May 20, 2003
NHL Playoff Roundup
Senators 3 Devils 1: Two seasons ago, the New York Islanders made two trades desinged to raise the team from the depths of the NHL -- a place where they had more or less dwelled on an ongoing basis since the early 1990s. On draft day 2001, beleaguered Islanders general manager Mike Milbury dealt gritty forward Bill Muckalt, defenseman Zdeno Chara and the Islanders first round draft pick to the Ottawa Senators for the talented and tempermental center, Alexi Yashin.
Along with the deal Milbury made to acquire Yashin, he made another to grab Buffalo Sabres center Michael Peca, giving the Islanders strength up the middle they had lacked since their Stanley Cup run in the early 1980s.
After a spectaculr rise during the 2001-02 season, the Islanders drifted back to the pack in 2002-03 -- in part due to a sub par performance in the regular season by Yashin.
Now, I'm not suggesting that the trade is a bust for the Islanders. Know this, though: to get something, you have to give up something. Because it's only now that we're beginning to understand what the Islanders gave up.
Chara, along with Wade Redden and Chris Phillips, has helped solidify the team's blue line. It certainly hasn't hurt that the immense Chara has seemed to develop a real mean streak in his game since arriving in Ottawa.
Muckalt now struggles for ice time in Minnesota. But it's that draft pick that was the real wild card -- and last night the Senators turned it over.
That draft pick was Jason Spezza, a player that was widely touted as the top pick in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft from the time he was 15 years old. It was only the emergence of Ilya Kovalchuk that pushed Spezza to number two, where the Senators were happy to grab him.
Unlike Kovalchuk, who the Thrashers immediately rushed to the NHL, the Senators have brought Spezza along slowly, keeping him with his junior team in 2001-02, and in the minors for most of this season. As loaded as the Senators are up front, they could afford to bring Spezza along slowly. Still, in even limited duty with the club this year, he had 21 points in 33 games -- more than respectable for a rookie playing part-time.
Facing elimination against the Devils last night, the Senators recalled Spezza from the minors and gave the team the boost it needed, grabbing a goal and assisting on the game winner by Martin Havlat. It was the first time in seven tries in franchise history that the Senators had won a playoff game when facing elimination.
Something tells me Spezza will be back for Game Six. And he won't be going back to the minors again, ever.
Devils lead series, 3-2.
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10:13 AM