I've been thinking about Beagle a lot lately, and how GMs try to build teams, and how fans can miss important things sometimes.
To a fan's perspective, what happens on the ice is pretty much all that matters. Goals, saves, points, and of course, wins. It should be obvious that GMs see that as the most important thing too, because without wins they get fired. But there's something that can be difficult for us fans to understand, because we don't really see it, while GMs and Coaches do see it.
What happens on the ice during games, the part fans see, is only a tiny part in the life of a hockey team, and Beagle was signed not only for his contribution on the ice, but for his contribution behind the scenes.
In my line of work, a crew of all young guys just can't cut it. They do great when things are going well, and their youthful enthusiasm is a vital part of a successful crew. But when some kind of serious adversity comes along, I look at my veteran guys to lead us out of it. The vets don't overreact, they just keep going. They stay calm in the face of adversity. They also know how to prepare themselves and how to be consistent. They don't waver, and maybe most importantly, they don't bitch and complain, which can become contagious. The vets set the tone for the entire crew. And guess what? That's what people often call "culture."
I'm not in the hockey business, but there are parallels between any team of people working on an objective together. A team requires leadership and experienced people.
Analyzing Beagle's contribution by on-ice in-game stats only will always leave you disappointed. If you watch how he behaves during the games, on the bench, between whistles, he knows exactly what he's doing. He intervenes and interposes himself when rookies are unsure how to deal with aggression from the other team, for instance. He doesn't fight; that's not what I'm talking about. He doesn't need to.
But if you can imagine being a young guy who finally gets a call up to the NHL, how helpful it must be to have a veteran like him around. Veterans keep a lid on things, direct young players in the right direction, set good habits when it comes to approaching games, travelling, working with trainers and coaches, all those little things that are invisible to fans.
I'm a fan of Beagles because I watch how he behaves, not just when the puck's on his stick or when he's killing penalties, but because of all the little things that players like EP, Brock, and even Horvat, just don't know how to do yet.
So that's my essay on Beagle.
I don't like the 4th year of his contract, but I doubt it will matter much in the long run. His salary won't be much once the cap has gone up for 4 years. He won't be blocking any younger players, and he'll still be contributing as the "old man" on the team.
Players like Beagle aren't going to change the outcome directly on the score sheet. It's up to Benning to draft and develop the scoring talent that the Canucks need. And as he does, our middling players will be pushed out of the lineup. Bye-bye Granlund, Spooner, and whoever else is just a useful placeholder for now.
But as the team gets younger and younger, and hopefully more talented, Beagle will still have value.
People that don't like him are dead set against him, and that's fine. They're right that he doesn't score much.
But nobody expected him to score a ton. That's not his role.
