Quote:
Originally Posted by New Era
See, here's where we really have a departure on philosophy. Why should a guy have a spot handed to him because he was good five years ago? If he gets worked by four other guys in camp, why should he get an extra month to try and get his crap together because he was an effective NHLer several years ago?
|
Except it WASN'T several years ago. Setoguchi scored at a 20-goal pace two seasons ago. In a very disappointing season he still registered close to 30 points and he is still not yet 28-years-old.
And I am not talking about having a spot "handed to him." Like I said, the value of past experience and accomplishments is almost certainly part of the process in determining what players
have earned.
Quote:
Originally Posted by New Era
You may think it means nothing, but tell that to the kid who worked his ass off to prove he was better, and did so, and lost out on $100K because some veteran 'needs' another month to prove himself. If the guy is essentially on a tryout contract, and he doesn't impress more than four other guys, does he really deserve more time?
|
First of all, Setoguchi's contract is not "essentially" a tryout deal. It is a one-way NHL contract. Second, the whole situation of determining the shape of the opening night roster is much more complicated than merely deciding who had the best camp. Decisions will be made factoring into consideration other things, such as what is determined to be the best (or least harmful) course of action for the prospects.
Quote:
Originally Posted by New Era
...I appreciate there are other things that come into play when selecting who you retain on the roster, but when a guy stands out like that, you have to do something.
|
If he looks competent once the season starts (and there is no reason to expect that Wideman will not look at least competent), then why do you "have to do something" in the event h has a poor camp?
Quote:
Originally Posted by New Era
...Man, I thought Brookbank looked better, and they flat out released the guy.
|
We don't see everything that's going on in camp. Again, I suspect the measure for Wideman to make the team probably has very little to do with how he performs in camp. He is working on getting up to playing speed, and the coaching staff probably recognises that.