Sean Avery Goes From Dallas Stars to New York Rangers

What is official is that as a Dallas Stars member he played 23 games, and had only 3 goals and 7 assists. At a price of 15.5 million over 4 years, this is not what you would call a good return on investment. This lack of production, comments about other players dating his ex-girlfriends, and poor behavior in the locker room have the Dallas Stars looking to get rid of Sean Avery.

At present it’s obvious the Dallas Stars are not missing Sean Avery. Sean Avery’s absence paired with the return of the Marty Turco that we remember from last year’s playoffs has the Dallas Stars moving towards the top of the standings again. Stars have gone 16-6-3 in their last 25 games, which has propelled them to 5th place in the Western Conference. They are now back in the playoff picture again instead of the Western Conference Cellar.

It is clear that Sean Avery will not be returning to the Stars lineup ever. There are several options for the Dallas Stars to dump Sean Avery, and the one that is being rumored now has him eventually ending up back with the New York Rangers, the team he skated with before becoming a Dallas Star. In this scenario Avery must pass through waivers and find an AHL team that is willing to put up with him. Hartford an AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers might just be that team, once he has played there for a while he will go through recall waivers. This is where the New York Rangers are rumored to plan on picking him up. During the recall waiver period they can grab him for half price, leaving the Stars paying the other half. Barring the very unlikely event of a trade, this is the best-case scenario.

The Stars last, and more expensive option is to buy Avery out. The price for a buyout is 11.5 million dollars, which can be spread out over 6 years. Either way the Dallas Stars end up paying around a million dollars a point. This makes Sean Avery’s signing a very high priced mistake for the Stars.

Is Marty Turco to Blame for Star’s Slump?

Message boards all across the web are calling for Star’s goalie Marty Turco’s head in retribution for the Star’s Western Conference cellar performance.  When watching a Star’s debacle, it is easy to blame the net minder for one or two goals that might seem like routine saves to the hockey fan’s eye.  But if that is the case, shouldn’t the Stars be racking up more points seeing as they’ve been losing games scoring more than three goals?

Here is a statistical argument stating the defense is to blame for the Star’s woes

“The Great One” Wayne Gretzky said 100 percent of the shots you don’t take don’t go in.  The meaning behind this for offensive players is put the puck on net and good things will happen.  Gretzky seems to be an authority on lighting the lamp, so take this moral to be true.

So looking at this statement as a goalie, the more shots that make it to your kitchen, the better chance one has of getting past you.

So far this season Turco has faced 784 shots in 29 games played.  This averages down to a few hundredths over 27 shots per game.

If this trend stays constant throughout the rest of the season, and just making the assumption Turco will sit three more games the rest of the season, as he has up to this point, Turco would face 2,052 shots in 76 games.

In his career, Turco has never seen more than 1,648 shots in one season.  He faced that many in the 2003-04 season playing in 73 games.  So this season stays consistent Turco will face a little over 400 more shots than he has ever faced in a single season.  400 more shots directly equals more chances for bounces to go against the Stars.

One problem with these numbers however lies in Turco’s games played.  The most games Turco has ever played in a single season is the 73 he competed in 03-04.  The 2,052 shots compared to this is based on 76 games, which would set a new career record for Turks.

So far Turco has been scratched from the starting lineup only three times, whichis new ground for Turco.  At this rate he would play more games than he ever has in a single season.  But the next highest shot total in a season came in 05-06 with 1,624 in 68 games.

Turco averages in the 60 game range throughout his career.  So if Turco gets a few more off nights throughout the rest of the season and plays 68 games as he did in 05-06 he would finish with 1,836 shots fired on him.  This is still around two hundred more shots than he has ever faced.

Using good diductive reasoning, what is the cause of an increase of shots on goal?  The answer is bad defense.

Weather it be odd man rushes or not filling shooting lanes, the Stars D-men are letting their goalie down.  But truly why stop with the d-men when defense is played with five players.  This problem could also be from forwards not backchecking and relieving some pressure put on the defense.  However a more careful viewing of game tape would prove the lack of experience among the Stars blue line is allowing for more shots, allowing for more goals.

A slump is usually never one person’s fault, whether that be Sean Avery or Marty Turco.  Everyone has a part in a loss and everyone has a part in pulling the season back together.  While Turco can practice more to be sharper and take away that one to two goals that really are his fault, he can’t practice for himself and someone else.  The defence needs to step up, learn how to talk to each other, communicate effectively, and take away shot chances, especially in high scoring areas.  To be completely cliche, Defence wins championships…or makes playoffs.

The Dallas Stars Part Ways With Sean Avery

Hand picked by Brett Hull, Sean Avery came to the Dallas Stars for the 2008/2009 NHL season under a contract with $15.5 million in incentives over four years. His arrival to Dallas, however, came under scrutiny by fans and players alike. For the 28 year old Canadian born forward, the Dallas Stars would be his fourth team in seven years in the NHL. For the Dallas Stars, his 23 games would prove to be an expensive miscalculation that unsettled the locker room and caused an embarrassing situation for the entire NHL.

Sean Avery likes controversy. Almost as if he sponsored it, DMagazine played up Sean Avery as the most hated player in the NHL in its November 2008 issue. In a league where enforcers and instigators are part of the game, however Avery took the role beyond the limits. Known for on-ice commentary that crossed personal lines, Sean Avery was closely watched by officials and NHL management alike. After a 2007 incident in which he purposely screened New Jersey goal tender Martin Brodier, the league actually created a rule which sought to prevent the incident from happening again. It is known as The Avery Rule. So why would a skilled and fairly clean cut team such as the Dallas Stars take the risk?

After losing to the Detroit Red Wings in the 2007 season Western Conference Finals, the Dallas Stars were on the prowl for chemistry changers. Bret Hull, a previous teammate and roommate of the feisty Avery, convinced owner Tom Hicks that Sean Avery possessed the character and drive needed by the team.

Dallas Stars fans appreciate players who bring excitement to the game. Whether it be a Brendon Morrow, who balances the role of leader and tough guy, or a Steve Ott, who combines goal scoring and a shake it up style of play, the crowd always comes alive when the glass shakes or the gloves are dropped. As a two-time leader in penalty minutes in the NHL, Sean Avery’s arrival gave rise to one question, “Doesn’t the team already have the role of instigator covered?” After quickly crossing the 400 penalty minute line in November of a lack luster season, it became evident the Dallas Stars probably need a few more pucks in the net and a fewer minutes in the penalty box.

Whether it be his “no show” appearances at a Dallas Stars Fall fundraiser lunch or his penalty minute collection in the first half of the season, rumors in Big D were that Avery was even less of a hit in the locker room than he was for the fans at The American Airlines Center. So on December 2, when Sean Avery decided to solicit a group of reporters in Calgary, Alberta to make derogatory comments about Flames defensemen Dion Phaneauf’s girlfriend, both the NHL and The Dallas Stars organization said enough. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman immediately handed down a 6 game suspension which ended on December 13th, 2008. Midday on December 14th, The Dallas Stars announced that they would be ending their relationship with Sean Avery.
The question at hand is not whether Sean Avery would go or not; the question is what to do with him? If the team decided to try and break their contract based on a conduct clause, they might face legal ramifications down the line that would further distract both players and management. A second option would be to hope his contract is bought out–but who wants a behavior problem at this point in the season. Another option is to send him to the minors to let him mix it up with young players fresh out of the Canadian Western Junior Leagues. The upside is that for every game he missed in the minor leagues, the Dallas Stars would not have to pay him and perhaps he would go away.
The bottom line is that Tom Hicks and The Dallas Stars showed professionalism and class on multiple fronts as they dealt with Sean Avery. First, they took care of the problem quickly. Second, they chose not to disrespect Sean Avery, which would do nothing but add fuel to a fire. They made neutral to favorable statements in the press and wished him personal and professional success as he transitioned to his next role in professional hockey.

What I don’t think Sean Avery realizes is what he has done. There are fans who feel that off-ice commentary should not warrant being suspended or kicked off of a team. After all, when compared with the deeds of proverbial losers such as Todd Bertuzzi and Eddie Shore, Sean Avery’s mere words do not even belong in the same ball park.

What Sean Avery doesn’t realize is that he did not just piss off some suits, a referee, fans, or another player. His actions have put friend and NHL great Brett Hull on the hot seat. It has caused fans to question Brett Hull’s capabilities as a general manager. I would think that the two people active in NHL management that would be on the “respect at whatever cost” list would be Wayne Gretzky and Brett Hull. They were both great players and have great potential in management. In many respects, they made the luxury of playing in the NHL a possibility through their accomplishments. Having disrespected 50% of that list is the negative statistic that Sean Avery should really think about!