The kids are (more than) all right
Canadian teams pack youthful exuberance
Sundays t end to be Brooks Laich’s day with the kids. Or so it was last month when the veteran Toronto Maple Leafs forward took twentysomethings William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen and Viktor Loov to a World Cup of Hockey game.
The group decided to see Team North America play Finland, mostly because they had teammates playing in the game. But there was another reason, said Laich: the kids wanted to be entertained.
It goes without saying they were not l et down. From Auston Matthews dancing around a defender and setting up Jack Eichel for a goal to Johnny Gaudreau and Nathan MacKinnon scoring highlight-reel markers, the under-24 team put on a show and easily won 4-1. It was fun hockey, the kind that won over fans and came to define the tournament. And although North America fell just short of advancing to the semifinals, the kids might have provided a glimpse of what’s to come this season in the NHL.
“You’re seeing new levels of creativity and energy and even more speed. The game is being played at a breakneck pace,” said Laich, who spoke before clearing waivers from the Leafs and is awaiting word on his status with the organization. “I remember coming to camp when I was 19, just hoping I was going to touch the puck. Now kids are coming in and the expectation is on them to deliver this season. And it’s great. The sport has never been in better hands.”
In particular, the future is in Canada’s hands. Last season, not one Canadian team made the playoffs. It was an awful time to be a hockey fan. But where there was pain, there is now promise. The good thing about finishing last, as Oilers fans know all too well, is that you get a chance to draft some very, very good players. Today, thanks to years of ineptitude and mismanagement, some of the best young players are playing north of the border.
Toronto was already going to enter the season with Nylander (eighth overall, 2014) and Mitch Marner ( fourth overall, 2015) — ranked second and third, respectively, among The Hockey News’ top prospects — as Calder Trophy- worthy rookies. But after drafting Matthews with the No. 1 pick, the team also (finally) has a franchise centre to build around.
The Winnipeg Jets, who moved up four spots in the draft lottery to the No. 2 pick, “really did win the lottery” said GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, “in being able to add Patrik Laine” to a young team that i ncludes Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers, Kyle Connor and Jacob Trouba, if he stays put and re-signs.
Over in Edmonton, no one would be surprised if new captain Connor McDavid challenges for the Art Ross Trophy as a 20-year-old sophomore. The same goes for Calgary’s Gaudreau, who finished sixth in scoring last season, and has a strong supporting cast in Sean Monahan ( sixth overall, 2013), Sam Bennett (fourth overall, 2014) and Matthew Tkachuk ( sixth overall, 2016). Then there’s Montreal, with defenceman Mikhail Sergachev ( ninth overall, 2016) threatening to make the team.
Has there ever been more excitement heading into a season for Canadian fans?
It might not lead to playoff appearances for more than one or two of the Canadian teams. After all, it takes time for kids to grow up. But if the World Cup showed us anything, it is that fans should be entertained.
“They’re really good players,” said Leafs head coach Mike Babcock. “But I’m going to say this in the nicest way possible: in the World Cup, as good as they were, they still weren’t in the final, right? You know what I mean? They’re kids. And I’m not saying they’re not going to be great players and stars, but usually the guys that are carrying the Cup are men. To me, don’t get me wrong. I love our kids. We’ve got great kids. But they’re kids.”
One of the things that came out of Team North America’s Cinderella- type run in the World Cup, however, was how ahead of the curve the players are. Most initially believed they would be a fun team to watch, but ultimately would not be able to handle structured games against veterans. And then the kids flattened Finland, outplayed but ended up losing to Russia, and defeated Sweden in overtime.
As Calgary’s assistant GM Craig Conroy told Postmedia News, “It’s amazing what these kids are able to do at such a young age. We’re to the point now where we expect them to be significant players on our teams two years in, because they’re showing that they can handle it.”
Just as Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin took the torch from the previous generation and became the stars of the league, the next generation is pushing to do the same. McDavid might already be one of the best players in the world, and he’s just 19. Others, like Gaudreau, Scheifele, Colorado’s MacKinnon and Florida’s Aaron Ekblad, are not far behind.
“Obviously, Father Time catches up to everybody,” said Leafs forward Nazem Kadri. “At the end of the day, there has to be a group for the torch to be passed to and I think there is a solid group there.”
The youth movement is part of the reason why the Jets were able to convince Dustin Byfuglien to stay in Winnipeg rather than explore free agency. Before Byfuglien put pen to paper on a $38-million, five-year deal this past February, his general manager had one last question.
“You look him in the eye and say, ‘ Buff, why do you want to sign here?’ ” said Cheveldayoff.
The answer wasn’t so much the money or the longterm security, although both played a part. Instead, the 31- year- old talked about the kids.
“For me t hat’s where things really solidified to know that we’re on the right path,” said Cheveldayoff. “They drive him and I think they’re going to drive the league.”
Certainly, the kids will soon be driving Canadian teams, if they aren’t already.
“The youth of the league today is not only exceptionally talented, but exceptionally competitive,” said Laich. “I think that’s the biggest difference from 10 years ago. The young guys come in with supreme confidence and they’re ready to compete from Day 1. It used to be your young guys would take half the season and dip their toe in the water and try to feel comfortable. And now, the young players are ready to play right away. It’s kind of scary.”