Character Over Skill

It was sad to see the Rangers walk away from the Nikolai Zherdev arbitration ruling and not have anyone jump up to sign him. On paper, Zherdev is exactly the type of player that the Leafs would love to add to their team. He’s young (24), has the size (6’2, 205), has tons of speed, one on one skills and scoring ability. On paper he would be a perfect fit as a first line winger.

The only problem is that Zherdev appears to lack the character and drive to be part of a winning NHL team. It was telling that Russia chose to invite the Leafs Nikolai Kulemin to their summer Olympic camp but left Zherdev off the list. At 24 you have to wonder how deep the character flaws are that prevent even the Olympic squad from inviting him to take part in their camp.

I would think that Burke has taken a close look at Zherdev and may well be shaking his head at how such a talent can just let it slip away. If there is any way that he believes that Zherdev can turn his attitude around under the guidance of Wilson you know that he would love to add him to the team. Hopefully Zherdev can find that drive, but it doesn’t look like the Leafs think their tough love approach would work with him.

I enjoyed listening to Burke this week talking about the team and how he approaches players. I like that he believes in treating players fairly, but that does not mean that he believes in treating players equally. Now that Pogge has fallen down to number four on their goaltending depth chart he will do whatever he can to move him to a team where he will have a better opportunity. The reason for doing this is that Burke described Pogge as a good kid with a good attitude. For that type of person Burke has shown that he is willing to make moves to help the player. Burke also said that if a player is an “a-hole” then he would not care and would have the kid tough it out. That approach is not equal to everyone, but I agree that it is fair and it builds loyalty.

I am having a hard time keeping a pessimistic view of the Leafs this year. Since we are only in the first year of the rebuild we should be looking at another out of the playoff season and a high draft pick, but I don’t feel that is going to happen. It looks like Burke and Wilson will have a team that will have players motivated to perform to keep their roster spots. Burke keeps talking about eliminating the sense of entitlement that the Leaf players have felt for years. That will make them a hungry team and therefore a tough team to play against.

A part of me would like to see them swing a deal for a top six forward, but I also see the wisdom of keeping room on the roster to give the younger players something to shoot for. This year we will see if Tlusty and Kulemin are top six forwards, and if Grabovski really belongs as a center on one of the top two lines. We will also start to see where Bozak, Gustavsson and Hanson fit in as NHL players. A bit further away are Stalberg, Stefanovich, Didomenico and Kadri who all have potential to be major contributors in two to three years.

With this depth of forwards on the rise you can see why Burke would be very hesitant to take a flyer on a player like Zherdev. Neither Burke nor Wilson will tolerate a player that tries to float by on skill alone. I believe that this year we will see a team that we can not only cheer for, but also be proud of.