By Karen Aney (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: November 7, 2012
Even though there’s a lockout, it seems like every Canuck fan and their dog goes apoplectic every time anything to do with Luongo or the Toronto Maple Leafs even flickers across their newsfeed.
Well, last Thursday and Friday the Toronto Marlies were in town. They’re the farm team for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The game drew Brian Burke out of his hidey-hole – he was at both games. More intriguingly, it drew some Canucks brass: Laurence Gilman and Stan Smyl were also in attendance. Laurence Gilman, assistant general manager of the Vancouver Canucks, is less recognizable than GM Mike Gillis, but he’s not going to be left out of any potential trade conversations. The men watched the game intently, retreating to a private corner between periods.
Of course, (probably) none of this means a damn thing. That being said, it’s fun to guess. So from watching the games, and knowing the Canuck brass were present – here’s a couple guesses at who should be on our wishlist if we do lose Luongo.
First and foremost is Joe Colborne. This six-foot-five forward, a Calgary native, is 22-years-old and was originally drafted in the first round of 2008 by the Boston Bruins. He was traded to the Leafs organization in February 2011.
He was called up to the Leafs in April of 2011, before heading back to the AHL when Toronto missed the playoffs. His performance in the last half of the season was disappointing, with only four assists in 24 games. That being said, it’s important to note that he was playing with a broken wrist, torn ligaments and a finger full of stitches after he was slashed so hard that his ring finger was left hanging by a piece of skin. All that considered, the fact that he continued playing makes those four assists pretty impressive.
It also made him a more rounded player. Given his size (unusual for a forward), he had generally been the type of player to battle and get his shot off. His injuries forced him to learn to pass more, and improve his finesse game. That definitely showed against the Heat: his hands were soft, he made impressive heads-up plays, and utilized his size to dominate the boards. Given the level of conflict between the teams, he was quite effective in the two games. “That’s a strength in my game, something I’ve worked on, so I felt pretty confident . . . I was able to pull quite a few pucks off the boards there and generate some chances tonight.”
When asked if the presence of Gilman or Smyl was on his mind at all, Colborne said no. “I’m extremely happy with the Leaf organization . . . I’ve got an unbelievable situation and already being traded once I’ve kind of learned that it’s out of my control so I’m just enjoying every moment I have right now and not letting any of that get into my head.”
Another player that looked awesome was 22-year-old Nazem Kadri. Native to London, Ontario, this forward has had a rough start to the season. During training camp, Marlies coach Dallas Eakins stated that Kadri had “unacceptable levels of body fat.” Given that Kadri spent the summer with NHL conditioning coach Gary Roberts, this was a surprise. Though his conditioning training has improved his game, his diet was the culprit of this “excess” fat (let’s be honest here, he’s probably still better off than the rest of us). Recently, Eakins has expressed satisfaction with Kadri’s turnaround.
His training with Roberts showed in his game. He didn’t get caught flat-footed, he kept up with gameplay, and he played hard – finishing each check and battling on every possession. One possible reservation with Kadri is his natural style of play: he’s very showy. He likes to dangle the puck and dance around opponents, and when he pulls it off it looks really pretty. That being said, it also looks very silly when the opposing player decides to check him into the boards rather than watch his move.
In Friday’s game, this aspect of his play was downplayed quite heavily; he seemed to be relying on basics and keeping up with the chippiness more than creating highlight reel-worthy moments. This is promising: it shows that he can buckle down and work hard when it’s needed, and makes him a more attractive player overall.
We have no idea if a trade is going to happen. The Canucks brass present for the Marlies clash with the Heat could mean nothing; it could also mean everything. Still, not to play the conspiracy theorist, but as crime shows have taught us, there’s no such thing as a coincidence.
