It is December 17. That means the fall experiments are over.
Some players, like Zack Kassian, were the authors of their own demise. Others, like Jonathan Bernier, watched as their coach put an end to the clinical trial because, well, they just couldn’t stand to watch it anymore.
Seeing as it is Christmas, we’re in a giving mood. So here is some advice on what comes next for some National Hockey League players whose seasons/careers are in need of a reboot.
Zack Kassian — First and foremost, after two stints in the NHL/NHLPA addictions program, we wish Kassian success in staying straight. This is going to take some serious focus, but many have conquered the same mountain. It has been done; it can be done.
On the ice, Kassian should realize just how valuable he could be to 30 NHL teams, despite the fact he just passed through waivers this week. Name a team that wouldn’t want a 24-year-old, 6-foot-3 power winger entering his prime years who can skate, shoots it a ton, likes to hit and has the potential to ride shotgun to a smaller skilled pairing in your Top 6? If Kassian wants to play 1,000 NHL games, all he has to do is this: get in shape, stay in shape, commit to his profession, and work overtime to overcome his reputation as a player with low hockey IQ.
After this quote from Montreal coach Michel Therrien — “(He is) not a priority right now. There are a lot of players ahead of him in our organization.” — Kassian is going to have to really want this. But the reward will be there, if he wants it badly enough.
Jonathan Bernier — Flaming out as a goalie in the biggest hockey market in the world is painful. But losing the confidence of head coach Mike Babcock, whose sole purpose this season is to separate the wheat from the chaff for his going-forward roster? That could be terminal for Bernier in Toronto.
What do you do if you’re Bernier? He’s got to get desperate. Stop every puck in every practice. Stay out late with the goalie coach – preferably until the media’s gone, because they’re not helping him either. Get rid of the body language. Quit playing like a guy with another year at $4.15 million and play like a guy trying to hang on to a job in the East Coast League. Bernier may not start another game for the Leafs, but at 27 he’s barely in his prime as a goalie. He perfectly fits the description of a goalie whose game, after a few tweaks, might look a lot better behind a stronger defensive club than Toronto.
Mark Fayne and Andrew Ference — Fayne went from a promising Devils prospect to being buried on Edmonton’s farm, with two years left on a deal that pays $3.5 million per season. He should call Leon Draisaitl, get the number of Marian Voda (the Slovak coach who improved Draisaitl’s foot speed over the summer), and spend his summer in Bratislava. Then call Devils alum Ken Daneyko, and get some tips on how a 6-foot-3, four-goal scorer is supposed to handle himself in the physical aspects of the game (and we don’t mean fighting).
As for Ference, he has handled his situation with the utmost class. It had to be hard, twice facing the Boston media this month as a healthy scratch, as Nikita Nikitin jumped ahead of him on the Oilers depth chart. Sadly, but realistically, the sun is setting on Ference’s career. Or maybe it has set already. Wisely, he is already planning on how to have the greatest positive impact on our community after being bought out this summer. He is man of much class, and the next chapter awaits.
Jonas Hiller — Like Bernier, Hiller’s confidence is crushed in Calgary. And like Bernier, his own coach (Bob Hartley) has moved on. Soon to be 34, his contract expiring after this season, Hiller has two choices: Take a huge pay cut somewhere this July as a capable NHL backup; Or, go back home to Switzerland, play out a fine career as a returning hero, and have as much fun as everybody else does at the Spengler Cup every Christmas.
Frank Corrado — The beneficiary of a myopic market in Vancouver that somehow makes Corrado out to be Canuck GM Jim Benning’s greatest misstep, young Frank should ride that wave of popularity as long as he can. As long as the pressure’s on out West, the Leafs won’t waive Corrado to send him to the AHL. If I’m him, I’m taking that NHL paycheck and buying a few rounds for Canucks fans down in Gastown, the next time I’m in Vancouver.
