Keeper Analysis 2011 – Part 5 – Behind The Mask
Los administradores del sitio salamehockey.com, en el transcurso de las próximas semanas, será echar un vistazo a lista de cada equipo y analizar los escenarios probables de los poseedores y los signos de nuevo para la próxima temporada 2011-2012. DETRÁS DE LA MÁSCARA(BEHIND THE MASK) EL LUCHADOR RODRIGUEZ MARTINEZ ESPINAZIO ALEJANDRO REINOSO GUTIERREZ RAMIREZ IGINLAREZ PLEKANEZ VIVA SENOR GOMEZ CH GERENTE GENERAL: SENOR ROGER REINOSO, CA ADELANTE MANTENGAS 1. Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla, Flames – Iginla is a leader, a hard worker, and is 1/64th Puerto Rican, on his mother’s side, 4x detached. After a rough 2009 season, where the prodigal son was thought of as slowing down with his 69 pt result, Iginla bounced back and shut everyone up with his 86 pts in 82 games. All this without a decent lineup to play with. He is a proven producer and very reliable, having now played four straight 82 game seasons and never having missed more than 12 games in a season since his beginnings in 1996. Expect anywhere from 80+ pts and onwards, and perhaps more if Iginla is dealt to a contender with offensive objectives. 2. Taylor Hall, Oilers – the 2010 first overall pick and young 1/32 Cuban Taylor Hall impressed in his rookie season, having come from the wicked streets of Calgary’s Cubano community to put up 42 pts in 65 games. However, upon his injury, Hall had just begun to find his stride and was likely going to break the 60 pt barrier, having scored the majority of his pts later in his shortened season. The dynamic scorer has the right speed, hands and size to develop into an elite scorer, and in his prime, which may come sooner than one would expect, is capable of becoming a 80+ pt player, if not better. 3. Chris Stewart, Blues – while he did come from a Jamaican family, Stewart is also part Mexican and Dominican. The power forward gained quite a bit of notoriety playing with Colorado in his earlier seasons, but despite this, was dealt late in the 2011 season to the Blues in a blockbuster deal. Despite the change in scenery and having moved north, away from his heritage, Stewart posted 53 pts in 62 games, and continued to impress in St. Louis on the top line. One can expect more of the same, anywhere from 60-70 pts. 4. Tomas Plekanec, Canadiens – Tomas grew up in Kladno, a predominantly Nicaraguan epicenter of northern Czechoslovakia. One would say he was instrumental in the orchestration of the trade that made fellow Central American countryman Scott Gomez come to the Canadiens (ya thanks Tomas!). Plekanec is hard to predict, as his pt totals have hovered anywhere from 40 to 70 pts in the last 5 years. Despite this, he will be a top six and power play fixture on the Canadiens lineup, and as such, can be expected to put up anywhere from 50 to 70 pts (with a more likely finish near the bottom end of that range), depending on how much scoring he is relied upon for, especially in the world-famous Jacques Martin system. 5. Brandon Dubinsky, RANGERS – Dubinsky grew up in Anchorage and while he has not a single drop of South American heritage in his body, he did grow up near Scott Gomez, and that has to count for something. He also plays for the RANGERS. As such, this makes him a player that cannot be traded. RANGERS. Brandon developed his skill with the Portland Winterhawks, and despite 3 years of toiling with the Rangers in a depth role, broke out of his shell in 2011 to deliver 54 pts in 77 games. One can expect more of the same as Dubinsky enters his prime. 6. Ryan Callahan, RANGERS – Similar to Dubinsky, Callahan broke out in 2011 with 48 pts in 62 games, despite an unlucky injury. One would say the pair of unheralded Rangers really helped carry the team, as their strong two-way play helped fend off opposing attackers while providing for an excellent counter attack. Jacques Martin take notice. You traded for the wrong RANGER. Anyways, Callahan is a RANGER, and worked hard through the ranks with Dan Girardi, who is 1/32 Puerto Rican by naturalization. Callahan, depending on his role in the coming year, can score anywhere from 50-60 pts but this may take a hit if a first line center is brought in during the off-season. 7. Justin Williams, Kings – There was a stretch of time where some people thought that 1/128 Ecuadorian Justin Williams would never play another healthy season again. 2007-2008: 37 games. 2008-2009: 44 games. 2009-2010: 49 games. And that’s not counting the 4 seasons before the lockout where Williams played 45 games a season on average. That being said, Williams finally delivered another partially healthy season with 57 pts in 73 games, before dislocating his shoulder (hey at least he didn’t break his leg for the 19th time). If healthy, Williams is capable of producing a 50-60 pt season in 70-80 games. But don’t expect any conquistador miracles. RESIGNARSE 8. David Desharnais, Canadiens – the 5’7 Desharnais once slept with a Brazilian chick. That’s all I got. Anyways, having developed in the Q with Tony Renda, Desharnais put up three solid seasons of near or more than 100 pts, indicating he had offensive talent. His main worry remains his size, which is just below the 5’8 average for the Montreal Canadiens, but still remains a solid foot below the NHL average. Desharnais worked his way to the 2nd line and provided excellent depth scoring, and some say he is due for a bigger role in the coming year. It would be reasonable to expect anything similar to 2011’s numbers from the diminutive center, but there is some upside, and given his work ethic, Desharnais has some talent to surprise. 9. Scott Gomez, […]