For the last couple of months, those who know me from my work with the Commandos have had multiple inquiries about the team. How they're doing, how such and such a player is faring, what their postseason chances look like and so on. However, pretty much the only question I've been asked the past two weeks has been "Are they trading Chiasson"? Until recently, there's probably not been a more loaded question a person could ask regarding this team.
First, some background: Danny Chiasson is well known in hockey circles around these parts as a former member of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and, around this time last year, as an affiliate player with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL. He also appeared in two games with U de M earlier this season when Les Aigles were particularly depleted. He's also the first line center for the Commandos. And he's good... very good.
He currently leads the MHL in scoring with 53 points in 28 games, nine more than his nearest competition, Yarmouth forward Colin Campbell. It's how he accumulates those points however, that is so impressive. Noone in the league is more explosive in the offensive zone. His quickness, allowing him to peel off the boards and cruise into the slot, creates separation for him and his linemates and usually allows enough space for a player that requires very little of it. Noone in this league is better at shaking his check in his own zone, either. He has a powerful stride and a compact build that allows him to bust through the neutral zone while making it very difficult to remove player from puck. In addition, he is a jack of all trades for Dieppe, the key guy on the penalty kill, in addition to the powerplay and various late game situations. As a person who tries his very best to keep any bias to a bare minimum I would be lying if I said that I've seen a forward in this league this season better than Danny Chiasson.
Unfortunately, I'll be seeing less of him going forward.
Yesterday, it became public knowledge that Chiasson requested a trade. Dieppe GM JF Damphousse has publicly stated that he will work on the request and has said that by the time the Commandos take to the ice again on January 2nd, the team will do everything in their power to fulfill the assistant captain's request. For all we know, a deal could be done by the time you get around to reading this... or it may not be until between the holidays... either way, it's going to happen... and as much as I can imagine the disappointment from management's perspective in having their hand forced ever further than it most likely was from other teams already, the big picture clearly shows the immense positives that will come from this if all goes according to plan.
Before yesterday's news, the impression I had always gotten from Damphousse regarding what to do with his star forward was to keep him in the fold upon first instinct, but certainly not ignore any offers if (re:when) they pop up. On one hand, Danny is becoming more rooted in the community, knowing that he will be attending U de M full time starting next fall while playing hockey for them as well. In fact, given the record of the Commandos this season and how they've fared more often than not against top teams, in alot of seasons this would be looked upon as a golden opportunity to make a couple of key trades, plug a couple of holes and attempt to go on an extended playoff run.
This season, however, is unlike any other to date.
The Truro Bearcats and Summerside Western Capitals are in two of both the greatest and worst positions in the entire CJHL this year. Truro is the host team for the 2013 Fred Page Cup... Summerside hosts the 2013 RBC Cup. The good news is the guarantee of having their ticket punched for the chance to play for Eastern Canadian and National Jr.A supremacy respectively. The bad news (in a way) is the pressure and expectation of having the best possible team at their disposal for these tournaments. Add to this a very tough Yarmouth Mariners squad, an ever improving Amherst Ramblers team and somewhat of a wildcard in Woodstock, where every year is a "go for it" year, and there is alot of potential bidding for a player that many teams are undoubtedly drooling over at present. Chiasson is one of the rare players in this league (I'm talking the "you can count on one hand after a bad farming accident" kind of rare) who could very well mean the difference between winning and losing a championship.
As for the Commandos, this year was never meant to be a contending year... but what it became over time was a team that with a few additional bodies in the lineup - particularly veteran two way defensemen - could get alot closer to the caliber of the aforementioned top tier teams than what most people expected. Now here comes the Catch-22... the types of players the Commandos would need to guarantee a greater degree of success with do not grow on trees. Ironically, most of the best ones reside in Truro or Summerside at present. The rest are extremely tough to pry away from their respective teams. What would it take to get them? Probably dealing away some of your prime assets .. one of which happens to be the top scorer in the league. Tough position, no?
Well, yes and no. On one hand there has to be some frustration knowing that the Commandos are very close to being a consistent force in the MHL. As already stated, in alot of other seasons they could probably take the team they have now, add a couple pieces and instantly be considered a legitimate contender. On the other hand, the bar is set particularly high in terms of competitiveness this season. What this creates is a situation where the price to remain contentious is tough to pay for a mid-pack team like Dieppe... but also brings into the equation a buyers market unlike any other. What a player like Danny Chiasson could command in a trade this year should be more bountiful than what he would've returned last season or next. He is the golden carrot dangling from JF Damphousse's neck... and this year, that carrot is 24 carat gold. As far as tough situations go, it's certainly not without it's string of positives.
The Commandos are on the rise. They are built for next year and the year after. Even without the lethal capabilities of Chiasson, the offense up front is still deep, mostly young and quite potent. With Connor Wilkinson, the team is set in nets for this year and next. The back end is a work in progress... but whatever comes back the other way in a deal involving #23 for Dieppe should help bridge that gap in one way or another. This truly is a case of short term pain for a long term gain... but if the team continues to produce as a five man unit just like it has on several occasions this year for the balance of the season, combined with potential immediate or near-immediate impact this trade could provide, the pain will be very fleeting.
As for Danny Chiasson, I've been watching and/or calling games involving him since he was 17 and the progress he's made from that time to this has been remarkable. All he wants to do is win... and from that standpoint, you can't really blame him. In the process, he could find himself setting up the very team he's sometimes had to carry this past year and a half very handsomely as they continue to put to pieces together to build a contender. For all that, I say thank you, Danny. You've been a pleasure to watch... and you've made my job alot easier by simply making the game call itself on many an occasion. I hope you get what you're hoping to find, wherever that may be... except when you play Dieppe, of course.
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