Shanahan backtracking from hot start?

Last week, I was planning on writing a post on what a good job Brendan Shanahan was doing as the new chief disciplinarian and head of player safety with the NHL. I enjoyed that he would put out detailed videos explaining the infraction and the factors that contributed to the length of the suspensions. The fact that he was suspending players more frequently and for longer periods of time made it seem like the NHL was serious about ridding the game of dirty play.

The four suspensions that caught my eye were Shelley, Letourneau-Leblond, Wisniewski, and Jacques. I was surprised at the length of the Shelley and Wisniewski suspensions and that Jacques and Letourneau-Leblond were suspended at all. In the past, the league has not taking a strong stance against late game retribution and chippyness. The had introduced a one game suspension for instigating a fight in the final five minutes but the refs seemed afraid to call an instigator penalty in these situations. Case in point, are the two videos below between the Habs and Bruins where fights were started by one side, but no instigator was called.

McQuaid attack Pacioretty without a fight or instigator being called

 Thorton fighting Hamrlik, Campbell fighting Pyatt, Boychuck fighting Spacek

 

Jacques jumping Duco - a play similar to the fights above

However, by suspending Shelley and Wisniewski, and Jacques the league signalled that they would discipline players rather than have the discipline happen on the ice - the norm in the NHL for that past number of years. The Jacques suspension, in particular, is an act that we have become accustom to seeing regularly at the end of games in recent years. I was extremely happy that Jacques was suspended because this is the type of thuggery and bullying that doesn't belong in a professional sport. As for the Letourneau-Leblond suspension, normally the NHL has not suspended a player for boarding if the player receiving the check is not seriously hurt and/or the player does not hit the boards in an awkward manner. In all the suspensions, the common denominator was that the suspended player targeted the head of an opponent and attempted to injure them.

The first sign of backtracking from this new mandate was the Sestito hit on Devaux. It would have been very easy to suspend Sestito, a player who was not expected to be in the NHL this year and is a goon, for a long time because he targeted the head of an opponent and charged across the ice to deliver the blow to them. However, Sestito was only suspended for the rest of the preseason and 2 regular season games. He was even put on waivers, with the intention of being assigned to the minor league club, before the suspension was handed down.

Malone on Campoli

This brings us to the Malone hit on Campoli. Both after seeing the hit at full speed and after the replay, this was a dirty hit that warranted a suspension under the NHL guidelines. Malone hit Campoli directly in the head. In Shanahan's statement, he said that Campoli had bent over just prior to being hit and after Malone had engaged in the check. While I agree that Campoli did bend over prior to being hit, he did so with enough time for Malone to minimize the amount of damage that he inflicted on a defenseless player, a consideration that is used on the boarding suspensions. the other major factor against Malone was the fact that he did not hit Campoli's body, which had not changed course as his head changed position, instead Malone drove through Campoli's head in a reckless manner. This hit should have been a suspension if the NHL is serious about shifting some of the responsibility to the hitting player, as Campoli never had a chance to defend himself.

From the response of the media and some players, it seems like fans are not the only ones left scratching their heads about Shanahan's decision.

Waiver Wire Pickups

Every year, I actively watch the waiver wire to see which fringe NHLers are sent to the minors. Some names come up frequently, like Mike Zigomanis, Nolan Yonkman, and a series of others. However, every now and then, a few interesting names pop up and teams have access to a player that could potentialy make an impact on the season. Last year, the New York Islanders were lucky enough to benefit from Florida's mistake and grab Michael Grabner on waivers. Grabner went on to be one of the top rookies scorers and pot more than 30 goals for the Islanders. After scanning the wire quickly, which players could make an impact this year for teams and who do I think the Habs should try and pick up?

The first category of interesting players that could have an impact on an new team are those who are sent to the minors because they are not living up to their contract or the teams do not have adequate cap space to keep them at the NHL level. The most prominent players who have fallen into this situation are Christobal Huet, Wade Redden, and Ales Kotalik. All three players would most likely still be playing in the NHL if not for their contracts. However, it will be interesting to see if any of these three will get a shot in the next few years as the salary cap continues to rise and the impact of their contracts is diminished.

There are a few servicable defencemen on the wire this year, highlighted by Shaone Morrisonn, who has played for Washington and Buffalo at the NHL level, but was caught in a numbers game this year for the Sabres as they added Regehr, Erhoff, and youngster M-A Gragnani. Morrisonn has size, 6-4 and 210 pounds, and averaged just over 16 minutes of ice time last year so he should be able to find work in the NHL this year. Perharps the Islanders, who are in need of a defenceman would be a possible fit, plus they had success last year.

Another category of players who frequently pass through waivers are enforcers. This year, potential heavy-weight champ, Eric Godard, was placed on waivers by the Stars. Godard is in an interesting situation because he signed a two-year deal with the Stars in the offseason and has a two-way clause for the first year. With the Stars being strapped for cash and already having an enforcer, Krys Barch, albeit not of Godard's stature, singed for this season, it made sense for the Stars to waive Godard this year and plan to have him with the NHL club next season. I would have loved for the Habs to put a claim in for Godard. I have always felt that fighting has no place in hockey but it would make sense for the Canadiens to have an enforcer since the NHL does not share my opinion on fighting and seems to endorce violence. If you are going to have a goon, you might as well have one of the best and Godard definetely fits the bill. Plus, he seems comfortable with limited ice and game time, playing 20 games, and he is a team player, as is evident by his taking a 10 game suspension to protect backup goalie Brent Johnson.

Godard Fights

• Godard coming off the bench

• Godard vs Orr

•  Godard vs Neil

The other player who, in my opinion, should be of some interest to the Canadiens is Philly goon Tom Sestito. Although it appears that Sestito will soon be suspended for his hit on Andre Deveaux, he does fit the mold of a player the Habs are lacking. Although he does not appear to be as tough as Godard, he does have size, 6-5 and 220 pounds, and he is more capable of taking a regular shift scoring 4 points in 9 games with Columbus and 32 points in 46 games with their minor league affiliate last season.

• Suspension looming for Sestito

• This clip shows that Sestito can skate decently for a big man

Either Godard or Sestito could fit in with the Habs, with Sestito being my first choice, and provide some more grit on the fourth line. The downside to taking a shot on either is limited as they can both be sent to the minors on a two-way contract this year if they don't work out. The Habs could give them a quick try-out as players like White heal from injuries. It is not as if any of the current players in camp have played well enough to deserve a spot ahead of either of these two.