Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay Random
So, if I can follow GreenLantern's logic here:
Norris trophy winners are easy to acquire, because one got traded once.
Number-one centres are impossible to acquire, because only one got traded once.
Sounds legit.
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Not my point at all. Since the 2005 lockout, Chris Pronger (twice), Niedermayer, Rafalski, Chara, Redden, Bouwmeester, Shattenkirk, Suter, Weber, Subban, Erik Johnson, Brent Burns, Brian Campbell, Ryan McDonagh, Dion Phaneuf, Seth Jones, Dougie Hamilton, have all reached free agency/been traded. Erik Karlsson is soon going to be on that list, and possibly Drew Doughty. Whatever you think of that list, every single player on it was a 1st pairing player when they moved.
Outside of Ryan Johansen, Joe Thornton and Tyler Seguin, how many #1Cs have changed teams in the prime of their careers? Centre is an inherently more valuable position, I don't know how this is even a question. You can win a Stanley Cup without a Norris defender. You can't without a #1C. If you don't have a #2C who's better than most teams' #1s, you're in for a tough time.