Mike Keenan said he turned down Winnipeg`s first-round draft choice next June and elected to trade defenseman Trent Yawney to Calgary for winger Stephane Matteau, 22.
”If we took the draft pick, he may have come around two to three years from now,” said Keenan. ”That`s a little too long in terms of the age of some of our wingers, such as Steve Larmer, Dirk Graham, Michel Goulet, Greg Gilbert and John Tonelli.”
Matteau, in Keenan`s assessment, ”is a second-line winger and possibly a first-line winger.”
Keenan said the Hawks` doctor, Louis Kolb, examined X-rays of Matteau`s injury-calcium deposits on the thigh bone-which has sidelined him since Oct. 10 and will keep him out of action for another month or more.
A parting shot: Keenan admitted Yawney had a point in saying he should communicate better with his players.
”I probably don`t communicate as well as I should.” But he also noted:
”Sometimes, Trent was trying to coach and manage rather than play.”
Bad news: Keenan announced that defenseman Bryan Marchment probably will miss more than the two to four weeks the team had figured on after a puck fractured a cheek bone during last week`s game against Team USA. He underwent surgery Monday. ”It could be more like four to six weeks,” Keenan said. ”They had to insert a plate in the cheek.”
No guarantees: Keenan refused to say he would return left wing Michel Goulet to the lineup Thursday night against Montreal after sitting him last Sunday against Philadelphia. ”It`s a possibility, but I haven`t decided,” he said. ”His confidence is shaken. It`s not a bad thing when a player is struggling to sit out and reflect on things he`s done well in the past.”
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Told that Goulet thinks he would play better if given more time with Jeremy Roenick and Steve Larmer, Keenan replied: ”It`s unfair to play him with Jeremy and Larmer if he isn`t playing to a certain level. His chances to score are going to be greater with Jeremy. But the fact is he hasn`t scored when he`s been with him. It`s not a punishment not playing him with Jeremy. He`ll face the best checking line there.”
Bring them on: Roenick expects he will hear from those Canadiens Thursday who are still upset over his check from behind against Eric Desjardins, whose mouth slammed into the net`s crossbar and required stitches. He also lost some teeth.
”They probably will try to run me,” he said. ”I can`t worry about it. I have to play through it. I`ll show you the video right now that proves I didn`t do it on purpose. I was veering to the corner when I got blindsided (by a Canadien) and pushed back against the grain into him.”