Rip The Mesh

Someone being sat as a lesson me thinks;

And other stuff.....................

Remember Jalen Chatfield?

How could we forget, even if the exposure here was only a snapshot of future potential. He was a raw talent and a late-blooming blueliner, who was passed over in the OHL and NHL drafts.

The former Vancouver Canucks defenceman had the size, speed and tenacity to tease of a long-term roster fit for head coach Travis Green. However, Chatfield played just 18 NHL games in the 2020-21 season and chose to sign a one-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes as a Group 6 free agent.

Chatfield, 28, became a steady third-pairing, right-shot defender, and in the past two seasons, the unrestricted free agent turned a modest contract extension into 36 points (14-22). He had a career-high eight goals this season in an impressive alignment with veteran off-season acquisition Dmitry Orlov.

“We both just love the game,” Chatfield told The Hockey News. “We played all year together, and building that chemistry comes naturally. I just know how he’s going to play, what he likes to do, where he likes to try and get the puck, and just reading off of him.

“I think that’s what it is. Just making reads.”

Chatfield is also a bargain blueliner with an expiring two-year, two-way deal that carried a $762,500 US salary cap hit. The Hurricanes could easily extend Chatfield, but they also have UFA defencemen Brady Skjei, Tony DeAngelo and Brett Pesce as signing priorities, or ensure they get soon something significant should somebody bolt to free agency.

The Hurricanes also have 21-year-old prospect defencemen Scott Morrow and Ronan Seeley under contract and maybe one makes the NHL leap. Seeley played 58 AHL games and 11 in the ECHL this season.

Chatfield could be a free-agent play in several ways, especially if the Canucks can’t come to terms with hulking UFA Nikita Zadorov. His intimidating play and playoff presence — eight points (4-4) in 13 games and 45 hits — will attract several suitors. It could turn an expiring $3.75-million cap hit into at least $5 million annually.

And with right-shot UFA Ian Cole also testing the market, there could be at least two holes to fill. Tyler Myers is expected to sign an extension below market value, while the future of restricted free agent Filip Hronek could be somewhat uncertain.

A huge contract demand reportedly set at $8 million annually would dwarf Hronek’s expiring deal at a $4.4 million annual cap hit. He also has arbitration rights and his strong first half of this season in a pairing with Quinn Hughes carries negotiation weight.

Noah Juulsen has a year left on his deal, but the Canucks need to bolster their back end. It must go beyond Guillaume Brisebois, 26, and Christian Wolanin, 29, on the books for another year, what to do with RFA Jett Woo, 23, projecting the progress of Akito Hirose, 25, and developing unsigned Filip Johansson, 24, and Cole McWard, 23.

Chatfield’s union with Orlov proved productive. They thrived in a shutdown role at even strength and dominated possession. Orlov was impressed by Chatfield’s anticipation because they didn’t play like a third pairing. On another club, they’d be a second-pairing fit.

“He’s a good skater,” said Orlov. “Always can recover if something bad happens. He’s quick and plays hard, which is helpful for me. We just try to help each other. Use his strengths. Where to jump into a play or a time to use your instincts.”

That’s what the Canucks were thinking when they signed the 6-foot-1, 188-pound Chatfield to a three-year deal in March of 2017.

The Ypsilanti, Mich. native was the Canucks’ final camp cut in 2018 and re-assigned to the AHL affiliate Utica Comets. A foot injury sidelined him for 27 games, and although signed to a one-year, two-way extension in December of 2020, he didn’t make a NHL regular-season NHL debut until January of 2021.

“It’s just part of life,” Chatfield told this reporter. “Some get the easier path and some take the longer road, and I’ve always been taking the longer one. But it has made me who I am. I went through a lot of adversity in my hockey career and I’ve just stuck with my game plan.”

Whether it’s finding more offence or finding his way, Chatfield never seemed overwhelmed about his journey that got a kick-start with the Detroit-based Compuware Triple-A Under-13 team. In 2017, he captured a Memorial Cup championship with the Windsor Spitfires and former Canucks goalie Mike DiPietro.

The Canucks lost Chris Tanev and Troy Stecher to free agency, and their 2020-21 right-side pecking order was Nate Schmidt and Myers and then a curious combination of Brogan Rafferty, Jordie Benn and Travis Hamonic. Former Canucks general manager Jim Benning, who always expressed potential for any of his acquisitions, got it right when he assessing Chatfield.

“He’s such a competitive guy that he’s going to figure out a way to be a good player in the league. He has worked extremely hard,” said Benning. “He’s kind of a cross between Tanev and Stecher because he takes away time and space and has excellent mobility.

“He can get back and transition the puck up ice fast, and he’s smart defensively. And he can be physical and get in your face.”  the end......

Been a while mm Oilers?

I know I said otherwise, week or so, that we should lock up Lindholm if they do the 7+ however length it was, 7 was it?  Will we still be a tough enough

forward group? I'm looking at our forwards and watching how tough it is to win that cup. Miller should not be the only one or two that play the way that's

necessary to go four rounds. Maybe I'm overthinking it, I don't know.