Scoring frustrations, Hedican's availability could spark move CLARK SPENCER cspencer@herald.com
Unable to score when he's on the ice for the Panthers, center Olli Jokinen may soon discover it's no easier when he's forced to sit in the press box. That's where scratches are exiled, and Jokinen could be among the missing on the Panthers' bench for Wednesday's game against Pittsburgh.
Head coach Duane Sutter said with Bret Hedican expected to return from a broken jaw that has forced him to miss the first part of the season, he may go with seven defensemen Wednesday.
That could mean a demotion for Jokinen, who has remained an enigma since arriving with goaltender Roberto Luongo in a trade last season with the Islanders.
``Offensively, he hasn't put up any numbers,'' Sutter said.
Jokinen hasn't scored a goal or had an assist in 13 games. He scored just six goals in 78 games for the Panthers last season.
Now Sutter said it's time for Jokinen to re-establish himself in a new role.
``For a young guy like him, he has to establish an identity, which he hasn't done yet,'' Sutter said. ``To me, that's a gritty type of player. He has to establish an identity that way. He knows he's not a skilled enough player to play on the first line. To be a player like that, it's got to be [all] energy, shift in and shift out. He's just got to be solid.''
There have been times when Jokinen has looked lost on the ice.
``It's more mental than anything else,'' Jokinen said. ``When we started the season, there was a question about what type of player I would be in this league. I've been trying to find myself, what kind of player I am, what type of player Olli Jokinen is going to be. I think I can be a guy who can score 15 to 20 goals a year and play hard every night.''
But Jokinen has yet to prove he can do either.
He has failed to live up to the expectations that came with him when the Los Angeles Kings made him the third-overall pick in the 1997 draft. Jokinen, a top junior player in his native Finland, earned NHL Rookie of the Month honors his first full month in the league in '98.
Then the scoring stopped. He managed 11 goals and 21 points in 82 games for the Islanders in 1999-00 before being dealt to the Panthers in the trade that sent Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha to Long Island.
The drought has continued in South Florida.
``Right now the puck's not going in,'' Jokinen said. ``I have to pick up my game. I have to start hitting better like I did last year when Duane took over, maybe fight sometimes. That's what's missing in my game right now. You can't worry about ice time (he's averaging only 13 minutes a game). You have to try to win the one-on-one battles.''
He said he can't allow his frustrations over his scoring slump to affect his overall play.
``I had a lot of chances the first games and didn't score,'' he said. ``Then it starts rolling like a snowball. When you get frustrated, that's not the best way. But we still have a lot of games and I have a lot to prove. Every game now is a challenge for me.''