For the second consecutive season, Maple Leafs defenceman Frank Corrado has spent the entire first month of the season practicing and watching games from the press box.
Last season, it took until game #29 in mid-December for Corrado to enter the lineup. It wasn’t until the Dion Phaneuf trade and the Matt Hunwick injury that the 23-year-old saw consistent minutes (starting in February onward). He didn’t produce a whole lot offensively (six points) but did show well in terms of the possession numbers over 39 games.
The same practice-and-press box routine has returned to start the 2016-17 season despite what was viewed by many onlookers as an impressive enough training camp and preseason. While preseason production is meaningless (Corrado recorded four points in four games; countless players above him in preseason scoring couldn’t break the league full time, either), Mike Babcock mentioned recently that Corrado did as the organization asked in terms of his preparation coming into the season. The fact that he’s right-handed and has some puck-moving ability has the Leafs hesitant to lose the asset via waivers, but it still hasn’t been enough to break into the Leafs‘ top six.
It has to be even harder to swallow for Corrado knowing the Leafs have given up – following the 7-0 loss to Los Angeles – the most goals against per game on average and are bottom five in shot attempts against per game. That’s not to suggest that Corrado could solve those issues by playing on the team’s bottom pairing, but it’s difficult to justify riding the same group of six and ignoring the guy stuck on the sidelines when those are the results. The Leafs defence pairings have been in constant flux, with nearly all the permutations tried out at some point by Babcock.
On the Fan590 on Friday, Elliotte Friedman labeled the treatment not just unfair but potentially seriously damaging to Corrado’s not-yet-established NHL career. Friedman places responsibility more at the feet of Leafs management than he does Mike Babcock. If Babcock doesn’t feel Corrado is among his best six? Fair enough, says Friedman, but Leafs management should be moving him to a place where he can play, be it the Marlies or another NHL organization via waivers.
Transcript below.
Yesterday, we were having a laugh – I think everybody has, sort of — at Frankie Corrado’s expense. Yesterday after practice, Mike Babcock said, “hey, listen, he’s a casualty of Zaitsev and Carrick and that’s just the thing.” He kind of said that he has those guys and they’re a little bit better than him. Why on Earth has he not seen any time with the way that Polak and Marincin have played?
Friedman: I have to say, I think this is a real shame. His career is getting seriously damaged. I don’t know if the word duty is the right word, but I think they should put him on waivers. I really do. I understand asset management and all that, and how the Vancouver Canucks were criticized for letting him get away for nothing. But it’s very clear he’s not one of Toronto’s best six defencemen. They don’t consider him that way. They should let him go get a chance. Even if he clears waivers and goes to the AHL, just let the guy play. At his age and at his point in his career, he’s at danger of going two years without really competing. Yes, you can learn a lot in practice and yes, you can learn a lot from being around guys who are elite level players and some have been in the league a long time. But, at the end of the day, you’ve got to play somewhere. I just think they should put him on waivers. Even if he gets claimed, great. If he doesn’t get claimed, go to the AHL and play. This has reached the point where it’s absurd and really hurting the guy’s career.
Didn’t a similar thing happen to him last year, too? Wasn’t he on the shelf forever for some unknown reason?
Friedman: Again, he was around and he practiced a lot. He just didn’t get many games. That’s fair. Hockey is a meritocracy. If they believe he’s not one of their six best D, I have no problem with them not playing him. Every day reporters are going to him and he’s trying to do the right thing and trying not to start any fires. But you reach a point somewhere where you have to be fair to a guy’s career. If I was him, and I’m sure he is, I’d be bursting with frustration inside. It’s really damaging to his career.
What’s the issue with him?
Friedman: They have a list of their top guys, and he’s not on it. I don’t think it’s any more than that. I think Mike Babcock feels he’s not one of this six best defencemen, so he’s not going to use him. I think that’s 100% Babcock’s right. If you’re the coach, you dress the best lineup to win games. But, at the end of the day, if you have a guy and he hasn’t played much in a year and a half, send him somewhere where he can play. You’re devaluing your own asset, too. If you don’t think he can play for that long, what’s everyone else going to think?
