Catch 14: What to do with Jordan Eberle

Ah, how one yearns for the good old days. Hero of the World Juniors, a western kid picked in the first round by a Canadian franchise. A highly touted prospect with tons of potential...Such was the life of Jordan Eberle.

He burst onto the national scene with a bang. A clutch perform for his country. Scoring a big goal against the Russian is essentially the Canadian version of being knighted. His much anticipated arrival in Oil country started off with a highlight reel goal against the arch rival Calgary Flames. Life was good. He was going to be part of the rebuild. A cornerstone of an impressive young core that would bring respectability and success back to the 'City of Champions'. I mean technically that's still true but...

As the years have gone by that potential hasn't manifested itself. That success? Only now coming about because of a generational talent and roster overhaul. The glimpses, the flashes in the pan only made the inconsistency that much more frustrating. Kept die hard fans mutter 'if he could just...'

And lets face it. It can't be easy. His name's been floated in trade rumours for years, every deadline day, every off season. The Oilers needed blueline help and he was the one that was thought to be shipped off to get it. He seems to be the poster boy for all their failures, the reason why the team hadn't taken that net step, and now that they have the reason they may not go further. This is reminiscent of Jason Spezza being run out of town in Ottawa. Though to be fair Spezza put up much better numbers. The Oilers were deemed all season to be a one man team, the Connor McDavid show. Given the special talent he is, it's not exactly unfair to hype him up, but other guy needed to step up if this team was going to have success and be taken seriously. Their depth was questioned by many and a lot of that had to do with the lack of production from Eberle.

Eberle has found himself demoted of late, many suggesting he be scratched outright, publicly called out by his coach, demanded more of by fans and the organisation. Part of playing the NHL? Definitely. Does knowing that make it any easier? If I knew I'd actually have to be in the league, so, I can only guess no and we'll go from there.

This is where the Catch 22 comes in. It's not as if he forgot how to play hockey overnight, or stopped caring. The skills that got him to this level didn't suddenly abandon him. He showed flashes of them here and there but consistency eluded him. The age old dilemma to wondering, to quote Blue Rodeo, I want to know where my confidence went. This is the issue. He needs playing time to get going, and get his confidence back but his play hasn't exactly warranted that trust. The fact that he has several years left on this contract and a cap of 6 million per don't exactly make his deal all that palatable if he can't start producing. IN the end the fact is it's got to be up to him to snap out of this, as teams aren't exactly going to be throwing prospects of value at them. They may be stuck and so all you can do is let him play his way out of it. Or wait out the next two years and remember those fleeting glimpses of magic fondly...

Best Stanley Cup Final 2017 Matchups

Cue the cliches and bad versions of 'It's the most wonderful time of the year.' I mean, I don't disagree with the sentiment but, lets just move on shall we?

The Stanley Cup Playoffs (mercifully) start tonight and we'll look ahead into the future to rank what I think the most intriguing Stanley Cup Finals match ups would be. This doesn't necessarily mean the best teams playing one another, just those that would be the most compelling to watch for a variety of reasons.

1. Chicago Blackhawks vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Defending champs vs. three time Cup champions. Crosby vs. Toews. Kane vs, Malkin. The last two winners. Goliath vs...Goliath. This series would have it all. Unfortunately Kris Letang's absence puts a damper on the odds, and would on the series should it materialise. However, these in my mind are still the two best teams in the league and the quality of hockey, not to mention the star power, would be incredible, and have those at NHL offices salivating. The Blackhawks would cement their dynasty, if they haven't already, and the Penguins would secure their own with a third cup in the Crosby/Malkin era. It's one of the few that has the ability to draw national TV attention across the US as well, given the markets and names involved.  

2. Chicago Blackhawks vs. Washington Capitals

The Capitals just can't finish ahead of the Penguins eh? The Caps were the best regular season team in the league again this year winning their second consecutive President's trophy. The Windy City crew had the best record in the west and while this may skew chalk in terms of rooting interest, it would be a great match up nonetheless. For years the 'choking dog' Caps have been, well dogged with the can the Caps finally get over the hump story line? It would no doubt be front and centre. However if ever three was a Caps team built to win, not to mention if they could pull it off against a team with the pedigree of the Blackhawks?  They'd definitely earn the right to shed the choker label. 

3. Edmonton Oilers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

The Oilers make their return to the post season for the first time since 2006 and their superstar Connor McDavid makes his playoff debut, so the odds of this one happening are definitely way less then our first two. However, Corsby vs. McDavid would have instant star power and intrigue written all over. The best in the game vs. the guy likely to take his place in the not to distant future. McDavid plays out west so this would allow fans in the east to see what they've been missing and lets face it, both of these guys are must see TV. Although they won't contribute much in the way of epic playoff beards. Also, it would be funny to watch them tripping over each other in interviews when the go out of their way to complement the other guy and talk about how great he is, what leadership his shows and...enough already.   

4. Chicago Blackhawks vs. Montreal Canadiens/New York Rangers

A good ol' Original Six rivalry if only for, well, old time sake. The Habs and Rangers haven't won since they did so back to back in the early 90's (93/94 respectively) and a return to glory would be huge for either hockey mad city. The Rangers star goalie Henrik Lundqvist won't have too many more opportunities to capture that elusive Stanley Cup Championship and Montreal's Carey Price is the best in the world and this can only add to that label. The intensity of these rivalries likely wouldn't compare to the others (thus the lower ranking) but would make for a great match up either way. All three cities care about their franchise (at least they have the last decade in Chicago) so it's natural that it would make for a great finals. The Habs and Rangers don't play an exciting brand of hockey but lets face it. teams don't win the Stanley Cup scoring five goals a game anyway. 

5. San Jose Sharks vs. Washington Capitals

Someone would have to win, right? This would be the ultimate talented teams who have failed to capitalise (no pun intended) battle. At least in recent vintage. The Sharks and Capitals have been really good to great regular season teams for years now and the Sharks made it to the finals last year only adding to their desire to get to the top of the mountain. They have ageing stars in Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau whose days in San Jose and at cup contention may be numbered so it adds that to the mix. The Capitals as mentioned have a (well earned) reputation of choking in the post season (see basically every Caps series ever) but are possibly the deepest they've ever been and have a Vezina winning goalie in Braydon Holtby who's capable of getting the job done. One of them would finally get to shed that underachiever label and take home hockey's Holy Grail. 

Best/Worst Story Line: The Maple Leafs make the Cup Final...

Pump the brakes Leafs nation. This isn't going to happen. I'm just saying. The Leafs surprised everyone by making the playoffs this year, (aided by a lackluster Atlantic Division: Thanks Florida teams) and draw the President's Trophy winning Capitals in round one. All this means is they're likely going to play the role of 'carcass on the side of the road' as the Caps cruise into round two. However, should the improbable happen and the young buds somehow blossom before our eyes and reach the finals, the insufferable lot that comprise Leafs Nation would become that much more loathsome. That said the Leafs are a talented young team who play an entertaining brand of hockey, as structure and discipline seem not yet in their vocabulary. They'll undoubtedly be a more legitimate threat before long but it would never have the same magical feeling if they did it when it wasn't expected of them. That said, magic makes as much sense as believing they'll actually win a round, let alone make a run. 

Conn-spiracy Theory

The NHL, like most professional sports leagues, is driven by it's major markets and there are few if any larger than Toronto. The self proclaimed center of the universe is a hockey mad mecca that bleeds blue and white. In fact Maple Leafs fans border on the insane (the definition of insanity being to do the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result. In this case expecting their team to win the Stanley Cup.) Gotta admire their dedication. With their cup drought approaching 50 years and little to no sign of that finishing anytime soon could the NHL's new Draft Lottery rules actually help to end this torment? And could the league itself be complicit?

With the trade of Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli to Nashville it's safe to say the Leafs have bid sionora to the season. Though I give them a full credit this time around as for once they're actually positioning themselves for a top pick and acquiring assets for potential unrestricted free agents after years of foolishly clinging to the belief that they could make the playoffs and holding on to such players only to see their hopes dashed along with any shot at a top prospect. GM Dave Nonis and his group have, I guess you can say earned a shot at getting a top pick and as a result of the new format of the NHL Draft Lottery, could even get the first overall pick.

This is where the fun begins. The NHL's new Draft Lottery format allows any team that doesn't qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs to have a chance at winning the lottery and picking first overall. Now, the percentages are drastically lower the further back you are but to quote Lloyd Christmas: "You're saying there's a chance?!" The Buffalo Sabres currently sit in the NHL's basement and are set to have the best odds, (20%) at picking concensus number one overall pick Connor McDavid. McDavid is touted as a generational talent, a player who could single-handedly transform a franchise's fortunes. The long suffering fans of Buffalo could use such a saviour. GM Tim Murray has stockpiled a number of talented young players and draft picks to rebuild, but this would be the ultimate payoff for several lackluster seasons on the ice. It's a city with a loyal, knowledgeable, fan base, long hockey tradition and Hall of Fame players like Gilbert Perreault and Domink Hasek but would the league be best served by having McDavid there or say, in a much larger hockey market not that far north?

This is a league who has few universally recognizable faces or names to market across the US. While Buffalo is a certainly hockey town it's a small market so the question is would McDavid and the league be well served by having an up and coming young superstar playing here, or in some hockey backwater like Carolina or Arizona? Well, sure....maybe. The argument for how this benefits everyone is simple: if he goes to a floundering team like Arizona or Carolina he'll instantly drum up interest and put fannies in the seats, both at home and when those teams are on the road. There are no more tickets to sell in Toronto and Leafs fans will cheer for them regardless so how is this more beneficial to the league?

A. Jersey sales. While Connor McDavid is exceptionally talented he alone is unlikely to turn North Carolina or Arizona into hockey mad states where there is a jersey on the back of every fan and they dominate any and all sports conversation. The NHL is always front page stuff in the great white north and the sheer amount of product he would move in TO would be staggering and most importantly from a league standpoint extremely profitable.

B. Actual Ticket Sales: Are these arenas, which have thousands of empty seats on any given night suddenly going to be the hottest ticket in town selling out every game? No. The reality is while it would in all likely-hood increase ticket revenue and attendance in these markets, it's not going to suddenly drag non hockey fans out to the rink. Carolina is a Stanley Cup champion not that long ago. If that didn't create a true hockey market, neither will this.

C. Playoff Revenue/Ratings: If McDavid can get the Leafs back to the playoffs, even if this only resulted in the minimum two home games, it could generate more interest and revenue than a long run in other markets. When the Leafs were in the playoffs a few years back the average ticket price was $218. 20. This is almost as much if not more than the most expensive seats in other markets. Say what you like, money talks. Also, hockey fans south of the border recognize the blue and white and are much more likely to watch a hockey game involving a traditional six team than other markets. This has been illustrated by the significantly higher TV ratings when a market like, Boston, Chicago or the Rangers were in the Stanley cup finals over the past few years vs. when teams like the Devils and Kings faced off several years ago.

D. Bandage Solution: McDavid would undoubtedly help the league in a small market while he played, and that team could even attract better free agents to help him purse a championship, but the question is will the effect last? During his tenure, sure, but afterwards? And could these teams generate the revenue necessary to fill a roster will top end talent needed for such an endeavour even with him?

Yes it's a reach to suggest that the league would do whatever they could to put McDavid in blue and white come October. This is a billion dollar franchise who doesn't even need to win, but if they ever did...