They can’t all be Marian Gaborik, can they?
For fans wary of the much-hyped trade deadline rental, Antoine Vermette — up to this point — has served as a cautionary tale for general managers.
And now, head coach Joel Quenneville says, the pricey acquisition will sit out Game 1 of the playoffs Wednesday as a healthy scratch.
The decision was based on Vermette’s performance.
With star Patrick Kane injured and the Chicago Blackhawks believing they needed a scoring boost for the stretch run, Stan Bowman outbid Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli for the most coveted centre on the rental market this spring.
The cost? A first-round pick in this year’s draft and defensive prospect Klas Dahlbeck, shipped to Arizona.
The return so far? Zero goals, three assists and a minus-2 rating in 19 games.
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“We always say it doesn’t matter how much money you make or who you are,” Quenneville told reporters Tuesday in advance of Chicago’s series versus the Nashville Predators. “Your performance is going to dictate everything you get and everything you’re going to earn.”
The 32-year-old Vermette, who had been centering Arizona’s top line, saw nearly 19 minutes of ice per game in the desert; he killed penalties and was integral to the Coyotes’ top power-play unit. He was also winning a whopping 56 per cent of his face-offs.
Since the move to a deeper roster, his special-teams use has all but vanished and he’s down to 50/50 in the circle.
“I want to help the team to win [and be] successful,” Vermette told the media. “Certainly the last thing I want to do is make it about myself and be a distraction.
“It’s not about me. It’s about the team and [winning] some games.”
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Vermette, who carries a $3,75-million cap hit, is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. The more time he spends in the press box, the less likely Chicago will re-sign him and the more his open-market value drops.
And the more Arizona’s Don Maloney looks like he hit a home run with the trade.
