Mike Chen's Hockey Blog
Next entry: Jeremy Roenick: A Lifetime Of Memories
Previous entry: You’re Just Figuring This Out Now?
Zherdev: Tremendous Upside Or Waste Of Talent?
by Mike Chen on 08/04/09 at 01:43 PM ET
Comments (6)
At first glance, I have a hard time trying to figure out why an arbitrator awarded Nikolai Zherdev $3.9 million. That’s a pretty hefty price tag for such an enigmatic player, and it feels like it’s paying more for potential than anything else.
Here’s the thing. If I’m a GM, I’d have a difficult time taking Zherdev at even his qualifying number of $3.25 million. The guy can be Pavel Datsyuk-style brilliant with stickhandling on one shift, then be a useless pylon on the next. These days, the salary cap is too restrictive to give up significant space for an unknown quantity.
I think what is more telltale about Zherdev’s grit (or lack thereof) is his coaching history. I can understand if he went nowhere under Doug MacLean; as amusing as MacLean can be when he’s on sports radio, he’s always been a one-hit coaching wonder in my book. But when Ken Hitchcock took over the Blue Jackets, I figured it was make or break time with Zherdev. In Dallas, Hitchcock instilled defensive responsibility in Mike Modano and roped in Sergei Zubov’s freelancing tendencies, eventually transforming him into one the league’s best blueliners. In Columbus, part of his job would be to elevate Rick Nash and Nikolai Zherdev into complete players.
We can probably all agree that he was successful with Nash. Zherdev? Not so much; he had his spurts but ultimately it was an exercise in futility—despite his upside.
When John Tortorella came to New York, I figured he’d either get Zherdev to go home crying or he’d beat some sensibility into him. The thing with Torts is that he favors an up-tempo style and he allows for creativity if you bust your ass for him. That’s how his Safe Is Death philosophy helped propel Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, and Brad Richards to a Stanley Cup. And I think that’s a reasonable trade off for any coach to ask for—work hard and you’ll get the offensive freedom you want. In any case, Zherdev finished the season with five points in his last ten games (including just one assist in his last five games). In the first-round series against the Capitals, Zherdev had no points. It’s important to note that Zherdev often played around 15-16 minutes a game under Tortorella, so it’s not like he didn’t have an opportunity to make an impact.
The only time I’ve seen an enigmatic player transform in a near-instant was when Ron Wilson coached the Sharks. Wilson was trying to find something, anything to get through to talented-but-lazy Alex Korolyuk during the 2003-04 season. Korolyuk is a pretty obscure name in the NHL archives but if you saw him when he was on, the raw talent was obvious—blistering speed, sick hands, and a heavy shot, all coupled with no desire to backcheck and a tendency to freelance. During the last few minutes of a critical game, Wilson tapped Korolyuk for the PK. He told the young Russian that his teammates were counting on him during this shift. The added weight of the moment, and the newfound responsibility somehow clicked with Korolyuk, and he did something totally foreign to him: he dove to block a shot.
That little moment transformed Korolyuk. For the remainder of the season, he was probably the Sharks most dynamic forward, and his hustle was everywhere. It wasn’t just a light bulb going on over his head, it was like a freakin’ generator came to life. He told the media that in that moment, he finally got it, and he saw the respect and appreciation of his teammates after that game. Korolyuk eventually disappeared to Russian hockey just when he was coming into his own, though he said that if he came back to the NHL, he’d only play for Ron Wilson.
Now Zherdev may find that one coach that ultimately gives him that Wilson-Korolyuk transformation, but I get the feeling that he’ll be one of those forever-limbo guys, stuck between 40-60 points despite having the potential for 80+ if he just got his crap together. Does any other team want to take on cap-heavy project? With today’s cap restrictions, I have a hard time believing so.
Filed in: NHL | Mike Chen's Hockey Blog | Permalink
Tags: John+Tortorella, Nikolai+Zherdev,
Comments
I personally know nik and the guy simply does not want to play hockey. He’s playing to make money and as soon as he gets enough he’ll quit hockey, its a shame cause the guy has the talent but no heart for the game
Posted by mark from brooklyn on 08/04/09 at 02:05 PM ET
The price tag that was given to Zherdev was a middle ground between what he was looking for and what the Rags offered. That’s the biggest problem with arbitration is that you’re guaranteed to get some sort of payday, because the arbiter will likely settle somewhere in between.
Posted by Blake on 08/04/09 at 03:16 PM ET
real informative blog. Zherdev is good but he is not worth 3.9
Posted by Oilers Rock from Edmonton, Alberta on 08/04/09 at 07:05 PM ET
Great take, Mike.
If Sather hadn’t squandered almost 33% of the cap on the odious Redden, Roszival, and Drury contracts the difference between Zherdev’s qualifying offer and what the arbiter awarded wouldn’t have been a dealbreaker. That’s the story Mike. Please don’t let Sather off the hook. He is the worst GM of the last 20 years and the biggest fraud in the history of hockey. During his 10 years running the Rangers they have won 2 playoffs series. In the same time he drafted one world class player, Henrik Lundqvist (Marc Staal will soon be there, too, it looks like).
Posted by blurt from the Zeitgeist on 08/04/09 at 10:43 PM ET
Glen Sather in NY = total disaster. I don’t think you’ll find anyone to argue that point.
That being said, even if the Rangers had cap room, I don’t think Zherdev’s worth that much.
Posted by Mike Chen on 08/04/09 at 11:30 PM ET
Add a Comment
Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.
Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.
Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.
Most Recent Blog Posts
Intent To Blow vs. In The Crease
What Do You Expect From A Rookie Season?
About Kukla’s Korner
Kukla’s Korner is updated around the clock with the work of our own talented bloggers, plus links to the best hockey writing around the internet. We strive to bring you all the breaking hockey news as it happens.
The home page allows you to see the latest postings from every blog on the site. Subscribe here. For general inquiries and more, please contact us anytime.
Get the top online sports betting bonuses available to sports betters!
When learning from experts it’s best to learn personally from them, or from their blog. We can provide that with poker lessons blog, your home to learn poker personally.
Do you get shocked from the luck in the game of poker? Stop getting shocked and start being a Poker Shoker.
As well as reading about hockey games, you can also find info about poker like which poker sites accept American Express or which are the best Canadian poker sites and also find the top rakeback sites at rakeback.net.
Kukla’s Korner is always a free service for readers, but it costs some money to maintain. If you’re ever in a position to donate a few dollars to help out, we’d be very appreciative.
A shot in the dark isn’t worth 3.9M. If anyone wants to take a chance on a Russian player someone should scoop up Afinogenov for ~2M. Something tells me he could be rejuvenated by a change of scenery.
Posted by bvllets from Brooklyn, NY on 08/04/09 at 01:56 PM ET