Rush Rush

So, I was hoping something positive would spur me to get back to posting here. How naive I am at times is astounding.

Reading Berger's post which cites some anonymous groin expert, and former Leafs employee, really has me upset. Basically, if Wellwood had been treated properly last year and given a LONG summer to rest, this recent flair up should not have occurred. Obviously he rested during the summer, as his father has been very vocal on the subject. That leaves the treated properly last year part.

Wellwood's performance varied wildly last year, even to the point of me becoming frustrated with his apparent unwillingness to engage the opposition physically. He was playing as a mere shadow of the player that began the season with a bang. By his own admission, this injury bothered him for at least half of the games he played before December. Which brings us to this nugget courtesy of anonymous.

But, if he played with that muscle tear for any length of time last season, it was most definitely the wrong thing to do. I understand why pro hockey players try to push the envelope. They want to play. Their careers aren’t overly long. But, reason has to prevail in situations involving important muscles like those in the groin area

Reason. Ah yes, something we humans should use in the act of making a decision. And yet reason is often trumped by external factors that upon reflection are quite irrational. Like say, pressure on the GM to make the playoffs because of his uncertain job security. Or like Wellwood continuing to play in discomfort because of pressure from the team to produce. Wellwood alluded to this pressure recently, suggesting management wanted him to play an entire season.

This is not to say Kyle himself isn't putting pressure on himself to play an entire season, but from the sound of it, he was pressured to do so last year, and explains management's thought process of bringing Wellwood back to finish the season, despite early reports that Kyle was done for the season when the team opted for surgery.

Remember those reports? I do. And some how magically they were forgotten. Wellwood should have been shut down with the thinking of coming back in October of 2007, not March 2007.

Thirteen games played. Eleven points. And possibly a groin irreparably damaged. If this injury isn't managed properly this year, assuming he can regain enough strength in the area to be effective, and he is rushed back early in the hopes of merely making the playoffs and he re-injures the groin, it is the most damning bit of evidence to have JFJ fired and MLSE loudly blamed for putting JFJ in such a position.

Good teams don't treat their few and precious talents with such short-sightedness.

Update - Simmons actually has a decent article today regarding the medical mishaps of the JFJ administration. Too bad he too thinks Wellwood will be back to normal next month.

Update - I just wanted to extend a special thank you to Tom L of Sabre Rattling fame for mentioning this blog over at AOL Blogger Fanhouse.

Blake to skate with Wellwood

Finally, some real speculation from Maurice about on-ice possibilities, and some prudent thought behind the idea as well. Maurice is liking the idea of Wellwood operating down the middle with Blake on his wing. I like this train of thought because Wellwood's abilities are maximized when he is playing his natural position. Sure he did okay with Mats, but he didn't look comfortable and would sometimes force plays or would hesitate and miss a play you know he could make. Kyle is Adam Oates reincarnate, except with better wheels. Lets not stifle the boy.

So if JFJ once again got a player who won't be playing on Mats' wing, it is easy to surmise that Mats will be playing with Pony and Antro. Stajan will be anchoring the third line paired with Steen. Then the fourth will probably be some combination of Bates and Boyd with perhaps Williams making the squad.

I'd throw Kilger with Wellwood and Blake. He can skate with those two and can provide much needed size along the boards. Tucker should play with Stajan and Steen and capitalize on their playmaking ability. Or maybe Pohl.

Overall, those line combos seem pretty solid, though I continue to lament the lack of fists in the regular line up. But it's early, and maybe our D depth can be converted to a more hard-nosed top 6 forward.

Who am I kidding?

UPDATE - Apparently my brain is still on vacation. As pointed out in the comments (thanks, btw), Mark Bell is still a Toronto Maple Leaf and will most likely make the team out of training camp. So the above is incomplete to say the least.

I'd still put Mats with what PPP calls the Soviet Bloc. Wellwood and Blake could use Bell instead of Kilger, though Chad might get a chance to play on line two a some point in the season. Steen and Stajan should have Darcy as the trigger man. That leaves Boyd and Bates with Kilger, which was a line that was very effective last year. So right now I'm thinking the lines look something like this.

Poni-Sundin-Antro

Bell-Wellwood-Blake

Steen-Stajan-Tucker

Kilger-Boyd-Bates

Doc Hoc seems to think Blake and Tucker will be winging Sundin. I don't see that happening for more than a handful of games but I could see that as a PP unit, unless Wellwood gets better at drawing defenders and/or scoring when he has the puck at the left post.

UPDATE 2 - I've tried to avoid CBA discussions for a while simply because I wanted to think about the actual sport of hockey, but a recent discussion at Tom Benjamin's House of Hockey Horrors is worth a read. Tom is being proven correct in his analysis of the CBA's effect on the league's talent market place, an analysis he has maintained despite a steady stream of mainstream opposition. It may only be the NHL and an opinion on a labour arrangement, but I consider it an act of courage and an example to be followed. It can be extremely difficult to be true to your beliefs in the face of overwhelming criticism. Kudos Tom.

Great Leap Forward?

I normally wouldn't just link to story about the state of the game, but Georgeums over at Kukla's wrote such a bullet-proof plea for constructive criticism to the League and to Chairman Mao that I had give it its own post.
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While I'm feeling inspired, which is becoming a rarefied sensation to this particular NHL fan, I wanted to point out a cool story about the connection between Alex Steen and JFJ, having shared post-dinner street hockey games in their youth.

Kyle Wellwood's groin is also making headlines, as he goes under the knife today to repair his sports hernia, "a relatively new diagnosis in the sports world, common to hockey and soccer players, and are essentially tears in the abdominal muscles caused by repetitive twisting and turning at high speed." It is funny, actually it is more sad than funny, how the team admits misdiagnosis with a press release the day of surgery and in the foreshadow of the All-Star...activities.

And I'm not sure why the media is calling for Sundin to break out of his slump, because I suspect the reason for his lack of production comes from his elbow not being fully healed. He hasn't shot the puck once since his return that convinced me his arm is 100%. Not once. Valiant effort, Mats, but you should've waited a couple more weeks.

And in case you missed it, Culture.ca put together a piece on hockey blogs for the six Canadian NHL teams. The most glaring omissions are BitterLeafFan, Leafclub, and budblog, who is sporting a new look.