Robyn Regehr plays Maverick , Jordan Leopold is Goose, and Dion Phaneuf is the Iceman. Maverick and Goose were a great pair, as documented, but once Goose was blown up (traded) Maverick has never been able to find that perfect wingman.
“You can be my wingman anytime.” Iceman finally accepts Maverick, and vice-versa, at the end of Top gun.
The only difference was at the end of the Flames version of Top Gun the Iceman never utters that homo-erotic line to Maverick; and trust me Maverick would never reciprocate.
Regehr and Phaneuf hated each other off the ice, and so it made it even worse when Coach Sutter decided to pair to two together to start the season.
And for this reason, when Dion was traded, no other player benefited more than Robyn Regehr.
Regehr was constantly left out to dry when Dion would go off on his adventures, and Regehr would suffer because of it. Regehr has been even quoted as saying that when the trades happened, the feeling in the locker room changed for the better.
A small example would be to look at his plus/minus as evidence: +10 in the month and a half after Dion left. -2 when Phaneuf was his line mate.
Now I am not blaming Regehr’s productivity entirely on Phaneuf because that would be unfair, but what I am saying is that Regehr is better when he knows where his partner is at all times.
Just like Maverick relied on Goose, Regehr needs a player reminiscent of Leopold to help buoy the offence away from Kiprusoff.
Enter Ian White.
Ian White is the prototypical player that Robyn needs on his side to succeed. He is responsible in his own end, while still using his speed and offensive prowess to charge up the ice. White is not as flashy as Dion, but he does the little things right (something Dion fell short of many times) and you can bet that Regehr is thankful for that.
Regehr was brutal last year; there is no nice way to put it. He used to be feared by opposing forwards, but last season it seemed players would relish the opportunity to go one on one with him. He is supposed to be a leader on this team, but instead he was slow and un-productive for a majority of the season. A prime example of Regehr’s decent was his consideration for the Olympic team. In the summer of 09’, he was considered a solid shot to make the squad, but once December rolled around I don’t think Steve Yzerman knew who he was.
So now we come to the start of the 2010-11 season. Regehr has spent the summer going toe-to-toe with trade rumours and reporters asking him if he has been asked to waive his no-trade clause.
Is Regehr the right guy to trade? I don’t think so.
Does he bring the most in return? Most likely, but what we stand to lose with Regehr could hurt the team more. Trading Sarich or sending Staios to the minors makes more sense and would benefit the team more in my opinion.
I believe Regehr will start the season in Calgary and with Robyn fully healthy and ‘Dion Free,’ we could see the return of the once feared defenceman and the tunnel of death that many forwards dare not enter.
Newman
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1 comment:
He used to be feared, but now everybody's figured out the secret to playing aginst him...just skate around him and he'll never catch up.
He used to be like a giant speed bump, bringing opposing players to a stop. But now he's like those rumble strips. It makes you think for a split second, but you keep rolling along at the same speed.
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