep backline. White will fit in quite nicely along with Jay Bouwmeester, Robyn Regehr, et. al in Calgary, though he is due a big raise at the end of the season. Calgary's inconsistent offense gets a boost with Hagman and Stajan.

Good deal from the Flames point of view, UNLESS Phaneuf regains form. Then this trade will haunt them for years to come.

As for Giguere, his future has been in doubt ever since Jonas Hiller challenged his reign as the No. 1 goalie in Anaheim a year ago. Hiller took over the mantle this season, and his inking a four-year $18 million extension on Saturday was the final nail in the coffin for Jiggy.

So Giguere takes his Stanley Cup ring and Conn Smythe Trophy and heads to Toronto to try and resurrect his sagging career. He is only 32 years old, and is just two years removed from a season that saw him post a 2.12 goals against average, four shutouts and 35 wins for a Ducks team that was run at the time, not so coincidentally, by Burke.

It will be interesting to see how Jiggy responds to this challenge. Jonas Gustavvson essentially plays the role of Hiller in Toronto, so his situation has not changed a whole heckuva' lot. Except for the fact that he is now playing for a worse team than he did in Anaheim, where his goals against rose to 3.10 last season and 3.14 in 20 games this year.

Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake were shipped to the Ducks in order for Giguere to be reunited with Burke and goaltending guru Francois Allaire in Toronto. Toskala, an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, replaces Giguere as Hiller's back-up. And Blake is the classic case of addition by subtraction for the Leafs. His play has diminished greatly since signing as a free agent in the summer of 2007 following his breakout 40-goal season with the Islanders. Plus he wore out his welcome with his grating personality rather quickly in TO.

Time will tell if Burke mined some gold today, or if it really is Fool's Gold. But he swung for the fences in a city that demands so much if its hockey team.

Good for Brian Burke. Good day for hockey.

Posted in , , , , , , , , | Comment Now!

The Importance of Number Two

4

Written on 10/12/2009 by Jim Cerny


Taking in yesterday's Rangers-Ducks contest from the press box at The Garden I got to thinking about the importance of back-up goaltenders as I watched New York's Steve Valiquette get the better of Anaheim's J.S. Giguere in a 3-0 Rangers victory.

Interestingly, Valiquette and Giguere are back-ups in distinctly different positions for their respective teams.

On Broadway, Henrik Lundqvist is the King. There is no disputing that Lundqvist is the Rangers' No. 1 goaltender and that Valiquette is No. 2. Yesterday's start was Valiquette's first of the season, and only his 23rd in the past three seasons. Even with John Tortorella's plan to spell Lundqvist more frequently than in the past, it would be hard to imagine the 32 year-old Valiquette starting more than 15 games this year.

And that works because Valiquette has accepted his role on the team, and thrives in it. Yesterday's shutout was his fourth over those 23 starts, a pretty impressive stat.

"He played very well," Tortorella said of Valiquette's performance last night, before adding, "If (we) want to get to where (we) want to be, he's going to have play well for us."

Valiquette is an easy guy to root for. I was there as team broadcaster when he was summoned by the Islanders as an extremely green 22 year-old---fourth or fifth on the organizational depth chart---pressed into NHL duty by a rash of injuries. He won both of his starts during that 1999-2000 call-up, posting a 1.87 goals against average and .949 save percentage over six appearances. His first NHL win in Ottawa that April saw him stop 45 of 46 shots.

It'd be another four years before he saw the NHL again, and not until 2007-08 that he established himself as an NHL goalie, albeit a backup to Lundqvist.

In between, there were thousands of miles on minor league buses, a standout season playing in Russia, and the career-saving tutelege from Rangers goaltending coach Benoit Allaire.

"I owe so much to Benny," Valiquette told me. "From the mental part of the game to on-ice drills and skills, he has been a God-send for my career."

Where Valiquette is today, in my opinion, is right at the top of the list of back-up goaltenders in the National Hockey League.

Surprising to many is that Anaheim's Giguere is on that list, too. Surprising because we are talking about a Stanley Cup-winning, Conn Smythe Trophy-winning goalie here.

But last spring Jonas Hiller emerged as the favored starting goalie in Anaheim, as Giguere's goals against rose to 3.10, a full goal higher than the previous season. And so far this season head coach Randy Carlyle has turned to Hiller as his No. 1, with the 32 year-old Giguere trying to make the most of his starts.

To his credit, Giguere---who likely would have been dealt this past off-season if not for his cumbersome contract---played extremely well last night, making 35 saves as the Ducks were thoroughly outplayed by their hosts. But unlike Valiquette, Giguere has not accepted his No. 2 status, and, in fact, he is more a No. 1a. It is hard to imagine that he would not start at least 30 games this season, if not more, in pushing Hiller constantly for more and more playing time.

As Carlyle told The Los Angeles Times last month, "Both players have been informed that it's not a given here. You have to go out and earn it."

Don't forget that Giguere had to deal with important off-ice issues last year with the death of his father. Perhaps with a more clear head this season, he could reclaim his No. 1 spot in Anaheim. But for now he ranks at the top of the NHL back-ups list with Valiquette.

Who else is on that list? Here's my Top Five of back-up goaltenders in the National Hockey League:

1. J.S. Giguere, Anaheim Ducks
2. Steve Valiquette, NY Rangers
3. Mathieu Garon, Columbus Blue Jackets
4. Ty Conklin, St. Louis Blues
5. Brian Boucher, Philadelphia Flyers

I didn't list any of the two (really three with Rick DiPietro included) Islanders goalies because really there is no clear back-up or starter between Dwayne Roloson and Martin Biron. And until Washington clears up who is No. 1, I can't place either Jose Theodore or Semyon Varlamov on this list, either.

What do you think of the list? Let me know your thoughts.

Posted in , , , , , , , | Comment Now!

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)