Hurricanes Head Coach and GM Rich Preston and newly acquired forward Josh Derko met the Lethbridge spots media to talk about Monday's trade which sent Jay Merkley to Swift Current in exchange for Jay Merkley and a 3rd Bantam pick in 2014.
Rich Preston:
Preston on Trade by CJOC News
Josh Derko:
Derko Speaks by CJOC News
Check out Shawn Mullin's blog on the right side to listen to his chat with Jay Merkley.
Thanks,
Pat
The views expressed on this blog are those of the moderator and contributors and are not endorsed by 94.1 CJOC or the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
I had some question for Rich. I'd would've liked to ask him:
ReplyDelete1) You say that this is a good trade for "our" hockey club this year and next, but how do you know Derko will play for the Canes next year?
2) If you think Reid Duke needs more ice time, do you think that Merkley could've used more ice time? Because he's certainly going to get more ice time in Swift.
3) Do you think you could've traded for a player in the same mold as Derko earlier in the year and if so, do you think you could've acquired that player for a lot less than a highly touted 17 year old?
4) Do you think that trading 17 year old prospects during a year when the team is still in its development stage (ie. a serious run in the playoffs is still at least 1 year away) is a good idea?
Thanks for posting these interviews Pat.
Darren
Then ask him!
ReplyDeleteDarren did you ever think that RP is doing Merkly a favour by trading hi. Merkly is a natural centerman. He was not going to to become either the first or second line centre and remove either Ramsay or Maxwell. After 1.5 years he has shown his level of compete as well. This move will help both teams to fill their needs. Swift needed more right hand shooters. Canes more toughness. You cannot uses stats to compare Derko and Merkly they are two different players and styles.
ReplyDeleteAnd did you ever think that RP drafted a player he should NEVER have drafted and now he's traded him for a player that he really doesn't know how long he will play for the Canes (even though he keeps stating that he will be here this year and next.....there's absolutely no guarantee....see Spencer Galbraith....that he will be here next year). I can think of about a half-dozen more players who's compete level needs a wake up call, but hey, let's deal Jay because he is our most visible draft pick that I (RP) don't like. But thanks for the effort Rich! I'm sure Jay and his family appreciated the lack of opportunity you are about to afford Duke.
ReplyDeleteListening to the Merkley interview should've told you the difference between the coaching in Swift and RP. One coach will give his more skilled players more ice time while the other rolls four lines regardless of the night/game and situation.
All there is to do now is wait and see how Derko fits in to the lineup.....whenever that may be!
Darren
@ Darren – So where is Swift in their development and standing? They are an veteran squad fighting for 8th place and a team who gave up 7 of a possible 8 points to Rich and his young squad. So what is the difference between Swift Currents coach and ours? They don’t run 4 lines and lose? If he was that good you would think he would have gone 500 or better against the Canes at min? Who should have been taken off the top two lines so Merkley could be that top one or two center? Don’t you think it is better to run 4 lines to try and develop all our players? Should we have traded Russ instead? Or are you saying no trades where needed and that we didn’t need size and strength upfront because Hood is or isn’t doing it? What is Derko worth at this time of the season for a team like us that is currently in a playoff spot? Just clarify your position. HLR
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I don't understand the some of the Hurricanes fans.
ReplyDelete1. Fans seem to forget that every player develops at a different rate. A great player at 14 is not always a greater player at 17. An average player at 14 sometimes becomes a sensation at 17. Because Merkley was selected in the first round does not in any way mean that RP chose wrong. It means at the time it was felt that Merkley was the best fit for the future of this team. It didn't happen. Now he is in SC where he will hopefully fit better and excel. There is no fault in that. It is just how things work out. I hope Merkley will be that great player there.
2. The fans want more size up front, get it and still complain. I understand that some feel Derko didn't offer enough return for someone the "caliber" of Merkley but please remember that these are two entirely different young men who will fill entirely different roles on this team. Just a thought but in the same way that Merkley may flourish in SC, Derko may flourish here. The least we can do is quit putting the kid down and give him a chance. He is a Hurricane now and any real fans will cheer him on like they do all the players on the team.
3. Over the last few seasons, some fans complained that the fourth line wasn't getting enough ice time and therefore would never develop. This season RP has been rolling four lines and for the most part no one complained but rather appreciated the fact. Now all of a sudden rolling four lines is a bad thing because it reduces the ice time of some of the players (Merkley included). Do I feel that all players should play in all situations? Absolutely not. But if we can attempt to develop all players in special teams it can only help this group. I would rather have a team of players who are really good in all situations instead of a small group of players who are really great in those same situations. It is what we call a "well-rounded hockey club".
-cc
Darren is right on. Merkley never really had the chance here. He was drafted as a skilled top 6 player and never played on the top 2 lines. He is not an aggresive player but never was and that should have been understood when drafted. Somehow he managed 26 goals playing 3rd and 4th line with minmial pp. I'm sure he wanted to play here but that was not his call. I know he was very popular in the dressing room and seems like a quality kid. Come on SC or Lethbridge get real. Most if not all of his goals came 5 on 5. Im not sure how he will do but he was never given the chance here and at 17 thats when most kids come into the league....Interesting thing is that RP favorites Yack and Mackecnie did not play in the league until 17 and their numbers were no better and their plus minus was worse at the same age. Merkley was a plus. Its good to analize this and someone should be responsible however enouph is enouph. Time to move on and let both kids try to help thier teams. In the end everything will be fine and their is no question Derko will help the Canes.
ReplyDeleteRich rolls 3 lines not 4. Duke
ReplyDeleteWong and Remi sometimes see 4-5 shifts a game. He only uses the top two lines on pp and its one of the most pathetic pp in the league. Merkley should of been on every pp assuming the scouts know what they are doing. Top 3 highest ever...those were the canes word. He needed ice time and to play with the best player. Get real. The pp does not work. Having said this whats done is done. Welcome Derko. He will help the Canes. Good luck to Jay Merkley he is a young kid and I hope he finds his opportunity in Swift Current. 363
GO CANES GO, are the fans in lethbridge just abunch of grouchy,pessimistic and unhappy people.We have not even witnessed one game yet with the new trades and people already have our team doomed.You cant win if you try.
ReplyDeleteAs of right now, I think this deal STINKS BAD for the Canes, and that the Broncos are going to be the clear benefactor of an emotional and brash GM move.
ReplyDeleteI am hopeful that by the end of next year (if not much sooner) I will remember to look back at this trade and see how WRONG I was to think it was a horrible trade, and how SMART a hockey genius RP was to make it!
I can hardly wait to confirm that I know absolutely NOTHING about what makes a good trade and team, and I can hardly wait to learn how wise RP was, then I can stop complaining about how incompetent I think he is from that point on... Richie.
I think Derko could be a great fit for this team and certainly helps fill a role that the Canes need help with. The issue in my opinion is that we overpaid to get Derko. Regardless of that I wish Derko all the success and will cheer him on loudly. The Simpson trade on the other hand looks like a good one, the only issue that brings is who gets the ice time on the back end but that's not a bad problem to have. Hopefully it motivates the D men to play even harder.
ReplyDeleteNN
THANK YOU NN!! Overpaid is an understatement! We could've had a player of Derko's calibre for MUCH less in October.
ReplyDeleteBut whatever. Like I said, I'm just going to sit back and see how this turns out in the long run.
Darren
Sometimes if you are about to lose a "valuable" asset you are wise to trade it for almost anything, so as to at least get something for it. Then what looks like a bad deal, may in fact be literally getting something for nothing. If you are losing the asset in the first place out of neglect or misuse then the loss is still your fault, but at least you don't come away empty handed. Or the expected loss may not be your fault. Stuff happens. Kids grow up, they change, they get discouraged, they realize it's just hockey, they notice that they aren't on the path to wealth and fame that they started out on, they have a girl friend somewhere else. Whatever. The fact is that nobody tells the truth (or at least the whole truth) in the public disclosure of these sorts of event. Everyone just says "the right thing". So those of us who judge the coach or the player are really playing without a full deck. We are stupid to think we can fairly judge these events.
ReplyDeleteThe trade and the acrimony does remind me that adults are cruel and thoughtless to use the agonies of adolescents and the randomness of the bouncing puck over rough ice, the violence of emotion, the passion of competition and the inevitability of injury, as some form of entertainment and emotional projection. Sometimes I'm ashamed to be a fan. If you never feel that shame you haven't thought about it deeply.
My brain hurts reading the last paragraph. Just remember these adolescents choose to play in a league where people pay to watch them so they will be heavily covered and criticized. It is their choice. There are many other options to play hockey where the scrutiny is much less.
ReplyDeletePhotosynthesis, there thats the biggest smartest word I could come up with.
Thank you for your response "photosynthesis". I have thought about the notion that these youths have "chosen" to be the sometime objects of our entertainment, complete with our apparent fickle and fanatical criticism, admiration, disdain, analysis, accolades, acceptance and rejection that come with it. I have my doubts about the value of the choices made by people of any age, but even the law recognizes that we do not hold children to certain promises, or even allow them to make them in a binding way. Childhood consent has its very real limitations. Certainly I would feel unjustified to be critical of the performance of 16 year old simply on the basis that I had surmised that he had "chosen" to be the willful object of my judgment. Does he really have the tools to understand the full implications of his choice? Even if he has made the choice in full freewill way does that justify me to accept it as a wise and proper choice that frees me up to make unkind critical condemnations of his performance? Or, perhaps more subtly (and equally cruel) to laud his performances in a way that may delude him into thinking that his skill is greater than it is, or that his performance will bring him continuation approbation and happiness in a life that only values his on-ice skill for a tithe of the normal life span and then casts him off for other pleasures?
ReplyDeleteOf course we need to encourage youth in pursuit of excellence and their dreams, and to cheer good character and traits such as persistence, diligence, skill, dependability, courage, strength and loyalty. But are we truly justified in criticism or even careless lionization of the youthful athlete?
And consider if you will the whole business of being "drafted" or having your rights owned by someone else. How much choice does the traded player have? We may justify our appreciation and even enjoyment of the system by telling ourselves that the boys chose to do it and that they can back out at any time. But what manner of criticism do they receive when they do? And how fully and carefully has it been ingrained in them that this may be hard but it's worth it and they should be ashamed to even consider quitting?
No I can't find license for myself in the supposed choices of a 16 year old. If I am to participate as a fan or critic I have to be sure that my participation is fully informed, fair and kind. And that's very very difficult to do when the boy, the coach, and others basically conspire just to tell me what they know I want to hear.
I have "chosen" to ignore long winded rants in the future.
ReplyDelete