Thoughts on the acquisition of Brennan Yadlowski, etc.

Published 3:47 pm Tuesday, October 5, 2010

OK, let’s start with the trade. If you haven’t heard already, the Tips acquired defenseman Brennan Yadlowski from Lethbridge this morning in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft and a fifth rounder in 2012. Yadlowski, a 19-year-old from Edmonton, Alberta, measures in at 6-foot-1 and 193 pounds. He’s played 197 games in the WHL, and last season he had three goals, 31 assists and 139 penalty minutes in 70 games.

Everett general manager Doug Soetaert said he’s been working at acquiring Yadlowski for about a month, and Yadlowski’s capture completes Everett’s process of replacing veteran defensemen. The Tips lost two potential overagers when Chris de la Lande and Curtis Kulchar decided not to return. The acquisition of Chad Suer filled one of those holes, and now Yadlowski fills the other. It’s a quick return to Everett for Yadlowski as the Hurricanes were just here on the weekend. I actually didn’t notice him a whole lot in Saturday’s game, which for a defenseman could be either a good thing or a bad thing.

In talking with both Soetaert and coach Craig Hartsburg, they believed the Tips needed one more veteran presence at the back. Soetaert also likes the fact that Yadlowski is strong and plays physical, so in that sense he’ll help replace a little of what the Tips lost when Radko Gudas moved on to the pros. He’s also a right-handed shot who moves the puck well, and that will help the Tips from an organizational standpoint at the back, particularly on the power play.

Now, a second rounder might seem a little pricey for a player like Yadlowski, who’s solid but not a star. However, the Tips see Yadlowski as a likely overager next season (many of Everett’s other 19-year-olds will probably be playing in the pros), making him a two-year player. The Tips also believe they’re capable of making some serious noise this season, so Soetaert’s willing to shell out to fill a need. And, of course, I’ve written in the past about what I think about the value of draft picks outside the first round.

Yadlowski isn’t due to arrive in Everett until sometime Wednesday, so it’s not known whether he’ll be in the lineup Wednesday night against Portland.

Yadlowski’s acquisition brings the Tips back up to eight defensemen. Soetaert said he plans on keeping all eight for now.

Now on to other things:

– Wednesday’s game against Portland will give the Tips their first chance at measuring themselves against the Western Conference’s elite. Everett started the season 4-0, but the Tips have yet to play either Portland or Tri-City, which were the preseason picks to top the conference. Portland’s pretty much back to full strength, given the buzz is left wing Nino Niederreiter will probably stick with the NHL’s New York Islanders. So it will be interesting to see how the teams stack up.

– Speaking of the 4-0 start, it’s hard to believe but that matches the franchise record for fastest start to a season. The 2006-07 team also won its first four games, so if Everett wins Wednesday it’ll be a small piece of franchise history.

– One player who won’t be playing Wednesday is Tips center Clayton Cumiskey. Cumiskey is out with his “upper-body” injury, and I’m told it’s a game-to-game situation with him.

– I was also asked about the status of defenseman Alex Theriau after he was slashed at the final horn of Saturday’s game. He’s fine and should be in the lineup Wednesday.