Still Uneasy
There is no reason to panic, but I do have some questions in my little brain.
Before we get into the meat and potatoes of this thing, here’s some actual news to digest.
Wednesday morning saw Kevin Korchinski, Frank Nazar, and Louis Crevier get sent to Rockford. It shouldn’t surprise anyone, Kyle Davidson was pretty vocal that barring any huge impressions they would go down. More thoughts on this below.
AJ Spellacy was also sent back to juniors.
Everything is OK
Now, this isn’t a game recap or anything like that. Freaking out over a preseason game is quite silly. Having concerns though? I’d say that’s an appropriate response.
Now, since Kyle Davidson has been hired, I’ve been pretty heavy on the Kool-Aid. I like the Kool-Aid, and that’s to say that I believe in Davidson’s plan (still do).
That doesn’t mean I’m not going to question anything they do.
I have questions
Yes, I know. Nazar didn’t play last game.
Korchinski did, however, and made a couple of goofs that solidified him going down to Rockford.
On the surface, this move looks like it makes sense. I mean, it worked for Alex Vlasic. Learning to play professional hockey at the AHL level should transfer over to the NHL… right?
It makes sense for Nazar. Get him seasoned with an AHL schedule. Let him learn from mistakes at the pro level.
For Korchinski, it’s more or less the same thing. Before I move on any further, there is one important thing that some people forget:
Korchinski was too good for juniors last year and couldn’t play in the AHL. Which is why he spent the whole season with Chicago last year. Otherwise, he would have been an IceHog.
Let’s remember that before we dig into the nonsense I’m about to write.
Here’s my question, and I hope someone who knows this would be so kind as to answer in a non-sarcastic manner. Is the AHL really the best spot for these two? And I do mean specifically Frank Nazar and Kevin Korchinski.
The AHL plays dump-and-chase and has its fair share of baboons on ice. But does making Nazar and Korchinski play in the AHL really benefit them? If we’re worried about mistakes ruining people’s confidence, isn’t a throw-away season in the NHL more meaningful?
Here’s a quote from Ben Pope:
“Ultimately, the decision came down to the Hawks’ desire for Nazar to continue building momentum in an offense-oriented, big-workload role this season in the AHL — the type of role they foresee him filling in the NHL one day — rather than to modify his playing style to fill a defensive, lower-workload role in the NHL.”
Of course, easing Nazar into a second-line center role (which no one is even sure he can do yet) through the means of going to Rockford first makes sense. But I wonder if learning the actual position in the NHL during a season that doesn’t matter would be better.
If we’re worried about Nazar adjusting to the NHL’s schedule, aren’t there other ways to get around this?
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I don’t know if playing 1st line minutes in the AHL translates to top-six minutes in the NHL.
And Korchinski? Isn’t this why we brought on veterans in the first place? Other than getting talent that isn’t Tinordi-level, aren’t they there to help the young players learn?
These are questions that I’m sure people on Twitter will tell me that I’m stupid for having and to shut up and enjoy the Kool-Aid.
Lukas Reichel
I’ve been a pretty strong proponent of Lukas Reichel. I’ll find any excuse under the sun to defend his slow development. He’s still young, he’s a European adapting to the NHL (despite dominating a North American hockey league ala the AHL), he’s suffered a boo-boo to his confidence after the “center experience,” his gut health isn’t adjusting to midwestern milk. Etc. etc.
I wasn’t expecting him to blow anyone away in preseason. But you wanted to see things that made you confident that Reichel was going to have a strong start. Right now, I’m not very confident.
And it’s not just the silly own goal. His performance has been flat and only reinforces the bad stuff we saw from him last season.
No. Don’t give up on him yet. Kyle Davidson didn’t sign him for two years only to give up on him in preseason (despite pushing out a narrative that every spot must be earned). Reichel isn’t going on waivers to go to Rockford. He would get claimed in a heartbeat.
But you do have concerns, right?
Back to reality
This isn’t a playoff team and never was. I am predicting them to get 70 points, after all.
It’s year 3 of a rebuild and it’s only preseason. More glaringly obvious, I am just some random dude on the internet. Not an NHL scout or a coach.
But if this team starts the season with a wet fart and goes something like 1 in 10, that’s when I’ll inch toward the worry button (which is next to the panic button). That’s when I’ll look at Luke Richardson. That’s when I’ll start being critically negative on this team.
I mean, I gave Reichel a 10-game grace period last season, and look how that turned out.
More importantly, go outside. This stuff will all buff out and everything will be ok.