There’s nothing a fan can do about an NHL coach not particularly liking an NHL player. With the amount of players a coach sends onto the ice on a game-in, game-out basis being between 15 and 20, there should be plenty of room for players that haven’t reached their full potential, right?
Wrong. That’s where the AHL comes in. For those of you that are reading this and aren’t familiar with hockey, the AHL is like the AAA Minors in baseball, or the NBA D-League (where young guys, prospects, and injured players within the franchise play). Below that is the ECHL. To an NHL hopeful, that’s like the elephant graveyard in the Lion King. But now, we’re getting off track.
New York Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault never really took a liking to defenseman Michael Del Zotto, the Rangers’ 2008 first-round pick. Through 42 games played, the offensive defenseman scored two goals and had nine assists, with a plus-minus of negative five. Those aren’t ideal numbers for an offensive defenseman, and this season is the final season on his contract. Instead of letting him walk, he was traded to the Nashville Predators for defenseman Kevin Klein Jan. 22.
Klein, age 29, a second-round pick in 2003, is the opposite of Del Zotto. He can bring some much-needed experience and wisdom to young defensemen in the Big Apple such as Ryan McDonagh (24), John Moore (23), and prospect Dylan McIlrath (21). Despite being listed at 6’1” and 199 pounds, Klein can also bring pain and block shots, making him a great penalty killer.
Another Dan Girardi-esque defenseman is exactly what the Rangers need to put in front of Henrik Lundqvist, who has picked up his game since earning the biggest extension a goalie has ever seen. You can read more about Lundqvist’s extension and his struggles earlier this season here.
In the Central Time Zone, Del Zotto will fare much better in Nashville. The Predators are sitting exactly at .500 with a 22-22-7 record as of Jan. 22. At 6th in the Central Division, more goals need to be scored in the Music City, especially after star goaltender Pekka Rinne went down with a hip injury. When Devan Dubnyk is your goaltender, you can ALWAYS score more goals.
Didn’t I just say Del Zotto wasn’t playing up to his potential? Yeah, I did, and it kills me to say it since I wore his jersey on the Sports Compass NHL Preview. In Del Zotto’s defense, how many players have we seen elevate their game after a change of scenery? Jamie Langenbruner, Marian Hossa, and David Perron are just a few players that have found success on new teams in the past ten years.
On top of the importance of a change of scenery, Predators head coach Barry Trotz has been in Nashville for the Preds’ entire 16-season existence as an NHL team. He is the second-longest tenured head coach in major North American sports, second only to Gregg Popovich, who has led the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs dynasty since 1996. Trotz has been in Nashville for that long for a reason. He will know how to get the best out of Del Zotto.
In short, unlike most NHL trades, both teams should reap benefits from their acquisitions, and no future draft picks were involved. According to espn.com, Klein will start his career as a Ranger on the third line with John Moore, but replacing Anton Stralman on the second line is not out of reach.
With the NHL trade deadline fast-approaching on March 5, expect a weekly 2013-14 NHL Trade Tracker from yours truly.
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