Probably the definition of an incomplete. Through criminal under-use, and then injury, we didn’t see much of Jordan. When we did it floated between teeth-grinding and the steady play we saw a couple years ago. But there just wasn’t a whole lot of either, because we had to have Nick Boynton or John Scott out there. Jordan will never be anything more than “a guy”. But I wonder about some of those points that were tossed away early in the year because of Boynton (Black Wednesday against the Sharks springing readily to mind), wouldn’t have just one of them been gained with the non-spiking EKG of Hendry’s play? Yeah, probably straws we can’t grab. Anyway…
Contract Status: UFA
Positives: Uh, he tried hard? Hendry saw far too many games at forward, which is hardly his fault, and when he did he wouldn’t threaten five or six minutes a game. But he skated as hard as he could and did what he could, which wasn’t much at a position he had no business being deployed at anyway. Even managed a goal, which I wouldn’t have had in the pool. When Coach Q finally tired of Boynton’s act, Hendry got the third pairing minutes we had all been screaming out for. While it will never, ever be confused with spectacular, after a few games Hendry once again showed a pretty simple game and stopped trying to do too much to keep his place in the lineup. Certainly didn’t murder anyone as a 6th d-man.
Negatives: Mostly out of his control. First, there’s the pretty awful knee injury that he suffered that forced Nick Leddy into the lineup every game and the panicked acquisition of Chris Campoli (which worked out for the most part but I think we’re all pretty sure that Campoli was not Target #1). Secondly, his frequent business meetings in the pressbox during games, again not really in his control. When he did get a run out, was trying to prove his worth in the areas he shouldn’t have been — being too aggressive on the rush or trying passes from his own end that he couldn’t complete. Obviously didn’t work at forward, but who thought it would?
Defining Moment: Not his so much but what it stated about the team and the way it was run, his goal in San Jose. There were the Hawks taking on a preeminent competitor and contender (or so we thought then) on the road, and going to battle with 10 forwards. But Hendry scrapped his way to a goal as the top end was shut out for another night. Isn’t that how a lot of the season went?
Outlook: Sadly for Jordan, coming off a total knee blowout, his days here are probably over, as could his days in the NHL. It’s hard to imagine he’s going to garner much more than a try-out or two-way deal from anywhere, much less here. He’s unrestricted but he won’t get more than the 600K he did last year. I like Jordan, and still think he could be ok as a 7th d-man who fills in when injuries strike. Wouldn’t you rather have seen him than John Scott when Seabrook went dizzy in the playoffs? But with Bowman almost certainly not going to admit a mistake and keeping Scott around for that seventh slot, and with upgrades coming hopefully, Hendry’s probably squeezed out.
Grade: Incomplete. Just wasn’t enough at his preferred position, and when he finally got a run he got hurt. All the best Jordan, but you’ve probably worn the Indian Head for the last time.