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We can’t begin to tell you how often we hear
hockey poolies bemoan their high selections in their pools that are outright
killing them. You know the ones we mean, first, second and maybe even third
round draft picks that you thought were locks for HUGE seasons, and have
turned out…well…to be less than player should be at that spot in your
draft. In the infamous words of a recent former president – “we feel
your pain!
Over the next two weeks, we look at a list of guys that potentially fit this
category, why they maybe be struggling and what you can do about it to
minimize the impact. First stop on our walk of shame – San Jose.
Teemu
Selanne : Much was expected from the Finnish Flash when the Sharks
acquired him last year right before the trade dealing – and wouldn’t you
know it, he gets hurt right away (knee surgery and then a crunched thumb)
and doesn’t come off the shelf until the off-season. This year, entering
his big year before unrestricted free agency and playing with a talented
nucleus of Vincent
Damphousse, Owen
Nolan, Patrick
Marleau, Gary
Suter and Brad
Stuart, Selanne was poised to regain his 98-99 form that saw him score
47 goals and 106 points in 75 games. Well, he has not lived up to the hype.
In 31 games this season, Selanne has 11 goals, 25 points and is a team worst
minus 5. Brutal numbers for a guy making a cool $9.5 million.
So the question begging to be answered is, what’s wrong with Teemu?
Firstly, let’s look at the physical. Selanne did not have a great
off-season in terms of conditioning. He reported throughout training camp
that his back was ailing and that his scoped knee was not 100%. It appears
as though it's only recently that he has playing relatively pain free and
feeling good on the ice. Secondly, you have to look at the Sharks, and how
Selanne fits into the team. Coach Darryl
Sutter plays a defense-first, roll four lines, bust your hump, share the
minutes type of system that is focused on winning hockey games not producing
big numbers for offensive stars – just ask Patrick
Marleau. This is bad news for the Flash. For the first 11 games, he
played with Marleau and there was no chemistry. For the last 20, it’s been
with Vinnie Damphousse and Selanne has begun to hit the score sheet – but
at no where near the clip he was before. Sutter expects his players to share
the load, work hard for loose pucks and play an all around game. This has
seen Selanne’s minutes hover in the 12-18 range (down from the 22 plus he
used to get with the Ducks) and for Sutter to publicly comment, "When
he's hungry for loose pucks and competing, he's a good player". And
when he doesn't, he's just a real average player,". Thirdly, we have
comments from the man himself, who said in a San Francisco paper, "I
don't think anything great happens right away. You don't want to be
impatient, but you always are," he added. "I've always played in
the second half, so I'm looking forward to the rest of the season."
Conclusion? When you add all that up, despite what Selanne may hope happens
in the second half of the season, this could be trouble. The Shark version
of Selanne will never be the 45 goal sniper he was in Anaheim. This is a
stinging realization if you picked him in the first or second round of your
draft.
That said, so now what? What do you do with the guy? Well, the good news is
that over the past 13 games, Selanne has tallied 8 times. Better, but watch
Teemu carefully at your next opportunity. We have grown accustomed to seeing
him race for loose pucks and blow by opposing defensemen with great speed
and fare, and frankly, he looks like he just doesn’t have it – for
whatever reason. He keeps top the perimeter, never driving the net with puck
on his stick, and that’s never good news for a goal-scorer.
Our advice, for now, is sit on him and hope. Hope that he continues to play
better and begins to play with more confidence. With that will come more
chances, more ice time and for poolies, hopefully more points. Watch his
linemates carefully though. If he plays with anyone else other than
Damphousse, sit him on your reserve until he does. At this point, he’s a
bit of an albatross. If you attempted to deal him now, you would not get
good value – at least in our pool.
See you in Colorado in a few days.
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