The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
7 — Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Sports
York, Beecher likely to return in 2020, Michigan’s seniors in limbo
If all things had gone
according to plan, Michigan
would
still
be
playing
hockey.
The
Wolverines
would be two days removed
from playing for a Big Ten
Tournament championship,
and even if they’d lost that
game
or
the
semifinals
against Ohio State, they’d
likely
be
preparing
for
an
NCAA
Tournament
appearance
this
coming
weekend.
But
COVID-19
happened.
In one fell
swoop,
the
NCAA
canceled all
remaining
winter
and
spring
championships and the Big
Ten suspended play for all
sports.
Now, instead of preparing
for the NCAA Tournament,
Michigan
coach
Mel
Pearson is preparing to
have exit meetings with all
of his players. For some,
that means figuring out if
they’ll be returning to Ann
Arbor next year or signing
with their NHL teams.
Freshmen Cam York and
Johnny Beecher — 2019
first-round draft picks of
the Philadelphia Flyers and
Boston Bruins, respectively
— have a decision to make
about their futures. After
the University encouraged
everyone in the dorms to
return to their permanent
residences, both returned
home and are taking time
to reflect before having exit
meetings with Pearson and
his staff.
With the NHL season
on pause, there’s no huge
rush to sign
for
either
the
players
or the teams,
but
Pearson
knows
the
decisions are
still
coming
sooner rather
than later.
“It’ll
probably be good for them
to go reflect a little bit,”
Pearson said. “When we
have our meetings, I think
we’ll all be calmed down
a little more over what
happened and have a chance
to reflect on some things
and what we need to do to
get where we want to go. I
expect both of them to be
back.”
For
many
of
the
Wolverines’
seniors
—
players like Luke Martin,
Griffin
Luce,
Will
Lockwood,
Jake
Slaker,
Jacob Hayhurst and Nick
Pastujov — things are a
little trickier.
Lockwood, Martin and
Pastujov were all drafted,
and Lockwood has already
signed with the Vancouver
Canucks. But the Carolina
Hurricanes, which drafted
Martin in the second round
in 2017, and the New York
Islanders, which drafted
Pastujov in the seventh
round in 2016, haven’t made
any signings at all after
the college season ended —
leaving the players in limbo.
Pastujov finished tied for
second on the team in goals
with nine and was third in
points with 18. Martin led
Michigan
in
plus-minus
at
plus-10
and
finished
second in the nation with 85
blocked shots, while playing
huge minutes and forming
the backbone of the top
penalty-killing unit.
“I think you see some
teams sign guys they’re
interested in, some teams
kinda slow things down,”
Pearson said. “It’s hard.
It’s hard on a guy like
Luke Martin, who had a
tremendous year.”
It’s especially hard for
players like Slaker, Luce
and Hayhurst, who weren’t
drafted and thus are free
agents. Some NHL teams
have continued to sign free
agents — there have been
nine such signings across
the league — but for the
most part, talks have slowed
down significantly for most
teams.
Slaker is Michigan’s most
attractive prospect, having
led the Wolverines in goals,
assists
and
points
this
season with 31 total points
in 33 games — topping his
previous season-high of 27,
in seven fewer games. Luce
has attended a couple of
NHL development camps
as a stay-at-home blueliner,
and
Hayhurst’s
second-
half
goal-scoring
surge
will likely attract some
attention,
perhaps
from
teams at the AHL level.
For now, though, all they
can do is wait.
“A few of the free agents
have signed,” Pearson said.
“It’ll be interesting. … Slaker
had his best year. I know
Slaker’s had some interest
and some offers, so we’ll see
what goes on there.”
Adding an even deeper
layer of complexity to these
decisions is the question
of whether winter sport
athletes will get an extra
year of eligibility from the
NCAA.
It
seems
highly
unlikely at this point, but
Pearson
suggested
it’s
enough of a possibility that
it’s keeping some players
from signing deals until
there’s
a
final,
official
decision.
“Some guys have slowed
things down a little bit to
wait to see what happens
there, in case they might get
another shot to finish what
they started, so to speak,”
Pearson
said.
“I
think
you’ll see another rush of
signings once that comes
out, hopefully in the next
week or two.”
BAILEY JOHNSON
Daily Sports Editor
ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily
Freshman forward Johnny Beecher will likely return for his sophomore year, according to Mel Pearson.
I expect both
(Beecher and
York) to be
back.
Answering three key questions about the Wolverines’ offense
In some alternate universe,
an email would have hit
the
inboxes
of
reporters
sometime last week. It would
have announced the start of
Michigan football’s spring
practice,
and
contained
a
schedule
for
press
conferences with players and
coaches. More likely than not,
it would’ve led off with coach
Jim Harbaugh.
Of course, none of that
happened.
Instead,
the
Wolverines are at home along
with everyone else. There’s
no spring practice because of
the COVID-19 crisis, and no
chance for the media to ask
questions of Harbaugh for
the first time since January’s
Citrus Bowl loss to Alabama.
Still, they remain pertinent.
The Daily decided to break
down three of the biggest
questions surrounding the
Michigan
football
team’s
offense. Here they are:
Who’s
winning
the
quarterback battle?
The
need
to
find
a
replacement
for
Shea
Patterson
will
dominate
most of the conversation
surrounding
Michigan
football until either Dylan
McCaffrey or Joe Milton
steps onto the field against
Washington on Sept. 5.
Despite a number of faults,
Patterson
was
a
proven
commodity
who
averaged
eight yards per attempt in two
years as Michigan’s starting
quarterback.
McCaffrey
and Milton both figure to
have higher ceilings, if only
because of the allure of the
unknown, but both are just
that — largely unknown.
When he saw game action
over the last two years,
McCaffrey, a redshirt junior
in 2020, mostly impressed
with his legs, rushing for a
44-yard touchdown against
Wisconsin in 2018. As for
Milton, he completed three
of four passes on a late-game
touchdown
drive
against
Rutgers in 2019, after the
contest became out of hand.
Of the two, McCaffrey
seems the safer pick. He’s a
year older, with more practice
and game reps, while Milton’s
accuracy and touch are both
at question. Still, outsized
arm talent makes Milton’s
ceiling
convincing.
Going
with the younger, potentially
more
erratic
quarterback
would represent a huge vote
of confidence on Harbaugh’s
part — as well as a notable
risk.
How does Chris Evans
work into the running back
rotation?
The run game is a notable
strength for Michigan going
into 2020. Zach Charbonnet
enters
his
sophomore
year
after
a
726-yard,
11-touchdown
freshman
campaign as the probable
starter, but Hassan Haskins
could challenge him for the
job. At minimum, the two will
likely split carries as they did
last season.
Things get complicated fast
after that, though. Harbaugh
announced in November that
Evans, a senior who served
an academic suspension for
all of last season, would be
reinstated for 2020. On top
of that, Michigan also brings
in four-star recruit Blake
Corum
from
St.
Frances
Academy in Maryland.
Evans was never the full-
time starter from 2016-18,
but always found himself
well in the mix for carries.
It’s unlikely that will change
— it stands to reason that
Michigan
wouldn’t
have
asked Evans back had there
not been a role envisioned
for him. On top of that, he’s
a talented running back who
averaged 5.2 yards per carry
in 2018.
Exactly
what
that
translates to in terms of his
role, though, isn’t clear. Based
on the way Harbaugh’s done
things in the past, it’d be
surprising if we didn’t see
a
somewhat-even
rotation
between
Charbonnet,
Haskins
and
Evans
in
terms of carries. But it still
would have been nice to get
15 practices to see if any
separation occurred.
The offensive line lost
four starters — what does it
look like right now?
Michigan’s offensive line is
in a great long-term position.
Last season, it was one of the
biggest sources of consistency
in the offense, with three
seniors and Cesar Ruiz, a
center who left early for the
NFL. Just as important, it
seemed then — and still seems
now — that the Wolverines
have the depth to withstand
that kind of turnover, a credit
to offensive line coach Ed
Warinner, whose arrival two
years ago helped flip the
position into one of strength.
But redshirt sophomore
right tackle Jalen Mayfield
is the only returning starter,
and the other four spots
are somewhat up in the air.
Redshirt sophomore Ryan
Hayes
seems
the
likely
option to start at left tackle,
as he played against Middle
Tennessee State and Army
when Jon Runyan Jr. was
injured
last
season
and
acquitted himself well during
that stretch.
Things
get
complicated
on the interior, though. The
Wolverines brought in a six-
man offensive line class in
2019 — four-stars Karsen
Barnhart,
Nolan
Rumler,
Trente Jones and Trevor
Keegan, along with three-
stars Jack Stewart and Zach
Carpenter. Senior Andrew
Stueber was in the thick of
competition with Mayfield
for the right tackle spot when
he went down for the season
with an ACL tear. Senior
Chuck Filiaga has long been
the subject of praise from
coaches, but has yet to earn a
starting spot.
It’s also important to note
that without spring ball, there
are 15 less times these players
will practice, be evaluated
and compete with each other.
That leaves us doing a lot of
guesswork.
As
the
two
most
experienced players of the
group, it stands to reason that
Stueber and Filiaga would
have a leg up at left and right
guard, respectively. As for
the rest, Barnhart may be
the most game-ready, and got
snaps in two games last year.
Carpenter played center his
senior year at Archbishop
Moeller, which could make
him the best-equipped to
replace Ruiz.
ETHAN SEARS
Managing Sports Editor
MILES MACKLIN/Daily
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has historically gone with a running back by committee.