Igor Larionov and Creativity
Over at The Players' Tribune, Igor Larionov wrote a piece about his time on the Soviet National team, going through the NHL, and hockey's current climate when it comes to coaching (it is a great read and you should check it out). Later on in the post he brings up a point that is pretty interesting.
On creativity, and the lack of it in the NHL:
The problem is more philosophical and starts way before players get to the NHL. It’s easier to destroy than to create. As a coach, it’s easier to tell your players to suffocate the opposing team and not turn the puck over. ... Many young players who are intelligent and can see the game four moves ahead are not valued. They’re told “simple, simple, simple.” ... If you look at the coaches in Juniors and minor league hockey, many of them were not skill players. It’s a lot of former enforcers and grinders who take these coaching jobs. Naturally, they tell their players to be just like them. ... if coaches are going to push kids at that age, why are they pushing them to play a simple game? Why aren’t coaches pushing them to create a masterpiece?
Larionov's point is one with a lot of merit. When you look at the current landscape of coaches, there are a lot that fall into two categories. They are either former NHL/minor leagues that played in a grinding role or coaches who look to go up the ranks and subscribe to a safer strategy that focuses on defense.
For there to be a way to play the game creativity (like how Larionov described earlier in his post), there would have to be a fundamental shift in coaching. There is a reason Scotty Bowman was one of the best coaches around. He didn't have a system per se, it was more like more like a mentality that, as long as everyone was responsible, players can take risks.* Coaches like this seem to be few and far between. It seems easier for a coach to bench a player for taking a risk and turning over the puck once than a player who takes himself out of position when they finish a check.
This isn't to say a system shouldn't be needed. A system can help players learn how to be responsible when they are off the puck. It's more of giving players more freedom to take risk and learn from any mistakes themselves instead of getting beaten down to playing simple and staying safe.
*I know I poorly worded this section. I tried to find the article from the old Backhand Shelf blog that described Bowman's coaching style better but failed to find it.
The Most Bettman-iest Comment Bettman Ever Bettman'd (Non-
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman commented on the possibility of NHL creating it's own version of CapGeek. The full quote from NBC Sports Pro Hockey Talk:
“We hear from the fans on a regular basis and we hear on lots and lots of issues. We’re not getting a lot of feedback on [a Capgeek-style site]. It’s not something that seems to be driving fan interest as much as perhaps the interest of the people [in the media] in this room, and your colleagues. GM’s have access to information. The tools that we have for internal business use are different, but everything we do internally for business purposes doesn’t necessarily need to be made public and be the object of discussion.”
PITCHFORKS AND TORCHES EVERYONE!!! (Not really)
I get why Bettman would say something along these lines. This is lined with so much PR talk. Fans do want a new CapGeek ever since it was shut down (get well soon Matt). He's trying to protect the owners and GMs against constant ridicule for some of the contracts being signed. It's a fair statement to, as in he works for/with owners/GMs and it's in his best interest to keep their best interest in mind.
Currently the demand is slowly being filled. NHL Numbers seems to be the new go-to for contract information, war-on-ice added their own cap tool, and Greg Sinclair (creator of Super Shot Search and hockeystats.ca) is currently taking donations to help with his own version of CapGeek. So maybe Bettman is right, fans don't want a CapGeek-style sight, they want multiple CapGeek-style sites (this way fans have multiple places backing up the claim their team's GM is the greatest man on earth/biggest idiot who ever lived).
At the end of the day though, there was only one CapGeek. It's not a statement against those trying to imitate it, but a statement of how high the bar CapGeek set.
The Impossible Is Made Possible
Well, I don't know how, but Columbus made it happen...They sent Adam Cracknell back to St. Louis in exchange for future considerations. Oh, and they traded for some Clarkson fellow as well.
This is really a tale of two power forwards. Nathan Horton, who after having success in Boston, cashed in on a 7-year, $37.1 million deal with the Blue Jackets. He was ok in his first year in Columbus, putting up 5-14-19 in 36 games. That last number is key. Horton missed half the season with a shoulder injury (same reason that Columbus decided not to insure his contract). Over the 2014 offseason he developed a degenerative back issue, and has not played since.
David Clarkson was hyped up as a prize signing of the offseason by the Leafs and the Toronto media alike. Clarkson signed a 7-year, $36.75 million deal (that was buyout proof!) to play for his hometown Leafs. The honeymoon (if there was any to begin with) didn't last long, as Clarkson opened his on-ice tenure as a Leaf by jumping the bench to join a fight in a pre-season game and getting suspended for 10 games in the regular season. His first year as a Leaf ended in huge disappointed, as he only registered a 5-6-11 stat line in 60 games. Clarkson looked to bounce back this year, and somewhat did. He had 10-5-15 in 58 games as a Leaf. Then the trade happened.
The trade is actually the best both teams could make given each other's circumstance. For Columbus, a relatively small market, Horton's contract was too much to pay for a guy who is unlikely to play anymore (and with no insurance to help with the payment). The Blue Jackets now have a player who, with a similar contract, can contribute on the ice. For Toronto, they get much-needed cap space. Horton is going to be on the LTIR list for the rest of his contract, and there's a 99.9% chance he won't play anymore (think Pronger and Savard). The Leafs, being the biggest market, has no problem with paying Horton while reaping the benefits of having a large contract not count against the cap. This now gives the Leafs flexibility to re-sign guys like Kadri and Bernier and/or go out and trade/sign guys to help speed up their rebuild.
The biggest benefactor from this trade might be Clarkson himself. He came in to Toronto embracing the spotlight and the hype, and in the end could not live up to the expectations. He was also a victim of a management decision (who among us would turn down $5.25 million a year?). He now gets a fresh start in a smaller market where the spotlight won't be as bright on him. For Columbus' sake, here's hoping Clarkson can regain his form from his New Jersey days (maybe not this year due to the draft, but for afterwards, up to and including years 6 and 7).
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