Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman earned accolades for making the boldest moves in improving Tampa Bay’s Stanley Cup aspirations at the NHL’s
trade deadline in February.
Evander Kane
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beneficiary after being dealt by eventual last-place Buffalo to San Jose on Feb.
26. Kane couldn’t contain his glee on his Twitter account a week ago in posting
a message which read : ”(hashtag)playoffmode it’s about time!”
It took him nine years and four cities – from Atlanta to Winnipeg, Buffalo and now San Jose – since being selected with the No. 4 pick by the
then-Thrashers in the 2009 draft to finally prepare for his playoff debut. It
will happen Thursday, when the Sharks open their Pacific Division first-round
series at Anaheim.
”It makes it easy to come to the rink. It makes it easy to play with this group of guys,” Kane said. ”I’m having a lot of fun right now.”
The Sharks, who gave up a prospect and two conditional draft picks, including a potential first-rounder, might not be in this position without Kane. The
26-year-old picked up the offensive slack on a team that closed the season minus
star Joe Thornton. Kane scored nine goals, including two game-winners, and added
five assists in 17 games.
In closing the season at 12-7-1, the Sharks’ 25 points ranked in a tie for 10th among NHL teams since the trade deadline.
”He’s a crucial part of our team,” center Chris Tierney said of Kane. ”Just gives us an extra layer of everything.”
Kane wasn’t the only late-season addition to provide his new team a boost.
Yzerman added offense, defense and leadership to an already elite team by acquiring New York Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh and forward J.T. Miller in one
of the final trades completed. Miller led all players traded on Feb. 26 by
scoring 10 goals and piling up 18 points in 19 games.
”When you add two players like that and give up what they did, it’s you know: They’re in it to win it,” former player and NBC hockey analyst Eddie Olczyk said
of the Lightning.
Fellow analyst, Pierre McGuire looked to the moves made by Nashville.
The Predators gave up a first-round draft pick in adding size and versatility to acquire forward Ryan Hartman from Chicago. They welcomed back veteran Mike
Fisher, who signed out of retirement. They also signed forward Eeli Tolvanen
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Hockey League season ended last month.
”You look at everything Nashville has done, they never messed with the roster integrity that was created at the beginning of the year by David Poile and Paul
Fenton,” McGuire said, referring to Predators management. ”So I think Nashville
quietly, whether it’s at the deadline or just before, did some amazing
things.”
The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Predators (15-4-2), Winnipeg (15-4-1), Columbus (14-4-2) and Boston (13-5-4) led the NHL in points since Feb. 26.
Columbus jumped from 19th in the overall standings to 14th in a run that coincided with the additions of forward Thomas Vanek and defenseman Ian
Cole.
Paul Stastny scored four goals and 13 points with playoff-bound Winnipeg, after being traded by St. Louis for a first-round pick. The Blues, by
comparison, closed 10-7-2 and missed the playoffs with a season-ending loss to
Colorado. And don’t forget Patrick Maroon, who had three goals and 10 points in
17 games for New Jersey, which acquired him from Edmonton.
The Capitals filled secondary defensive needs by adding Michal Kempny and Jakub Jerabek just before the trade deadline.
”We had holes to fill this year and we filled them with guys that aren’t as high-profile, but are just steady, and provided the things we needed for our
team,” Capitals GM Brian MacLellan said.
After appearing in just 31 games in Chicago, Kempny played 22 in Washington while securing a role alongside Norris Trophy-candidate John Carlson.
In Philadelphia
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in place of injured starter Brian Elliott. Elliott returned in time to win the
final two games including a 17-save shutout in a season-ending,
playoff-clinching 5-0 win over the Rangers.
Not all the trades paid off down the stretch.
Rick Nash missed Boston’s final 12 games with an upper body injury after being acquired in a trade with the Rangers.
Tomas Plekanec managed just two assists in 17 games with Toronto after being acquired from Montreal.
Tomas Tatar had four goals and six points in 20 games with Vegas, which landed him in a deal with Detroit.
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AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno, in Washington, and sports writers Josh Dubow, in San Jose, and Teresa M. Walker, in Nashville, contributed to this report.
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More NHL hockey: Joel Bitonio’s sliding only a few feet to his left, but it’s a seismic shift for him – and the Browns.
Less than one week into Cleveland’s training camp, coach Hue Jackson moved Bitonio from left guard to starting left tackle, a spot vacated when 10-time Pro
Bowler Joe Thomas retired in March.
Only days ago, offensive line coach Bob Wylie said switching Bitonio this summer to left tackle was plan ”Z.”
Well, the Browns went through the alphabet in a flash.
”I’m going to put the best five players out there,” Jackson said following Wednesday’s practice. ”We know he’s one of the best left guards in football. He
has the versatility to go out there and play, and me knowing Joel, he’s a team
guy. I had a really good conversation with
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we’re going to do everything we can to continue to address that position.
”Right now, I think he gives us the best chance to go out there and play tackle and solidify the offensive line right now.”
Cleveland’s initial plan was to bring Shon Coleman, who started 16 games at right tackle last season, to the left side. However, the former third-round pick
has struggled so far in camp and Jackson decided he couldn’t wait any longer to
see if Coleman would improve.
Another option was Greg Robinson, a former No. 2 overall draft pick. But he’s out with a concussion and there’s no timetable on when he’ll be back.
So after talking things over with his staff, Jackson approached Bitonio, who told his coach he do whatever was best for the Browns.
”I want to help the team win, and coach Jackson wants to put the best five offensive linemen out on the field,” Bitonio said. ”Right now, he thinks that’s
with me at left tackle. So I’m going to try to be the best left tackle I can be,
and if something happens where I’ve got to go play left guard again, then I’ll
try to be ready to do that as well. It’s just what’s going to help our team win
the most games.”
Bitonio’s spot will be taken by rookie Austin Corbett, who got a brief look at left tackle in camp.
”He’s our next-best guard on our team,” Jackson said.
The 6-foot-4, 315-pound Bitonio has made 47 career NFL starts at left guard since the Browns drafted him in 2014. He played one year of left tackle in
college at Nevada, but Bitonio said the new position is a new world.
And while he’s willing to make the move
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”It is an unknown,” he said. ”You are always scared of the unknown. I don’t know how it is going to go at left tackle. I kind of know how it is going to go
at left guard. I am going to go out there and give it my best shot.”
On the edge, Bitonio will face taller, faster players in single-minded pursuit of the quarterback.
”You are in space a lot more,” Bitonio said. ”It is definitely a different animal, and you are on an island by yourself. Sometimes, the whole line goes
that way and you are stuck there blocking one of the best pass rushers on the
team. It is just a different animal and it is something that I have to learn.
Playing guard, I kind of knew the nuances of the position, and I knew if this
guy does this or this guy does this, you understand what is going to happen. At
tackle, I am still trying to develop that as we go through camp.”
Luckily, or unluckily for Bitonio, he’ll get to practice at his new position against speedy defensive end Myles Garrett, the No. 1 overall pick from last
year.
Jackson was pleased that Bitonio more than held his own against Garrett on Wednesday.
”I did not look over there and see a whiff or a guy just bearing down on the quarterback,” Jackson said. ”I have great confidence in Joel. He is one of the
best players on our football team. He can do it.”
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