In fact, Wilson thought so highly of White's defensive play in the preseason that as soon as the regular season rolled around, he was benched for 10 games or so. And when the time came to finally give White the chance to redeem himself-he was inserted in the lineup as a forward and not a defenceman. Of course, hockey is a physical sport, and by November injuries on the Leafs blue line began to mount. 2 key injuries combined with the trade of Carlo Colaiacovo meant that the once crowded Maple Leafs defence corps was in shambles. This lack of personnel forced Wilson to place Ian White back on defence-and the Leafs havent looked back since.
(Leafs defenceman Ian White-seen here pre-mustache) So here is the dilemma for the Leafs: If Tomas Kaberle is to be traded by the March trade deadline (as most analysts believe he will) who do the Leafs use to replace him as their offensive specialist on the blue line? In my opinion, Ian White is looking like the best candidate so far. His play has surged while the Leafs other young puck moving d-man (Anton Stralman) has been demoted to the minors.
Ian White has all the right tools to fill this void in the Leafs lineup. Not only can he move the puck up the ice very well, but he has a great shot to round out his offensive skills. (as his 5 goals would suggest) He has seen more time on the powerplay recently as well-which leads me to beleive Wilson is grooming his as the next powerplay quarterback! Not only does he have the offensive skills to take on this role, but his fast-improving defensive play means he could bring more to the table when he hits his prime than Tomas Kaberle can right now. He isnt a big guy, but he has played a noticeably physical game and has shown hes not afraid to use his body on the play-something Kaberle does not do very often, if at all. His versatility is also a HUGE plus. Teams dont often find a player who can play well as both a forward and a defenceman. That versatility is rather handy when the roster becomes depleted with injuries.
I think all that is needed for Ian White to really break through is to bulk up a bit in the offseason, and keep improving his defensive play under Ron Wilson. His offensive skills are already there though, but I would expect those to get even better as well. White deserves all the credit in the world for working so hard to prove that he belongs on the Toronto Maple Leafs and show his doubters (including me) that they were wrong. If Tomas Kaberle is in fact dealt to another team, Ian White is the man I see stepping in to fill his shoes.
Its truly amazing what growing a mustache can do for some players.
Considering that Burke has guaranteed that he won't trade Kabby or Kubina unless they ask, White might end up the guy packing his bags at the end of the day.
ReplyDeleteIt's also worth noting that White put up 7 points in his first 8 games (many of which came as a forward, where I think his offensive skills are more suitable), and now has just 2 in his last 13.
We have a lot of puck movers on the lineup, the only guys on the team I can't see in offensive roles are Schenn and Frogren. I remain skeptical of White, but it won't matter too much at the deadline who gets moved, there's plenty of redundancy in the system.
Hey Koopa Kid. Thanks for dropping by!
ReplyDeleteBurke has not guaranteed he wont trade Kaberle or Kubina-he has only said he wont ask them to waive their no trade clauses. Kaberles NTC expires this summer if the Leafs dont make the playoffs. Once it expires-Burke no longer has to ask him to waive it.
If he isnt traded by the deadline, it is a very real possibility that Kaberle could be moved this summer.
After Kaberle and Kubina, White and Stralman are the only promising puck movers on the blue line. Finger, Frogren, Schenn, and Sifers are all defensive guys. Van Ryn is always hurt. I can easily see White as part of this teams future. He has picked up his play offensively and defensively. Stralman Im not so sure of.
Ah, but there's the rub, Finger was given a lot of power play time by the Avs and his goals/shooting percentage compare favourably to Kubina's last season. He's also shown decent offensive instinct when it comes to following up on rushes, and he makes a good first pass. Just because we haven't been playing him much in an offensive role doesn't mean that versatility is gone.
ReplyDeleteVan Ryn may well indeed be the next Colaiacovo, but whenever he's healthy he will be a big part of our power play.
Good point about the offseason, although it's worth noting Kubby and Kabby only lose their NTCs if the Leafs don't make the playoffs ;).
In all seriousness though, I think it's obvious from Fletcher's situation last summer that the summer trade market ain't what it used to be. Most teams that can be considered 'contenders' are already close to the cap and would prefer to sign UFA's over giving up assets for players, which is what the summer's all about. I'm not saying that there isn't a market, but it's definitely more difficult and Burke might not like the returns he'd get, much like last summer.
Well I certainly hope that Van Ryn isnt the next Colaiacovo. He does semm to be having a run of bad luck with injuries though. Last year it was his wrist, and this year its concussions. I hope he can stay off the IR for awhile when he does come back.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the no trade clauses go though, I will concede its not neccessarily a given they will expire.
The Leafs have been playing decent hockey lately, and with Pogge being called up the goaltending situation may very well improve. Im trying to reserve my optimism though!
Hey Drake. I really hope they don't trade Kaberle. I also really like White, but I think he makes a better forward then a defenceman.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Van Ryn's injuries are a direct result of that bastard Kostopoulos' hit from behind.
Cheers, eh.
Hey General!
ReplyDeleteI ws just pointing out that if Kaberle is in fact traded, it might not be as difficult to develop a repacement as most would think.
Ian White is good at forward I agree-but he has also been a very good defenceman this year as well. His play in the defensive zone has made remarkable improvements, and he seems to have what it takes to be a full time d-man also.
That just points to his versatility and value as a player! That versatility will most likely land him the oppurtunity for a bigger role on this team.
As for Van Ryn, his injuries issues havent all been due to Kostopoulos. (though I still hate that bastard!) His latest came at the hands of Lucic in Boston, and last year he had issues with his wrist. Hes just had a string of bad luck recently, and I really hope he can stay off the IR when he does get back.