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A Message from the President - July 18, 2008
Howard Dolgon - President & CEO
Friday, July 18, 2008
Dear Crunch Fans:
I hope all of you are enjoying the summer months and - - like myself - - counting the days until the start of the 2008-09 season.
I wanted to write this blog to both bring you up to date on some player activities and at the same time provide you with insight as to how or why things have happened over the past several weeks.
First off, you have seen that our parent club in Columbus has been active and aggressive in both free agent signings and trades during the off-season. They have added a considerable amount of depth up front and even more so on the blue line. These moves should potentially bode very well for the Crunch.
On defense (and this is strictly my opinion so feel free to disagree), they have under contract 11 players whom I believe are ready to play in the NHL. Six of them are on one-way NHL contracts, with the remaing being on two-way deals. Historically the Blue Jackets have carried seven defensemen, meaning the remaining four will be assigned to our team. Of course waivers are always a risk, but one all 30 NHL clubs must live with.
Keep in mind from that group of 11 defensemen I have not included Dan Smith (signed to an AHL-only deal), Andrej Plekhanov (who took huge steps toward the latter part of last season) and Grant Clitsome (who many people have raved about based on his performance at the recent Columbus developmental camp.
Up front, Columbus has added three players to two-way deals and kept a very valuable fourth forward. Both Steve Kelly and Craig MacDonald were highly sought after free agents with great reputations both on and off the ice. They will be terrific assets to our club when they are in Syracuse. John Vigilante is a player very few of us have heard of but as a second year pro he managed 50 points on an offensively challenged Milwaukee team. This kid may turn out to be a real steal.
Then of course there is the return of Derek MacKenzie. Mac said all along, to myself and others, that if he didn't get a one-way NHL contract he would prefer to re-sign with the Columbus-Syracuse combination. Columbus stepped up big time with MacKenzie, rewearding him with a much deserved and, in my opinion, generous two-year contract.
Ask yourself how many NHL parent clubs have stepped up for their minor league partners to the tune of quality, experienced players like MacKenzie, MacDonald, Kelly and Smith. Likely not more than a handful.
There's a wild card in play here and that's Columbus' first round draft choice Filatov. The kid has made it clear he wants to play in North America and Columbus has stated they want him nearby. As a European player he has three choices: he makes the big club in Columbus; he goes to play junior hockey in Canada; he is sent to play in Syracuse. This scenario will likely play itself out as training camp draws close.
Last, but certainly not least, let me address the Zenon Konopka situation.
I'm a little biased towards Z because I got to know him well off the ice and appreciated his swagger and enthusiasm for the game and competition in general. In my opinion we've never had a better captain on the ice or in the room. You get stuck in a foxhole, you'd want this guy covering your back. He talked the talk but he also walked the walk. To me, that's the ultimate compliment.
Columbus also believed that Konopka had the intangibles which would make him both a valuable call-up player and a great leader and mentor in Syracuse. Their two-way offer to him was better than any extended to a player targeted for Syracuse. I can tell you that I was both surprised and elated at what they had brought to the table - - and they were willing to extend it to two years.
No question Z had a dilemma. He loved Syracuse but wanted to sign with an NHL team where he believed he would get the best opportunity to play games up top. At the end of the day, after speaking with head coaches Ken Hitchcock from Columbus and Barry Melrose in Tampa, he chose to sign with the Lightning.
Konopka and I had numerous conversations leading up to his decision - - including at least five on July 4 - - and he know he struggled mightily with it. As fond as our fans had grown of him, he too had come to love our community and the great fans who stand behind our team.
Players retain agents for negotiations and - - hopefully - - unbiased advice. Z indicated that to me when he said that his agent truly believed Zenon would have a better NHL opportunity with the Lightning.
I'm not saying its bad or dishonest advice. I just don't agree with it.
Columbus made it clear to Z that he perceived him as a "depth" guy who could come up and give them games as a third or fourth line forward. Personally, I agree with the assessment. According to Konopka, Tampa told him they thought he could make their team. In order to do so, he'll have to beat out an abundance of centers including Vincent LeCavilier, Steve Stamkos (first overall pick), Jeff Halpern, Chris Gratton, Ryan Craig and Nick Tarnasky, not to mention recently signed free agent Wyatt Smith. That's seven centers, with five of them (not including Stamkos) being on one-way NHL deals.
Those are long odds, but I know I'll be rooting hard for Z to beat them and open the seaon on the Lightning's roster.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and please feel free to email me with any questions