Tuesday, December 3, 2002
Slotting: The right jobs for the right players
By E.J. Hradek ESPN The Magazine
In any sport, building a competitive team is like piecing together a complex jigsaw puzzle. The intricate parts must fit together perfectly if the picture is going to be complete.
In hockey, where even the best skaters (goalies aside) can be on the bench for more that half the game, squeezing together the many necessary parts can be a maddening process.
The Avs traded Chris Drury to Calgary, then struggled while compensating for his abesence.
Because the game is part skill, part smarts, part grit and part intangibles (like selflessness, maturity and focus), the league's general managers spend endless hours searching for the right pieces. Through their amateur and pro scouting staffs, they scour the world searching for the square chips to fit into their empty square holes.
Clearly, it's easy to identify a Mike Modano or a Joe Thornton as a first line center. Heck, you and I can do that. But while those dynamic players are huge pieces to any ice puzzle, they can not be the entire puzzle. They must be supported with the right number of skill and role players. If they are not, those teams and those players are destined to fail.
To work the entire puzzle -- or build a successful NHL team -- the GMs slot players into particular roles. In fact, most GMs craft a mission statement to establish exactly what type of team they want to ice. Then, they draw up a definition for the type of player they want in each specific role, from their first line center to their sixth defenseman. Finally, they do whatever they can to get a player who will best fill that particular slot. Sometimes the smallest detail can become the difference between winning and losing.
Obviously, different players are suited for different roles. And because of the team's mission, a player might fit as a second-line center with one team, but not with another. For instance, although it's a bit too early to be sure, it appears that Bobby Holik was a much better fit with the Devils then he has been with the Rangers. The hulking pivot fit like a glove in the Devs' well-structured organization. Across the Hudson River, on a Rangers team that wants to play a more up tempo type game, Holik appears to be misplaced. If indeed he does prove to be a bad fit, it will have been a rather expensive mistake.
On the same Rangers roster, though, recently acquired Ronald Petrovicky has been a good fit. Petrovicky didn't fit in Calgary, which left him unprotected for the waiver draft. The Rangers, looking for help on the wing, plucked Petrovicky from the list. At least in the short term, he has produced the best hockey of his young career.
In baseball, teams look to build strength up the middle. Hockey teams have the same objective. Ideally, clubs like to establish their top two centers, top four defensemen and starting goaltender. Other pieces, such as top six wingers, third and fourth liners and a club's fifth, sixth and seventh (depth) defenseman can be easier to fit into place around the middle of the roster.
A good case in point can be found on Long Island. Prior to last season, the Islanders were able to resurrect their franchise with the additions of Alexei Yashin, Michael Peca and Chris Osgood. That trio of players represented three big pieces of a puzzle that already had plenty of good smaller parts like Claude Lapointe, Jason Blake and Dave Scatchard.
Yashin and Peca weren't just any two top players, though. Rather, they were perfectly slotted as the Isles' top two centers. Osgood gave the Islanders an experienced goaltender with plenty of playoff experience. On the backline, they already had top four types Kenny Jonsson and Roman Hamrlik. Suddenly, with the additions, this dormant franchise had a solid backbone.
While Peca was on the sidelines for the first six weeks of this season, the Isles struggled to stay afloat. Yashin was less effective as a top pivot without strong support behind him, and No. 3 center Scatchard -- who is very good in that role -- was overmatched as the team's second center.
When Peca returned, the club enjoyed marked improvement. Besides being the type of player who can make a team better, he is a well-slotted No. 2 behind Yashin and ahead of Scatchard and solidifies the team up the middle.
In the powerful Western Conference, top teams like the Red Wings, Avalanche and Stars have done an excellent job of defining their philosophies and slotting their players accordingly. And, they built their teams around the concept of two centers, four defensemen and a starting goalie.
In each case, their key players -- two center, four defensemen and a starting goalie -- have been supported by some of the best role players in the game. In Detroit, Grind Liners Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby and Darren McCarty have been a perfect compliment for top-six forwards like Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov and Brendan Shanahan. It's one of the reasons that each of those players owns three Stanley Cup rings.
In Colorado, during its Cup-winning season of 2000-01, players like Eric Messier, Shjon Podein and Dan Hinote did an excellent job of supporting high-end guys like Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Chris Drury and Milan Hejduk.
This season, the Avalanche have stumbled out of the gate because they've had a difficult time re-slotting their top six forwards since dealing Drury and third-line center Stephane Yelle to the Flames for defenseman Derek Morris, injured left winger Dean McAmmond and fourth line center Jeff Shantz. Thus far, their unbalanced offense has struggled to score goals.
In San Jose, where coach Darryl Sutter took the hit for a disappointing start, the slow development of second-line center Patrick Marleau (drafted No. 2 behind Joe Thornton in 1997) has hindered the team's growth. Fortunately, veteran center Mike Ricci anchors a strong third line. His presence takes some of the pressure off Marleau, who didn't score a single goal in October.
Still, unless -- or until -- Marleau becomes the force many believe he can be, the Sharks will have a hard time matching up against big-time centers in the West.
In any case, as you watch your favorite team, take note of how the players are being used and where they fit on the club. If particular players are being asked to do too much or too little, your team has a slotting problem. And, probably, a losing problem, too.
E.J. Hradek writes hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.
