Quote:
Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle
Did we though? I think the over payment for Hamonic is drastically overstated because that pick unexpectedly became a lottery ball pick (because the Flames did worse than expected, and the NHL lottery system has all non playoff teams with a chance in the lottery), which does have to be factored in, but is mentally making the deal seem worse for fans.
- Hamonic is a legit, top quality Top 4 D man in this league, maybe top 2 potential. I get that picks are important, but even with that first round being a 12th overall, and the two 2nd rounds to go with it, I think between those 3 picks you are hoping you get a player that can play in the Top 4 on D (or equivalent) to emerge at best.
Not saying it was a steal, but it seems like pretty fair trade value for a part as important as Hamonic to building a strong team. That's not even factoring in the fact that the Flames had young depth on D (Anderson, Kylington, Valimaki) so makes the picks easier to give, and the fact that given Hamonic's trade requests, he was going to end up on a direct, likely divisional rival if he didn't end up with us.
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I didn't pan the trade or criticize Hamonic. I just think it was a steep price to pay for what Hamonic is. I like Hamonic, I like his salary, and he's part of a team that Treliving has put together that is working really well right now. I can accept the point of view that the trade was fair value. I agree that it would not have looked so bad had the Flames finished higher in the standings last year. But they didn't.
The point is that we scored a homerun landing Lindholm and Hanifin. The negative overreactions to that trade would not be on a par with people not liking the Hamonic trade.