Nichols' Notes
/Ottawa Senators centre Kyle Turris joined TSN 1200 on Wednesday.
The biggest story of the offseason for the Sens has been the departure of Jason Spezza. How does this change things for you as the team’s likely No. 1 centre now?
“I think it changes things for everybody. It’s something that everybody is going to have to kind of chip in and try to help out because you can’t replace a guy like Spezz. He’s a great player, he’s a really good guy, and we all wish him the best. But really excited about next year. I think we’ve got a really good group and it’s going to be lots of fun. We’ve got good chemistry on the team and we’re going to have a good team.”
Do you feel you’re prepared for this role with Spezza having been hurt a fair bit and since you saw a good portion of the opposition’s best checkers last year anyway?
“Yeah, it’s something like you said, a couple of years ago when Spezz was hurt I kind of got put into that position and it was kind of a roller coaster year for me because it was the first time I’d been put there and I really learned a lot. I had some good stretches and some bad stretches, but at the end of it I learned a ton and tried to apply that to last year, even though it wasn’t the same role. This year, if I get that opportunity, I’ll be ready for it and more prepared to take advantage of it because I’ll know more of what to expect.”
Do you assume you’ll start the season with Bobby Ryan and Clarke MacArthur on your wings?
“I don’t know. That’s something for Mac and Mr. Murray to decide. I’m just approaching it having a good summer, trying to work on things to improve obviously my strength and size and explosiveness and kind of improve my game as a whole and improve off last year. I think that’ll help the team and whether I’m with Bobby and Mac to start the year or somebody else, I’m just trying to contribute and help out in any way to make this a more successful year.”
How did the world championships help your development, and wearing a letter there as well?
“Yeah, it was an honour to wear a letter over there. It was just a great experience. It was fun because you get put with a bunch of guys. I didn’t know anybody because Meth wasn’t able to play for the tournament so I went over and you know certain guys from playing against them, but you don’t really know them too well and you don’t see their routines. It was neat to be able to be around all those guys and get a feel for different things and see how guys prepare and all of that. You kind of take bits and pieces along your career and see what works for you. It was a great experience. I learned a lot and I’ll be applying it to my game again.”
What was it like playing for Dave Tippett again?
“It was great. Tipp’s a great guy. He’s a really nice guy and he’s a good coach. I think everybody kind of blew out of proportion what happened in Phoenix and the relationship between Tipp and I. That wasn’t the case at all. We kind of laughed about it when we were over there. No, it was great. He’s a nice guy and a great coach and the experience was lots of fun.”
Does a team in the NHL have to have a captain to be successful?
“No, I don’t think they have to have a captain. I think the leadership group is what matters. We’ve got a great group of guys that have all sorts of different experiences and savvy for the game and everybody brings kind of a different quality. It’s a great mix of guys who all step up and chip in at the right time and kind of lead in the right direction. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but it could go to a bunch of different guys.”
Would you like to embrace the opportunity to wear a letter full-time this season?
“Anytime you get that opportunity it’s an honour and it’s something that’s real exciting. Like I said, it’s an honour and it would be an honour if I was given that opportunity, but if not, I’m just going to keep playing the same way and helping out where I can.”
Even if you don’t have a letter, do you feel you’re ready to assume a greater leadership role with what you’ve accomplished in Ottawa the last couple of seasons?
“Yeah, I feel like I can. I feel like I’m at a point in my career where I’ve played a decent amount of games and I’ve had different experiences. Through my career I’ve learned a lot. I feel like I’m... not a veteran guy, but I feel like I’m a guy who’s been around a little bit and can contribute in some ways at least. It’s something that I’m just going to continue to play the way I can. If I can talk to guys, or give advice to some of the younger guys, or help out in any way, that’s what I’ll be doing.”
Bobby Ryan and Clarke MacArthur are set to become UFAs next summer. How much have you talked to them about their futures?
“It’s something I think is in the back of peoples’ minds, but at the same time, we don’t really bring it up that often. We might joke about it or give a guy a hard time about it, but at the end of the day it’s not really our business. It’s their business and kind of their personal business within the family. It’s not something that we go around asking about. We’ll maybe joke, give a guy a hard time now and then.”
Why can this Sens team be a playoff team in the coming season?
“I think we have a ton of depth. I think we have a group that is very young. We’ve been young for the last two or three years and we’ve all learned a lot over those two or three years. I think even though we may be in our early twenties, I feel like we have more experience than maybe other teams that are as young as us. I feel like we have a great group. We have a good group of veteran presence as well as young guys and we have tons of talent. I think we’ve got a really good group and I definitely think we’ll be a playoff team.”
Twitter question: Compare and contrast player development between Coyotes and Senators.
“When I was in Phoenix anyway, it was in a situation where the team was playing many more of their older players. So it was a situation where being a young guy, you may not get every opportunity that say you would get in a place like Edmonton has been to make the roster or develop as a young guy. Which is completely fine, that was just kind of the situation they were going through and it was in part because there were worried about losing the franchise in Glendale there. So it was something where they were really playing their older guys at that point when I was there and I’m not sure, I don’t really follow them too much of late. I’m not sure if they’re still playing their older guys more often, or getting some younger guys now.
“And then when I came to Ottawa, it was kind of a different situation. The fact that they were playing the younger guys and they were going through a stage where they realized that in the future, for the team to grow, they had to play the younger guys that were coming up to turn those young guys into guys that were going to be a big part of the team moving forward. So it was two different stages of development the two franchises were in and I would’ve said that was the biggest difference.”
What is it about the spotlight in Canada that you enjoy?
“I just love the atmosphere. At times it can be good and it can be bad in the sense that the fans are so passionate that one day they’re saying the best things about you, and one day they’re asking for you to be traded. I find that just a lot of fun. I find that passion to be exciting and part of the game that I really enjoy. But we loved Phoenix as well. They’ve got passionate fans and for being a southern state, they had passionate fans that were very supportive of the team. It was just a much more quiet atmosphere and different. But yeah, like you said, some players really enjoy this and I’m one of those guys.”
Twitter question: How much do you pay attention to advanced stats?
“Advanced stats. Can you give me an example of what an advanced stat would be?”
Corsi, Fenwick, etc.
“I’ve heard about Corsi, and I kind of have an understanding of how it works. It’s something that, to be honest, I don’t know enough about to really put a lot into it. We get stats sheets after every game. Faceoff percentage, plus-minus, goals, assists, time on ice, all of those stats. It’s kind of the automatic feedback you get from the game. Outside of that, being a player it’s tough to follow all of these stats for every game, or as the season goes on, it goes up and down. As a player, you kind of get a sense of how you’re doing and for the most part, we’ll all pretty good at self-assessing ourselves, so we know when we don’t play well. We know when we’re playing better. I think those stats might be good for fans and organizations, but from a player’s perspective I don’t think it’s something most guys pay too much attention to.”
Jake Gardiner joined Sportsnet 590 on Wednesday morning to discuss his new five-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
On the possibility this could have been a bridge deal of two years instead of the five-year pact, the latter scenario having just unfolded recently:
“Yeah, that’s exactly what happened. Right away, I was thinking two-year deal and so were they. We came together and decided a long-term deal was more – was better off for both of us and we got it done. I think it’s positive for both myself and the Leafs.”
Did the tone of negotiations or feedback from the Leafs change for you with the addition of Brendan Shanahan or Kyle Dubas? Did that have anything to do with how this got done?
“Yeah, it might have. I’m not really sure. It was a pretty easy process. It was pretty smooth the whole time. It was just kind of fine-tuning some numbers. I’m just looking forward to next year. I wanted to be a Leaf, so that was a big part of it.”
Is that final month of last season a good example of what you hope to do going forward?
“Yeah. I mean, I think I played really well - good hockey at the end of the year and I look to do that next year. Look to add a little offense and be a steady defenceman back there too... obviously we signed a lot of new guys and we brought in Polak and Robidas on the back end. I think that’s really going to help us.”
How do you look back on what was happening in this collapse four months ago?
“It’s really tough on us, just because we had a taste of it with Boston and obviously that ended poorly too and another disappointment this past year too. This summer I know everyone is working their tails off. Like I said, we have a lot of good additions with Frattin back too. I’m hoping we’re not going to disappoint this year. That’s obviously the goal. We’re looking pretty good going into the season.”
Are you surprised there weren’t more big moves made by the Leafs in the off-season?
“You never really know at the end of the season. Obviously with a collapse like that they might change a few things, switch a few people around. I know Nonis and Shanahan know exactly what they’re doing. What they did I think will definitely improve our team. Kulemin, Gunnarsson, those type of guys, McClement; they’re great players, it’s just we probably needed something new and I think that’s what we got.”
How do you view your relationship with your coach?
“I think it’s just more of a – he likes to push young guys, especially when he thinks they can reach their full potential, and I think that’s just what he’s doing with me. It’s not a bad relationship whatsoever. I think, like I said, he pushes me and he plays me a lot, so that’s a positive. Plays me a lot of minutes, which is all you can ask for as a defenceman. So it’s pretty good.”