Has The Cheechoo Train Been Derailed For Good??

    The Dallas Stars have reportedly invited Jonathan Cheechoo to training camp on a tryout basis. Yes, the same Jonathan Cheechoo who won the '05-'06 Rocket Richard Trophy with 56 goals and notching 93 points while netting 5 hat tricks and 11 game winning goals. Cheechoo's explosive season was a spectacular way to showcase the new NHL game in the year after the lockout, watching breakout players quickly transforming into stars (Nicklas Backstrom, Steven Stamkos, Patrick Kane, Zach Parise) becoming the theme.

    In the 4 years since that successful campaign, we've seen Cheechoo's numbers and playing time decline at a steady rate. People would argue that his production was a byproduct of the people around him, which is somewhat true as he was playing with Joe Thornton but also Nils Ekman (remember him?). If you watch the highlight reel of his goals in '05-'06 you will see he had the drive to also make exceptional individual plays as well as knowing where to be for one-timers and perfect passes, which are the things we have slowly seen disappear from his game. After posting point totals of 69 in '06-'07, 37 in '07-'08, and 29 in '08-'09 San Jose decided they couldn't stomach the cap hit for his limited production and shipped him to the Ottawa Senators along with Milan Michalek in the deal that brought Dany Heatley to the Bay Area. Senators fans and Cheechoo himself hoped that maybe a fresh start could do Cheechoo some good and maybe we could at least see flashes of his former self. All parties were quickly disappointed. Ottawa gave him chances to play with good players at times but still only managed 14 points (5-9) and a -13 rating in 61 games before being bought out by the Senators and shipped to Binghamton of the AHL where he managed 14 points (8-6) and a -7 rating in 25 games.

"We're pleased that Jonathan has accepted our invitation to come to our training camp ... He has shown the ability to be an effective scorer in this league. He's a competitor and we're going to give him an opportunity." said Stars' General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk.

    Does Cheechoo stand a chance at cracking the Dallas roster or will he be destined to play in the AHL or Europe if he wishes to continue his career? it certaintly can't be money that hes after since hes collected quite a hefty amount without providing the adequate production. Playing with the likes of Brad Richards, Mike Ribeiro, James Neal, and Jamie Benn could light the fire underneath him so we can catch a glimpse of the raw talent we had witnessed in the shark tank. I for one hope he can become the feel good story of the year after the story had a sour ending in his last attempt, but maybe the Cheechoo train has simply lost all of its steam.

-Dustin Lundberg