Under any circumstance, missing your best player creates an irreplaceable void.
In the WHL Playoffs, against the second-best team in Canada, that pit would make the most daring fearful.
That’s the challenge ahead of the Red Deer Rebels, as they get set to face the Prince Albert Raiders in the first round of the WHL Playoffs Friday.
Red Deer will be without Alex Alexeyev for at least the first round playoffs according to GM/head coach Brent Sutter after he suffered a lower-body injury and was taken off on a stretcher on March 8 against the Brandon Wheat Kings. He’s listed as week-to-week on the WHL injury report been wearing a knee brace at the rink since the injury.
It is no secret that Alexeyev, a first-round pick of the Washington Capitals in the 2018 NHL Draft, is the straw that stirs the drink in a lot of areas of the ice. He is the key cog on the power play, and eases the pressure on the rest of the blueline by playing nearly 30 minutes a night.
“It’s a huge challenge. There’s no team out there that doesn’t lose their best defenceman and their horse– guy that plays 30 minutes a night that doesn’t impact the backend,” said Sutter.
“Whether it’s our level or the pro level. You lose your top player on your backend and it certainly changes things. That being said, it also gives others opportunities and they have to rise to the occasion.”
Dawson Barteaux, a sixth-round pick of the Dallas Stars in the 2018 NHL Draft is expected to carry a large majority of the load without Alexeyev.
Barteaux played in 67 games this year and registered 34 points. At times he showed of taking his game to the next level and understands himself and others will have to step up without Alexeyev.
“He’s a huge part. Obviously, every time he’s out it’s really tough on us,” said Barteaux.
“He’s an amazing player. So having him out, we have to play our systems and move the puck up. Play simple and everything will work out.”
That idea of playing simple is critical at this time of year against a highly-skilled group like the Raiders and that’s where some playoff experience might factor in for the Rebels blueline.
Between Barteaux, Jacob Herauf, Carson Sass and Ethan Sakowich, they have played 43 playoff games. All with the Rebels, all in the first round and all against the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
While that experience is valuable, defending as a hole and covering up for Alexeyev will be left to the entire group.
“Our top four d-men have all been in the playoffs,” Sutter said.
“It’s a situation where they have to manage it right and handle it right. Yet, it’s just not on the defence. It’s on the goaltender, he’s gotta be good and the forwards have to be good at what they do, too.”
It won’t be the first time this season Red Deer is without their star blueliner, as he missed three weeks while playing with Russia at the world juniors, six games in late January to early February and another five to end the year after the Brandon game.
Without Alexeyev this season, the Rebels were 5-12-1-1.
In those 19 games, the Rebels operated at nearly 19 per cent on the power play, converting 17 of 90 chances in his absence. Perhaps even more encouraging, is in the five games in March without their top defenceman, Red Deer scored at least one power play goal in all five games and went nine-for-22 during that stretch.
Balancing those numbers with a stronger team effort in their own zone will be key if the Rebels hope to shut down a Raiders team that scored 307 goals in 68 games this season.
Email sports tips to Byron Hackett
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