Tuesday, January 11, 2011

KINGS STAND PAT ON DEADLINE DAY

That headline may bother some as according to the poll, 60 percent of you thought the Kings needed or were going after a top six forward. However as the deadline came and went, Powell River remained on the sideline and that isn't a bad thing.

Powell River sits first in both the Coastal Conference by nine points over Langley and first in the BCHL by eight points. The Kings have the most wins and fewest regulation losses and are 11-1-0-0 since November 24th. By my calculation, that isn't bad at all.

One thing to be concerned about when your look to make a deal is messing with those types of numbers your team is producing night in and night out. Coaches don't just have to look at player A over player B but also need to consider team chemistry. How would sending one player to another team affect the collective inside the Kings dressing room? How would a certain player affect the dressing room dynamic coming in from another team or league? There are plenty of variables that a coach has to consider before pulling the trigger on a deal.

Kent Lewis in recent years has been an active player on the deadline, most recently making a deal last year for Daniel Carr. That is a situation where it indeed did work out and Carr acclimatized himself with his teammates and had very successful run for the Kings.  However, what are the chances a perfect scenario would come across their table this year?

Furthermore, accountability can be a power motivational tool for a coach to have. The 23 young men inside the Kings dressing room now know the coaches have given them the opportunity to run with it. By not making a move, Kent, Chad and Geoff are telling this team that it's these 23 player that they believe is their championship team. Now the onus is on the players to prove their coaches right.

I'm speaking from my own personal opinion, but what if other teams across the BCHL were simply weary of dealing with Powell River? Maybe some team's were of the belief they didn't want to make a  very good team that much better. It's human nature for those types of thoughts to factor in other team's decisions. Also what if the asking prices were simply too high?

That just doesn't apply to the BCHL, come the NHL trade deadline we hear that quite a bit. Teams asking for a kings ransom for a "rental" player. The Kings can't just be making decisions based on this year but also have to be looking at next season as well. If you look at who the Kings can return next season and also factor in a strong recruiting season, this team can be challenging for the top into the near future.

Finally, for some players the thought of the approaching trade deadline might have affect their performance. Now with the deadline in the rear view mirror, might we see better performances in the final two months? I believe you will see a noticeable improvement in a few players.

Powell River is dealing from a position of strength not weakness, so why make a trade for the sake of making a trade? This team is good, it has shown that and these players have earned the right to prove that in April.

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