Yup, yet another one of the summers ‘worst kept secrets’ is finally out in the open with the announcement that Tom Duggan has left the Phoenix to re-join the Guildford Flames. From Toms perspective this makes sense, as he was truly only playing for us whilst studying up here, and living back ‘dahn sarf’ playing for a local side makes far more sense than trekking all the way back up here 3 or 4 times a week.
Of course, this has sparked some debate over how much of a loss his departure is. Speaking for myself, Tom Duggans departure is a reasonably big loss, but not one that is insurmountable. 2 seasons ago, he was absolutely on fire, and looked the complete dogs bollocks. Last season, though, he did seem to stall in his development, if not actively move backwards in some respects. For sure, he seemed to develop a bit of a ‘glory hunter’ side, when moving the puck into the opposition zone, going directly for the goal when making the quick pass across the front would have been the better option. But show me a forward who doesn’t do that on occasion. And yes, he did seem to get a bit lippy with the officials as well, which is never a particularly popular trait in a player, but on a team as quiet as the Phoenix are was often a breath of fresh air.
Of course, for some his departure is far bigger, as he was often seen by some as the ‘heart’ or ‘engine’ of the Phoenix, and as such will be nigh on impossible to replace. I personally wouldn’t go that far. Yes, he almost always gave 100%, but I can point at other players who did likewise (Ben Wood, Boots, Sir Tony to name but 3). Indeed, I would argue that Boots is the ‘heart’ of the Phoenix, an ever present who seems to love the club and fans as much as he is loved in return.
As for replacing Duggan? Well, I certainly trust Coach Hand. He has a knack of picking a player and bringing them on quite nicely (Rob Lachowitcz being the prime example), so I think we can rest safe on that count.