A Plan in Case the Rocket Moves: Toronto Looks to Vegas for Inspiration and Asks Itself Some Questions

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
A Plan in Case the Rocket Moves: Toronto Looks to Vegas for Inspiration and Asks Itself Some Questions
Credit: Capture d'écran / YouTube

Recently, Marco Normandin reported that the Laval Rocket had three candidates for the position of assistant coach to Daniel Jacob. The names being mentioned are Alexandre Jacques, Daniel Renaud, and David Urquhart.

Matthew Vachon of Le Nouvelliste not only confirmed that the Cataractes' coach (Renaud) was a candidate but also that the QMJHL club even has a plan in place in case he leaves.

If Renaud is hired by Laval, we can expect Dean Lygitsakos to take his place. He's part of the organization and is the father of the captain, Chad.

This makes us realize that, just as Patrick Roy and Mike Babcock have done in the NHL, Renaud (or anyone else) could leave right before his team's season starts. After all, the Rocket is taking its time before making a hire.

But if Daniel Renaud were to leave, he'd have a good reason to do so.

Taking a Cue from Vegas

In the modern NHL, no-trade clauses are a game-changer. Players negotiate for protections, and they have every right to do so.

But this complicates things for certain markets.

Why am I bringing this up this morning? Because a clip of Jack Eichel resurfaced, and it got me thinking a bit about the power of hockey players—an important topic this summer.

While the Golden Knights are hated by many fans, Eichel said that at least the team wasn't on the league's no-trade list.

I know, I know: Vegas is naturally a more attractive market than others, like Buffalo. But Eichel is right: teams have to build the right way to be successful and attract players.

The Habs aren't on as many lists as they used to be. That's something to keep in mind for those teams that don't want to take a hard look at themselves and can't seem to attract players… even if other factors also come into play.

The Darren Raddysh Case

There's one thing that's flown under the radar in Montreal.

When the NHL released its list of the top 20 defensemen (with Lane Hutson ranked #6), there was one player who wasn't selected by league officials.

We're talking about Darren Raddysh, the Maple Leafs' big defensive acquisition this summer.

Despite his strong season and his big contract, there are at least 20 guys better than him in the league. I agree with that (and so does Sid Seixeiro), but a lot of people in Toronto were complaining.

But let's be honest: the Lightning weren't afraid to let him go to Toronto without doing everything they could to keep him. Why? It's not because he's bad, but because the Leafs won't get their money's worth.

And the league knows that just as well as Julien BriseBois.


In a nutshell

– Nice.

– Read this.

– Good question.

– That's true.

– Wow.

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