In The Corners – Weekend games; DeSerres Trade
Monday, October 19, 2009
A mixed bag weekend for the T-Birds as they split a pair of games. I thought the team was okay for their effort on the road in Everett Friday. Again, I wasn’t overly concerned with the number of shots given up because the great majority were coming from the perimeter but there were just too few shots taken by the T- Birds at the other end. I’d guess Calvin Pickard would like to have another chance on Everett’s second goal, the eventual game winner, as he had the puck on his pads but couldn’t control the rebound. Also I’m going to have to see the video review of the hit that knocked down Jonathan Parker and indirectly led to Everett’s third goal late in the contest. It looked like Everett’s Radko Gudas may have led with the forearm or elbow but no penalty was called. The league, of course, has the ability to review the incident on video under supplemental discipline and if there was an elbow or forearm to the head they can hand down a suspension.
Saturday night at ShoWare Center the Thunderbirds hosted the Prince George Cougars. It was one of those games on the schedule you look at and think this is a good opportunity for a win. Then you get to the rink and find out the Cougars are minus seven players including top prospect Brett Connolly, along with their best defenseman Dallas Jackson, and you actually get worried because now all the pressure is on the T-Birds. I mean, PG is supposed to lose in that situation, right? So then, how does this young Seattle team respond to an opponent everyone expects them to beat? Very well, thank you. They went out and took care of business. I don’t think the game was as close as the final score although you have to respect the Prince George effort. Especially that of goalie James Priestner who made enough saves to keep his team in the game. The T-Birds ended the night with a season high 40 shots on goal and Priestner did well to keep 36 of them out of the back of his net. How banged up were the Cougars? Well, they left five players back in Prince George to nurse injuries then lost two more to injury or illness the night before in Vancouver. When PG broadcaster Ron St. Clair stopped by my radio booth to inform me of their scratches, I swear he was wearing a white lab coat with a stethoscope and instead of a roster sheet he had a hospital chart.
It was a nice natural hat trick by Charles Wells. It appears he’s fully back from the severe knee injury he suffered two seasons ago. Yes, he was technically healthy once he got back in the lineup last season but the type of knee injury he suffered is one that really takes about a season and a half to come back from. And Wellsy, he of the one word answers in the past, thanks for the well thought out, complete sentence answers in the post game interview. It must be the mustache! Meanwhile the early returns on the performances of newcomers Mikhail Sentyurin and Brendan Rouse are positive. Sentyurin, in just a short week of practice showed an ability to play both ends of the ice, a willingness to put the puck on net and displayed a bit of an edge to his game as well. Rouse meanwhile, had no practice time with his new teammates but was solid Saturday against Prince George and did a tremendous job of winning offensive zone face offs. Rouse seemed genuinely happy to be here, knowing he’ll get more ice time than he was getting in Brandon and he’s much closer to his Langley, BC, home.
Rouse of course came to the ‘Birds via trade. He was acquired from Brandon in the deal that sent goalie Jacob DeSerres to the Wheat Kings. What a great situation for Jake. He needed to be traded so he could get more playing time than he was getting here behind Calvin Pickard and he ends up with the one team guaranteed a spot in the Memorial Cup. I’m guessing he’ll be in goal for the Wheaties when they make their appearance Friday at the ShoWare Center. But it’s possible he could start for Brandon in Kennewick Wednesday against Tri-City and that might alter the situation. It would be nice though to see him get one final start at the ShoWare Center, even if it is in the uniform of the opposition.
I was asked by one long time, loyal T-Birds fan (thanks for the question Mike) if I felt the T-Birds got enough in the trade that sent DeSerres east. It is hard to evaluate trades until the WHL playing careers of all players involved are over but my initial reaction would be, yes, they did.
My guess is General Manager Russ Farwell did his best to get as much in return for DeSerres as possible but in the end you are still dealing a back up goaltender (even though he would start for many other teams in this league) who is only going to participate in 35-50 percent of your games for an every game player. DeSerres is going to be with Brandon for, at most, two seasons, but realistically probably just one. Both he and Brandon’s other goalie, Andrew Hayes, are 19-year-olds so only one of them will be back next season and Jake is a drafted player who could sign and be playing pro next year. Rouse meanwhile is two years younger and could potentially be with the T-Birds for four seasons and dress in over 250 games for Seattle. Just compare two of the most recent trades Farwell has made; a back up goalie (DeSerres) nets one everyday player while the trade of an everyday player, Jeremy Boyer, gets you a 15-year-old list player and a future third round bantam pick from Saskatoon. In my estimation that seems about right and that’s why I believe the T-Birds got enough back in the DeSerres deal. Did they try and get more? I’m sure they did. In fact I’d be shocked if Russ didn’t ask for two players or a player and a draft pick but in the end this is a very good trade for both sides.
Of course after Friday’s game the T-Birds leave for six straight on the road against the Central Division beginning with a matinee affair Sunday in Calgary. As I did last year I’ll try to update the blog each day of the trip, complete with pictures, as the team navigates through Alberta…just don’t expect any updates on assistant coach Turner Stevenson’s entombed phone, though I got to believe a year later, it’s still trapped inside the wall of the bus.
