Now that the new site is, for the most part, up and running there are a few topics that I wanted to get to.
First up is the Kris Russell (i.e. Phat Cat.. Medicine Hat Tigers....Russ's WHL team? With me?.. No? Ehh.. I tried...) 3 year extension for 1.3 mil per he signed a while back.
I'll be honest here and say I was very surprised when this was announced. Russ isn't exactly the prototypical "Hitch type" dman and there is not doubt he struggled out of the gate early this season.
I thought Howson would wait until the season was much further along or even into the offseason before making a move. I just think there are a still a lot of question marks as to where his game is at and another season would go a long way towards answering those questions.
Russell is in his 3rd year of pro hockey. In his first 2 years he put up 10p -12 in 67 games. In his second season it was 21p -10 in 66 games.
Some may say he was a bit rushed in his development however if you recall, two years ago the Jackets desperately needed a player of his skill set (i.e. puck moving offensive defensemen) and outside of Ron Hainsey, he was the only player in the organization who came close to that description. So it was baptism by fire for the diminutive d-man.
His second season saw him make the team out of camp again but it also saw him struggle to the point where he was demoted to the AHL for a 14 game stretch to find his confidence and offensive game. That strategy payed some dividends as he scored 3g, 5a for 8 points in those games but was also a -3 in that span.
While not necessarily a make it or break it season in terms of his long term future in the NHL, this year is an important one for Russ. It is a contract year, be it restricted free agency, but more importantly he needs to take another big step forward in his development.
Russell needs to show he is a stronger more experienced player that can handle the big NHL forwards as well as use his offensive instincts and world class skating more consistently and effectively on the offensive side of things. His size at a very generous 5-10 180 pounds will always be a question mark at the NHL level and to be effective he must produce points.
Someone once told me that big players have to prove they can't play in the NHL while small players have to prove they can.
It may not be fair but that is reality.. a reality Russell faces every time he laces em up.
So why did Howson choose to ink him now? He's a restricted free agent so what's the rush?
There are a couple ways to look at it.
The team has invested a lot of time and money in Russell's development. Right now he is a legit 3rd pairing defenseman with a lot of offensive potential and perhaps Howson believes he is a core player. He's shown glimpses of being able to fulfill that potential but certainly isn't there yet. This contract was made with the belief that Russell will reach that potential and perhaps in the final year or two of it will be a bargain.
Howson has shown he is not shy about identifying his core players (i.e. Brassard, Nash, Vermette, Klesla) and locking them up early with the belief that it may be an overpayment now but as the contract moves along and as the player develops he'll get a bargain on the back-end. Those contracts are very important for a budget team like Columbus to consistently ice a competitive team.
Another way to look at is who can you sign at 1.3 million to replace Russell's minutes? Do we have anyone in the system next season that could do it cheaper and better? One obvious name is John Moore.
Maybe it's the skeptic in me but the first thing I thought of when I heard this extension announced was that if anything, it makes Russell a more attractive trade target.
Put it this way, should Russell continue to develop and become the offensive dynamo (i.e. Rafalski clone) we all want him to be than 3 years @ 1.3 is a steal and he's still an RFA when it concludes. Should his development regress, plateau or other prospects pass him by he's still young, full of potential and has a very affordable contract that will make him attractive to a lot of teams throughout the league.
Remember puck moving d-men are like gold in this league.
You know who comes to mind when I think of this deal? Pascal Leclaire. He's a guy Howson signed to an affordable deal with the knowledge that he had a potential franchise goaltender in Steve Mason in the system that would likely replace him down the road. Leclaire goes down, Mase emerges and thus Leclaire becomes expendable. John Moore could potentially do the same to Russell.
I'm happy Russell got his extension and I'm a fan of his. We'll see where this goes as this deal leaves a lot of options for Howson down the road. For now Russell he needs to concentrate on his game... with only 2 assists and a -4 he's on pace for 18 points and a -36. Ouch.
Fire away - I know it's old news now but any thoughts on Russell's deal a few weeks after the face?
-LTL
