SENShobo
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Gearing up for camp, gearing down Kovalev expectations
by SENShobo on 09/03/10 at 09:19 AM ET
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Jersey musical chairs, a quick update on Dr. Chow, and how Kovalev is more consistent than you would think, but first. . .
From the Ottawa Citizen, on the rookie battles,
For Cowen and Wiercioch, getting a head start is a good idea. The competition to win a spot on the Senators’ blue-line this season will be tough.
[...]
“I’m definitely excited about it,” [Wiercioch] said. “Whether I make the team or not, I’m pushing to earn one of those spots. It’ll be my first NHL camp, so it’ll be a new chapter in my life, so the first year I’m just really trying to take it all in, take it in stride, take the lows as well as the highs.”
[...]
“There are quite a few guys trying out for spots this year, so it will be competitive, which is good for the team,” [Cowen] said. “For me, it’s going to be a lot harder, but that’s fine, because I don’t expect it to be easy to make the team.“But I am expecting to make the team. I’m not saying I am on the team, but I really have a good chance.”
The pressure to make it could well be the key to successful development.
Ahead of them on the depth chart, you’ll find Phillips, Kuba, Carkner, Karlsson, Gonchar, Campoli, and Lee. Those seven would seem to be as entrenched as ever, with only a bit of sandpaper grit missing from the equation. For all the excitement about Cowen and Wiercioch, a high-pressure camp and anything-but-assured roster spot looks to be a setup for success, even if not this season.
Compare two defence men: Victor Hedman and Tyler Myers. The former was highly touted, and gifted not only his spot on the roster, but his own personal inspiration in countryman Mattias Ohlund. While not a flop, Hedman failed to turn heads. The other side of the coin is Myers, thought to be filled with potential that sat in a frame too big to be manageable. Battling for every bit of confidence from the League’s longest tenured coach in Lindy Ruff, Myers managed to earn his spot, and the Calder trophy. The same gifted vs. earned story played out with between the good season of Tavares and the eye-opening one of Duchene. Whether the competition breeds a better Wiercioch and Cowen for the future, or a better Campoli or Lee for the present, it will be a good red on red fight to watch. Not quite Emery vs. McGrattan, but still good.
From the Ottawa Sun, on Regin’s jersey switch,
As the Senators prepare to open training camp Sept. 17 at Scotiabank Place, the Danish forward has made one big change over the summer—he’s decided to ditch the No. 43 sweater he wore last season. Instead, when he gets to camp in two weeks, Regin will be wearing the No. 13 on his back.
[...]
“I asked last year, a month into the season, if I could switch to it and they told me that it was too late and I could have it (this year) if I stayed here,” Regin said following a skate with some teammates Thursday.
[...]
“In Europe, No. 13 is actually a lucky number,” Regin said with a smile. “There are a lot of players in Europe who wear No. 13, especially the Russian players. Mats Sundin used to wear it (in Toronto). There’s lots of Swedish players as well.”
Regin doesn’t have to look far to see who he’ll be hoping to emulate, whether he realizes it or not: donning number 13 in Montreal, Cammalleri had a good 50-point season, but shined in getting a point per game to help the Canadiens to the Eastern Conference Finals.
He’s not alone in taking a stance. According to the Ottawa Citizen’s Allen Panzeri (on twitter), a rookie has taken number 2, and that rookie is Cowen. Considering the glut of offensive defence men in the Senators’ defence corps, taking up a more dependable number couldn’t hurt. Taking up the number of one of your coaches, Luke Richardson, known for his defensive play, couldn’t hurt less.
Perhaps more amusing is Zack Smith’s number change: he’ll take over from Dany Heatley. If you’re trying to show some grit, ability to go to the high traffic areas, and hard work in your own zone, it’s not a bad baseline association to start from.
From Dan Seguin‘s twitter account, some hopeful news about Dr. Chow,
Hearing that Doc Chow is showing progress. Hand movement, eye blinking. Things that have his doctors cautiously optomistic.
Now, there is one man who seems to get no love wherever he goes, and it would seem a given that Alexei Kovalev’s talent should carry with it high expectations. That someone would come to Ottawa, with its own memories of what it means to be an Alexei, would make it an even harder task.
It’s hard not to look at those latest totals and be disappointed. Even a mother would have trouble offering more congratulations than a hesitant “there, there” with a pat on the back. But if you look a bit deeper, you might find something a little unusual.
Since the lockout, in only one year has he scored more goals (18) than his high mark of 14, which he met in all but one post-lockout year. He has never had more assists (21), and only one other time has he hit the 35 points he did last season. Only that is all with reference to his even strength totals.
The bread and butter totals.
Compare him with the rest of the team, and there’s even a bit more good to see.
Sure, the chart is big, ugly, and I can’t call myself a master of the internet. But what it does show, and show well, is that only four Senators required less even strength ice time to get a point, two just 10 per cent less, two more just under 20 per cent less. Of them, this would put Kovalev as the number four forward. Kind of where he is as second line right wing.
But now you notice the deficiency: many players were able to get a power play point with far less time than Kovalev’s 17:47. Many players were able to get more power play points. And this is not the Kovalev of old.
With the exception of 06-07, Kovalev’s even strength time per point is a model of consistency, varying less than 10 per cent. Clearly, there’s room for improvement in those last numbers, however. Those last numbers gained when his top two power play defence men with the Canadiens totalled 53, 66, 80, and 45 power play points, as opposed to the 21 totalled last season by Ottawa’s top power play pairing.
Maybe all he needs is that boost on the power play. Maybe he needs someone to show him that success can be had at any age. Maybe he needs some homegrown inspiration, as he had with Markov all those years in Montreal.
Maybe you know someone who could fit that bill?
Even if it does not pay the dividends you hope for, it has all the hallmarks of the right move to make. Hello, Gonchar, welcome to the capital!
No pressure.
Filed in: NHL News, NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | SENShobo | Permalink
Tags: Alexei+Kovalev, Jared+Cowen, Patrick+Wiercioch, Sergei+Gonchar, Zack+Smith,
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