I'm starting to get sick of all these "project players" or buying low on free agents and depth players year, after year, after year...
Chiasson
Brouwer
Lazar
Stewart
etc.
It feels like the same story every year. It's not a knock on any of these guys, they are all fine players but come on man...
And if you're not willing to pay 7 mil for a player like JVR or Neal then fine (cough*but 4 mil for Brouwer) but why the hell do we bring in these guys year after year to do the same thing and write the same story, hoping that one of them pans out.
And it's almost like they are set up to fail, because here's the story that's written every year...
-Flames sign,trade,claim a depth player to plug a 1st line/2nd line hole.
-Player X is held to a unreasonable standard as the solution or the missing piece we needed.
-Player X struggles to keep up with the skills of our high end players like Gaudreau and Monahan.
-Player X is scrutinized in the media for not being the solution.
-Player X clearly knows he can't put up 1st line numbers like he was somehow exoectes to do, the media scrutiny takes a toll on their confidence.
-Player X is turned into the whipping boy.
I would take Foo, Hatahway, Shore, Shinkaruk or Mangiepane in the filler roles any day. I don't care if they put up -10 points, and I wouldn't have a problem putting them right back into that position.
You don't see winning teams like Chicago or Pittsburgh going out wasting money on depth players like this. They fill from their AHL team, and give them the opportunity to succeed without being touted as the "saviour".
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