Sudbury Northern Life
I seldom use the space allocated to me via this weekly
column to chat about the Sudbury Wolves. But it's been such an
interesting span of seven to 10 days, filled with all sorts of
intriguing story lines, that I simply could not pass up a trek
to the land of the howling juniors this week.
First comes the news that the team's leading scorer, Slovak
import Patrik Lusnak, heading into the Christmas break, opted
to forgo his final few months of OHL eligibility in favour of
signing a professional contract in the Czech Republic.
Some in this community feel strongly that Lusnak essentially
"bailed" on his teammates, walking out on them in their time of
need for the pursuit of money. I'm sorry, but I just don't buy
into this train of thought at all.
Like most who follow the Sudbury Wolves, I was certainly
disappointed with his decision not the return to the club for
the second half of the season. Like most, I appreciated the
honest effort he put forth, his tantalizing skill level and the
magic he worked at various times - most notably with Eric
O'Dell and Jared Staal last year.
But let's call a spade a spade here - Lusnak was brought back
to camp this year primarily as an insurance policy, should
Columbus decide not to return Nikita Filatov to the junior
ranks. If Filatov arrives in Sudbury in October, there's a
pretty good chance Lusnak can begin immediately packing his
bags.
Lusnak was fully aware of this fact, just as the Wolves were
aware that there had at least been preliminary discussion with
Lusnak's agent about the possibility of him turning pro last
summer.
Lusnak no more backed out on his commitment to the Wolves by
signing over Christmas, than the Wolves backed out of
commitments to the team's drafted players by trading them,
sitting them out or releasing them outright.
The reality of being an OHL player is that there is clearly a
double-edged sword at play. There are perks and advantages
these teenagers may enjoy that go far beyond those made
available to most  of their high school classmates.
As Wolves' coach and general manager Mike Foligno stated in his
media release, the Wolves thanked Lusnak "for his outstanding
play and effort throughout his three seasons with the team. His
skill and work ethic are what endeared him to the Sudbury
Wolves fan." They also allowed him to make a decision that
looks out for the best interest of Patrik Lusnak in this case.
In my opinion, anyways.
No sooner had the dust settled on the Lusnak departure when the
consternation over a new arrival hit a feverish pitch. The
Wolves re-acquired Akim Aliu, much to the surprise of many in
the area, given the checkered past of the enigmatic but very
talented power forward.
So what exactly would possess Foligno to venture down this path
a second time, given the fact that he, more than many others
around the OHL, would fully understand the challenges of Aliu's
most unique personality?
Well, I suspect a few factors played into this decision. First,
the price was right. The opportunity to add a point per game
forward without having to remove a single player from the
existing roster, helps to make the risk/return analysis on this
trade pretty positive from the Wolves' perspective.
Let's be clear - no one who has seen Aliu play has ever
questioned the fact that the second round Chicago Black Hawks'
draft pick possesses elite OHL talent. He combines the strength
and fierceness of the toughest customers in the league with
skating and puck-handling ability of many of the loop's top
offensive talents.
The way I see it, there are a few very predictable outcomes
that will play themselves out in the months ahead. There will
be times when I suspect Foligno will absolutely pull his hair
out at the antics of the former London Knight, questioning the
sanity of having made the deal in the first place.
But there will also be nights when adoring Wolves' fans will
fill the rafters of the old barn on Elgin with chants of
"A-Looo" after one of those dominating performances, which Aliu
is fully capable of pulling out from time to time - those
nights where he is head and shoulders the best player on the
ice.
If Aliu can put together even three or four of these
performances, helping the Wolves pick up three or four
victories they might not otherwise have garnered in a tightly
contested Eastern Conference playoff race, the trade was worth
it and then some.
Randy Pascal is the voice of Persona 10 Sports and the founder of SudburySports.com.
