Back when Kristian Huselius was a member of the Florida Panthers, coach "Iron Mike" Keenan made it a point to put the Swedish sniper in his permanent doghouse. Despite Huselius' slick stick-handling skills, boyish looks, and crisp play-making abilities, his game never got off the ground during his time in Florida.Huselius earned a fresh start in Calgary and made the most of it. Those fantasy players who saw how Kristian came out of his shell as a member of the Flames were most pleased that their investment finally paid off.
Now that Mike Keenan is the new bench boss for the Flames, is the second go-around of this relationship going to go sour, too?
SEASON TEAM GP G A PTS +/-
03-04 FLA 76 10 21 31 -6
05-06 FLA 24 5 3 8 -11
05-06 CGY 54 15 24 39 +2
06-07 CGY 81 34 43 77 +21
As you can see, Huselius' pre-Calgary numbers were horrible. Only after the trade did Huselius produce like he was expected to when he came over from Sweden.
It can't be understated just how much Keenan can ruin the confidence of certain players that don't fit into his 'mold'. Ask Trevor Linden, Martin Gelinas, Tony Amonte, or Stephen Weiss just how fun Keenan was to play for.
After putting together a solid rookie season with the Panthers, Huselius was basically a broken man when Keenan was through with him. Keenan even put Kristian on waivers, twice (no takers), in order to get rid of him.
When the trade to Calgary was made, Huselius got a phone-call from Iron-Mike. Keenan said: "I have moved you to Calgary – good luck man", and then hung up. Nice guy, eh?
It is well known that Keenan had a very high level of disdain for Huselius, and the feeling was mutual. I find it hard to believe that the feelings will have just evaporated all of a sudden. If you were fired from one company where the boss was a tyrant, went to another company, got your career on the fast-track, and then your old tyrant boss was suddenly your new boss? Yeah, you'd be pretty sullen, too.
For fantasy leaguers, especially those without reserve spots, NOW is the time to sell Huselius. While Keenan will try and paint a public rosy picture, one or both of the parties will still harbor ill will towards the other. Huselius will very likely experience a drop in production until Keenan is fired and/or Huselius is traded. Some bumbling GMs will think that Huselius can earn the trust of Keenan and keep producing. Get those suckers to bite!
Jes's Prediction: 45 points.
See also: Huselius Bringing "Kristianity" to Calgary
