Which rookies are ready for a permanent stay in the NHL?
Editor's note: Our weekly "Faceoff" features ESPN.com NHL writers Scott Burnside (based in Atlanta) and Pierre LeBrun (based in Toronto), who duke it out over any given hockey topic. Let the games begin!
This week's topic: Are certain rookies ready for the NHL? Which ones, if any, should be sent down?
Scott Burnside: Hello, Pierre. Are the streets already barricaded for the Maple Leafs' Cup parade after their shocking 6-5 win over the Devils on Wednesday? They're a good place to start discussing the place of young players, especially teenage players who still could return to junior hockey, in this man's NHL. What do you make of the great debates taking place in many NHL cities about whether players like the Leafs' Luke Schenn, who registered his first NHL point against the aforementioned Devils, are ready for NHL life?
Pierre LeBrun: I couldn't sleep all night due to all the car horns downtown. You think there was a party Wednesday night in Philadelphia for the World Series? Ha! The Leafs are over .500 for October, man! In general, I'm not a big fan of keeping 18-year-olds on NHL rosters, never have been. But my thinking has changed a bit in recent years because these 18-year-olds are not your father's 18-year-olds. They're in much better shape physically and ready to play against men. Schenn is a monster and does not get pushed around at all. I guess my surprise at his being fast-forwarded to the bigs is that the Leafs have so many blueliners right now, I don't see the need. But he hasn't looked out of place to this point. We'll see whether he hits the wall like some teenagers do.
Burnside: There are so many factors to consider when teams look at keeping their teenage prospects. If a general manager or coach thinks the teen can play meaningful minutes, in the short term, it's cheaper to have an 18-year-old like Zach Bogosian in the Thrashers' lineup than a guy like Ken Klee, whom they traded to Anaheim and who ended up on waivers, where he recently was claimed by Phoenix. But the other side of that blade is that once a teen plays in 10 games, that counts as the first year of his three-year entry-level contract and brings him closer to bigger paydays down the road. And you bring up a good point, Pierre (don't you always?), that teams have to be prepared for the inevitable hitting of the wall. Even top-end players like defending rookie of the year Patrick Kane have acknowledged hitting a wall in the second half of the season because they weren't ready to play a full NHL slate of games.
LeBrun: But like Kane last season, the one thing about keeping these 18-year-old, first-round draft picks is that it brings a certain level of excitement to your market -- much like in the NFL. Last season, the Hawks used the buzz of having Kane and 19-year-old Jonathan Toews come on board. To a certain extent, the Leafs have gotten that from Schenn coming on board here in Toronto. I used to be more worried about the collective-bargaining agreement implications four seasons ago when we came out of the lockout, but quite frankly, Scott, if I'm a general manager right now, I don't care. Because who knows what the rules will be in the next CBA? Providing the current one goes six years as planned, there's only two more years before a new set of rules. So I wouldn't worry about keeping 18-year-olds right now because you're worried they're going to make too much money at 21 or walk away unrestricted at 25. The rules might change.
Burnside: I, too, think there's too much worry about the economic implications, and I think it's obvious GMs are looking at the hockey implications as opposed to the long-term financial ones. That makes sense. If you think a player can help your team now, he should be in the lineup now. Period. But teams have to understand that an 18-year-old rookie has different needs than even a 21- or 22-year-old playing his first NHL season after playing college hockey or in Europe, like Dallas' Fabian Brunnstrom. Kane lived with assistant GM Stan Bowman. Toews, who played in college, lived with teammate Brent Seabrook. Sidney Crosby, of course, shacked up with owner Mario Lemieux, while Jordan Staal lived with Mark Recchi. A couple of years back, Patrice Bergeron was taken in by veteran forward and fellow Francophone Martin Lapointe. Those things are crucial to helping a young player learn the NHL life from diet to sleep patterns to, let's admit it, how much partying is acceptable.
LeBrun: As you know, Scotty, I encourage partying only on days that end with "y." It's interesting, though, to see the NHL through the eyes of these kids. They haven't been pampered enough yet to shrug it off. I'm sure you remember Buffalo native Kane last fall, in one of his first NHL games, beating boyhood hero Dominik Hask with a shootout winner as the Hawks beat the Red Wings. Afterward, Kane went to see Hasek and posed for a picture with him. Hasek told me weeks later he wasn't 100 percent sure who the heck Kane was because he looked so damn young. But it's even the little things. Last week, Schenn told me one of the things that made him realize he's no longer in junior hockey is that most of the players go home after practice to their wives and children. He goes back to his video games.
Burnside: I think you've hit on something, which is the maturity of these young players. They're used to dealing with the media; at least the top-end prospects are. Bogosian told me this week he's been texting with Schenn and Alex Pietrangelo, the Blues' fine teenage defenseman, after the three became friends leading up to the draft this past summer. All three spend time wondering whether they're going to get sent down before the magic 10-game mark. Bogosian left Tuesday's game against Philadelphia early and is out indefinitely with a fractured fibula, but he'll be around for the long haul in Atlanta. The one thing I think is overrated is just how much young players are playing. Is it better to play six to 10 minutes a night in the NHL or 25 minutes a night in junior hockey, where they are men against boys? I think you learn as much by watching as by doing sometimes. Remember, Staal early on in his rookie season was a healthy scratch, and people were screaming that it was a waste. The big center ended up being on the rookie of the year ballot with 29 goals. Maybe the Pens knew what they were doing after all.
LeBrun: Another thing about these kids is that they arrive at their first NHL camps much more aware of the defensive aspects of the game. Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky was telling me last week how amazed he was at 18-year-old Mikkel Boedker and his defensive awareness. These prospects are getting more NHL-style training at the junior and college levels than in years past. And not just on the ice. They arrive at camp, for the most part now, already knowing about nutrition and workout regimens, etc. No chicken wings for these kids, Scotty (just for you and me). Of course, the big loser in all of this is Hockey Canada. Most of the teenagers in the NHL right now are Canadian, many of them having benefitted for Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence at different levels. Now they're not around to play in the World Junior Hockey Championships duing the Christmas holidays.
Burnside: It doesn't seem to hurt the Canadians at the World Junior Championships, which they win every year. I guess if there's a down side, it's when these players get thrown into pressure-cooker situations like Schenn is in Toronto. Remember two years ago when Guillaume Latendresse stayed with the Canadiens, even though junior coach and Quebec hockey icon Patrick Roy suggested the move was foolhardy and that Latendresse would have been better served staying in junior? That's when it really behooves the team to take a good, hard look at what's best for the player. As much as folks have talked about the pressure on Steven Stamkos in Tampa, he's a pretty mature kid, and that's the kind of market in which he can afford to learn on the go, more so than in a market in which his every move, positive and negative, is going to be debated and debated again.
LeBrun: Yes, I was amazed yet again at seeing Stamkos this week and how calm and collected he is. I mean, he arrives in his hometown without a single NHL point and gets asked about it by some 40-odd Toronto media members. Never flinched. Then he played a heck of game before some 50 family and friends and registered his first NHL assist. He'll be fine. His team stunk up the joint early on; obviously, if the big guys aren't scoring that much, the 18-year-old rookie won't, either. It all filters down. He'll catch fire. I asked Vincent Lecavalier whether he was offering up any advice to Stamkos, given that he, too, was an 18-year-old, first-overall pick 10 years ago in Tampa. He said he hadn't yet because the kid comes to the rink with a smile on his face every day. That says a lot. Stamkos will be fine.
Burnside: OK, how about rookies surprises. Who the heck is Kris Versteeg, and what is he doing atop the rookie scoring race? Asked and answered -- he's the 134th overall pick from 2004, a former Boston prospect now with the Blackhawks who has eight points and is plus-3. Anyone else catching your eye?
LeBrun: T.J. Oshie of the Blues. He's a first-rounder from 2005, and although he has only three points through Wednesday night, he looks dynamite on the ice. He is the full package: speed and defensive awareness. I spoke with Keith Tkachuk last week, and he said the kid is a blast to play with. The Blues' front office also is very high on him. I just hope they keep him away from golf carts and red carpets.
Burnside: No kidding. I'm curious about how the rest of the season is going to go for Brunnstrom, the much-balleyhooed rookie out of Sweden. He broke into the NHL with a bang, registering a hat trick in his first NHL game. His five goals lead all rookies, but he's also minus-6. Coach Dave Tippett is a guy who demands defensive accountability, so Brunnstrom is going to have to learn the whole game if he's going to get ice time in Big D.
LeBrun: I don't think Brunnstrom is the only minus in Dallas these days. He's got sweet hands. How about Luca Sbisa in Philadelphia? He's only 18, but talk about poise. He's earned his way on that team. Then again, given the depth of that Flyers blue line, maybe we shouldn't be surprised.
Burnside: Well, it's not just about talent, but also opportunity. Does Kane, a skinny, stick-thin boy, become rookie of the year if the Hawks have the kind of offensive depth a team like Detroit has? No. But there's also something to be said for a kid who eases his way into a lineup that is loaded with talent, like Brunnstrom has done with the Stars. Less ice time, maybe, but maybe a better learning environment. One thing I noticed is that there aren't any hot-shot rookie netminders a la Carey Price this season.
LeBrun: Well, there are some rookie goalies, but none of them are starting. Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, whom the Oilers are really high on, is stuck in that three-man jam behind Mathieu Garon and Dwayne Roloson. The Oilers can't send the kid down without having to clear him through waivers, so they're sitting tight right now. He looked good in his only start this season. There's also Tobias Stephan in Dallas. He's playing more now that Marty Turco is struggling. Ben Bishop got pressed into action in St. Louis thanks to injuries to Manny Legace and Chris Mason. But the veteran Blues goalies are on the mend. And there's Pekka Rinne backing up Dan Ellis in Nashville. But like you said, no rookie goalie making a real name for himself this year.
Burnside: Yes, Stephan looked good in beating Minnesota on Wednesday night, but it'll be interesting to see whether we have this same conversation in a couple of months and whether any of those kids edges his way into a starting assignment. Or whether some other youngsters emerge on the radar to give us pause. As always, a pleasure facing off with you, my friend. Until next time.
LeBrun: Easily the best hour of my week, Mr. Burnside. All the best in that hockey hotbed of Atlanta.
Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun cover the NHL for ESPN.com. Neither Scott nor Pierre have been sent down to the minors -- yet.
