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Older NHL players with moderate success have found it difficult to secure work in the salary cap era. Teams place a greater emphasis on drafting and developing talent knowing that the entry level contracts for these players are the team’s best chance to ice a competitive squad under the restrictions of the cap.
Over the past week, we’ve seen serviceable NHLers like defenseman Hal Gill and winger Mason Raymond give in to tryout contracts with no guarantee of an NHL job just for the chance to win over a team during the pre-season. Others like forwards Damien Brunner and Brenden Morrow and defensemen Ron Hainsey and Tom Gilbert have chosen to stand their ground waiting for a NHL contract.
As Dallas opens the on-ice portion of camp today, I can’t help but feel that Damien Brunner would be a worthwhile player for Dallas to take a chance on. Brunner’s highlights from his first season in the NHL are flashy, and his skill is obvious. Like former Dallas Stars Michael Ryder, Brunner is a sniper that knows how to score in the NHL. Ryder though was able to secure a one-way contract this summer with the New Jersey Devils. Why has Brunner failed to earn a contract up to this point?
Brunner is coming off a season as a 27 year old rookie where he only played 58 games, 14 came in the playoffs. You also cannot overlook Brunner’s fast start and ultimate fade down the stretch as a cause for concern for NHL general managers. In the first 19 games of his NHL career, Brunner scored 10 goals. After a 15 game slump with no goals, he only scored 2 more goals in the final 10 games of the season. On a positive note, he did lead Detroit with 5 goals in the playoffs where he again showed his offensive prowess.
You could argue his fast start was a result of the rest of the NHL getting up to speed. Some NHL vets played oversees, but most remained in North America training, expecting an agreement between the NHL and NHLPA to save the season. You could say he had an edge over most in the NHL in game readiness.
Conversely, those games in Switzerland meant by the end of the season he had played 90 pro games despite a previous career high of only 60. Those first 19 games in the NHL would have brought him to the end of a typical season in Switzerland, and the hockey he is accustomed too is just not as demanding or physical as the NHL game.
Furthermore, his new home in Michigan is over 6 times larger than the entire country of Switzerland. Damien was totally unprepared for the travel schedule of the NHL, and this condensed 48 game season would be more difficult than previous years.
Is Damien Brunner worth the risk? For the right contract, I think he is, and I feel the right contract is a single year deal worth no more than $2 to $2.5 million, well below the multiple year deal at $3 to $3.5 million he is reportedly seeking.
I do fear his small stature and undeveloped two-way game just might be too much for him to overcome, but goal scorers are not always easy to find. It’s not uncommon for a sniper to have long slumps similar to the one that struck Brunner mid-season so I don’t think you should be overly concerned about a 15 game slump. I do feel that Brunner will likely improve on his solid first season in the NHL.
HFLOUNGERS 