Quote:
Originally Posted by StrykerSteve
It's not like Hudler's old. He can be an integral part of this team for many years to come.
It drives me nuts that people want to trade anyone that A) had an off year or B) had a good year, just because they are over 25 years old. It's ridiculous logic. Why would any player want to play for a team that operates that way?
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It's nothing against Hudler as a player, it's about buying an asset. You trade Hudler for something meaningful and then go out in free agency and pick up say Ryan Callahan (just as an example). Someone who can get you 40-50 points, provide leadership, helps you get bigger, and maybe he costs 1.5 or 2 million more than Hudler, but now you have a similar player + whatever you get from a Hudler trade at the draft (which is probably a first round pick a late first after the year he had - contenders will value a Hudler-level player way more than a 1st rounder in the 20s of a weak draft).
Also, regarding Wideman: He isn't a bad player. He's a useful NHL defenseman, but he's redundant on this roster. Gio and Russell run the first PP unit, and the right thing to do is give Brodie the chance to run the 2nd unit. Which means Wideman is now the 3rd or fourth option on the 2nd unit powerplay, and he isn't providing good value for what his strengths are.
Now if a team has a d-corps that lacks in skill, offensive D, powerplay help etc, they can find room for Wideman. He helps. Just not here.