Roberto Luongo and Other Players Under Pressure
At the beginning of every season, the microscope inevitably narrows in on certain players. They have either failed to achieve their potential in the previous season or have been given new contracts that should pay immediate dividends on the ice.
In some cases, they are stepping into a new leadership role or hold one that has turned stagnant and needs rejuvenation.
This season is no different.
These players are major factors in the role they play for their respective clubs and are keys to a successful season while enduring pressure from every side.
Whether the player under scrutiny failed to provide the leadership, scoring, toughness, or solid goaltending in the previous season, the team, the media, and the fans expect more.
During the offseason, players, whether restricted, unrestricted, or seeking extensions, have in some cases signed big contracts with mind numbing numbers attached.
These players now have to prove they are worth said dollar signs and make an equal impact on the ice in this tight salary cap era.
Here are a few guys from around the league that have to certainly be feeling the heat.
Vancouver Canucks Goalie-Roberto Luongo
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The crowds bellow of "LUUUUUU" can be heard ringing throughout Vancouver’s GM Place after Roberto Luongo makes a great save, a regular occurrence. Last season, that ended in silence for a second year in a row against the Chicago Blackhawks (Eventual Stanley Cup Champs).
He’s making a whopping 10 MILLION this year, and at 31 years of age, he should be in his prime. His regular season numbers are right up there among the league’s elite. In 68 games played last year, his record was 40-22-4 with four shutouts, a .913 save percentage, and 2.57 goals against average.
But in the playoffs, where it counts those numbers weren’t as good. In 12 games, he had a record of 6-6, gave up 38 goals, had a .895 save percentage, and a 3.22 goals against average.
To his credit, it was an Olympic year, and Luongo did play five games for Canada (Record of 5-0-1 so 1.74 gaa), capturing Gold and may have been worn out by the time the playoffs rolled around, though the games were played in his own backyard.
Now that the Goalie-Captaincy experiment has ended in Vancouver, Luongo can stay focused on stopping pucks instead of all that comes with wearing the "C".
The media and Canadians alike have already tagged the Canucks for the Western Conference front runners and Canada’s best hope for a cup.
Granted, Luongo has a very good team surrounding him, but all eyes will be locked on him to not only lead the Canucks back to the postseason, but to take them deep in the playoffs, at least the conference finals, or the big prize, Lord Stanley’s coveted cup.
Montreal’s Gardien de but (Goalie)- Carey Price
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Booed already in the preseason in what may be the toughest hockey market in the world, 23 year-old Carey Price will carry the load of work between the pipes for the Bleu Blanc et Rouge (Blue White and Red) that is the Montreal Canadiens.
The Canadiens traded away goalie St. Halak (Jaroslav Halak) after an incredible playoff run last year, where Price had a good view mostly from the bench after playing in four games with a record of 0-1.
His regular season record was an ugly 13-20-5, though, with a fair .912 save percentage and a decent 2.77 goals against average.
Saying Price is caught between a rock and a hard place would be an understatement and how he responds to this frontline duty on a smaller, suspect team will certainly begin to define his career for better or worse.
This first round fifth overall pick in the 2005 draft will have to face this challenge head on and play some consistent stellar hockey to silence the 21,273 critics that pack the Bell Centre nightly.
New Jersey Devils 100 Million Dollar Man- Ilya Kovalchuk
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New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello traded away a number of young talented players to the Atlanta Thrashers, including forward Niclas Bergfors, defenseman Johnny Oduya, and troubled junior prospect Patrice Cormier, along with their 2010 first round pick, to acquire Ilya Kovalchuk last year.
If that wasn’t enough, there are a 100 million new reasons for Kovalchuk to feel a tightening of the vice. He has an initially disputed contract that was eventually rejected by the NHL and then a reworked contract that was accepted, which will pay him 100 million dollars over 15 years.
This ongoing story during the summer has had many repercussions throughout the NHL and has sparked inquiries into other long-term contracts with massive numbers attached.
That being said, Kovalchuk has to produce offensively on a team that has been a defensive juggernaut, though they have an aging hall of fame goalie and a much different looking defense than in the era of the left wing lock. Kovalchuk, known as a notorious puck-hog, will have to round his game into a form he doesn’t seem to fill.
The Devils have been a perennial playoff team, and Kovalchuk has only played in nine games in the postseason, five of which were last year with New Jersey.
For him to be considered a success and worth his money while removing the spotlight of scrutiny, he’ll have to be a major contributor in both the regular season and more specifically the playoffs if indeed the Devils can return to the post-season in a tougher Eastern Conference.
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New York Rangers Center- Chris Drury
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The Rangers missed the playoffs last season for the first time in five years, granted by the slimmest of margins, in a shootout in the last game of the regular season. More than likely, it shouldn’t come down to that, and the onus falls squarely on the shoulders of Captain Chris Drury.
In 77 games last season, he was a minus-10 while scoring 14 goals and registering only 18 assists for 32 points, marking the lowest production of his 11-year NHL career.
These statistics aren’t indicative of a player making the eight million dollars that Drury is slated to make this season nor the just a tad over eight million he made last season.
New Yorkers want winning teams and they get them. The NY Yankees are back in the playoffs, and the Giants and Yanks have won it all within the last decade while the Jets are considered to be on their way.
Previous to Mark Messier leading the Rangers to a Cup win in the 93/94 season, it had been 54 years since the last Cup, and Ranger fans don’t want to wait that long again.
On paper, the Rangers have the right pieces in place including a great goalie, Henrik Lundqvist, a sniper, Marion Gaborik, along with a solid supporting cast of forwards and a competent defense core.
The focal point is then on leadership, and Drury is it.
Toronto Maple Leafs Defenseman- Dion Phaneuf
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This big burly guy whose mean sneer seemingly a constant now wears the "C" for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who’ve been captain-less since Mats Sundin left on somewhat of a sour note.
Dion Phaneuf was brought to Toronto by general manager Brian Burke to be the leader, and no sooner had he set foot in the dressing room last year he began, if you can call changing the music to his liking taking charge.
He’ll make 6.5 million this year and should be one of the pillars of strength on a solid defense core, adding constant physical play while providing the big shot from the point on the power play.
His offensive numbers have dwindled since his rookie year with the Calgary flames, at least in the goal-scoring department. After recording 49, 50, and 60 assists in the first three seasons, those numbers have steadily dropped as well, and all of Leafs Nation will be watching his production closely.
Toronto has toughness along with a lot of youth, including the 25-year-old Captain Phaneuf who has to be the role model on a team that could be teetering on the edge of missing the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year.
No one in Leaf Land can honestly say that the Leafs are Stanley Cup bound this year, but Phaneuf has to lay the ground work for a new group of guys in a very critical media/fan frenzy hockey Mecca that is Toronto.
San Jose Sharks Big Three- Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, and Patrick Marleau
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These guys as a group have been some of the regular season's most productive guys year in and year out, though somehow come the postseason, a curse befalls them.
Last year they finally got past their nemesis, the first round of the playoffs, then beat one of their Western Conference rivals, the Detroit Red Wings, in the second round. They were bounced in the Conference Finals by the eventual cup winning Blackhawks in four straight while mustering only seven goals as a team.
A good season by any standards, but the eyes must stay on the prize.
Marleau, with a new four-year contract of 6.9 million per season, will make a combined 22.1 million dollars this year with a salary cap of 58.4 million dollars. Over 30 percent of the team’s money is tied up with these guys.
They had better be ready to lead these perennial postseason underachievers to the Promised Land, or they will be the ones being fed to the sharks.
Edmonton Oilers Three Rookies- Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Magnus Paajarvi
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When someone mentions the Edmonton Oilers, immediately the names Gretzky, Messier, and Kurri, along with other greats that were on that 80’s dynasty team, come to mind. There hasn’t been much to talk about since then when it comes to the lowly Oilers.
"Oh the times they are a changing", and the three new names that will be now linked to the Oilers team are that of 2008 first round, 22nd overall Jordan Eberle, 2009 first round 10th overall Magnus Paajarvi, and 2010 first overall Taylor Hall.
Will any of these three be the next Wayne Gretzky?
Don't kid yourself; there is and will only ever be one, but they can aspire to follow in his footsteps towards having their names engraved on Lord Stanley's Cup.
Those are some mighty big shoes these kids have to fill, and from the media and fans' reactions, they are already being considered as the second coming of the Oilers of old.
Though these kids aren’t expected to win a cup this year all eyes will be on them throughout the season watching their every miscue, turnover, and growing pain.
I’m sure getting opening night out of the way will be a weight off of each of their minds, but it will be just the first of many to come.
Quick Hits From Around The League
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A few others that must be feeling the pinch from the media and fans alike from around the NHL include:
Anaheim- Summer contract holdout Bobby Ryan, who finally signed, hopefully will be worth all the fuss and and angst he caused Duck fans.
Carolina- Eric Staal, who will have to lead an oft injured team without the veteran presence of now retired Rod Brind’Amour.
Calgary- Captain Jerome Iginla, who has a mixed matched mishmash of castoffs to deal with and a goalie who has been in steady decline since Calgary’s run to the Stanley cup Finals in 2004.
Chicago- 22-year-old captain Jonathan Toews will be feeling it in a city that had so many poor years before last year's cup win and will have to be successful on a team that had to jumbled up a good number of players to fit under the cap, though he still has a solid core up front and on the backend.
Columbus- Captain Rick Nash leading a team that on paper should challenge for a playoff spot but always comes up short.
Detroit- Goalie Jimmy Howard has to be solid as he is the main man in Motown.
Montreal- Mike Cammalleri. after his playoff scoring heroics, will have the Montreal faithful bearing down his throat on a nightly basis.
New York Islanders- John Tavares will have to improve as the face of the franchise, and last season's surprise player Matt Moulson will have to prove last year was no fluke.
Ottawa- Constantly scrutinized Jason Spezza, captain Daniel Alfredsson, underachieving puck hog Alexei Kovalev, and newly acquired power play savior Sergei Gonchar.
Phoenix- Last year's feel good story Ilya Bryzgalov having to carry a very mediocre team that exceeded all expectations last year.
Philadelphia- Captain Mike Richards and Chris Pronger will have to keep the unity this team seemed to have during their run to the Cup Final last year after a regular season filled with controversy.
Pittsburgh- 23 year old, yes only 23, captain Sydney Crosby who, by achievements should be retiring and being voted into the Hall of Fame, has the pressure of keeping focused after doing it all at such a young age.
Tampa Bay- Vincent Lecavalier, who begins making 10 million a season, must get his team back to the playoffs. Steven Stamkos who did a complete 180 last year in his sophomore season scoring 51 goals, has a steep hill to climb to match those totals.
Washington- Young goalies who have no veteran back-up, Semyon Varlomov and Michal Neuvirth, will carry the load for a high powered team that lost its scoring touch in the post-season.
Wow, that’s a lot of pressure out there in the NHL!
Can’t wait for it to get under way!
You can follow me here on B/R and at KingofRoncy@twitter.com
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