Good news for Scorps fans, as Seth Leonard arrived this weekend and skated with the team this morning. He really does look to be a great addition to the Scorpions' lineup, especially once he gets his legs back under him. By Leonard's own admission, he was definitely suffering from a mean case of jetlag, plus he'd spent the whole off-season at home in British Columbia so the altitude was a bit of a challenge. Still, the guy is a phenomenal talent, and I can't stress that enough. Randy Murphy had him skating on a line with Chris Robertson and Torren Delforte, which is just plain scary when you consider the potential there. Besides, moving Craig Macdonald onto a line with a pass-first center like Mitch Stephens could yield some huge numbers as well. Unfortunately, this also means that several guys are going to have to be let go. Neil Trimm and John Mazzei are still sorting out immigration paperwork and Tyler Fuller is on the IR, but there is at least one cut to be made by tomorrow. I don't envy whoever has to make that decision.
Now...a bit more on Leonard, and some food for thought as well. The Scorpions are bringing in a slick, hard-working playmaker who is exceptional on both sides of the puck. Leonard put up 90 points (50g, 40a) in 72 games for the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League in 03-04. That put him tops in scoring on a team with the likes of AHL mainstay Mark Ardelan and NHL call-ups Jeremy Colliton and Kyle Chipchura. He played two seasons for an underacheiving Victoria Salmon Kings Kings squad in the ECHL before landing with the Eagles two years ago. Since then, Leonard has posted a point-per-game during the regular season and has 34 points in 41 postseason contests. His numbers might not leap off the statsheet like Reeder's, but take into consideration that he was a second-line player on a team loaded with offensive talent. He wasn't leaned upon to be his team's main contibutor offensively and he still contributed better than a point-per-game. A lot of people out there don't think t was a fair one-for-one exchange, but you can quote me as saying that Seth Leonard will do just as much for the New Mexico Scorpions as Konrad Reeder did, if not more. Just don't expect all of his contributions to show up on the scoresheet
2 comments:
I think in Seth we have a tremendous offensive threat. If Murph keeps the TD-Robo-Lenny line, I see Seth being a top-point getter. To me it was close to a one fer one swap. Reeder is not on the beagles #1 line, so his points will probably drop, while Seth's raise. I know I will be watching Nifty on wednesday nite to see how it all comes together. Leonard will not be pushed around as much as Konrad was, and with TD speed... I am thinking that we have one helluva team this year. Our D closed the gaps on Amarillo, and the team looked more physical and faster. I guess we just have to stay tuned and see how it all shakes out.
I can tell you for sure that Leonard is a dynamic player. When he played for the Eagles, he often looked like he was trying too hard to shoulder the load scoring-wise, which isn't what the team needed. If he gets chances (which he will on the Scorps' top line) he'll be something special.
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