Better Late Than Never?

Tardiness is the talk of the NHL today, but on two different fronts.

There's the late arrival, for starters, of Anaheim winger Teemu Selanne, who announced he was coming back to the Ducks on Monday. To be sure, Reijo Ruotsolainen used to show up a lot later in the NHL season than this, but many are suggesting Selanne's prolonged semi-retirement illustrates the need for the league to legislate on the matter by issuing a deadline by which players must commit to playing in the league.

Why? For starters, Selanne has earned the right to call his own shots, and if a team wants to go along, good for them. But its not like there's anything underhanded going on here, so rules for the sake of rules don't really make much of a difference.

And wouldn't you say the NHL is better with Selanne than without him? Of course, given the decisions of Selanne and Scott Niedermayer, the next prominent NHLer to announce his retirement is going to be created with a chorus of "Yeah, right."

In other lateness news, Ottawa goalie Ray Emery caused another mini-firestorm when he showed up four minutes late for practice on Monday.

Actually, given that players are supposed to be in the room 45 minutes before a scheduled workout, you could argue Emery was almost an hour late.

GM Bryan Murray told The Star this morning that he met with coach John Paddock last night and intends to chat with Emery today. Murray seemed intent on playing down the matter, but at the same time made it clear he's open to the possibility of moving Emery for another asset before the trade deadline or bringing in another goalie.

The Sens' payroll sits at $46 million, and given the prorated nature of salaries acquired this late in the year, they have lots of room to add athletes.

Any way you cut it, Emery is being portrayed as the bad boy of the NHL these days, what with Chris Simon still on enforced vacation. Being late a few times and scrapping with teammate Brian McGrattan seems to elevated Emery into the position of big-time troublemaker, which is probably a little unfair.

We'll see what the Sens decide to do later today, but the betting is once again Emery's indiscretion will be handled quietly and in-house.

Comments

[Josh]

A "must play by date" rule is not a rule for the sake of rules. You are condoning a half a season vacation for NHLers with 15 years experience or better. Where would the Leafs be if Sundin decided that he needed some time to 'think about' playing for four months and then come back for the last half? Selanne may have been a free agent, but Niedermayer was under contract and suspended - another bonus for the Ducks. There is a rule that if you play in Europe past a certain time then upon returning to the NHL you must clear waivers - let Selanne & Niedermayer go through waivers!

If you need some time to heal your battered body, then take the whole year off. If you are going to play, you need to be in the lineup by Dec. 1, otherwise the League and the fans suffer.

[Fred]

Just wondering if the Ducks face a cap hit for the full season salary or is the money pro-rated? If it is pro-rated, isn't that a clever way for teams to load up their roster with their own older free agents, year after year, without going over the cap.

[Hockey Fan, therefore by Definition Not a Leaf Fan]

It is perfectly reasonable for a player to sit unpaid of he wants to. Can you not say the NHL would not be a better place if Forsberg had taken the first 60 games off every season for the last 7 years. Oh yeah...he almost did. And as a free agent, the player can go anywhere he wants, at any price.

The league needs no rule about this.

As for Emery, Ottawa will indeed handle this quietly. But it is all about performance and the Cup. If they think they can make a better run at the Cup without Emery and his distractions, he is gone. Smart management (something the Laff's have long forgotten about) will handle this mini-crisis.

[Andrew]

I was going to address how I think Anaheim is deplorable for its underhanded skirting of the Salary Cap, but I don't think I'll bother.

Instead, I'll say how I think the Leafs should take a chance on Emery. Yes, he isn't having the greatest season, but neither was Raycroft when we traded for him, and he really only had one fluky rookie season going for him. Emery was surprisingly capable two seasons ago, forced into action by the olympic injury suffered by Hasbeen err... Hasek. Last year, he was again a surprise, but this time because he outplayed supposed started Gerber, and carried the Senators into the Cup finals.

I doubt Ottawa would do a straight up trade Raycroft for Emery (I am sure Raycroft would make an adequate backup) but throw in a couple of fourth of fifth round picks, and I think a deal could be swung.

Emery might be a "bad boy" but so was Belfour, and Emery is a good decade and a half his junior, and could serve Toronto for a long time as the number 1 goalie.

[Dav]

I find Ray Emery to be one of the most entertaining personalities in the NHL today. He has the unique ability to generate press coverage as an individual player like the best of 'em without having to sucker punch (e.g. Steve Downie) or crosscheck in the face (e.g. Chris Simon) his opponents.

Though his antics may be immature, they aren't really harming anyone...and he's got the skills and stats necessary to back up the fact that he is a starting goalie in this league.

Maybe Ottawa is just the wrong environment for him?
First, they snubbed him after he took them to the finals and stuck with hot/cold Gerber to start the season after Em came back from injury... now they exaggerate his out-of-game behaviour as if to let him know that he's not welcome.

He would definitely be popular in New York, L.A., or Atlanta, cities where hockey is popular enough but require that 'extra push' to get their teams attention. A big time personality like Emery's deserves to be in a market that doesn't necessarily focus on all of its players riding a bike after every game.

My suggestion to Emery: take a page out of Iverson's and Bosh's book. Release a video of yourself acting out the infamous 'Practice?!' speech on Youtube. Proceed to American market where you are guaranteed fame, fortune and fun.

[Ryan Stone]

The cap hit is pro-rated, but so is the salary paid. There's little difference between what Selanne did and any other player taking a hometown discount(the main difference being that Anaheim didn't get the benefit of his services this season).

[Matt]

There is no need for a rule on late signing players. If someone is injured like Forsberg they should have the ability to sign wherever as soon as they are healthy.

And this is only for 2 or 3 players each year. Why on Earth would anyone want to keep older players, some of who could be superstars, out of the league?

[Bruce]

Damien I'm sure you must be having some similar thoughts as me.
Suggesting that coming late to practise, or that sitting out for a few months to see how your team is doing and then deciding whether coming back will get you another Stanley Cup ring or not, or that trading Raycroft, and a few draft pics for Emery, is proof that some Maple Leaf fans are on another planet.
If coming into work late, taking extended vacations that affect your peers, and making stupid business decisions is okay, it's no wonder the Leafs management is so inept. They are only following their fans line of thinking....

One more reason I might start following the Sen's

[Spencer]

I like Ray Emery as a goalie, but from I've read (i.e. -- road rage incidents) it sounds like he's a total dink off of the ice. If he's going to act unprofessionally, he better put up the numbers comparable to the likes of Broduer, Giguere, etc. Otherwise, the Sens are fools to keep him. Hmph! He sounds perfect for the Leafs. Sign him up. I'd love to see him intentionally park his Hummer in Peddie's parking spot.

[mark]

Hockey is a team sport first and foremost. By showing up late for practices, team meetings, bus rides etc Emery basically puts himself above everyone else. He's special. He's better than the rest of the team. That's the message he sends consistently. If Emery doesn't get that, then he should go (and please..not 'go' to Toronto.. haven't we had enough of picking up other teams garbage?). As for Selanne, more power to him. This is a matter between the team and their player; the league doesn't need a rule for this (and I'm happy to see him in the playoffs.. the only hockey that really matters).

[joel]

I really don't care if they play all year or just the last half,,, it is just a money issue.. if management doesn't care if the room's chemistry gets all screwed up, it is their choice... HOWEVER... if all these part time players only play part time,, pay them BUT should the team win the cup,, these guys names do NOT go on the cup,,, take the money, not the glory !!!

[Adam C]

I'm confused, Damien. Tlusty should be run out of town and buried in the minors, but Emery - who is being deliberately disruptive to his team - is some kind of martyr. Please to explain.

[Steve]

In the first post on this thread, "Josh" asks where the Leafs would be if Sundin had taken the first 4 months off. A quick check of the standings on nhl.com indicates they'd probably be one or 2 places farther back than are with him. 15th (instead of 14th) in the East and 30th (rather than 28th) in the league.

Maybe there's a better example out there to use next time, Josh.