Should They Stay?

I know this is well overdue, but better late than never, hopefully.

There are a lot of guys to evaluate considering how many suffered season-ending injuries but were never let go by the team, so I just did this in alphabetical order (by last name) rather than sorting by my rating of their value.

Igor Agarunov (Forward/Defenseman) - Yes. Agarunov is a part of the core group that seems to come back every season regardless of performance in the previous season, but I don't think his low point totals during the 2009-10 campaign are necessarily something to hold against him. He only had five goals and 10 assists, but he did miss 11 games, suffer a head injury and get shuffled around from line to line and even to defense on occasion, so it's really not surprising that he was out of sync. In my opinion, Agarunov hustles and plays hard every game despite the fact that he can probably assume his future is safe, which is not always the case for other "core" players for the Bucks. He skates hard, tries to work in his hits and goes after loose pucks around the net, and those are all things Coach Ruskowski likes to see, so I assume he can be expected to come back. Also worth noting is the fact that Agarunov practiced very seriously, which I always think is a good sign in regards to a player's commitment to the team.

Jeff Bes (Forward) - Yes. Say what you will about Bes getting older, getting slower and not being the same player on the ice, because it's all true. However, his mind and his hands make him a valuable asset on the ice even if he were to become practically immobile, so I don't think there's any reason the Bucks should let him go. If he decides he wants to devote himself full-time to coaching, that's one thing, but he says he still wants to play, and as long as he does, the Bucks should try to keep him here. In my opinion, staying here as long as he did was settling on his part to an extent - despite the fact that he obviously wouldn't experience the same success at a higher level - and the Bucks should reward him for that commitment. He also plays an undeniably huge role off the ice, whether as the most recognizable face (player-wise) on the team or the biggest leader in the locker room. Even after missing a large part of last season due to injury and everything else he's gone through, Bes managed to put up a team-high 75 points this season, including nearly 20 goals. From Bucks' standpoint, at least in my eyes, there's really just no reason to let him go anywhere else.

Curtis Billsten (Forward) - Yes. Take pretty much all of the positive things I said about Agarunov and apply them to Billsten, as well. He does not take shifts off like some players did this year, he does not act like practice is a joke, and to add to those similar positives, he is young and eager and willing to learn. Injuries obviously prevented him from playing as much as he could have, but he put as much of his body and all of his heart and soul into every game he did play. Plus, he was a plus-8 on a team full of minus players during the regular season despite having his lines change constantly. Eleven goals and 17 assists might not be big numbers, but if a forward works as hard as he does and is responsible defensively, I don't see why a coach wouldn't want to bring him back.

Brent Cullaton (Forward) - Moot point. Unless he has a really big change of heart, he is not playing as a pro again.

Sylvain Deschatelets (F0rward) - Yes. Deschatelets showed that he can do a heck of a lot offensively with that stunning first week of his and bounced back from being dropped to the second line by being the Bucks' second-leading scorer. All told, he had 25 points in just 2o games, and he seemed to mesh well with several players who will likely return for next season. The only thing about him that could be a slight problem - well, other than the chance of him wanting to go back to Europe for the start of the season - is that he seemed to be put off by that line change, which although understandable, could be a sign of an attitude problem. Obviously, Ruskowski knows if that is a problem better than I do, and if it's not - and the Bucks can afford to keep Deschatelets' salary - I say go for it.

Kevin Desfosses (Goaltender) - No. Even when he was playing well, this guy showed signs of having some problems, and I don't think any team can have him play the way he did during his many meltdown games and expect to do well with him in goal. Honestly, the beating of the goalpost didn't really bother me too much, but there were other things that he did that were just too much. If you're more interested in leering at your ex-teammates and gesturing to the crowd (whether in a good way or not) than stopping the puck, you're not going to be a successful goalie. The fact that Corpus Christi won't have a CHL team next season could very well do him some good, but I don't think he's worth the risk at this point. He allowed four or more goals in his last seven games - and eight of his last nine - and that's no way to end a season with a team and expect to come into another season with them fully confident.

Benjamin Dieude-Fauvel (Defenseman) - Maybe. Dieude-Fauvel definitely has his appeal, whether it be his hat-trick game or his often crushing hits or his willingness to shoot from the point on the power play. But he also has his weaknesses and sometimes proved to be a liability when taking penalties in bad situations. I'm not much a fan of judging defenseman by their points, but I don't think we could really call him a "shut-down" guy, so it is worth noting that he had multiple five-game scoreless streaks throughout the season, including one that lasted 12 games. He was a plus-3, which for this season's team wasn't bad, but he still has some work to do. That said, I know Ruskowski saw a lot of potential in him, and those few really crushing hits might be more memorable than some of his mistakes.

Paul Elliott (Defenseman) - No. Elliott does his thing, and he does it well, but I think he knew it was time to hang up his skates when he did the first time, and now would probably be a good time to follow through on that. No one ever stops talking about how the game has gone to speed, and that is one thing Elliott unarguably does not have. I can't imagine that getting another year older is going to help him in that department, plus he got banged up a lot during the playoffs and does have a day job to attend to, so I think calling it quits and leaving his veteran spot for the Bucks to use on someone else would be his best bet.

Tyler Fletcher (Forward) - Maybe. I didn't get to see the one game that this kid played in, but Ruskowski was positively glowing when he talked about his performance. Ruskowski always complains that his teams don't hit enough, and he said Fletcher "was hitting everybody," so that clearly made a lasting impression. He'll be a rookie if he comes back, and his eagerness in that game - though it cost him a chance to play any others - is a sure sign that he loves what he does and wants to keep doing it. He could be lured over to the ECHL, but if not, I'd say he's worth at least a spot in training camp, and he should be good to go by then because his injury turned out to not be as severe as initially expected.

Eric Giosa (Forward) - Yes. Giosa is a character guy through and through, and I think it shows every time he is on the ice. He makes some really nice plays, and he hustles like crazy, and he kept doing those things even when nursing an injury during the end of the regular season and the playoffs. No one ever wanted to confirm much to me about that situation as it happened, but it was clear Giosa was battling something, and he never once asked to be held out of a game or played like he was hurt when he was out there. Based on those facts, and the one that Ruskowski says all he needs to win a championship is character guys, I think Giosa should be given a chance to return.

Todd Griffith (Forward) - No. I know the guy brings a lot on the ice, but he has a bad attitude. He lets that affect the way he behaves off the ice, so I can't help but think it will eventually harm the way he plays on it. I didn't mention this previously, but there was an incident in a store where one of my friends works that involved Griffith coming in, telling the employees he was a Buck and then expecting them to do everything he wanted and threatening them when they didn't. If Ruskowski didn't want to stand for what Ryan Salvis and Josef Fojtek were doing off the ice, then I hope he wouldn't want to stand for his players treating other people that way or doing anything that would give his team a bad reputation. According to his Hockey DB page, he seems to have returned to his EIHL team, so he probably wouldn't be available to the Bucks for training camp anyway. EDIT: Griffith does not seem to be signed in the EIHL after all, and his demanded departure from that team seems to be an interesting testament to his character of its own, but let's talk about what he did on the ice for the Bucks. Griffith got hot at exactly the right time, so that is what everyone is going to remember about him at this point. However, as Ruskowski often noted, Griffith is a "streaky" player, and eventually the hot streak was likely to end. Griffith had 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points in his 33 regular season games while posting a minus-2, then lit up for seven goals and two assists for nine points and a plus-4 in seven playoff games. Neither point total is anything to look down on, and if Griffith has found a comfort zone here in Laredo, then maybe his off-ice problems are something that can be resolved. I do worry a bit about his willingness to fight during the playoff series when he admitted that the tension between him and Mike Salekin was carried over from the past and had absolutely nothing to do with the Bucks, especially considering the fact that he was taking his own team's highest-scoring player off the ice for five minutes when he did (during a loss for the Bucks), but I'm guessing Ruskowski talked to him about that after the fact because he didn't do it again despite saying he would be up for it. If that was the case, and he listened, there is hope for his attitude problem. Considering some of the numbers he has posted in the past, and the fact that he never seems to treat fans the way he treated those previously mentioned, he could very well be back if Ruskowski can afford the salary he wants. And Griffith is still in Laredo but does not seem to be nursing any injuries, so that can only say good things for the way he feels about the city.

Ryan Lehr (Defenseman) - Yes. When Lehr came in, he brought something with him that Ruskowski had been looking for all year - a booming slapshot. I haven't mentioned this enough with other guys on this list, but when you find young talent that isn't so overwhelming it requires excessive compensation, it is exactly what you want to keep on a team like this. Lehr had six points in just 10 regular season games - great for a defenseman - and was a plus-4, which also isn't bad. He was very eager to learn and to play, and someone who can take point shots and block them at the other end is exactly what the Bucks need.

Mike Looby (Defenseman) - No. Looby can play when he wants to, but that's just the problem - he often doesn't want to do that, as his -12 shows. He slacked off on the ice, missed practices when the team staff didn't necessarily feel he needed to and overall just displayed a bad work ethic. Players like that - especially if they're wearing an 'A' - can do horrible things for a locker room and for a coach, and I guarantee you he became more of a headache for Ruskowski than he ever wanted to be dealing with. Considering the things I was told about Looby off the record, by more than one person, I would be absolutely shocked if he returned.

Jarred Mohr (Defenseman) - Maybe. Mohr has the tools to be a great player, but something was just off about him a lot of this season. He had 10 goals and 22 assists, with seven of the goals coming on the power play, but more often than not, he seemed to waste his chances on the advantage. I obviously don't get to see every game, but I feel like there was a lot more he could have done in the games I did see. I also feel like turning the puck over may have been a bit of a problem for him, but it's hard to judge that too much in a league that doesn't keep stats like that. Some of the mistakes he made were just not what you want to expect from a guy in his fourth pro season. But, there were some positives to his play, as well, and if he could be convinced to shoot more from the point, he could get better, so he's a tough one to decide on with just a yes or no.

Mark O'Leary (Forward) - Yes. O'Leary is yet another guy who didn't get much of a chance to show what he had with the Bucks, but everything he did show looked pretty good. A team needs to be made up of a lot of guys who can step up on any given night, and O'Leary proved he can be one of those guys on several occasions. He played only nine games with the Bucks, but had three goals and three assists and was a plus-3. If he could play at that rate for the whole season, you're looking at more than 20 goals, more than 40 total points and a pretty good plus/minus ratio. Ruskowski got to see him play when he did some decent work for the Killer Bees, too, so he can rest assured that the scoring wasn't a fluke, and I think O'Leary is worth a training camp invite this fall.

Pier-Olivier Pelletier (Goaltender) - Yes. I know Ruskowski doesn't have a history of keeping goaltenders, but how could he not want to keep a kid who stepped up the way Pelletier did? He had very little pro experience and came in and had some extraordinary games to help the Bucks clinch that third playoff seed and to hang with the Americans for seven games in a series that likely would have been much more one-sided without him in net. I don't think you need me to tell you how well he played, but a .915 save percentage during the regular season followed up with a .920 in the playoffs is just great for a rookie netminder, and he can only get better with more time playing against CHL-level talent.

Robin Richards (Forward) - No. I'm honestly not sure why Richards stuck around all season, though I'm not surprised he didn't play in most of the playoff games. Yes, he plays a rough style of game that appeals to the casual hockey fan, and yes, he has a big body presence that can be useful in front of the net... but what's the point of those things if someone loses most of his fights and takes penalties to cancel out power plays more than he scores goals on them? Plus, as I had mentioned previously, he did not take practice seriously at all. There were even occasions that he would joke around loudly while Ruskowski was trying to give the team instruction and Ruskowski would have to call him out to get him to shut up. That is not an attitude you need on your team, and his carelessness and lack of talent are not liabilities you need, either. He is better suited for a league in which he can be used purely to fight, and even then, he needs to work on that a bit. If Ruskowski plans to keep only 18 guys so he can stay below the cap, he cannot waste one of those spots on someone like Richards.

Adam Rivet (Defenseman) - Maybe. This is a tough one, because Rivet is the captain, a guy who the players get along with well, someone fans recognize, someone who was and is a part of so much this team wants to be... but I just can't bring myself to say yes flat-out. Everything I said about Agarunov not seeming overly comfortable in his situation here, I can reverse and apply to Rivet. Yes, he cares about this team, and yes, he wants to succeed, but he just didn't seem as invested in it this year as he has in the past. After last season, he was emotional and really upset with himself for the way he played. This year, he put up one point more in one more game played and said he was completely satisfied with his play. In my opinion, being completely satisfied with yourself is never a good thing, and being completely satisfied with being the captain of a team that often looked like it did not care definitely can't be good. Ruskowski told me all season long that there were veteran leaders he needed to have step up who were not doing that, and though he refused to name names, I have to think Rivet was often one of them. I know he wants to come back, so I'm not sure a split is in the cards, but I do think Ruskowski needs to question his desire before he lets him have his 'C' back even if he does stay.

Evan Schwabe (Forward) - Yes. Schwabe plays hard and plays a position that not every forward can handle, and his presence was obviously missed when he could not play due to the injury he suffered in the All-Star game. By my count, he won't be a veteran just yet, but he definitely has plenty of experience, and he put up good numbers with the Bucks but wasn't quite at career highs, which could mean he will do more with a full season to play. I'd say the biggest question here would be how much he wants to be paid, but if you can get 50 points out of him for every full season he can play, it doesn't seem like bringing him back would be a bad idea.

Darryl Smith (Forward - Yes and no. Smith is an even more complicated situation. On the one hand, of course Bucks fans should want him to stay here. On the other, why does he really want to stay? Of course he didn't play poorly this year, but I don't think he necessarily played up to his potential. He is comfortable in Laredo knowing that he will always be top-line talent here and that he is dating the coach's daughter. But is there really a good reason to keep him around? Maybe being rejected by teams at higher levels has led him to believe he's better off staying, but if he were to try playing for an ECHL team with an affiliation, his chances of getting called up and staying up could improve. Plus, sometimes teams within the same organization play the same systems, and going up to the AHL with a knowledge of what is expected of him there, rather than by his CHL team, could also benefit his chances. I told Smith at the end of his rookie season that I hoped for his sake he wouldn't be back, and I meant it. But he came back, and now I can't help but hope the same thing. But if I'm supposed to be analyzing what is best for the Bucks, not for the players themselves, then I guess I'd have to say it would be best to keep him here. A 35-plus goal scorer and 70-plus point man is not one you want to give up.

Justin Styffe (Forward) - Yes. Styffe brings the two most exciting things to see in a hockey game - speed and fighting. He may not have the best hands, but he is a sparkplug who can skate with the best of them (at this level) and win fights against guys a foot or more taller than him. Especially in a non-traditional market, players like Styffe are an incredible asset. And there's no denying the similarities between Ruskowski as a player and Styffe, so I think that gave him a soft spot for the guy even before he started producing. If he left, I think there would be some unanswered questions about how big of a draw he could become in Laredo, and what kind of player he could have become now that his game was not as focused on fighting as it was in the IHL. I have to admit that it's not necessarily exciting for me to watch a lot of CHL players after being jaded by too many NHL games, but Styffe was a lot of fun to watch, right up to the play that ended his season.

Jeremy Swanson (Defenseman) - Yes. Other than goaltending, playing solid defense can be the hardest thing to do, and he did it well for the games he did play. He was willing to shoot the puck, willing to block shots and willing to ask questions in order to improve. He got better and better every game, and Ruskowski always says the game in which Swanson got hurt was the best he had seen from him so far. It's optimistic to assume that he will just keep on getting better, but it also seems pretty logical, so having him come back and try to get better in Laredo - especially considering all the money invested in his injury rehabilitation - couldn't hurt.

Neil Trimm (Forward) - Maybe. He plays hard, and he had to deal with a constantly nagging injury, but I'm sorry, a minus-22 season on a winning team is not something you want to see. He can obviously do some things well, but I don't know if he did them well enough or often enough for the Bucks, and I think it might be best for all parties involved to let him try to bounce back elsewhere. However, if you can look at a season with .7 points per game as a bad one for a third-liner, the assumption that a good one could be coming might be reason enough to keep him around.

Of course, whether these guys meet my standards are not, it's ultimately up to them if they want to come back or not, even if Ruskowski does want them here.

Speaking of Ruskowski, I'm sorry I never got to mention that he would be featured during the ESPN Friday Night Fights event at the LEA tonight.

Not sure if any of you saw it, but he did a little segment about fighting with boxing analyst and trainer Teddy Atlas.