NHL trade speculation over… how ’bout a rant?

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/03/2017 (3170 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The National Hockey League’s trade deadline has passed and Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff did the only thing I expected him to do, trading winger Drew Stafford to the Boston Bruins for a conditional sixth-round pick.

This is a team that treads carefully unless forced to do otherwise (as in the Evander Kane situation and subsequent trade).

The Jets are much better off today, as they don’t have an aging, non-productive “goal-scorer” taking up a spot that a younger, better player can develop and produce in.

Speaking of good, young players, Mark Scheifele currently sits in sixth place in the NHL scoring race heading into Thursday night’s action.

Lately, there’s been some chatter about this…

Mark Scheifele, Team Canada and the 2018 Olympics

Considering that Scheifele didn’t even make the initial group of nine forwards chosen to Team North America (a mix of under-24 year olds from the USA and Canada) in last fall’s World Cup of Hockey, you might think he’s got no chance to be a member of Team Canada if NHL players decide to participate at the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea

Well, only three of those initial nine forwards were Canadian — one of them was Connor McDavid — and Scheifele made the final roster and had a good tournament.

To earn a spot the Olympic squad, Scheifele would be scrapping some players too old for Team NA and didn’t make the Team Canada cut, along with young players such as Nathan MacKinnon and Sean Monahan, the two Canadians chosen before him on Team NA.

MacKinnon currently has 41 points in 61 games, and Monahan has 40 in 64. Scheifele has 65 in 61 games, and while points aren’t everything, this is a blowout. He is only seven back of McDavid.

Even though I’ve been a big supporter since he was the Jets 2.0 first draft pick in 2011, Scheifele is in a spot that’s somewhat surprising to me. I expected only 65 to 70 points (based on playing all 82 games), and he’s on pace to go well beyond.

While I was initially skeptical of the speculation on Scheifele, I wonder if I’m underestimating the guy I defended through those early years. It doesn’t seem that he’s that far away, but to break down all of his competition is a topic for another day.

There are many great centres out there, but they move easily to the wing, playing on the bigger ice surface. Team Canada had more than two-thirds of its forwards who were natural centres.

Scheifele’s defensive game will have to continue to improve to convince likely head coach Mike Babcock to trust him, but if he continues in the top 10 in scoring he’ll be making a serious argument for his inclusion.

Moving on, here are a couple of things (among many) that I think the NHL can improve immediately…

The offside challenge after a goal: Talk about sucking life out of an arena’s fans and players. The goal-horn sounds, fans go wild, but the opposing coach challenges. There’s a long wait while the linesmen look at the various camera angles they have.

The building goes dead; sometimes it goes on so long that players start chatting about other things unrelated to the game. Bored fans twiddle their thumbs.

Officials look at whether a skate is off the ice (or not) at the blue line, which is often tough to prove — so they keep looking.

Give them a time limit and get rid of the requirement for the skate to be touching the ice, or get rid of all offside challenges. Give us our game back, NHL.

Since I’ve switched to ranting about giving fans what they pay for (excitement)…

Lose the loser point: Some NHL coaches have admitted that when they get into the third period and the score is tied, they adjust to ensure they get at least one point.

Even coaches with a one-goal lead opt for protection mode: don’t take any chances, play safe, boring hockey and even if they lose the lead at have to go to overtime, they get the point and a chance for another.

That takes the life out of a game, again. Fans who pay big money to be in the building or invest time to watch the broadcast are getting shafted in what should be the most exhilarating 20 minutes of play.

Unfortunately, in NHL commissioner Gary Bettman’s world, parity is king. The loser point keeps more teams and fans believing they have a chance at the playoffs much longer than they should.

If you want an exciting three periods of hockey (with overtime and the shootout possible) then there are several options (a column in itself), but I don’t like our chances.

There are many other areas that need improvement, but I’m out of time today.

Oh, but one final note: The Jets lost a tough one to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday 6-5 after battling back from a three-goal deficit. The problems started in goal for the Jets, but the defensive play was abysmal, as well — and the playoff hole gets deeper.

Chosen ninth overall by the NHL’s St. Louis Blues and first overall by the WHA’s Houston Aeros in 1977, Scott Campbell has now been drafted by the Winnipeg Free Press to play a new style of game.

Twitter: @NHL_Campbell