NHL Players with much at stake

SI Staff | Oct 2, 2008

NHL Players with much at stake /

NHL Players with much at stake

Simon Gagne

The effects of a series of head injuries produced a virtually lost 2007-08 season for the talented center.. He comes to camp claiming to be fully recovered and ready to contribute, but the gods, like Flyers fans, appear to be taking a wait-and-see approach.

Jose Theodore

In the whirlwind of free agency, he landed Oz-like in Washington after the departure of Cristobal Huet (Chicago) and Olie Kolzig (Tampa Bay). Some argue it will take a miracle for Theodore to show a sustained effort, given that his career has been marked by high highs and low lows. With high expectations in Washington, it could be tough to measure up. Theodore needs to play to a form that won him raves in Montreal and, at least in the latter part of his career, in Colorado to make that happen.

Doug Weight

History and statistics show that Weight should quit. He's bounced all over the map in recent seasons and managed to slide out of both St. Louis and Anaheim last season. Given his outright release by the Ducks, the gods of logic have indicated that Weight simply can't compete at this level any longer, but he'll give it a try on Long Island.

Tim Connolly

In recent years, the injury gods have cursed him with head and leg injuries and he's even battled the curse that befalls most of us mere mortals: weight problems. Still, if Connolly is blessed this time around, he will be the lynchpin of Buffalo's success as their No.1 playmaking center and the key creator on the power play.

Patrice Bergeron

He was run from behind in a game against the Flyers and missed almost the entire regular season with assorted post-concussion problems. No one is certain he can resume his career at the level he was at prior to the injury, but he's in camp to find out.

Darren McCarty

McCarty worked his way back into Detroit's good graces late last season after a recovery from personal issues and bankruptcy. There does not appear to be much left in his tank, but he did get a new one-year contract this week and another chance to make the Wings' loaded roster.

Brendan Shanahan

One of the most complete players the game has ever known and a surefire Hall of Fame inductee has been left at the curb by the New York Rangers. They might still sign him, particularly if they don't sign Mats Sundin, but for now Shanahan sits and waits for a phone call that should have come weeks ago. He's not the player he once was and though he believes last season's disappointments were caused by injuries that have fully healed, it seems no one believes in him any longer.

Martin Gerber and Alex Auld

The Senators will try to cobble a Frankenstein goaltender out of bits of two still-young men who separately once held great promise but can't seem to make the pieces of their game fit anywhere. Sens GM Bryan Murray brought in Auld to provide support for the always fragile Gerber, but Auld has passed around the NHL like a beer ball at a frat party. Perhaps helping each other they can make it, but given the unsettled state of the Senators, one has reason to doubt.

Jeff Finger

The defenseman won a free-agent contract good for $14 million over four years with arguably the worst team in the league. Finger is better than his critics would have you believe. He's rugged in his own zone and has size and a willingness to use it. The problem is that he's in Toronto where expectations are always a multiple of 20 in regards to overall talent. Had he signed in Nashville, Phoenix or with any of a half dozen teams that need a decent hardworking journeyman, no one would have noticed.

Published Oct 2, 2008

SI STAFF