Markus Schauer - Veteran Presence

[Plate 386]

Markus Schauer, A “Bust”?

 

Scouts will tell you the same thing about Schauer. He has no strength. Gets shoved off the puck too easily and loses balance. Defensive awareness is decent for someone that looks like they play with their eyes closed. The upside that everyone thought was there at the draft never really happened. In the first scouting reports of Markus Schauer there was a lot of talk about his lack of motivation. Somehow, someway, those same reports got swept to the wayside in an advantageous draft class. Defensemen were at a premium and Schauer was coming off a red hot season with the Houston Bulls. 

 

It was as if Schauer hit his potential right at the draft. And during his three season tenure with New York, saw almost no development in his play. The same strength weaknesses were there. Absolutely no improvement in Schauers balance and in the locker room - it felt like he wasn’t even there. By all accounts, if you were to look at his production, I would hardly suggest anyone say he was a bust. 189 points in 216 games played, 597 shots and 517 shots blocked in his three season stint with the New York Americans. What would be a second or third pairing defenseman on any other team was tearing it up on a rebuilding American squad. 

 

New York's head office was hard at work trying to salvage whatever value they could from Schauer. Possible trades offers deterred the longer Schauer stagnated in his development. Management and Schauer both decided to part ways at Free Agency. Maybe turn a new page for Schauer and free up some playing time for prospects on the Americans. Starbucks on 9th avenue, straddling the border between Greenwich village and Chelsea in New York City, is where Schauer got the call. The new Moscow GM, Spartan, showed very little interest in his services. As far as Moscow's roster is concerned, they had an extra spot that could have been easily replaced by a prospect in the minors. 

 

Schauer saw this as a second chance. A chance to show himself that he could work on his game. It’s in the Moscow locker room that he found a bit of his old swagger again. Team mates would tell you Schauer doesn’t skip practice, shows up and puts in the work, and has started to show subtle signs of improvement. You could say that Schauer was a bust. He might even agree with you. When Schauer is getting the job done you can’t deny that intangible asset that he brings to the locker room. It’s an aura that makes everyone else just put in a little more work. It’s like a fortune cookie once told him;

 

It’s better to do something late than never at all.

Edited March 23, 2021 by Plate