2013 Report Cards: Lane MacDermid

BEST PLAYER EVER. Sorry, that might be an exaggeration. Best player ever.

Lane MacDermid is awesome. To begin 2012-13, he had another good season in Providence. During the Black and Gold scrimmage in which Providence beat Boston and it was hilarious and great, he had the game-winning goal and we reunited with his beloved BuzzSaw linemates (Chrisitan Hanson and Bobby Robins). In Providence, he usually wore one of the Alternate Captain "A"s and was employed in multiple roles such as top penalty killer (including two short handed goals) and top ass kicker.

His game has improved quite a bit each year he has been there through his own hard work and determination, which earned him a spot on the Bruins roster out of training camp when the lockout ended. I have no idea why they did this and kept him there as a healthy scratch in the press box, because it seemed like such a waste.

Chiarelli admitted after the trade to Dallas that they didn't want to lose him to waivers. They had sent him down on a conditioning stint at one point, but the maximum for that is two weeks. They literally loved him so much they kept him locked up, then traded him for Jaromir Jagr. For the purpsoses of highlighting how awesome he is, we'll ignore that any other assets were involved in that trade and say it was straight up MacDermid for Jagr because that's how highly coveted and awesome he is.

He never scored an NHL goal in eight career NHL games with Boston, but he scored two in his first two games with the Dallas Stars. He then promptly started coughing up blood and missed most of the regular season. He is already beloved in Dallas, and today it was announced he has been re-signed to a one-year deal.

He has earned his way into the NHL mostly by dropping the gloves, but the trade to Dallas was a good thing for him because it gave him an opportunity to get into a lineup and fill a role that wasn't already filled. Given that opportunity and hard-earned luck, he finally got his first NHL goal. He will never be a prolific scorer, but he will continue to improve and we will weep in Boston because I miss him. I mean we...we miss him.his

Expectations for next year

I don't know, does Dallas have expectations beyond "please don't implode"? I imagine his one-year deal is designed to see how effective he will be in a full season, so if he can remain in the NHL line up and contribute in some meaningful way on a consistent basis - bringing energy, "enforcing", occasionally bringing those awesome goals - then he will have done his job.

Sidenote: The new rule regarding visors now applies to him. He has never worn a visor in the NHL, but he does not meet the minimum requirement of games played to bypass the new rule. It's cool, he's spent most of his career in the AHL, where he obviously wore one every game and still also fought basically every game.

Highlights of the year

As a Bruin, it must have been against the Maple Leafs when he fought Mark Fraser for the second time that game and got the take-down.

As a Dallas Star, it wasn't his first goal that was the highlight, but his second goal, because it was so beautiful:

Grade: A+++++++++

Not only did he made the NHL, but he got traded for Jagr, and debuted in his knew home with two goals in two games and was rewarded with a contract extension. Damn you, Dallas. You're so lucky.