Going Up, Going Down

Viktor Stalberg needed a kick in the butt. Or so it looked.

So he's back down in the minors, and Jiri Tlusty is up. Again. One more time.

There's three possible reasons why Stalberg hasn't been nearly as effective in the regular season as he was in the pre-season.

One, exhibition hockey isn't anywhere close to regular season hockey, and Stalberg isn't good enough to be an NHL regular, at least not yet.

Two, he got self-satisfied and figured all the hard work was done once he'd earned an NHL roster spot.

Or three, getting rocked by Ottawa's Anton Volchenkov in the third game of the season and suffering a concussion has left the young Swede unable to perform at the same level he showed in September.

My guess is No. 2, but all three are plausible.

Assuming Stalberg isn't still dinged, this is in general a very good way in which to deal with young players who are dealing with the inconsistencies that come with youth. It probably would have helped Nikolai Kulemin last year. It might still help Luke Schenn this year.

But the Leafs have to somehow get rid of the perception that having youngsters go up and down between the NHL and AHL is somehow demeaning to those players, or punishment.

It's called player development. Look at how well Darren Helm played for the Red Wings last year in the playoffs after spending most of the year in the minors. Moreover, you want your kids to be hungry to stay in the NHL, not complacent.

Which brings us to Tlusty. Uppermost in the minds of Leaf management is trying to understand why Tlusty is so effective in the AHL - six goals in eight games this season - yet a shadow of that player against NHL competition.

The belief here is that he might not be a good enough skater, and therefore simply unable to get to the places he needs to get to in order to be an effective offensive player.

The Leafs front office and coaching staff, however, don't believe that. They seem to think Tlusty is good enough, but for some reason gets freaked out by the bright lights of the ACC. The concern internally is that if they can't get to the root of this, a very talented player will end up in Carolina or Phoenix or L.A. and flourish there, away from the media and fan pressures of Toronto.

They're hoping the Lee Stempniak treatment will work on Tlusty. Basically, with Stempniak, the club has showered praise upon him for his work ethic and effort and conditioning and repeatedly told the veteran winger they believe that he can get back to the level when he was a consistent scorer in the NHL.

Even when the points weren't coming early, the message was the same. Now, the points are starting to come and Stempniak, for the most part, has been the club's best forward.

So that's the plan with Tlusty. Make him feel the organization believes in him and hope that rids him of the yips.

Comments

[C. Peter Herman]

The psychological research shows that praising someone for his talent is less effective than is praising him for his effort. You suggest that effort-focused praise has worked for Stempniak; it may well work for Tlusty. Maybe the problem last year was that people were praising Tlusty for his talent rather than for his effort.

[James Jack]

I have believed for many years that Toronto can be a graveyard for many good players. The microscope that is the Leafs Nation is just what it is, way too close a perspective for objective observation of the whole picture. Too often moves are scrutinized until it is nearly impossible to predict a positive outcome. What if Phil Kessel has a slow start? Burke will be crucified. Leaf fans are their own worst enemies. Why not just allow players to get better under controlled circumstances and enjoy watching their development. For once be a cheerleader for these guys. Players like Kulemin, Stahlberg, Tlusty, Schenn are all guys who could end up being superstars in this league because they all have talent, albeit raw. Be patient Toronto please!

[Belligerent Burkie]

I've got a feeling that Stalberg still pictures that hit at night when he goes to sleep. And thus, may be a little more hesitant to take the puck into the danger areas where he could be rocked again. Just a thought.

[Ed Hussman]

You forgot one other possibility. His centerman on most nights, makes no one around him better and has one even strength point while receiving more ice then any other center on the team. Jason Blake has four points over the last two games now removed from said centers wing. Look there for the real problem.

[Rudd]

Tlustly may just be one of those players who finds it at an older age. It may take sometime..... Enough with calling stempniak the Leafs best forward. He has played well the last two or thre games but before this he has missed many open nets. The guy has been useless.... Why are you and Wilson all over Kulemin? There are many other overpaid veterans that need a kick in the @#$ first

[Will]

I got news for you. Any goal scoring forward, when teamed with Matt Stajan, is not going to produce. See Kessel when he lines up beside him. For some reason Ron Wilson has deemed Stajan and Stempniak super forwards, which is an utter joke given their limitations. Stajan, for example, is a third line centre at best: no tenacity, no speed with the puck, a slow playmaker and horrible in any kind of one on one battle. So good luck to Tlusty, Kessel, whomever.

[Sandy T.]

Dear Ed Hussman. We're in Canada. The words you're looking for are "centreman", "centre" and "centres" - actually, using your connotation, "centre's".

The Americanisation of this once-proud nation is happening quickly enough without additional help from those of us outside the political and chattering classes.

[Lew McClain]

Honey will get you more than B.S. I have thougt all along that Wilson is too negative on the scoring forwards. Goal scorers have confidence that when they shoot it will go in. Other guys shoot till the end of time and only get the happenstance goal. We need a Guy LaFlur....

[HonestAl]

Damien, I hate to say it but Stalberg was going to get an NHL ding sooner or later...he thought he could showboat a little bit of confidence/skill in exhibition but this is the NHL. This is the grind son! Tlusty is just buying time but if he can't face the grind or score he will be sent back again. Bottomline, but Tlusty and Stalberg are soft. If I were you two, you can learn a lot from Grabo and Ian White.