Morning Mashup: 4 Days Away, Talking Rask, Recchi
Photo Credit: The Hockey News
Only 4 days left until the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. A lot of people are still talking about Boston, which is indeed better than talking about the riot. Speaking of Boston, the 43year old veteran Mark Recchi, who has played a major role for the Bruins in their 6th Stanley Cup run, has retired. The “Recchin’ Ball†as he is known around the league went out like a champion.
He holds the record for the second longest span between Stanley Cup wins (1991–2006), at fifteen years, his 123 points (53 goals, 70 assists) in the 1992–1993 season is the Flyers regular season scoring record, he is the oldest player to record 5 assists in a game on March 1, 2009 at 41 years, 28 days and the oldest player to score a Stanley Cup Finals goal on June 6, 2011 at 43 years, 126 days. Recchi became one of only ten players in modern day NHL history to win the Stanley Cup with three different teams, Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991, Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, finishing off his trio of Stanley Cup wins with the Boston Bruins this year.
With 7 All Star Selections and the 1996-97 All Star Game MVP honors, the hockey world says its goodbyes to a legend. A player who maintained a high standard of play even with father time getting bigger and bigger on the horizon. Recchi was direct as ever when the time came to announce his retirement: “This is it for me, I’m done†and the end, he rode into the sunset, holding something shiny proudly above his head.
In other news, I’ll take a look at a darkhorse pick that could be had in the later stages of the draft. Victor Rask is a 6′ 2″ Swedish born centerman. He was born on March 1st, 1993. Rask is a really good skater who wins a lot of faceoffs. He has great hockey IQ and speed to burn. He’s the type of all around centerman who’s equally adept at shooting and distributing the puck and is currently an underrated combination of size and skill mostly because he got very little ice time with Leksand this season, which in turn slowed down his development. One scout had this to say about him: “He’s a top 10 talent, but he might go in the second or even third round.†For me, him being underrated is all about sky high expectations and the lack of minutes to justify such expectations. He also has the potential to be a good defensive player, but is still raw in that aspect of the game. Anytime you can pick a possible top 10 selection in the later rounds of the draft, you do it, no questions asked. This kid is way better than his draft position suggests. Yes, I’m high on Swedish prospects. Ok, on to the links:
NHL LINKS:
Salary Cap increase for the 2011-2012 season, via TSN
Even after Stanley Cup title, Bruins coach Julien maintains steady approach
Weber in talks with the Predators
Greg Wyshynski with his tribute to Mark Recchi
Yahoo takes a look at the recent KHL money for a roster spot scandal
Puck Daddy has the latest on the free agents one can only salivate after
LEAF LINKS:
VLM: James Reimer may just top the list of the 10 most “like-able†Leafs of all time
Rumor has it we’ll have a new assistant coach soon, via Boston Herald
YOUR SAY:
What is the best way to look at draft picks in the later rounds, best player available or team’s positional needs? Who is your later round gem? Does Mark Recchi get your vote for the Hall?
