Edler's loss to injury spells rookie's gain

The loss of one player to injury is another player’s gain – it’s been forever thus in the NHL and, consequently, it’s now Adam Clendening’s time to shine.
Alex Edler’s absence to an undisclosed injury, enabled Clendening, a 22-year-old Niagara Falls, N.Y., native, to play a key role on Vancouver’s first power play unit as the Canucks hosted the Minnesota Wild on Monday. The rookie defenceman only joined the Canucks in a trade from Chicago in late January for minor-leaguer Gustav Forsling.
Clendening spent most of his two-year tenure in the Blackhawks organization toiling for their AHL farm club in Rockford, Ill., but now he finds himself pushing for points with NHL veterans Alex Burrows, Daniel and Henrik Sedin and Radim Vrbata.
“I take pride in my ability offensively and to quarterback the power play,” said Clendening. “To get that opportunity, especially with the twins and Burr and Verby, it’s a big responsibility.”
Clendening has displayed a flare for offence with the U.S. under-18 program, Boston University and AHL after the Blackhawks drafted him in the second round (36th overall) in 2011. He was an AHL second and first all-star in his first two pro seasons. Now, he gets a chance to replace Edler and demonstrate how consistent he can be in the NHL.
“It’s a great opportunity for other guys to step up,” he said of Edler’s injury, suffered Saturday in Calgary. “But let’s be serious. Eagle’s gonna be missed. A tough guy to take out of your lineup. He took a lot of minutes. He’s big and plays in every single situation.”
But Canucks coach Willie Desjardins, whose mandate this season is to prepare call-ups and acquisition for life in the NHL while also getting the Canucks back to the playoffs, expressed confidence in putting Clendening in difficult circumstances. Desjardins said the rearguard still has to learn some of the intricacies of the NHL, but the coach likes some of the skills that he has displayed.
“He’s a good passer,” said Desjardins. “He sees the ice real well. I think there are some things in his game that he has to work on if he wants to be an elite power-play defenceman at this level. But I think he has a real good vision in the offensive zone, and he moves the puck well.”
Clendening is feeling more comfortable every day after the first couple of days of learning Vancouver’s system, which is similar to Chicago’s on-ice framework, and making sure all of his gear and belongings arrived.
“(The performance) may not be in the numbers showing up, but I think I’m moving the puck the right way and putting it on the right guy’s tape and making the right decisions with it,” he said.
However, while he is gaining, at least for now, from Edler’s injury, he can also relate to the struggles that many players face as they battle for contracts. Clendening is a former teammate of late NHL defenceman Steve Montador, 35, who was found dead in his Toronto-area home Sunday.
“It’s very sad,” said Clendening. “I played with him in Rockford. I was actually his partner down there for a bit, and we spent a little bit of time together (as Black Aces for Chicago’s Stanley) Cup run there (in 2012-13), so I got to know him pretty well. When I heard the news, I was very heartbroken. I don’t know any details (on his death), so I can’t really comment on that. But he’s somebody that’ll definitely be missed in the hockey world.”
Police do not suspect foul play was involved. Montador suffered concussions during his 571-game NHL career with the Calgary Flames, Florida Panthers, Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres and Blackhawks. He was also battling depression, although Clendening was unaware of his issues.
“He seemed like a guy that was always in a good attitude and really enjoyed being around the rink and that type of thing,” said Clendening. “He never really gave me that perception of being in trouble mentally.”
So Clendening is aware that although he has gained from an injury loss, he his time in the spotlight could be fleeting.

Flames never gave Anderson a chance

Count Craig Anderson as another goaltender that got away from the Calgary Flames.
Since grooming Mike Vernon into a Stanley Cup winner two decades ago, the Flames have had a terrible time when it comes to drafting and developing backstoppers within their system.
Anderson, a Flames castoff now in his first season with the Colorado Avalanche, is the hottest goaltender in the NHL right now. He tied a record for victories in October with 10 and played a record 15 to start the season, although he has had better nights than he did in a 3-0 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday.
The 28-year-old Park Ridge, Ill., ranks among the league-leading goaltenders in wins and save percentage, but he never got a shot with Calgary after the Flames chose him in the third round, 77th overall in 1999.
“They had a management changeover,” said Anderson, recalling the firing of then general manager Al Coates and the hiring of Craig Button. “They drafted a (goaltender) first round, Brent Krahn, and no terms were ever negotiated . . . I don’t even remember a contract being offered.”
Calgary chose not to sign him and he went back into the draft two years later in the same round, albeit four places earlier, by Chicago. Watching him Sunday night, you could only wonder what might have been.
The Flames got lucky when general manager Darryl Sutter plucked Mkikka Kiprusoff from the San Jose Sharks, where he was the third-stringer, for a second-rounder in the fall of 2003. Sutter, freshly fired from San Jose and hired by Calgary as coach and GM, was familiar with Kiprusoff, and disgruntled with the likes of Roman Turek, Dany Sabourin and Jamie McLennan.
Kipper merely backstopped the Flames to an unexpected Stanley Cup final berth as they made the playoffs for the first time in seven years.
While he has obviously showed that he is a world-class goaltender, the Flames have struggled to find an adequate backup and an injury to him is akin to an injury to Vancouver's Roberto Luongo.
Krahn, a great junior goaltender with the Calgary Hitmen, was a bust with the Flames, and Kiprusoff's other understudies have been equally forgettable. Anderson's case illustrates the need for NHL clubs to show more patience when it comes to developing a goaltender, which in case you haven't heard by now, is the most important position in hockey.
“I had a great two training camps (with the Flames),” said Anderson. “I got to meet Grant Fuhr, my idol (who lest we forget closed out his career with Calgary in 1999-2000). It was just a great experience. Nothing really came out of it. They were rebuilding their goaltending. They went through a bunch of guys before they got Kiprusoff.”
Now, Anderson has a chance to suit up for the U.S. in the Olympics, although probably as a backup to Buffalo's Ryan Miller, after bouncing from the Blackhawks to the Florida Panthers and their farm clubs to Colorado, with whom he signed as a free agent in the summer.
“This team was the one where I knew I could come in and battle for the No. 1 job,” said Anderson. “There was no clear-cut No. 1 guy.”
Peter Budaj, back in the lineup now after battling illness, was the No. 1 netminder at the end of last season. But he likely will have difficulty regaining his place if Anderson stays as hot as he has been. Thanks to him, the underdog Avalanche, who missed the playoffs last season, continue to lead the Northwest Division and sit second overall in the NHL despite Sunday's loss.
Suffice to say he has come a long way from the days when the Flames dumped him.
“I knew if I just stayed the course and showed up every night when I was called upon, there’s 30 teams you’re auditioning for,” said Anderson. “You’re not just auditioning for one team. There’s gonna be change. Guys are gonna retire. A guy’s going to go down with injuries.”
It's an important lesson for the Flames to heed as Miikka Kiprusoff approaches his retirement, although that's not likely to happen anytime soon.
Anderson is not the only goaltender who came back from the scrap heap to star. For details, see Tim Thomas in Boston, Dwayne Roloson during his glory years with Edmonton (although he is another goaltender who rebuilt his career after being dumped by the Flames) and Anaheim's J.S. Giguere. Oops, he's another former Flames draft pick.
The Flames are by no means the only team guilty of failing to develop goaltenders properly. (In fairness, Roloson was never drafted. Calgary gave him his chance in the NHL, but quickly discarded him after his first two seasons.) Vancouver also has a dismal record of developing its drafted goaltenders. Cory Schneider, destined to be dealt now that Luongo has signed a 12-year contract extension, will eventually join a long list of others who got away after little training time. Except for notable cases like Marty Turco of Dallas and retired star Patrick Roy with Montreal, few stars are groomed from within the organizations that drafted them.
As Craig Anderson's case proves, it's time there were more.