Turris blossoming for Sens
GAME DAY: VANCOUVER AT OTTAWA, 4:30 P.M.
OTTAWA — It’s like crossing a busy street when the don’t-walk signal is flashing: There’s a possibility you could end up on a bumper if the timing is off.
Kind of like scoring in today’s NHL, where there are few green lights. It takes a combination of speed, timing and considerable determination to do what Kyle Turris is doing for the Ottawa Senators.
A gifted playmaker with an underrated shot, he has made a living by driving into the slot and lurking just long enough to build the reputation of a reliable 20-plus goal scorer. Now, he’s going one better, and the Vancouver Canucks will see it today.
Usually a slow starter, the New Westminster native has eight goals through 15 games because he’s going where few gifted scorers really want to venture.
It’s much easier to play on the perimeter than in traffic and the centre’s ability to avoid danger has him on pace for a career season in which he would easily surpass the 26 goals he had two seasons ago.
He hasn’t done anything dramatic, but strengthening muscle groups to support his back has made the 6-foot-1,195 pounder more fearless. It’s also ramped up his comfort level to get to and stay in the tough areas.
“It’s so hard today because the goalies are so good and guys are getting in the lanes to block shots,” said the 26-year-old Turris.
“So many goals are scored within 10 feet of the net and you’ve got to get in that area. It’s not just getting there and staying there, it’s the timing of it.
“I’m not going to be beating [Zdeno] Chara in a strength battle. I have to time my skates through there and be smart about it.”
Timing has meant everything for the third overall pick in the 2007 draft. It was great when he got to play for offensive-thinking coach Wayne Gretzky in Arizona and not so great when the defensive-minded Dave Tippett took over and he slid down the lineup and held out as a restricted free agent in the fall of 2011.
There were accusations of inflated contract demands and it only deepened the disconnect between the player and the organization. It wasn’t until Nov. 22 of that year that he signed a two-year, $2.8-million US deal that was easily movable. And when the Senators came calling and offered 2009 first-round selection David Rundblad and a second-round pick, the 12 goals that Turris scored in 49 games with the Senators after the deal spoke of potential.
Should the Canucks have kicked the trade tires? They had Henrik Sedin, Ryan Kesler and Cody Hodgson as their top centres in the fall of 2011 but at the 2012 trade deadline, Hodgson was dealt to the Buffalo Sabres in a four-player swap that brought Zack Kassian to Vancouver.