Scrappy Winger Down

It's been widely reported as a tragic development, a terrible, terrible loss for the Maple Leafs to have to bear in the early part of the 2007-08 season.

Winger Darcy Tucker won't play for the immediate future, and until his sore knee calms down a bit, it's not at all clear when he will play again.

But isn't the impact of this loss being just a litte exaggerated?

If we were talking about the Tucker who tore out of the gate last season with 19 goals in his first 34 games, ultimately forcing the club to sign him to a new contract through the quality of his play, that would be one thing.

But that Tucker hasn't been seen for a while. Whether it's been an accumulation of injuries or other factors, the Alberta native wasn't an impact player for the Leafs down the stretch last season when they were desperately trying to win what now substitutes for a championship in Toronto, namely the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.

And he sure hasn't been an impact player this season, with one goal in nine games while showing very little of the noteworthy toughness, jump and fire that made him a fan favorite.

In all, Tucker has three goals in his last 22 games as a Leaf, and in 20 of those games he hasn't scored at all. After he signed a new four-year, $12 million extension late last February, he managed five goals in his final 17 games. In the final seven games of the season he failed to score as the Leafs were beaten out for a playoff spot by the Islanders. In the critical final three games, he managed only three shots on goal.

Today, this is a player who ranks 117th in NHL scoring. To be fair, Tucker brings more than just points and numbers to the table, but to be accurate, those added qualities haven't been on full display this season.

His penalty totals, meanwhile, seem to reflect a changing style of play. In his first 683 regular season games as an NHL, he registered 1,115 PIMs and came to be regarded as, pound-for-pound, one of the scrappiest characters in the game.

Interestingly, in nine games this season, he has picked up only eight penalty minutes, and in six of those games he wasn't penalized at all. In 20 of his last 28 games, he hasn't reported to the penalty box.

You can't really criticize him for these penalty stats given that many - including this writer - slammed him for being out-of-control Sideshow Bob in earlier years.

But it is evidence of a change in style of play, or perhaps, a maturation.

This season, it's possible Tucker has been banged up. Maybe he hasn't had a chance to play on the top lines enough. Whatever the reasons, to now project his deletion from a lineup as catastrophic is misleading. At best, he's been the team's seventh or eighth best forward, and good teams are able to replace those types of athletes when injuries strike.

It doesn't compare at all, for example, with the news tonight's opponent, Atlanta, has had to absorb in recent days. Starting goalie Kari Lehtonen is expected to be out six weeks with a groin strain, an enormous injury for the Thrashers to overcome.

Like the Bryan McCabe situation, meanwhile, the Tucker situation makes you wonder about the opportunity missed when the Leafs chose to retain him last winter instead of moving him before the trade deadline.

To be sure, since Tucker had been injured for January and February, his value might have been reduced. But look at the deals made right around the time the Leafs chose to ink him to a new deal.

Montreal traded stay-at-home defenceman Craig Rivet to San Jose for young blueliner Josh Gorges and a first round pick. Philly dealt defenceman Alexei Zhitnik to Atlanta for promising defenceman Braydon Coburn.

Most interestingly, St. Louis dealt forward Keith Tkachuk to the Thrashers for first and third round picks at the '07 draft, a second round next summer and winger Glen Metropolit.

Then the Blues turned around and re-signed Tkachuk as an unrestricted free agent. Not a bad use of resources for a team that wasn't going to make the playoffs anyway but has rebounded with a strong start to this season.

Its all hindsight now, but could the Leafs have worked a similar leave-but-come-back-later deal with Tucker, particularly with his frequently professed affection for the city?

Now, as with McCabe in the winter of '06, you must wonder whether Tucker will ever be worth as much as he might have been on the trade market last March. Injuries are mounting - he hasn't played a full NHL season in six years - and its unclear whether he'll ever be able to again consistently play the rambunctious, hardhitting style that made his offensive contributions icing on the cake, rather than the other way around.

Comments

[jason chapman]

I think Tucker has been hurting for a better part of this year and that is why his production has been down. When he returns, I'd like to see him with Wellwood and Kilger, and back on the No.1 pp unit. Cox is right, Tucker brings more than just points, but hoepfully he comes back and shows the drive that got him that contract in the first place.

[Doug Bundock]

Damien
No question that Tucker has not been the Tucker of old. He is on the second or third line and not playing with Matts. His energy level is low. This is not unlike most of the Leafs. Winning is not all about talent. It has to do with heart and desire and coming together as a team. The organization as you say in your article today is faceless and that is the entire organizations problem from top to bottom. Other than Matts who over the years has proven his value no other has been as steady or shown the same commitment. I have been a Leaf fan all my 49 years and could never cheer for anyone else but I do find myself tired of being on the short end of the stick. Could I cheer for Ottawa, or the Habs or even Calgary, not a chance. We need a team, leaders and people that care, from top to bottom...maybe someday that might happen.
Go Leafs Go.
Doug

[Jose]

now lets hope JFJ thinks outside of the box for a change (colangelo style) and deals sundin at the deadline for some much needed assets.

[Jim Boyd]

So many GM’s get sucked into signing very average players to long contracts, when they show a little spurt of talent,,,,,,,,Look at their careers guys????? Scrappy or not, Tucker was not going to be a 30-35 goal scorer for the next 4 years!!!! He’s a plugger, always has been, with some grit.

A guy with grit is great to have around as an extra element, to supplement a crop of good players. i.e Cris Neil in Ottawa,,,,,,,,but there is no crop of good players in Toronto, so the grit starts to wear thin, and then you owe 12 million to a worn out piece of sandpaper,,,,,,,,,,,

He’s lost interest in being the only guy getting his mouth bloodied, he know’s the Leafs are done like dinner for at least the next few years,,,so might as well start looking good for the family photos for a change.

[Jonathan Vezina]

Darcy Tucker has always been at his best when he's playing with confidence, which as everyone knows has been in short supply.

By the way, great article on the Leaf brass, too bad you can't post their public email addresses so that Leaf fans could voice their opinions to these shadowy figures.

[Don]

Someone somewhere seems to have forgotten what Darcy Tucker is as a hockey player. He had his best seasons with leafs, when he was playing 2nd and 3rd line roles. Not on the 1st line as a goal scorer, like last season. He's not one of those, sure he can score, but he is a role player and good at it. Last season was an anomaly. Trying to turn Tucker into Mats Sundin's line mate is not a solution. Maurice is right to keep him where he is, develop and play your younger players. Changing NHL rules are a darn good reason for difference in penalties not a suggested change in Tucker. Could you imagine Tucker taking the same number of penalites as he used to take, combine that with the increase in what the rest of the team takes under the new rules and it would be a free for all in the press...the leafs failure would then be because they take too many penalties..dammed it you do..dammed if you don't.
5 goals in 17 games is not bad for a 2nd or 3 liner at the end of last season after recovering from a broken foot. It's over a 20 goal season, not bad for Tucker. I'm not sure what the press in Toronto expects from hockey players anymore. Get out your magnafying glass..we're really starting to really dig for faults now.

[Rob]

It's time for a reality check when Tucker's absence is seen as a big loss. His play early last season was an anomaly. Honestly, who's not going to score goals when parked at the side of the net on powerplays. Tucker is not a goal scorer but he is a useful player and on most teams he would be no better than a third liner.

[Moe Green]

I was one of those last year that thought that either or both of Sundin and Tucker would have made really smart "rent-a-players" for some contenders in the league. Just imagine what the Leafs could have had for their short-term stints away from the Leafs. But alas, more spilled milk to cry over. I always thought the Leafs had plenty of "role players" plenty of "grit." What has always been in short supply on Leafs teams is talent. Darcy's contract is another instance of paying for past performance. He will join the ranks of McCabe, Kubina, Raycroft, Belfour and hopefully not Toskala as players whos contracts outweigh their contributions to the team.

[peter]

The suggestion JFJ could have made a leave-but-come-back-later deal with Tucker is quite a stretch considering they were in a playoff drive.

[Kenny D.]

There is an old saying in golf, some play for the trophy and some play for the money. What the money guys don't understand is if they played for the trophy the money will come. The Leaf owners are money guys. Why on earth should they care about the trophy when the money keeps rolling in night after night after night. The Toronto Maple Leafs are the franchise organization in hockey. This is a team that should be if not winning then at least be competing every year for the trophy. If you read about the so called problems the Yankees are facing you would think they hadn't won a world series forever. They have won four out of the last twelve. Can you imagine the Leafs winning four out of the last twelve? The owners of the team we all love, the Leafs, could not care less if they win or lose. If they did, you would hear about from them. Seems to me you don't here a peep from them. And why should we. If you want to question why they are not doing something about winning the trophy in Toronto you can ask them. You can find them in line at the bank cashing your cheques.

[Steve Barnett]

JFJ got sucked in, plain and simple and it was the media who helped him get there..If I recall there was a sense of panic almost that Tucker was going to go via trade or free agency and how could we let a guy like him go?...So here we are down the road wondering what a guy like him is doing here. Same thing happened with McCabe and the media...So yeah Fergie gets some of the blame but the 2 faced media in this town has to bear some of the blame for making Tucker look like he was invaluable.

[Ron]

Has anyone ever watched this guy BACK CHECK?? He has usually tried to put someone through the back boards and taken himself out the play,so he cruises back to his own end.If the other team puts the body to him he usually gets a 9.8 for the dive The leafs missed a good chance to get rid of him lastyear!!!!

[Jon K]

What we're seeing is Wendel Clark part 2 - albeit with Tucker who is less talented than Clark. This team can quickly dump assets if the season is gone by the deadline. Tucker, McCabe or Kubina (personally I think you'd get more for the offensive possibilites of McCabe) and build some assets for the future with some cap flexibility. Mats could probably be convinced to come back again with the hopes that he can bring a Cup to Toronto.

Toronto certainly isn't as bad off as Philly was last year, and look at what they've done - traded away old assets for youth, kept their core, made some signings (although those might come back to haunt them) and are now doing quite well. Of course, that would mean having someone in charge who can make those deals. I'm not sure JFJ could - or would be allowed to.

[Luke Craig]

I think Tucker has been hurt this season maybe even the last part of the previous season as well. Great article on the leaf brass too, now I have a face to go with this sorry franchise. Im sure if we ever won the cup these slimballs would be the first to show their mugs! Parading around and having their egos stroked, unlike the current times where they sit and hide collecting their huge payouts. If only there was somewhere to write them and let all leaf fans show their frustration. Thanks Damien.

[Newton]

Tucker scored a preponderance of his goals last year in five on three situations.

He's an aging twenty goal 2nd/3rd line forward who needs strong support to tally his markers. If Wellwood had been healthy I'd imagine Tucker would have had a much better start.

I'm a fan of Tucker but he is, unfortunately, another fan favourite who has been overpaid to keep the fans happy.

There is no room for sentiment in the cap age.

[Wayne]

Damian,
I am 50 years old and have been a Leaf fan since I knew what hockey was. I have decided that the Leafs are not worth watching and getting emotionaly involved with any longer. The current ownership have proved that they do not know what they are doing so I know I will be better off watching other hockey.

[Carl Adams]

Since a few other people are commenting on Damien's article about the current Leafs ownership as opposed to just the blog about Darcy Tucker I feel better about doing the same. I thought a great point in the article was how Harold Ballard was vilified. The evolution of the current ownership reminds me of Orwell's "Animal Farm" where the animals (Leafs' fans) try as hard as they can to oust the unfair, cruel farmer. Given the relative resurgence of the Leafs in the early 90's it seemed like things were working but now I think, like "Animal Farm" the animals that run the farm really aren't that different from the original, and the animals that don't run the farm are still waiting for all of their hard work and devotion to pay off. Actually in that respect (fan devotion should lead to championships and conversely fan apathy should lead to failure) I think fans of all the Canadian NHL teams feel the same way.

[Moe Green]

This team has no idea what it's doing. Tucker is a "now" player on a "maybe later" team and would have garnered much as a "rent-a-stick" at last year's trade deadline. The Leafs don't need grit, they need skill. Grit is cheap, skill is dear. Tucker is at best a character third liner on a good team.

[James]

Interesting piece on Tucker.

I've noticed that on many contract negotiations for 'tough guys' like Tie Domi, there is often a reference made to the Penalty In Minutes. Why does this happen?

Isn't costing your team more in PIM a bad reflection rather than vice versa? Although it's reflective of the tough style that is un-quantifiable, but it's also a reflection on the player not being able to use his toughness without drawing penalties. So why the focus on PIM for scrappy-type players?

[chester j skiba]

the current Leaf GM/coach combo has had 2+ years of failure with no apparent prospects for success. Why not try another duo, perhaps Quinn/Burns,and see what they can do with this bunch for 3 months? If it again becomes apparent they cannot win, then the aging, overpaid assets should be offered to desperate contenders for prospects and draft choices. Rebuilding is much more preferable than ugly losses every week for the whole season. Leaf fans have hope. Give us something to hope for.

[Remi]

Hey Cox,
Stop putting Tucker down.He has been playing with an injury.For him to stop playing is because his injury really bothers him.All you do is put players down.I don't agree with what you say.I would like to see you talk to Tucker and tell him what you think about him.But you haven't enough guts to do that.I have no respect for you.You never say nice things about the players.

[Frank E]

John Ferguson needs to trade all of it's older players as soon as it becomes apparent (unless it already is) that the playoff are out of reach. Salary dumps are in order, rebuild from scratch. The players I'd build around are: Steen, Stajan, Ponikarovsky, Antropov, Wellwood, Colaiacovo, all the young defenceman in the system and Kaberle. The rest need to go, trade for as many young guys as possible, combine them with the kids on the farm and try to snag a potential star or 2 for Sundin, Blake and McCabe. While he's at it, time for a defencsive minded type coach that will preach the trap while these kids are developing. We have nothing to lose, we can't buy a team and the cupboard is bare, the sooner he gets started - the better.

[dj]

Just another example that JFJ doesn't get it. At the trade deadline last season, he didn't try to strengthen the team for a run at eighth place nor did he trade players for prospects and draft choices to build for the future. So what exactly was he doing? Then in the off season he traded draft picks away for a goaltender after trading another prospect for another goaltender the year before, and signed Jason Blake when Ryan Smyth would have been a better fit for this team. Oh, but then, he didn't have enough cap room for Smyth because of the huge contracts he gave to McCabe and Kubina. And on it goes.

[Joel]

Hey Damien,

Like the blog.

It is the dilemma that ultimately faces the Leafs each year. Do we trade at the trade deadline or not. I was about to write that I like what JFJ has done, but paused for a moment. Fact is, I have liked the fact that he has drafted some good kids and found some others from Colleges that may or may not be NHLers. However, the problem I see with the GM relates primarily to the trade deadline.

You mentioned about Tucker last year and the possibility of trading him. The year before it was McCabe. And undoubtedly, before this season is over, unless the Leafs solve a number of issues, it will be Sundin's turn. JFJ I do not find as being a confident GM. That is perhaps because he didn't and still doesn't have a long term deal and to me, is more reactionary. In the spring of '06 the Leafs were fighting for a playoff spot...McCabe is having the best year statistically...trade and get assets (but how would that look to the MLSE board and fans). Spring '07 we are fighting for the playoffs...Tucker although hurt is a commodity that everyone says they would want for a playoff run (but how would that look to the MLSE ties and the fans). I have a feeling the same will happen with Sundin if we mathematically still have a hope of making the playoffs. A GM who was confident in his abilities and truly had a longterm goal in mind (beyond just making the playoffs), would've considered shopping...not selling at any price...but at least shopping both McCabe and Tucker the years they were available. Although I like Sundin and have and respect him as a player and a person...if we are realistically out of the playoffs, I would be hesistantly approve a trade. SO either this GM is willing or find someone else who will make some unpopular moves at time, but actually say why and not simply talk and pause providing us with some redundant lawyer babble.

Sorry for the rant...

[Jimg]

Wow after 10 games the sky is falling. But I ve seen an improvementin puck control and other then the Carolina game am improvement in this team competing with teams like Ottawa , better then they did last year.The refs are just calling guys on very cheap hooks and players now are taking advantage.Is that rotten Frazier the head of ref training now? In the florida game the 2end period owned by TO was different and there has been spurts of better play like that.We need a proven 2end line centre bad,a 30 + goal man thats durable.