Playing like an average Joe

The top pick in the NHL draft, a sure-shot franchise center from Ontario, entered last night still in pursuit of his first career point, and with only a dozen shots on net during his average 10:42 of ice time per game.

For regular readers of the Globe, especially this space, the above paragraph probably sounds as if it were borrowed from the paper's archives of 1997. Sorry to disappoint. Hold those charges of self-plagiarism. What's astonishing is how the rookie trials and tribulations of Joe Thornton mirror what's happening - or not happening - with Steven Stamkos in Tampa Bay.

Like Thornton in June '97, Stamkos was the much-ballyhooed No. 1 pick this year. The biggest difference in Tampa, though, is that the 18-year-old Stamkos already has a franchise center, Vincent Lecavalier, working at the head of the roster. Thornton, despite having Jason Allison (33-50 -83 in '97-98) on the watch, arrived on Causeway Street as the Hub of Hockey's savior, with the last Cup then a quarter-century in the rear-view mirror, and the glory years of Orr and Esposito virtually faded to black-and-gone.

The pressures on Stamkos to deliver are significantly less, what with Big Vin in place and the luster of a Cup in 2004 still glimmering in the eyes of the fan base. Truth is, he doesn't have to be a sensation this year, because the Bolts should do a fair amount of winning without his input.

Sure, if he cranks it up, all the better, but he doesn't have to be the show, be the fix, or provide the franchise with a face. Yet. Of course, it would help Stamkos immensely if the rest of the Tampa lineup started to do something other than look like a collection of NHL misfits and wannabes who are under the tutelage of, oh, I don't know, an ex-ESPN studio host?

Thornton, the record shows, did not collect his first point for nearly two months. A goal against the Flyers at Philly on Dec. 3, to be exact. Hard to believe, isn't it? The big fella, long since annexed by San Jose as its franchise player, needed some time to get 'er going.

A broken arm in the preseason had Thornton being held out of the first three games by coach Pat Burns. When he was shut out in his first seven games, Burns began to give him rookie respites, not suiting him up for specific games. The mold was cast.

Thornton, billed as an Eric Lindros/Mike Modano hybrid (a billing never fulfilled), finished with a humble line of 3-4 -7 in his 55 rookie games, then went his first Full Thornton (0-0 -0) in a half-dozen postseason matchups against the Capitals.

As saviors go, Jumbo Joe's learning curve was long and painful. Three seasons into his career, he had but 42 goals and 108 points, virtually a mirror image of the 105 points Alexandre Daigle (another franchise savior) put up in his first three years with Ottawa.

If the Bolts continue to lose, the more likely they'll be inclined to give Stamkos added playing time. Burns, especially with then-rookie Sergei Samsonov so hot, and a playoff berth in sight, often opted to keep Thornton in cold storage. Thus far, that sort of has been coach Barry Melrose's approach with Stamkos.

Prior to last night (coincidentally, with Thornton's Sharks in Tampa), Stamkos had not played more than 14:53 in a game, and in three games he averaged just under 8 minutes. Hard to put up shots and points when the legs are locked at right angles for 52 minutes a game.

Mike Brophy, ex- of the Hockey News and now Sportsnet, quoted Bolts boss Brian Lawton in a Friday column as saying Stamkos would receive added ice time.

"Between 14 and 18 minutes a game," said Lawton, "that top forwards require to find the groove and produce offensively."

Obviously, there has been some meeting of the minds between Lawton and Melrose on how to tease out the beast, or the best, in the highly-talented/under-used Stamkos. Sounds a bit like 1997, when then Boston assistant GM Mike O'Connell looked down from the press box on a nightly basis and wondered what in the dickens Burns was doing with the franchise savior.

All these years later, we know all too well how that went. Just as it proved for Thornton, there are no doubt many good days ahead for Stamkos. For Daigle, the top pick in the '93 draft, the good times never came until 2006 when he found his way to Switzerland (Davos).

GMs think it may be time to bend the rules
The NHL general managers met last week in Chicago, and a couple of interesting potential rule changes were placed on the table, each of which could gain some momentum when they gather again for a more detailed gabfest in March.

Montreal's Bob Gainey introduced the idea of not allowing players in the defensive zone to leave their feet for the purpose of either 1. blocking a shot or 2. snuffing out passes.

"Not something I like, at first reaction, but I am going to study it," said Anaheim's Brian Burke. "And why? Because Bob Gainey's one of the people in this game, like Harry [ Sinden], if he speaks, I listen.

"I like blocked shots a lot, because it's a heck of an exciting play, a blue-collar art. But it has become overused, especially as a means of breaking up two-on-ones."

The second offering, by Blues boss Larry Pleau, would bring a significant alteration to delayed penalties. Pleau's plan would mandate that the team about to be shorthanded no longer would get a whistle simply by gaining possession of the puck.

The offending team would not gain relief (read: whistle), until 1. clearing the puck out its zone or 2. neutralizing the puck in the form of a faceoff or save by the goaltender. In many cases, a team about to go on a power play thus would have the advantage of skating six-on-five for a prolonged stretch, prior to being officially awarded the five-on-four.

"There could be some scintillating buzz around that," mused Burke. "The attacking team would pull its goaltender, and play would continue much longer. I think you'll see some real support behind that one."

Dry spell
Prior to last night's game, Washington superstar Alexander Ovechkin had only two goals in seven games, a drastic slowdown from the pace that had him pot a league-leading 65 en route to being named the 2007-08 MVP. Ovechkin was stopped on 35 of his first 37 shots this season. A look at the goalies A.O. has faced this season:

Oct. 10 vs Atlanta: Kari Lehtonen, 6 shots/no goals

Oct. 11 vs. Chicago: Nikolai Khabibulin, 6 shots/2 goals

Oct. 13 vs. Vancouver: Roberto Luongo and Curtis Sanford, 3 shots/no goals

Oct. 16 vs. Pittsburgh: Marc-Andre Fleury, 5 shots/no goals

Oct. 18 vs. New Jersey: Marty Brodeur, 6 shots/no goals

Oct. 21 vs. Calgary: Miikka Kiprusoff, 4 shots/no goals

Oct. 23 vs. Phoenix: Michael Tellqvist, 7 shots/no goals

Totals: 37 shots/2 goals - 5.4 percent

Ovechkin needed 446 shots to score 65 times last year, a 14.6 percentage.

The number
13.5%
The withholding each NHL player will have garnished from his paycheck this season, per the escrow agreement within the collective bargaining agreement. Last year, the hold-back was just under 10 percent, and just recently the players were handed back the entire amount, with interest.

How do you like them apples?: It's apple-picking time here in New England and throughout much of the country, which has a way of reminding Tim Thomas of one of his jobs prior to making $1 million-plus a year as a Bruins goalie. As a teen living in Flint, Mich., Thomas frequently joined his father selling apples door to door, especially when the auto business lagged. Rude residents and barking dogs were customary deterrents. In one of Flint's poorer neighborhoods, Thomas recalled, the apple-toting Thomases came under fire. "Yeah, got shot at by a BB gun," he said. "We were in the car, and my dad was fidgeting with the side mirror, and it hit him in the hand. Not a big deal. I don't know if it was some prankster kid or what. Made for some interesting times. And you know, in this economy, some folks, especially in Michigan, might have to consider it as an alternative way to make some money."

Punch lines: David Koci, beaten to a bloody pulp by Zdeno Chara when here with Chicago last October, was waived by Tampa last week and quickly picked up by the Blues. Jack Edwards, handling the call for NESN last Oct. 25, was at his best during Big Z's beatdown, noting, "Koci looks like he's making a donation to the Red Cross here. Chara wins on cuts!"

Chicago hope: Former Bruins prospect Kris Versteeg, flipped to Chicago Feb. 3, 2007, for the long-forgotten Brandon Bochenski, recently found himself on the left side of the Hawks' top line, with whiz kids Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Among Versteeg's attributes: energy, speed, vision, and, above all, patience with the puck (read: low panic level). New Hawks coach Joel Quenneville: "I've been impressed." Versteeg, the 134th pick in 2004, entered last night's game as the league's top-producing freshman with marks of 1-6 -7 in seven games.

Avalanche of riches on the way: Local agent Matt Keator, who represents Avalanche sensation Paul Stastny, reports he has had only preliminary discussions about extending the star forward's contract. Stastny's expiring deal pays a meager $710,000, and based on recent deals, a pay boost of around 1,000 percent is not out of the question. The Avs need only to look at how the market ran wild for Thomas Vanek and Dustin Penner in the summer of '07 for confirmation that Group 2 offer sheets aren't off-limits the way they were under the old CBA. Teammate Milan Hejduk on Stastny: "He's going to rob the bank soon."

Room for one more?: Once again, talk percolated around the league that the NHL soon would consider putting a second team in the Greater Toronto area, where nearly 20 percent of all Canadians (population: 33 million) choose to live, all but about 37 of them avid hockey fans. Far-fetched to drop a franchise between Toronto and Buffalo? Not really. But a source well-connected to the Lords of the Boards confirmed that a serious discussion on the matter has never taken place among commissioner Gary Bettman and his buddies.

Loose pucks: Another ex-Bruins prospect, Petr Kalus, has headed back to Europe rather than play another season for Houston, the Wild's AHL affiliate. The Bruins dished Kalus, the 39th pick in the '05 draft, to the St. Paulists in the July 1, 2007, swap that netted the Bruins goalie Manny Fernandez . . . Faced with a surplus of forwards, the Rangers dismissed Patrick Rissmiller via waivers. The former Holy Cross (Class of '02) standout from Belmont, who made it to the NHL with the Sharks ostensibly through a minor league invite, signed a three year/$3 million one-way deal with the Blueshirts over the summer. But the logjam of forwards on Broadway forced a change. If the Rangers can't swing a trade - perhaps with Los Angeles? - Rissmiller could be dropped to Hartford (AHL) for the season and then likely would be bought out for $1.33 million in June . . . Headed into last night's game, the Kings were 27 for 27 on penalty killing, in part because of the tutelage of Mark "Harpo" Hardy, the ex-King who came aboard as an assistant when GM Dean Lombardi hired Terry Murray as bench boss. The Bruins, meanwhile, entered last night's game 27th at 74.2 percent, scorched on 8 of 31 chances. An improved PK was high on GM Peter Chiarelli's offseason to-do list, in part leading him to acquire Stephane Yelle via free agency. But Yelle has been slow to warm up to coach Claude Julien's system, and he also hasn't been executing well at the faceoff dot - long one of his strong suits . . . According to agent Tom Laidlaw, ex-Bruin Bryan Berard has been talking with a number of Russian clubs, but as yet none has offered a deal. Based on the Flyers' horrible start out of the gate, they would have been wise to add Berard, in Philly for a tryout this September, to the varsity roster. Andrew Alberts, now with the Broad Streeters, went 0-0 -0 and a minus-2 in his first four games . . . At this point, the surprise in St. Paul will be if Marian Gaborik isn't traded. Lead potential suitors: Montreal, LA, Vancouver and, of course, the Rangers . . . If the NHL keeps with its agenda to send four clubs to Europe to start the season, look for the Bruins to be among the foursome. Look for a decision around Jan. 1. In deference to longest-tenured Bruin P.J. Axelsson, Stockholm would seem the appropriate arena, perhaps with a hop over to Trencin to appease Chara . . . During his days at Alaska-Fairbanks, Ranger standout Aaron Voros was diagnosed with bone cancer in one of his knees. Six surgeries followed, including the insertion of a cadaver bone. Post-surgery, he also developed a nasty staph infection, resulting in a weight loss of some 50 pounds. And in the end, the growth proved to be benign. Not hard to figure why he often looks like the happiest man in the NHL . . . Amid a recent run of injuries, including a high ankle sprain to ex-Bruin Brian Rolston, the Devils called up enforcer Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond (say it twice flawlessly for a Berlitz discount coupon). The Devils and Flyers finish up back-to-back games tonight in Philly, where the combination of Flyer frustration and Broad Street lust for fisticuffs has the makings for a potential Letourneau-Leblond legend . . . Tampa Bay co-owner Len Barrie, after losing pugilist David Koci to St. Louis via waivers, said, "There's no room in the East [Conference] for fighting. Who is Koci going to fight on the Thrashers?" This could be real news to the likes of Donald Brashear in Washington and Georges Laracque in Montreal, both of who make their living in the Eastern Conference.

Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at dupont@globe.com; material from interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.