Where Yashin Ends Up

That is a great question. I've been thinking about that for a little while. Apparently so have some people in the media.

Stan Fischler mentions that the Devils and Rangers would probably be at the top of his list since he already is in the area. Off-hand, you could actually see that happening. The Rangers could conceivably do that; if only to rub it in the Islanders' faces and sign the former captain to a reasonable contract to fuel the rivalry fire. As far as the Devils go, well, you never can tell what The Genius Lou Lamoriello is going to do in the best of times. You never think he is going to fire a coach ten minutes before the playoffs start but he has done that twice.

Saying that, if Alexei stays in the area, I would speculate that the Devils would have the inside track. Again, that's because you never know what Trader Lou's offseason plans are.

Yashin's agent Mark Gandler has said publicly that his client would love a chance to return to the Senators. Let me check my "Yeah, right" Conversion Chart for the likelihood that Yash would drag it back to O-Town: Hmm. "Outlook Not Good". I'd check with Miss Cleo (if she is still around) or Dionne Warwick (if she is still alive) to see what a real psychic would think of the possibility before I'd trust an agent who has a client who just got turfed in a high-profile way. Gandler has to say that his client is open to anything short of jail time so that Yashin looks like a good soldier. I mean, if you're out of work--even with a 2.2 million dollar stipend for the next eight years--you're still out of work. Plus, I am betting that Carol Alt is not the kind of woman who just window shops. I see her more as the crazed couch monster who gets the shakes as they change from product to product on the Home Shopping Channel. He's got his family in the states so he's probably footing the bill for everyone. The man has got to bring in the bucks to keep everyone in the way that they've been accustomed to. Facts is facts.

So where is will he end up? Part of me thinks Toronto because they always look for a quick-fix; but I wouldn't wish that media on a guy like Alexei. If he thinks it was bad in Ottawa, think again. Plus, if Peca signs back with the Leafs, I'm just putting it out there that the two of them wouldn't be co-existing very well. The pressure on Alexei would be off the charts and that is a locker room prone to sniping and in-fighting because of the media and the way that they fight to break even the tiniest story. Again, does the fam want to go through the Canadian experience? They can't have fond memories of Ottawa; no matter what anyone will cop to publicly.

Yashin comes off as a pretty laid back dude. Why not see if something with the Kings could be worked out? A couple of years at 2.5 per or so to hang out in LA might be the perfect landing spot. The Kings are an up-and-coming team with young guys. Rob Blake is there so Alexei wouldn't be relied upon to bestow leadership in the room.

What about the Panthers? In Florida you can do your thing in the relative quiet in the cellar of the Southeast Division. Why not Washington? I'm betting that Alex Ovechkin would like to see if he and his former Russian Olympic teammate can get a good stew going. With Alexander Semin, the Caps have proven to be dangerous here and again. Mr. Leonsis wouldn't have to shell out a ton of cash to get Alexei and he gets a good Russian player to play with his young, emerging Russian stars.

No matter what happens, the Alexei Yashin saga is not over. Hopefully he finds a place where he can play up to his potential and not worry about playing up to the paycheck. In this, The Summer Islanders Fans Are Afraid to Breathe, it is going to be interesting to say the least.