Which Young Stars Will Shine in Playoffs
in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs. From Jose Theodore restoring respectability
in Montreal almost single-handedly to Colorado’s 98-point season sans Peter
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Forsberg, the 2002 postseason is awash with tales to warm the cockles of our hearts.
But as history tells us, a lot of the stories that make up Stanley Cup lore
usually emerge from the last place you would expect to find them.
Like from the swamps of New Jersey, which amazingly became the epicenter of
hockey during the spring of 1988 after a bunch of bearded and baby-faced Devils
like Brendan Shanahan came one win away from the Stanley Cup Finals in just
their first year of playoff hockey.
Or the city of Peterborough, Ontario, which happens to be the birthplace of
John Druce. Remember him? The former Pete who in 1990 scored only eight goals
in the regular season but finished with a mind-numbing 14 goals, including eight
power-play and four game-winning tallies, in 15 playoffs contests to lead Washington
to their first-ever conference final.
And who could forget the overtime heroics of a role player named John Leclair,
who decided he was going to take full advantage of the Hollywood spotlight by
beating the Kings with back-to-back OT winners in Game’s 3 and 4 to propel
the Canadiens to the 1993 Stanley Cup.
If you see a pattern developing, you’re one smart cookie. All of the aforementioned
players were very young and rather inexperienced when they got their first taste
of postseason success. Alexei Kovalev, for example, was nothing more than an
enigma to the entire hockey world after two sluggish and inconsistent regular-season
performances. It was during the Rangers’ magical Cup run in 1994, however,
when the then 21-year-old Kovalev sizzled, posting 9-12-21 totals in 23 games,
including some of the flashiest goals in NHL playoff history.
So which NHL youngster will be this year’s Leclair or Kovalev? Is today’s
modern-day NHL coach brave enough to form a “Kid Line” like former
Edmonton bench boss John Muckler did in 1990 with the unproven trio of Adam
Graves, Joe Murphy and Martin Gelinas?
With all the emphasis today being placed on leadership and playoff experience,
the answer is probably not. In any event, listed below are a few players to
keep an eye on over the next two months:
PAVEL DATSYUK (C - Detroit) -- Although he’s far from being considered
Scotty Bowman’s go-to guy, the 23-year-old rookie possesses tremendous
playmaking abilities and performed well beyond expectations during the regular
season (69-11-23-34). Look for some production out of Datsyuk in the first round,
as Vancouver will be paying most of its attention towards Detroit’s top
two lines.
RADIM VRBATA (LW - Colorado) -- Vrbata lived up to the hype in his first
pro season by finishing fourth among NHL rookies in goals (18) and seventh in
points (29) in only 51 games. Unearthed by Colorado in the 10th round in 1999,
Vrbata’s production not only helped the Av’s earn their eighth straight
division title in spite of subpar seasons from Chris Drury, Milan Hejduk and
Alex Tanguay, but he also solidified a spot on the postseason roster. Although
his two-way play is solid, it’s his creativity with the puck that makes
him dangerous.
NICK BOYNTON (D - Boston) -- One of only three NHL newcomers to play
in at least 80 games, Boynton finished tied for second among rookie defensemen
in scoring (80-4-14-18), and finished first in plus/minus (plus-18) and shots
(136). The 23-year-old saw his ice time skyrocket after Kyle McLaren was injured
and now sees a regular shift with the Bruins’ second power-play unit. He
also isn’t shy to throw the puck at the net, which remarkably is how a
lot of playoff goals are usually scored.
BRIAN GIONTA (RW - New Jersey) -- It kind of makes you wonder why it
took the Devils so long to call up this 5’6 powder keg from Albany. The
former Boston College star’s offensive numbers were decent (33-4-7-11)
in his NHL debut, but his plus-10 rating and tenacious play made him a fan favorite
in New Jersey. Although his ice time may decrease towards the end of close games,
never take your eyes off of a guy who last season set an NCAA record with five
goals in one period.
ERIK COLE (LW - Carolina) -- Counting out the Hurricanes in the post
season has almost become as cliché as doing the same during the regular
season. But the team formerly known as the Hartford Whalers made the playoffs
for the second straight year for the first time since the days of Yvon Corriveau.
Cole, 23, had a lot to do with that. By posting a 16-24-40 aggregate -- fourth
among NHL rookies in scoring -- the hulking winger gave the ‘Canes a little
bit more depth, which helped tremendously down the stretch as they fended off
Washington for the division title. His 6’3, 200-pound frame is built for
NHL playoff hockey.
MARK BELL (LW - Chicago) -- This 1998 first-rounder quickly became a
fan favorite in Chicago after a fast start. Although the rugged, highly-skilled
winger saw his offensive production dip as the Hawks struggled during the second
half of the season, Bell still ranked high among NHL rookies in goals (12),
assists (16), points (28) and penalty minutes (124). The 21-year-old Bell, along
with fellow Hawks youngster Kyle Calder, had a lot to do with Chicago’s
41-27-13-1 season, which enabled them to qualify for the playoffs for the first
time since 1997. His improved play in his own end is the main reason why coach
Brian Sutter dressed him for 79 games during the regular season.