Ohio Jones
Game on...
CD - Columbus
Maybe it comes from having grown up in the Toronto area. Something must explain Columbus GM Doug Emerson's escalating obsession with old, expensive, declining talent. Contrary to the transition we've seen throughout the rest of the league, where younger players are playing more significant roles and roster costs are being trimmed, Emerson has been happily going about adding expensive veterans to an already greying roster, using up what little remained of his team's room under the $40 million cap.
The latest binge started when Emerson packaged 20-something pivot Marty Reasoner for 35-year-old Rod Brind'Amour. Later the same week, Emerson turned around and flipped Brind'Amour for another 35-year-old, center Mike Modano and his $6+million salary. (Modano, coming off the worst season of his career, pushes $4.5 million pivot Jeremy Roenick to the 2nd line, and Henrik Sedin and his $1+ million down to the 4th line.)
Emerson then went and packaged 2 more 20-somethings in defencemen Mathieu Dandenault and Jim Vandermeer (earning less than $1.5 million between them) - for 33-year-old stay-at-homer Mattias Norstrom, who is earning close to $3 million a year for the next three seasons.
Emerson isn't finished yet, either: rumour has it he has one more offer out there to add another blueliner from the plus-30 crowd. If it pans out, the deal will see the Jackets sporting an ungainly $39,966,000 against the cap, and an average age over 30 (quite possibly a record for the HFNHL).
So really, what is this guy thinking?
"This year is our best chance to challenge for the Cup", Emerson responded to incredulous reporters at the presser announcing the acquisition of Norstrom. "We've got top-line players in Roenick, Shanahan and Boucher who will be unrestricted free agents next summer, and we have the top goaltender in the league in Marty Brodeur for just one year after that. If we're serious about making a move - and we are - then it has to be now."
Won't being this old affect the team's ability to keep up with the increased speed of the new rules? What about injuries?
"Injuries happen to every team; that said, our training staff have an excellent conditioning program, and the players we've acquired have a history of durability, and being able to log big minutes night in, night out. We're not concerned. As for foot speed, I don't know what team you guys have been watching in practice, but I've seen some of the fastest players in the league playing a real up-tempo game. We're going to give the big dogs a run for their money."
Head Coach Mike Babcock agreed.
"I like what I've been seeing - a veteran team like this has a very high panic threshold. They make the smart play, they're very steady. There's skill there to capitalize on opponents' errors, and to create offence. But if we want to compete with the elite teams, we're not going to do it on talent alone - we're going to have to outwork them. Our guys know the commitment and focus it takes to play at a consistently high level. With the leadership we've got in our room, I feel good about our chances."
Emerson dismissed suggestions he has mortgaged the team's future in a vain attempt to unseat St. Louis as Central Division champion. "We got Aaron Rome back in the trade for Norstrom; Aaron's three years younger than Jimmy Vandermeer, who we had to give up, and I'd say he's ahead of where Vandermeer was at his age. He'll be ready to step in as some of our veterans start to decline.
"Other than Jimmy, we didn't give up any assets in these deals that represented a significant part of our future: we still have Pitkanen, we still have Crawford, Bernier, Penner, Colliton, Pushkarev and Potulny, plus some exciting new prospects we drafted this past summer. And we still have our early draft choices to allow us to continue building organizational depth.
"We are very much committed to building our franchise for the future as well as the present, and haven't strayed from that commitment. But at the same time we have a real opportunity here, and we wouldn't be doing right by our fans if we let it pass us by."
Time, as they say, will tell.
Milo Minderbinder
Columbus Discoverer
Maybe it comes from having grown up in the Toronto area. Something must explain Columbus GM Doug Emerson's escalating obsession with old, expensive, declining talent. Contrary to the transition we've seen throughout the rest of the league, where younger players are playing more significant roles and roster costs are being trimmed, Emerson has been happily going about adding expensive veterans to an already greying roster, using up what little remained of his team's room under the $40 million cap.
The latest binge started when Emerson packaged 20-something pivot Marty Reasoner for 35-year-old Rod Brind'Amour. Later the same week, Emerson turned around and flipped Brind'Amour for another 35-year-old, center Mike Modano and his $6+million salary. (Modano, coming off the worst season of his career, pushes $4.5 million pivot Jeremy Roenick to the 2nd line, and Henrik Sedin and his $1+ million down to the 4th line.)
Emerson then went and packaged 2 more 20-somethings in defencemen Mathieu Dandenault and Jim Vandermeer (earning less than $1.5 million between them) - for 33-year-old stay-at-homer Mattias Norstrom, who is earning close to $3 million a year for the next three seasons.
Emerson isn't finished yet, either: rumour has it he has one more offer out there to add another blueliner from the plus-30 crowd. If it pans out, the deal will see the Jackets sporting an ungainly $39,966,000 against the cap, and an average age over 30 (quite possibly a record for the HFNHL).
So really, what is this guy thinking?
"This year is our best chance to challenge for the Cup", Emerson responded to incredulous reporters at the presser announcing the acquisition of Norstrom. "We've got top-line players in Roenick, Shanahan and Boucher who will be unrestricted free agents next summer, and we have the top goaltender in the league in Marty Brodeur for just one year after that. If we're serious about making a move - and we are - then it has to be now."
Won't being this old affect the team's ability to keep up with the increased speed of the new rules? What about injuries?
"Injuries happen to every team; that said, our training staff have an excellent conditioning program, and the players we've acquired have a history of durability, and being able to log big minutes night in, night out. We're not concerned. As for foot speed, I don't know what team you guys have been watching in practice, but I've seen some of the fastest players in the league playing a real up-tempo game. We're going to give the big dogs a run for their money."
Head Coach Mike Babcock agreed.
"I like what I've been seeing - a veteran team like this has a very high panic threshold. They make the smart play, they're very steady. There's skill there to capitalize on opponents' errors, and to create offence. But if we want to compete with the elite teams, we're not going to do it on talent alone - we're going to have to outwork them. Our guys know the commitment and focus it takes to play at a consistently high level. With the leadership we've got in our room, I feel good about our chances."
Emerson dismissed suggestions he has mortgaged the team's future in a vain attempt to unseat St. Louis as Central Division champion. "We got Aaron Rome back in the trade for Norstrom; Aaron's three years younger than Jimmy Vandermeer, who we had to give up, and I'd say he's ahead of where Vandermeer was at his age. He'll be ready to step in as some of our veterans start to decline.
"Other than Jimmy, we didn't give up any assets in these deals that represented a significant part of our future: we still have Pitkanen, we still have Crawford, Bernier, Penner, Colliton, Pushkarev and Potulny, plus some exciting new prospects we drafted this past summer. And we still have our early draft choices to allow us to continue building organizational depth.
"We are very much committed to building our franchise for the future as well as the present, and haven't strayed from that commitment. But at the same time we have a real opportunity here, and we wouldn't be doing right by our fans if we let it pass us by."
Time, as they say, will tell.
Milo Minderbinder
Columbus Discoverer
