Jarret Stoll seeks second shot at redemption with Wild
Facing the New York Rangers on Thursday night won’t be too difficult or strange for Jarret Stoll, despite having been dropped by the Rangers and picked up by the Minnesota Wild this week.
The forward said his big emotional game won’t come until Jan. 21 when he plays at the Los Angeles Kings. It’ll be Stoll’s first game in LA, where he played for eight seasons until he signed a one-year, $800,000 contract with New York in the summer. The Wild claimed Stoll of waivers Tuesday.
“With the Rangers it a was a short stint, I wasn’t there very long. Great guys, great teammates and I loved my time there, it was two different things but a little bit different in the fact I’m playing against the Rangers right away,” Stoll via phone from his Minneapolis hotel room. “I think it’ll be a little bit more difficult to play the Kings.”
Stoll is doing his best to take the positive with this move. Is this the final chance for the 33-year-old center to prove he’s an everyday player in the NHL? Perhaps. Stoll has just three points in 29 games played this year and was relegated to fourth-line wing duty with the Rangers, away from his natural pivot position.
But he’s not thinking that the end is near. It’s not how he’s conditioned.
“That’s a pretty negative way to think,” Stoll said. “This is another opportunity and another chance to show a team what I can do and play well for this team and make the playoffs, play well, go on a run – that’s the goal. If things happen that way then everything will take care of itself. As an athlete you’re always thinking in a positive way and in a way you can move forward, play well, move forward and hopefully stay with a team and sign another contract or whatever, it’s just how we are.”
While it’s likely that his prime years are behind him, that doesn’t mean he can’t be effective. Stoll’s 6-foot-1, 215-pound frame is made more for the grinding Western Conference, rather than the speed-oriented Eastern Conference.
“Talking to the coaches today they want a little more grit, a little more sandpaper and a little more physical team to play against, and a harder team to play against and I think I’ll help with that,” Stoll said.
Last summer Stoll was arrested for drug possession (cocaine) at a Las Vegas pool and he said he’s done addressing that situation.
“I think I’ve dealt with all that and answered all the questions, I don’t think it’s time to rehash any of that,” Stoll said. “I’ve said what I have to say and I’m moving on from that. I hope you respect that. It’s done, it’s over with and I’m moving on.”
Has that in any way affected his standing with teams in the NHL? It’s hard to tell. More than one team put in a claim for Stoll, which he said gave his confidence a bit of a boost, even in this trying time – that he can still play an effective role in the NHL.
“You always want to be wanted for sure,” Stoll said.
“When a team doesn’t really want you anymore it’s disappointing and frustrating but yeah, knowing that there are teams out there still believe in me and were willing to take a chance – yeah that makes me feel good for sure, but at the same point now it’s all about the Minnesota Wild and helping this team make the playoffs and win and that’s all my mind is thinking about right now.”
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
