Time to get a plan on the drafting table
The National Hockey League remains in business, even if there is no 2004-05 season, even if last Wednesday's annual trade deadline came and went without a whimper, and even if no one is going to rhumba 'round a rink near you with the Stanley Cup in early June.
Contrary to all the doom and gloom, no one has yet canceled the annual amateur entry draft, slated for June 25-26 in Ottawa. The Lords of the Boards met again Friday with the Players Association, the first session since the total collapse of the NHL universe (Part 2) on Feb. 19. With more than three months to go before the draft, there remains the chance that the sides can come to an accord and at least keep the draft on track.
The draft itself, in comparison to a $2.2 billion business going belly-up, may not seem all that important. Maybe it's not. However, it has a lot more luster/significance this year with Quebec League sensation Sidney Crosby up for grabs. Crosby, who last week signed a multimillion-dollar endorsement contract with Canton-based Reebok, is the hottest North American prospect since Eric Lindros in 1991. Fans of No. 1 picks Alexandre Daigle ('93), Joe Thornton ('97), and Vincent Lecavalier ('98) might dispute that, but only the buildup for Lindros matches the hype surrounding Crosby.
If there is a new labor deal, or at least the basis of an agreement in place, the question then becomes how to derive a draft order from the ashes of a nonexistent season. The selection process would have to satisfy 30 owners and the NHLPA, provided conventional rules remain in place. There may be no telling what voice the union would have -- be it in the draft or anything else -- if the league ends up running to the courthouse and winning the right to open its doors, post conditions, and start business anew with anyone who cares to play in an all-new NHL.
But, for argument's sake, let's presume these guys can sort out their financial and philosophical differences and play like well-behaved billionaires and millionaires (dream on!). How would the draft order stack up?
The fairest method might be to go by the point totals of each franchise over the last four seasons, the period in which the NHL has been operating as the Original 30, with Columbus and Minnesota beginning play in 2000. (See chart for that 1-through-30 ranking.)
The NHL's 30 GMs will meet in Detroit for two days, April 7-8, and the main topic will be crafting a menu of rule changes for the day the games are up and running. But perhaps the hottest topic of all will be how to crunch the numbers, decide a draft order. It would be a spirited debate at any time, but all the more heated with Crosby out there as the cherry. "You bet it will get hot," said former Canucks GM Brian Burke, reached by phone Friday afternoon following a speaking gig at UMass-Amherst. "Hey, there's one school of thought out there that says give everyone a fair shot at No. 1. I think that's nonsense. They have to come up with a system that allows the worst teams to get the best shot -- be it 1-30, based on the last four years, or some variation."
One potential wrinkle, suggested by Burke: Take the 1-30 rankings, break them into five or six groups, and hold a lottery within each group. Such a variation would have everyone in the first group -- say, Columbus, Atlanta, Florida, Pittsburgh, and the Rangers -- tossed into a hat to settle the first five picks. The next group, 6 through 10, would stage its own lottery for the next five picks. Under that system, the Bruins would end up picking as high as 21st or as low as 25th.
Line change
Bruins bosses Harry Sinden and Mike O'Connell a few weeks ago called up the entire Providence Bruins squad for a creative skate on Causeway Street. They essentially tossed the rule book in the trash can, altered the lines on the ice, and looked for new ways to open up the game.
"I'd say some of it was revolutionary," said O'Connell, who also was joined by old pal Colin Campbell, the league's disciplinarian and director of hockey operations. "It wasn't something that we wanted to give much publicity -- just a little experimenting. Some of it was really eye-opening."
The most radical alteration was moving the blue lines closer to the nets, in theory creating smaller offensive zones. In practice, it was much different, because the flight of fancy eliminated all offsides. Once the attacking team moved the puck out of its defensive zone, it was free to fire the puck far down ice without fear of icing or offsides.
"What it turned into was hockey's version of fast-break basketball," said O'Connell. "It was only one session, only about 25 minutes, but we saw a lot of things we liked. Lots of speed. Lots of passing. Plenty of opportunity for physical play. I can't say there was a lot more scoring, but there were definitely many more scoring chances."
O'Connell said he would not make a formal presentation of the experiment's findings to his fellow GMs in Detroit next month. However, since Campbell was there, the Boston experiment could be part of the discussion when Campbell addresses the suit-and-tie rank-and-file.
"Like everyone, we've had unexpected idle time this year, and that got us to thinking about how to improve the game," said O'Connell. "I'll bet some other teams did similar things. Now, how any of these things eventually come to fruition, who knows? But it was intriguing."
Roster openings
By O'Connell's count, the Bruins have only a handful of players under contract for what might be a 2005-06 season. The limited lot includes P.J. Axelsson, Patrice Bergeron, Ian Moran, and Tom Fitzgerald. The club also holds an option on Nick Boynton. Two pricy players on the '04-05 roster who will become unrestricted free agents as of July 1: Martin Lapointe and Sergei Gonchar. It's doubtful that either will wear the Black and Gold again, unless they take huge discounts. Lapointe would be the more likely to do so, because he won't attract a lot of UFA attention. But Gonchar, who will turn 31 next month, should be able to bid up a hefty long-term deal. But what was "hefty" in the old days could be discounted by one-third or one-half when the New World NHL finally gets its contract in order . . . Burke, out of front office work since getting bumped in Vancouver last spring, swatted down rumors that he would be the Rangers' next general manager. "It's hardly any secret that I want to run a team again," said Burke. "And it's also no secret that Glen Sather [Rangers president and current GM] and I are business partners [Tri-City, junior hockey]. Glen and I have talked about this scenario before, but I can tell you, right now, it's not in the cards." The New York Daily News was first to mention the Burke possibility and also floated the chance that Wayne Gretzky (whose deal with Phoenix expires June 1) could be considered to run the Blueshirts . . . Here's my vote for Detroit GM Ken Holland as Executive of the Year (so what if there was no season?). Published reports last week had Holland embracing the idea of a rule change that no longer would allow a shorthanded team to ice the puck. I'll write that again: no longer allow a shorthanded team to ice the puck.
Open-minded
Joe Bertagna, the former Bruins netminding consultant who these days is commissioner of Hockey East, is thrilled with the rule changes that cleaned up much of the neutral-zone hooking and holding at the college level this season. "Three places where we really attacked it," said Bertagna. "Along the boards, if the defender takes his bottom hand off his stick, and uses that arm to impede or tie up the puck carrier as a moving hold, that's almost an automatic call." The two other frequent calls have been the more traditional obstructions in the neutral zone -- be it the puck carrier who gets lassoed or the offensive player who is tied up before he can accept a pass or chase down a puck. "No more reaching, grabbing, or holding to catch up to someone," said Bertagna. "On defense, you have to move your legs. Pretty simple. I'd like to hear in the next month or two that the NHL has taken notice. It's opened up our game tremendously." . . . Steve Freyer, longtime agent for Ray Bourque, figures the greatest gift Ray ever gave his first-born son was the name Christopher. "I told Ray that the day Chris was born," Freyer recalled last week, just as the younger Bourque's Boston University Terriers were about to open the Hockey East playoffs against Providence. "Can you imagine the pressure of being Ray Bourque Jr., and trying to make your own name in your famous father's sport? And Chris still has gotten an earful of that his whole life, you know, people shouting, `You're no Ray Bourque!' But he's a quiet, humble kid, and he's done a tremendous job dealing with it. It's toughened him." . . . Ken London, former producer/director of Bruins telecasts during their Channel 38 days, figures the Hockey Hall of Fame would do well to consider inducting all six Sutter brothers one day as a single entity. Heck, it might be worth it just to see the brothers scrap at the buffet table after the induction. Brian Sutter, who coached here, delighted in telling the story of a snowy morning in Viking, Alberta, when the school bus carrying the Sutter clan got stuck in a snowbank. While the driver huffed and puffed on one side of the bus, reaching under with a shovel in an attempt to free the wheels, the Sutter boys took up shovels on the other side and kept shoveling snow back under the bus . . . The Bruins were supposed to be on Long Island for a matinee today. You know the lockout has been a long haul when you pine to be in Uniondale.
Coming attractions
No telling what the Boston roster will look like when the NHL gets back in business, but O'Connell has been very encouraged by the work of a handful of Baby B's. "Above all, [Hannu] Toivonen has been outstanding," said O'Connell, noting that the Finnish goalie was set back by a recent knee injury. "He's been everything we hoped for and more." O'Connell also has been impressed by defenseman Milan Jurcina, forward Brad Boyes, and fellow forwards Andy Hilbert and Colton Orr. "Hilbert can shoot as well as any forward in the game, but he still has to round out his overall game," said O'Connell. "Orr's made strides, and he's a really tough, dynamic fighter." Overseas, 2002 draft pick (No. 259 overall) Yan Stastny stepped up his game, playing a second season in Germany (Nuernberg) after leaving Notre Dame following his sophomore season. In 49 games, the 22-year-old Stastny went 24-28--52. "Second in league scoring," said O'Connell. "And that's in a league loaded with NHL players this year. So that gives some indication." If the labor dispute gets settled, said O'Connell, the club might look to get Stastny, son of former NHL great Peter Stastny, under contract for next season. "I say that, not knowing for sure what his contractual situation is over there," said O'Connell. "But, yes, we'd explore it, get him to the AHL and give him a shot." . . . Friday's bargaining session brought separate releases from the two sides, each stating that they met for approximately 90 minutes, got nothing done, and will meet again this week (insert yawn here). But NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and union boss Bob Goodenow were both in attendance. When it all skidded to a dead halt last month, they were both in other rooms at the same hotel -- absent from the meeting that could have saved the season. Their no-shows were shameful, no matter what their motivation or explanation. If they shame both of their employers again, then shame on those who pay them for keeping them on the job. Time for everyone to drop the egos and make the deal.
Kevin Paul Dupont's e-mail address is dupont@globe.com; material from personal interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.
