Quote:
Originally Posted by Phanuthier
Probably didn't have a deal in place since most buyers are already tight against the cap or still in a building phase. GMs are probably more conservative in nature then us fans who probably think its like trading on the stock market.
|
They were both coming off career years and both have very manageable cap hits. With retention, those two would've been very tradeable IMO. Especially in the off season/TDL when teams have more available cap space.
I realize it's not like the stock market, but it's also true that many other teams in our situation maximize their assets during a rebuilding year to set themselves up for future years. Moving the likes of Russell and Hudler isn't doing anything that hasn't been done hundreds of times over by all sorts of teams throughout the years. What makes the Calgary Flames special? Throughout their history they have been very resistant to trading veterans for futures, except when backed into a corner. What do the Flames know that other teams don't?
I wouldn't advocate going full-Sabre but I do believe taking a few pages out of their playbook would've been advantageous.