Yashin on Broadway?

You knew this question had to come up.  You might call me crazy for even writing about it, but I believe that decisions have to be made based on intellect and reason not knee-jerk emotional responses.  So here's my pros and cons list on Alexei (no not Kovalev):

Pros:

1.  If this guy's got any pride/character he's going to be burning for the opportunity to prove his critics wrong.  If their's anyone in the NHL who's got something to prove, it's Yashin.  The Isles are paying Yashin huge money NOT to play for their team.  That's gotta hurt!  This guy could turn out to be one of the hungrier most motivated players in the league next year.  Don't forget, Jagr was also a coach killing, underachieving cancer for several years until he was reborn on Broadway.  Which brings me to point #2:

2.  The Rangers have become a team where unwanted European "has-beens" seem to reawaken.  Exhibit "A":  Jagr.  Exhibit "B":  Nylander.  Exhibit "C": Straka.  Exhibit "D": Roszival.  Even Prucha was considered too small and finesse oriented until the Rangers signed him (on Jagr's advice) and  he's becoming a consistent and gritty 25 goals per year guy.  There's something about this team's chemistry that revives these finesse oriented guys.  This could be the perfect environment for Yashin to flourish.  Hey, Nylander had a reputation for being a bust in the playoffs until he got into the tournament as a New York Ranger.

3.  If Yashin can find his game he can be the true #1 center that the Rangers desperately need.  Nylander is not a true #1.  Nylander's chemistry with Jagr has resulted in good numbers, but on his own Nylander never has been nor will he ever be a true #1 center.

4.  Yashin plays a European style that would likely mesh well with Jagr. 

5.  Yashin is a big man which makes it more difficult to defend against him.  He may not be physical, but defending big men who can skate wears down the opposition.  Contrary to what the Sabres may think, size still matters in the NHL.

6.  He'll probably be a relative bargain.  I would imagine he could be signed for 2-3 million per year on a short term contract.  That would make him considerably cheaper than Nylander.  The Rangers could easily sign him and still go after Drury or Gomez. 

Cons:

There's really no list here.  All of the cons can be bunched together:  He became such a huge distraction/disruption to the team that the Isles would rather pay him millions to go away than to keep him on the team (despite the anticipated rising salary cap).  There were unconfirmed reports that one of the reasons the Isles bought him out was because Ryan Smyth wouldn't even consider coming back if Yashin was still around.  Wow!   To me, there are two ways to view Yashin's demise on Long Island:

Scenario #1:  The Isles expected way too much out of this guy.  Yashin is a talented player who is capable of putting up very good numbers.  He is NOT Captain material.  He is NOT the type of a player who will save a franchise.  He is NOT the type of a player who can become the "face" of a franchise.  He is NOT the type of a player who will make his teammates over achieve.  The Isles were a desperate and pathetic franchise when they brought in Yashin.  Team ownership finally gave management the green light to bring in top talent and Milbury went after the best guy available.  Instead of putting him in situations where he could have succeeded, they set him up for failure by not utilizing him properly and expecting that he be someone that he's not. 

Scenario #2:  The guy is a cancer.  Period.  He got booed out of Ottawa for putting himself above the team and demanding superstar pay despite not being a superstar.  His inability to step up when his team needed him ultimately led to his banishment from the Islanders.  He showed no passion and no desire to improve his play despite the fact that his teammates, bosses and most importantly his fans needed him to do so.  At his age, it's too late to expect him to find his heart. 

I don't know which scenario is accurate as I don't have access to inside info.  But the Rangers should.  Players talk to each other, coaches and G.M.'s talk as well.  It shouldn't be too difficult for any team to find the truth.

The Bottom Line:

If Yashin is the cancer that some claim he is, no one should touch this guy.  If signing him will turn off true winners like Drury or Smyth, you can't sign him.  If, on the other hand, scenario #1 is accurate I'd probably give him a shot.         

      

Comments

[thedirtyboy]

Hey,

Very enjoyable read. Here are 2 pennies:

You said at the top of your post: "If this guy's got any pride/character he's going to be burning for the opportunity to prove his critics wrong"

That's his problem right there... he doesn't have any pride or character. I don't say that in a mean-spirited way because by all accounts of local beat writers and others in the media- he is a true gentleman. Never turns down an interview, always there for charity and in general a very likeable guy.

As a hockey player however, he is almost like the direct opposite of Chris Drury. More size, quicker hands, harder shot, more talent... but never won anything. As a diehard Islanders fan I can tell you that for years I wished that the flashes he showed during short periods of time could translate into a complete season. You can microanalyze it and say that I wished that flashes he showed for a 5 minute stretch could lead to a complete game. Neither of those happened. Just this past season he was off to a tear... before he actually tore something. When he came back Nolan asked him to sit out longer because he was playing so poorly that his coach didn't believe he had really healed. Similarly, there were games where he was the best player on the ice from both teams in the 1st period, and by the end of the game he was justly used as a fourth line checker.

Here's the double edged sword: He can be had for about $2.5M/yr. In this market that's NOTHING for a guy who has 40 goal talent. It's also an exhorbitant amount for a 4th line checker. He can make a GM look like a genius and he can also make one look like a fool who didn't learn from other people's mistakes.

Rangers fans will never forget the other Alexei. He was the one that got away... even though he was still there! In fact if you read what I just wrote about Yashin- most of it can be said about Kovalev.

Speaking of Kovalev, I read today that Yashin is interested in playing for Les Habitants because he has a few komrads there. He clicked once upon a time with the likes of another Russian underachiever- Oleg Kvasha, so hey why not give it a try?

What Yashin needs is the right "fit". Yashin needs to have a big enough role, but not be the captain. He needs to be the 2nd option, but not the go to guy which other teams will focus on. He needs to be standing next to the guy who's in the limelight, but get as much ice time while he's in that guy's shadow. He can be part of the formula but never the main ingredient. hey you know what- maybe the Rangers are that fit because they have Jagr. That's the good part.

The bad part is that he is too stoic. He shows absolutely no emotion on the ice. He has no grit. He will never be the first one on the puck when it comes off the boards. He will never go into the corners to dig out a puck- it must be passed to him. And oh yeah- don't expect him to hit.

You can only change a players mechanics, not his heart & make-up. You can change where a player sets up on the power play for example, but you just can't change how a player feels. Or doesn't feel. It's not his fault- that's just his nature. He is in a profession of people who compete but he is not a competitor.

You said he can come back with something to prove because he was just bought out. in 1999 the Senators suspended him for a year for not honoring a contract. The next year when he was traded to the Islanders he was granted a clean slate. He got an opportunity to prove to everyone that he wasn't getting paid what he was worth. That the GM, the fans, and the media were all wrong about his value.

What has he proved since then? His latest employer just told him that they would rather pay him $17 million NOT to come to work.

[MOSS]

Good job boys. Now let me explain something very simple. On an international level, the Russians may have produced the greatest teams, and even players, in the history of the sport of hockey. However, the game played in the Olympics & World Championships- & even the few World & Canada Cups- are completely different than the game played in this league. In the history of the Stanley Cup- which is what we play for on this part of the globe- there has never been a Russian-or European, for that matter- who has had a primary impact on his teams success. Yes, Russians have won the Cup. Yes, Czech's have lifted the Holy Grail. But in 40-plus years of awarding Cup tournament MVP's, how many Europeans have won the Tournament MVP? 10? no. 8? no. 15? getting colder. The answer is 1. Nick Lidstrom won it in 2002, & even he does not stand out in my mind when I compile my personal all-time 5 best defensemen list. Perhaps on my top-10. Even Jagr, who is generally known as the greatest European player ever, was not a primary factor in his 2 Cup winning seasons- which, by the way, were achieved while riding shotgun for Le Magnifique, and were more than 15 years ago. Thats not to say he wasnt a valuable player, but hardly anyone will argue the fact that the 3 most valuable players on those teams were Mario, Francis, & Barrasso. Or, actually, Mario, Mario, & Mario. But thats neither here nor there. The style of play which is carved into their brain simply does not translate here in North America. At least not in the playoffs, where only good teams qualify. My point is not that they are failures on the NHL level, but rather they are mostly amazing complimentary players. Even looking towards the future, the great young Russians of our game- Malkin, Ovechkin, Kovalchuk- seem to be missing that MVP chip. Malkin was invisible in his playoff debut. As for Kovalchuk, I forgot he was a Thrasher for 3 games this April,& Ovechkin did not even make the playoffs. Which brings me to Yashin. The Rangers are already one Czech player away from becoming the Unofficial Czech Republic National Team. They are too European & will not win with the team currently constructed as is. Yes, they seem to have amazing chemistry & Jagr is still the best player in the league (well, aside from Crosby, Heatley, Ovechkin, &, well, you get my point). But history has proved that teams like this one do not win. Period. Exhibit A is the Buffalo Sabres. Best team in the league in the regular season. And when the Rangers & Sabres hooked up in Round 2, it was the closest thing to an Olympic mathcup, so the more skilled team advanced. But look what happened when Buffalo faced an Ottawa team that learned from its too-finesse style of years past. It was not even a close series. I just hope 'The Savior' is not considering bringing Yashin to Broadway because 1 more European & the rangers will be the next regular season powerhouse to fail come playoff time & wonder why. With Drury, Gomez, & Smyth available, I'm not sure why we are even discussing Yashin. You might argue that in years past, finesse teams have won it all. And you would be correct. But lets look at those teams & try to explain why. The most recent team that was considered fast & creative to go all the way were last years Hurricanes. Their game was unquestionably centered around speed & East-to-West hockey. But their Captain is Rod Brindamour, who, if given the chance, will plaster you into the 3rd row of seats. There young star is Eric Staal, who by the way, is 6-4 & plays like it. Eric cole, Mike Commodore, & David Tanabe are all huge & vital players to that squad- & North American. The previous Cups won before that which were won by teams considered to be finesse were by The Red Wings & Avalanche. The explanation? 2 names- Stevey Y & St. Patrick- also both North American. Going beyoond that we probably come to the Oilers. But with 1 guy scoring over 2 points a game- in the playoffs, mind you- and a 'Messiah' to knock your front row of teeth out if you try hot-dogging a bit after scoring a goal, you can see were the grit is present. The Rangers dont have a Mess anymore. But if they decide to go for the bargain with another European guy,a mess is exactly what they'll find themselves in come May & June.

[The Hockey Rabbi]

Great job boys! Moss- this is exactly why we're talking about Yashin: controversy and intrigue make for the most interesting an well written pieces.

You guys are both clearly against the idea of signing Yashin. I certainly can't argue with that. I myself would only consider signing him if those with first-hand personal knowledge of who Yashin is can attest to the fact that he is not a cancer. If I could get reliable information that the guy can play a supporting role without destroying the team, then I'd consider it. The way I look at it is would I rather have Yashin or Nylander. If Yashin is not a cancer I'd rather have him for the reasons stated in my post.

Moss makes a great argument for why Yashin should never have been brought to long island as the "franchise player". But Rob correctly points out (in my opinion) that although Yashin can't be the main ingredient, he can be one of the ingredients. I think that may be the case in New York (subject, of course, to reliable verification from people in the know).

There's no questin that character wins cups. If a team is too finesse oriented (read "soft") they don't stand a chance. At the same time, a team with no chemistry can't win either. The most important piece of the Rangers' chemistry puzzle is Jagr. If he's placed in the right environment he carries this team. If he's not comfortable, the Rangers go nowhere. Jagr needs to play with a finesse oriented center. A guy like Nylander or perhaps Yashin. It would be great to be able to go out and sign Gomez to play with Jagr (although he's not european he does play a finesse oriented game). However, that signing would not adress the toughness/character issues. We'd still need to sign a guy like Drury and/or Smyth. However, in today's salary cap world a team can't just sign everybody. That's why signing a guy like Yashin might be a great solution: He'd be a very cheap upgrade over Nylander which would leave the team with more than enough money to pursue another big name gritty player like Drury or Smyth PLUS one other lower level charrcter guy like a Scott Hartnell for example, or perhaps a d-man.

Of course it's a gamble. And I stress again that it's a gamble that can only be taken after considerable due diligene in the form of finding out as much info as possible about the guy from people who know first hand. Let me know what you think.

[thedirtyboy]

I don't really know what's left to say. Yashin could be great riding shotgun with Jagr, but he could also turn him back into the Washington Capitals' Jagr. Lazy, not backchecking, horrible with the media, miserable in general, and wanting to be traded to a contender.

In my opinion Yashin would be best served playing in Europe. If he played on one of those teams in the Swedish Elite League he'd probably have 150 points. Having seen Ryan Smith play on the Islanders for albeit a short stint- if I were the Ranger$ I would do everything in my power to get this guy. Ahead of Drury, Gomez, Briere, and every other free agent available.

Remember this simple distinction:

When Yashin was PAID TO LEAVE a fan base cheered. When Smyth was traded for 3 first rounders a fan base mourned. That should tell you all you need to know.