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Penguins Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic Click here to submit your question Friday, August 29, 2003
David Sculley of Sewickley
KOVACEVIC: Your submission kicks off an unusual Q&A, David. I had not planned on doing anything special this week, even after the Hedberg trade. But the outpouring of emotion which flowed into this inbox from the Penguins' fandom was unlike anything since the Q&A's inception with the notable exception of Mario Lemieux's comeback in December 2000.
To accommodate that, I decided this week to triple the number of submissions and, hopefully, get a representative sampling from the large volume which came in for what is now an all-Hedberg edition of the Q&A.
For many of the following, I will offer no response, as none is really sought or even necessary.
Tim Ermlich of Portland, Maine
KOVACEVIC: Hedberg was only here a short period of time, Tim. Even by the increasingly diminished standard of professional sports, two-plus years is not a significant span.
But it goes without question that what endeared Hedberg to Pittsburgh was his playoff performance. Yes, he had many other positives, as you can read in some of the glowing submissions below. But when you strip all that away to its core, it came down to the fact that he was a peak performer in those 2001 playoffs. Pittsburgh fans will love you for life if you succeed in the playoffs, just as Barry Bonds can attest that they will never let you forget it when you fail time and time again with your team depending on you.
Hedberg's time here was marked by the mask, by the energetic and emotional brand of play, even by his warm personality for those fortunate enough to get to know him. But mostly, he will be remembered as someone who won big games against some of the game's best goaltenders in the most trying circumstances imaginable, being just two months removed from never having played in the NHL.
I have been on this Penguins beat since 1997 and have covered many remarkable stories. Nothing approaches what Hedberg achieved that spring and the manner in which he achieved it.
Joshua Banks of Raleigh, N.C.
KOVACEVIC: Craig Patrick's reasoning was that he felt he was not going to sign Hedberg after the season and, thus, was going to lose him for nothing more than a compensatory pick. Because those picks are determined by salary status and because Hedberg is actually below the league average, it is likely that the pick would have been a late one. As a result, Patrick opted for the second-rounder while it was on the table.
(It would be a cheap shot on my part to list the Penguins' illustrious history of discovering gold in the second round of the draft, of course, so I will take the high road and pass.)
I believe that you are correct to be deeply concerned about the ramifications of the timing of this trade, Joshua. Caron is flying solo now, and he is doing so with all of seven NHL victories under his belt. Aubin has 56 victories, but he has been dumped on so much by this organization it is a wonder he does not do Richard Lewis impersonations. Asking him to come in and support someone in Caron who -- very indirectly -- was responsible for having him banished to the minors last year is a bit of a leap in faith, I would project.
And never mind how all of this will affect the organization's crown jewel of prospects, Marc-Andre Fleury. Will he really be better served to be playing in Pittsburgh without a veteran to support him? Next season or whenever he makes the team, he is going to need someone who not only has the experience and mind-set to be a mentor, but also someone who will not necessarily be looking to shove him down a flight of steps when walking behind him. This is not to suggest anything nefarious about Caron, naturally, but Caron is at the stage of his career where he feels the urgency to become a No. 1 in the NHL, not a backup. And that is precisely how he should feel, coming off a year in which he made the NHL's All-Rookie team. He has every right to want see himself succeed, even if Fleury fails.
I wrote many times before that Hedberg would be the perfect choice to usher in the Fleury era. Far more important, Hedberg himself endorsed the idea publicly in the week following the Fleury draft.
I believe that it will hurt the Penguins in the short and long terms to not have extended Hedberg's contract here.
Brian "Mac" Beggs of Oakland, Pittsburgh
KOVACEVIC: The Canucks were offering no better than a third-round pick for several weeks before Brian Burke decided Hedberg was the goaltender he had been seeking, and he met Patrick's demand for a second-rounder.
This aspect of the trade is the only one with which I do not have a problem. A GMs hands most often are tied when trying to move a player on the verge of unrestricted free agency. Because of that, I have a hard time envisioning that Patrick's offers from other teams -- be they for picks or players -- were any better than this.
Nate Wygonik of Kittanning
Tom Roehl of Johnstown, N.Y.
KOVACEVIC: The Penguins surely will suffer in the short term as the result of this trade, Tom. Goaltender was the one position at which they fully resembled an NHL team, and it did not hurt that this is the game's most important position. But they turned what had to be considered, at the very least, a sound spot on the depth chart into a very large question mark.
I wrote last week in this space that I believed the Penguins will not stink in 2003-04. Now, because of the uncertainty in goal, I am very much uncertain about that statement.
Dave Annal of Pine Township
KOVACEVIC: For those who are new around here, Dave is the sign guy in the F balcony.
Dave McFadden of Shadyside, Pittsburgh
KOVACEVIC: Force? Well, only if Fleury is the only competent goaltender in camp, Dave.
One of the many commodities Hedberg would have given the team is security coming out of camp. Even if Hedberg had struggled immensely in camp, for instance, he still would have had his track record to make you believe he could snap out of it in time for the real games. Those in this camp will not have that. If Caron struggles, obviously, he still will make the team. But will he have the confidence needed to snap out of it? And what of Aubin? If he struggles, he could go right back to that seriously dark place he had dug himself right before that demotion in February.
That could, as you state, put the pressure on the team to sign Fleury right away, if only to help the team.
One would hope, though, that a more intelligent approach could be taken. The Penguins' entire focus regarding Fleury has to be on Fleury and not at all on the team.
Try this on for criteria: If Fleury comes in and shines, shows exemplary cool and confidence, does not give the slightest indication that he is in over his head, he should make the team. But, if Fleury comes in and is pretty much average but still the best of a poor-performing lot, he should go back to juniors.
Michael Litzenberger of Blandon, Pa.
KOVACEVIC: I missed the part where Cechmanek was a better goaltender in games that mattered, Michael. You might want to check with the Flyers about that one.
Gregg Petruzzelli of Boston
KOVACEVIC: It could be worse, Gregg. You could be a fan of a team which holds its customer base in such low regard that it does not feel it necessary to tell the truth and acknowledging a rebuilding plan. Even when trading away one of the National League's premier players for three prospects.
Kent Hayden of Toronto
Chris Green of Harrisburg
John Anders of Wexford
KOVACEVIC: Like Jose Guillen? Aramis Ramirez? Good point. Those two might well blossom elsewhere, as Guillen appears to have done this summer. But there is no question the local baseball team diminished potential returns on both players -- and others -- by rushing them to the bigs.
Ron Saxton of Dover, Ohio
Ray Caliendo of McCandless
KOVACEVIC: At least one of us media types is not pleased at all with this trade for precisely the reason you mentioned, Ray, and I have no trouble confessing that to you. There are players and coaches who can make the job difficult, and then there is Hedberg at the utmost positive extreme of that equation. From his very first morning skate in Sunrise, he was cordial, thoughtful in his responses, giving of his time in dealing with the question-askers, even those who did not cover the team on a regular basis.
On top of that, I cannot state to you in strong enough terms the quality of this person's character. It is very easy in the increasingly cynical world of professional sports to roll your eyes when you hear about so-and-so being a swell guy. I know I started to get real queasy this summer upon repeatedly hearing what a wonderful human being Kevin Young was, even as he was trashing the Pirates' fan base and embarrassing the employer who was giving him $6 million to be a subpar baseball player.
But with Hedberg, all of the cliches apply, and then some.
Alex Reid of Bellefonte, Pa.
Zac Balega of Derry
KOVACEVIC: Well, Zac, it opens yet another door for Aubin, perhaps the last one for him in the NHL. He is 26 now and can no longer really be considered prospect age. He needs to carve his niche here and now, or he could be permanently branded a minor-leaguer.
The chance is there, to be sure. There is a spot available. And, if you discount the chance that Fleury will make it because of the extraordinary circumstances involved in having an 18-year-old goaltender, that means all Aubin has to do is beat out Martin Brochu, who never has come close to succeeding in the NHL and barely played last year while in Russia, and Andy Chiodo, a seventh-round pick in June whose highest level of hockey was the OHL.
If Aubin cannot beat out those players, his chance obviously will have been squandered, perhaps for good. On the other hand, if he shows that he can do the job, if he is supportive of Caron, he would greatly enhance his odds at long-term NHL employment, even if that is not in Pittsburgh.
Dawn Petraitis of Bath, Pa.
John Shen of Cleveland
Chris Wilson of Columbus, Ohio
KOVACEVIC: Yes, Chris, that assessment was hardly deserved or justified. As you point out, even Hedberg's worst critic would never suggest that a player who was demoted to the minors, cleared waivers and then was publicly criticized by the GM had a better year than the goaltender who was the starter most of the season.
Kymberly Bartlo of Pacifica, Calif.
Marlena Keene of Imperial
Tony Puglia of Port Vue
Chuck Schneider of Greenfield, Pittsburgh
KOVACEVIC: Not with the Penguins, Chuck. And I do not say that in a cynical way. It is just how they do business. Patrick is responsible for the hockey operations, and Ken Sawyer is responsible for the business operations.
Do not think that the people on the business end of the Penguins are not aware of how much the loss of Hedberg will hurt. When formulating in-game entertainment strategies earlier this summer, team officials were discussing ways to get the crowd a little louder, a little more involved in the game. And the one example which was given time and again were those silly moose antlers handed out in the 2001 playoffs and, of course, the constant "Moose" chants which accompanied Hedberg saves. Even casual fans or first-timers would get involved in that.
Such adulation takes time to build as well as the right person to be the target of affection, and it could be a while before the Penguins have another element like that for their home crowds.
J.P. Perrine of Reading
KOVACEVIC: If the Caron contract turns out to be a mistake, J.P, it will be a costly one. Literally. And that is because, as you mention, the Penguins not only would have to eat the money Caron is due in guaranteed salary for four years ($3.2 million) but also invest in a veteran backup for Fleury.
To be sure, the team showed a tremendous amount of faith in Caron.
Michael Finley of Greensburg
KOVACEVIC: Unquestionably, he can and should steal Cloutier's job, Michael. When a goaltender has been abused as badly as Cloutier has the past two years in Vancouver, especially by the public and the fans at GM Place, his confidence has to be shaken big-time. Just as important, his teammates' confidence in him has to be shaken.
Picture this: Even if Cloutier were to win 40 games in the regular season and lock up the Vezina Trophy, he would still enter the playoffs in the same fashion as before, with no one believing that he can win the big one. That is a very difficult hurdle to overcome.
Brian Burke has been stubbornly defending Cloutier all summer, insisting that he is the guy to take the Canucks to the next level. He was saying much of the same Monday night after acquiring Hedberg, telling reporters that Hedberg was brought in to be a back up and not once mentioning Hedberg's playoff experience in Pittsburgh.
This smacks more of self-absorbed denial than it does a prudent course of action for the betterment of the team. The Canucks are not terribly deep up front beyond their fabulous first line, but they are good enough to win in the playoffs. The defense is good enough, too. But it is the goaltending that has been the weakness, and Burke has been so busy trying to reject the idea that he made a mistake in investing in Cloutier as his No. 1 that it is keeping a contending team from doing what it should in the postseason.
All that said, you can bet that Marc Crawford is going to go with the goaltender he feels will give him the best shot in the most important games, someone who will raise his level of play in big games rather than wilt. You can be certain that Crawford, Burke and everyone else in the hockey world still has a fresh memory of how Hedberg responded to big games, including a Game 7 overtime with a living legend at the other end of the ice.
Bill Rote of Springfield, Va.
KOVACEVIC: Suffice it to say that, according to Hedberg, he never was approached about an extension of any kind.
Brian Leet of Dormont
KOVACEVIC: I cannot, Brian, but I really only consider myself to have begun intensely following the Penguins in 1983, so I will ask those who have been around longer. That includes the readership, of course. Anyone with ideas can feel free to pass them along.
Regarding your first point: Yes, the timing surprised me. As noted in the article you mention, I believed the Penguins had much to gain by keeping Hedberg to be Caron's parachute, even if for just part of the season.
Bridget Croyle of Hamilton, Ontario
Tim Crawford of Etna
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Q: Hi, Dejan. I understand the reasons for trading Johan Hedberg, and it's probably a decent move for the organization in its rebuilding mode. But I'm still heartbroken to see the Moose leave the Igloo. For some reason, this hurts more than the Alexei Kovalev deal or any of the others. I hope Hedberg knows that everyone in Pittsburgh will remember his incredible efforts for the team and that he'll be welcomed back in Pittsburgh as warmly as Ron Francis always is.
