Ex-Canuck Frank Corrado, stuck in Leafs Limbo: ‘Everyone gets to play but me’

[Bruce Boudreau]

http://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/ex-canuck-frank-corrado-stuck-in-leafs-limbo-everyone-gets-to-play-but-me

 

Frank Corrado is tired of sitting, there is no secret about that.

But when he saw former teammate Peter Holland, who was in similar circumstances with head coach Mike Babcock until making some noise, the defenceman could bear being silent no longer. With the Leafs playing their 29th game on Thursday and no hint he was getting back in the lineup, Corrado spoke up, notably about a frayed relationship with the coach.

He told the Toronto sports website The Athletic after the morning skate “everyone on our back end gets a chance to play except me. I’d love to play. I had a good camp. I put on 10 pounds in the summer. I sacrificed a lot to earn a job here when there might not have been one for me.”

General manager Lou Lamoriello liked Corrado enough to claim him on waivers from Vancouver at the start of the 2015-16 season, their first year on the job. A cat-and-mouse game with the roster went on for most of the season, the Leafs leery of putting Corrado on waivers for fear of losing him.

The Toronto native played 39 games with a goal and five assists, playing seven games with the Marlies on a conditioning stint. A regular at the MasterCard Centre throughout the summer with intense skating instructions, skills development and off-ice workouts, Corrado did his best to become the type of player he thought Babcock was looking for.

But he played just one game — Nov. 12 at Pittsburgh. Ahead of him, Babcock stuck with the sometimes inconsistent Martin Marincin and Connor Carrick and a basic set of seven.

Babcock was upset Corrado took his beef public and insisted he has nothing against the 23-year-old.

“This is what I’m disappointed in,” Babcock said after the shootout loss to Arizona. “If you feel that me liking you has anything to do with whether you play or don’t play, you’re missing the bill big-time. I love the guys and I’m hoping for all of them, that they do well.

“Whether you go in the lineup or not is based on how you play — period. Nothing personal one bit. It’s just unfortunate he feels that way, that’s too bad. We talk quite a bit and we’ll talk again, but he’s a young guy, he’s frustrated. He had his chance with the media today and that’s life.”

Joe Resnick, who represents Holland and Corrado, was able to get the former moved after a week in limbo, but acknowledges getting cooperation to let Corrado loose could be harder. Babcock won’t sit his top pair of Morgan Rielly and Nikita Zaitsev, while Jake Gardiner has been playing better and Marincin is judged to be an effective partner. Neither will Babcock sit the hard-hitting Polak and alternate captain Hunwick, who was so useful to him last season. Carrick also impresses the staff, although they have to curtail his enthusiasm sometimes.

So Corrado sits, with not much of a chance to show other potential employers what he can do from the press box.

 

 

Should Canucks look to get Corrado back? Does he get traded? Does he finally get put on waivers?

 

Does Las Vegas pick him up in the expansion draft?

 

Do you care anymore?

[ItsMillerTime]

Canucks don't need him. But Vegas could use him or Marlies.

[The Weasel]

haha. him and virtanen would be best friends. 

[Master Mind]

I don't like how a team can claim a player just to put him in the press box.

 

Let him play already.

[Pears]

What the Leafs are doing with Corrado is an absolute joke. Then again, what about that organization isn't a complete joke?

[Dekey Pete]

14 minutes ago, Pears said:

What the Leafs are doing with Corrado is an absolute joke. Then again, what about that organization isn't a complete joke?

 

But I thought they were the model of a perfect rebuild according to every third NHL article produced this year.  

[oldnews]

Toronto are being complete tools where this player is concerned.

 

Made a joke of the waiver rules - sat him so long - with no injury - that they tried to justify circumventing waivers with a bogus "conditioning stint" last year.

 

And this year again - they show no respect for him  - not playing him and not waiving him. 

 

Petty asset greed on their part.

[Nuxfanabroad]

I'd like SOMEONE to ask Bernier(think it was him), what Frankie Corrado & Nelson Mandela have in common? :^)

[-AJ-]

I'd say he's AHL-bound. He can excel there and try to revive his career.

[oldnews]

Good for him for stating it publicly.

 

Last year he didn't play a single game until Dec 15th - this year again.

 

There should be a hard limit to how long you can freeze a player.

 

What the Leafs are doing is way beyond reasonable.

 

Hey don't worry Frank - you'll get to play after the deadline!    When the Leafs have dumped assets like Polak again.  But until then, keep your mouth shut.

 

Just do it like Tranna - let the kids play!

[combover]

Good for him. He's getting screwed so speak up they won't risk losing him but they won't play him that's just bs and he has been patient. he deserves to be playing at the very least in the minors. Hope he gets traded or waived it would be the best thing for him. 

Babs saying how he feels about players not making a difference is a total line of benning brand bs. 

[mll]

The Islanders treatment of goalie Berubé is as perplexing - he has only played 8 NHL games since being claimed off waivers from the Kings back in October 2015.  They are carrying 3 goalies. 

The Blues are doing the same with Ty Rattie who is waiver eligible this year - he only played 4 NHL games this season for an average of less than 7:30.

 

It just doesn't seem fair to treat young players that way.  

 

[THERETOOL]

I remember the outrage and panic when we lost him .   lol ..    

[JM_]

Or.... maybe he really isn't more than a borderline 7/8 guy? Maybe he doesn't really stand out, on the ice or in practice? Maybe he's got a big yap? 

 

I never got why people were so hot for this guy, given how many other guys in our system were ahead of him. 

[THERETOOL]

1 minute ago, S'all Good Man said:

Or.... maybe he really isn't more than a borderline 7/8 guy? Maybe he doesn't really stand out, on the ice or in practice? Maybe he's got a big yap? 

 

I never got why people were so hot for this guy, given how many other guys in our system were ahead of him. 

I feel like its the grass is always greener syndrome ..    Its the feeling your team lost a gem for nothing .   I know thats happened to us a few times , so maybe some fans are a little gun shy 

[JM_]

Just now, Lulover88 said:

I feel like its the grass is always greener syndrome ..    Its the feeling your team lost a gem for nothing .   I know thats happened to us a few times , so maybe some fans are a little gun shy 

 

It wasn't for nothing, we got a space on the 50 man roster  But really, he can't shoot as well as Larsen. He's not big or a commanding presence in any way. He's not able to crack 2 different lineups. I guess I'm being harsh but the amount of yap over him was just too much. 

 

If Babcock saw something, anything, in this guy during practice you would have seen him play. 

[THERETOOL]

Just now, S'all Good Man said:

 

It wasn't for nothing, we got a space on the 50 man roster  But really, he can't shoot as well as Larsen. He's not big or a commanding presence in any way. He's not able to crack 2 different lineups. I guess I'm being harsh but the amount of yap over him was just too much. 

 

If Babcock saw something, anything, in this guy during practice you would have seen him play. 

you have to be the best in the world to get a roster spot  in this league .  he just isnt good enough 

[Qwags]

What's the point of claiming a guy if you aren't going to use him?

[b3.]

I would be pissed too. Especially if that tool Polak was playing ahead of me.

[TheRussianRocket.]

Outrageous.

 

If this was WD handling Corrado, it would put him in deep deep sh!t. Dumb how Babcock's word is final and his job security will never be at risk thus he can pull crap like this off without any consequence.

 

'We play players based on their play'...ye, how is that even applicable to Corrado if he never plays? Absolutely destroying the kid's young career and confidence. Waiver wire use-and-abuse/leaching textbook definition right here. Feel for Frankie.