Don't panic -- Aucoin and Holik are not irreplaceable
Aug 02, 2005
FLASH! BREAKING NEWS!!
The world did not end with the departure of Adrian Aucoin to Chicago nor Bobby Holik to Atlanta.
Of course, listening to some Islanders and Devils fans, respectively, hiss and moan over the past 24 hours over the departure of their erstwhile heroes, you might have thought that the Lockout had started all over again.
Ever since the NHL’s Free Agent Frenzy began on Monday, a form of mania has engulfed many fans and some general managers who appear to have needed instant – and perhaps necessary – gratification at the signing table.
On Long Island there has been a misapprehension among some followers of the Nassaumen that Aucoin was a defenseman who simply HAD to be retained by Mike Milbury at any cost.
Yes, the Isles g.m. certainly wanted to keep Double A but not for Adrian’s kind of Au-coin.
In fact Milbury made a perfectly reasonable offer of four years at $13 million.
But the backliner, who kept claiming that he loved the Island, opted for the Blackhawks’ bid of $16 million at four years.
As Milbury told me after his negotiations had broken off, “It’s more than we want to spend on him.”
It’s also more than Aucoin is worth to the Isles, but not to the Blackhawks.
Not having made the playoffs for seemingly a century, Chicago is desperate to get back on track and even more desperate to convince Windy City fans that rookie g.m. Dale Tallon is being pro-active.
In Chicago, Adrian may be worth that kind of coin.
And, no, the Islanders will not crumble without him. Milbury moved quickly and signed Alexei Zhitnik who simply is Aucoin with a Russian name and a better outlet pass.
Giving Zhitnik a four-year deal at $14 million, Milbury not only saved money but instantly filled the Aucoin gap.
“Alexei is a perfect fit for us,” says Milbury. “He’s one of the best two-way defensemen and highly-respected. He’s going to play big minutes for us.”
Zhitnik, who should mesh gears perfectly with fellow countryman Alexei Yashin, had the Isles among his favorite teams for which to play.
“I’m very happy to be an Islander,” he says. And I believe him.
I also believe that, in time, Milbury also will replace forward Dave Scatchard, nabbed by the Bruins for four years at over $2 million per season.
As for Holik, many of us – myself included – believed that Bobby would return to his familiar New Jersey haunts, signing for a reasonable amount with the Devils.
That presumed two things; 1. That Lou Lamoriello wanted Holik back in East Rutherford, and 2. That Bobby – who has made a young fortune in the past few years – would sacrifice bucks for Devils pucks.
Atlanta’s willingness to fork over $12.75 million over three years for a player who – here’s an understatement – was a keen disappointment in New York in his last two playing seasons, indicates that the Thrashers are a lot more desperate than the Devils.
While Milbury’s decision to eschew Aucoin may simply be a function of finances, I suspect that Lamoriello may have shared Glen Sather’s mindset when it came to Holik.
For all his assets, Bobby had become too much of a clubhouse lawyer and too little of a leader since leaving East Rutherford.
It would not surprise me if Lamoriello’s thinking ran something along the lines of not needing another post-game filibusterer in his room when he can employ a younger, more dedicated player at a much lower price. Vic Kozlov could be the new Holik.
After all, the Devils won the 2003 Stanley Cup without Bobby’s bluster and certainly can do it again.
The less said about Holik, the Ranger, the better.
My most vivid memory is a scene after a Blueshirts’ practice. Bobby had delivered some controversial comments about the hockey club – his frankness never could be questioned – and I confronted Sather about it outside the Rangers’ room.
“What can you do about it?” I asked in relation to Holik’s bluster.
Sather allowed that there was precious little he could do and, apparently, Holik knew that and never really became the team player the Rangers had hoped he would be.
Perhaps Bobby will help the Thrashers – and for g.m. Don Waddell’s sake, I hope he does – but both the Rangers and Devils appear much better off without him.
Sather’s most recent additions – forward Martin Straka, goalie Kevin Weekes and defenseman Marek Malik – are solid bricks added to the club’s rebuilding foundation.
Straka will complement fellow Czech countryman Jaromir Jagr and Malik, a large, underrated backliner.
Weekes is a personal favorite of mine, dating back to his days on Long Island.
I consider him eminently capable of taking over the number one slot in goal while helping rookie Henrik Lundqvist learn the netminding ropes.
No, Chicken Little, the sky is not falling on the Rangers, Islanders nor Devils.
Milbury, Sather and Lamoriello are moving in the right direction.
Panic is not – and should not be – in their vocabulary.
Especially not when the orderly retreats of Aucoin and Holik take place to the Midwest and South, respectively.
