As trade period nears is Top Dog available?
Published Tuesday December 9th, 2008
Have we seen the last of Saint John Sea Dog' sniper Chris Di Domenico?
Could Saturday's 3-2 win over the Victoriaville Tigres have been his last game on home ice as a Sea Dog?
Di Domenico, 19, is the most talented player in franchise history, as evidenced by his invitation to this week's national junior team camp for the worlds. The Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick will also likely be dangled by the Sea Dogs as the Dec. 20-Jan. 8 trading period approaches.
He'll be at camp from Thursday to Monday in Ottawa and will therefore miss Friday and Saturday's home games against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. The team's next home game is scheduled for Dec. 18 against the Lewiston Maineiacs. If Di Domenico makes the national team, he won't be returning to the lineup until early in the new year, if he isn't moved by then.
Why trade your best player? Because, in all probability, he'll be playing pro somewhere as a 20-year-old next season. Trade him now and enjoy a healthy return or keep him and get nothing at the end of the season.
The team's weekend split made it abundantly clear that the Sea Dogs are not going to make a serious run at the league title this season. They were outplayed by the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Friday night, even though the end result was only a 4-3 loss. The Sea Dogs didn't play badly but they were certainly inferior.
The win over mediocre Victoriaville was okay but hardly impressive.
The Dogs aren't saying whether they're going to be buyers or sellers when that window opens but smart money is on the latter. Head coach and general manager Jacques Beaulieu is weighing his options, one of which would be selling off some very valuable commodities like Di Domenico and team captain Alex Grant, in order to come back stronger next season. Grant, too, is expected to be playing professionally next season, along with fellow defenceman David Stich and goaltender Robert Mayer.
Often, blockbuster deals include that ever-popular player to be named later and that could be the case if Saint John pulls the trigger. Teams often stack their lineup for a long playoff run and don't surrender players to be named later from the current roster until the following season.
Normally one who enjoys engaging in an interview, Beaulieu was unusually tight-lipped on Monday afternoon.
"They're all Sea Dogs right now," he said, refusing to bite on any suggestion that big names will be moved.
Grant, probably the most consistent player overall since arriving on the scene four years ago as the team's first overall selection, has appeared clearly frustrated at times this season and he hasn't been the dominant player we've grown accustomed to watching.
This is a guy who was featured on the cover of Prospects Magazine, the official publication of the Canadian Hockey League, in a story about how Grant was expected to lead the Dogs to the promised land this season. That magazine was distributed to fans at Friday's game. The headline reads 'ON TARGET - Alex Grant and the Sea Dogs emerge in Atlantic Canada'. Unfortunately for Grant, he hasn't been 'on target' but rather 'the target' of some fans of late.
Aside from Grant, this is supposed to be Di Domenico's team. When he's on, few are better at this level. Unfortunately, injuries and other distractions, like not having signed a contract with the Maple Leafs, are probably weighing on his mind and he's struggled with inconsistency.
As stated before, Michael Kirkpatrick has been the team's top player and, along with defenceman Simon Despres, are likely the only players who should be labeled as 'untouchable' when teams come calling in the coming days.
Kirkpatrick, who was named the team's player of the month for the second time this season after scoring 11 goals and 19 points in 14 games, is the captain in waiting and should be with the organization for another two seasons. Despres is the top-ranked player in the QMJHL for this year's NHL draft class.
All is not lost, however.
We still should see playoff hockey at Harbour Station this year but unlike last season when fans were hoping the best was yet to come, don't expect this season to stretch beyond the second round.
It's the nature of the beast when it comes to major junior hockey. If you're not among the cream of the crop, you're better off stockpiling for the future.
That appears to be the case in Saint John these days.
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