Lots of news to catch up on and if you're
following me on twitter you should already have a good idea of what I'm about to say….
We are five days into the Kekalainen Era in Columbus and while some questioned the timing - Columbus had just beaten San Jose in convincing fashion the night before firing GM Scott Howson - if you had taken a look at the schedule, you'd see that the timing was brilliant. With the condensed schedule, having three days off in a row before starting a six-game, ten-day roadtrip was the perfect time to pull the trigger on a move like this. By the time the game against LA came around on Friday, the GM issue was old news and the players and coaches could focus on the game and not new management.
I also thought the selection of Jarmo Kekalainen as Howson's replacement was rather brilliant, yet no one seems to be talking about it and I think it's because most people just don't know anything about him. I'm so over the GM/coaches carousel and love that John Davidson went outside the box without going too far out, picking someone he's worked with previously in a different capacity. As I learned a long time ago, if you want something you haven't had before you have to do something you've never done before and hiring the first European as an NHL GM definitely falls under that category and I'm beyond curious to see where he takes this team.
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We all lost when Matt Cooke's errant skate cut 70% of Erik Karlsson's Achilles tendon last week, but especially the Senators. The good news to come out of this - besides the news that it wasn't completely severed which ensures a better repair and quicker recovery time - is that the topic of kevlar socks was brought to the forefront of conversation. As an athlete, I don't know why you wouldn't want to wear them and would love to see them become a mainstay, but more importantly the idea that kevlar socks should become mandatory before visors is absurd.
A few years ago a broadcaster made the joke that that if guys didn't want to wear a visor then they shouldn't be allowed to wear a cup either. I fully supported the idea then and I certainly do now. But more importantly, as a professional athlete and especially as a human being, why would I be more concerned about an errant skate cutting a muscle, ligament or tendon - which can be repaired - than my eyes, which likely can not? Seems absolutely ridiculous to me.
So while I fully support the use of kevlar or reinforced socks, mandate visors first.
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Hearing a lot of chatter about Chris Kreider these days as the Rangers stumble their way out of mediocrity despite a plethora of high end talent and I think it's entirely shortsighted to be laying any sort of blame at the feet of a 21-year-old seven games into his rookie season. Outside of the Money Line and Carl Hagelin, who is on absolute fire, there's plenty of blame to go around for the current state of the Blueshirts. I know perceptions are skewed due to Kreider's success last year in the playoffs, but he's still just figuring out his role on this team and a bone chip in his ankle put a kink in his efforts so far this year. He was sent back to Connecticut to play a game on Friday, but can it really be considered a demotion when the Rangers had three days off and he didn't miss an NHL game? Maybe it should be considered more of a rehab stint or confidence boost…
Attitude is everything when it comes to playing for Tortarella and you won't find a player willing to work harder at improving his game and doing whatever is asked of him to help the team than Chris Kreider. He might not be scoring the clutch goals he's become known for just yet, but a huge testament to his game thus far this year has been his physical play away from the puck. Give him time.
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In addition to Cory Conacher, there's another rookie turning a few heads in his rookie season in Tampa Bay - Alex Killorn - and I've gotten many requests for further information on him. In short, he was the heartbeat of the Harvard Crimson last season with 23 goals and 23 assists in 34 games. He kept it up when he signed his ELC and helped the Norfolk Admirals win the Calder Cup with 18 points in 28 games and lead the Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay switched AHL affiliates this offseason) this year with 38 points in 44 games thus far. After four games with the Lightning, he's got a goal and an assist, but more importantly, he's got the faith of Steven Yzerman and Guy Boucher to have earned this opportunity. At 6'2, 200 lbs, he's a power forward who goes hard to the net, makes plays and finishes on his chances. In my opinion, Harvard's lack luster season mean he was highly under-recognized for his personal success, but shouldn't have a problem with that this year. If you don't know who he is, you soon will.
Julie
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