Thursday, October 30, 2008

Valentenko in Russia

Has A Trip To See His Family Led to A KHL Contract?

Precarious times with the KHL have left the door open for this sort of thing.

Now, I don't read Cryrillic, or understand Russian, so I'm trusting this link, but there are murmurings that Valentenko has flown the coop.


His name has indeed been removed from the Bulldogs roster page and now has an ominous (X) beside it on the stats page. so either someone has been hacking the Hamilton website for a bit of fun, or he's gone.

Big loss
This represents a big loss for the Canadiens franchise, as he was a very strong prospect who could have fit nicely into the 4th, 5th pr 6th defenceman role in the very near term.

It just goes to show that there are plenty of consequences to signing and sticking with washed up ineffective veteran Dmen. Some rookies must just not see any future in it.

When some prospects don't look as good as before, and vets look like they've played a few years beyond their best before date, can we really afford to lose this (from Hockey's Future):
Valentenko is blessed with a big shot -- one that earned him hardest AHL shot honours in the 2007-08 season. He combines that with a physical game that borders on, but never crosses into, dirty play. Valentenko's been described as one of the most-hated players in the AHL and combines an ability to get under opponent's skin with the willingness to back it up.

His offensive abilities are limited, but he's able to play a solid fundamental game: making the smart first pass, starting the rush, and taking care of his own end.

I think I will now informally rename this old article. I guess we'll wait for the big websites, though, to confirm it before giving it the old E5...

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