Quote:
Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction
It's really no different than when you see a hockey prospect threaten to go to Russia if they don't get called up, and then when they do get called up, they fail to impress.
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Well, actually it's a lot different, but okay, I'll play along with the analogy with a few corrections: it's not the prospect threatening to go to Russia, it's the prospect coming up for UFA status, and rather than seeking the best price on the open market, agreeing to a long-term deal that has a stipulation that he'll get a spot on the big club at a certain time in the future. So when the time comes, they give him his spot on the big club, but rather than letting the veteran (who's playing very well) go, they give him a backup spot. And the result is that the veteran loses his games big-time, and the new prospect wins most of his games, but not by as big a margin as the veteran had when he was in the starting role. And the team, not happy with winning close games with a young prospect, decide to switch the prospect to backup, risking at worst violating his contract and allowing him to walk, or at best thwarting his development. And if the veteran can't regain his old form, or if he decides to retire in a couple years anyway, then the team is suddenly empty-handed with no other good prospects in the system.