Quote:
Originally Posted by GranteedEV
Unless I have my timelines mixed up Button also brought in Craig Conroy and Head Coach Darryl Sutter. Might deserve credit for those two.
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The story at the time was that the owners wanted Darryl Sutter. From the time of the Savard trade, Button was a dead man walking. Forced to choose between his best centre and his coach, he gave away the centre for nothing, and barely two weeks later he fired the coach anyway. After that, I don't think he had the autonomy to make any important moves, and I believe it was decided well in advance that his contract would not be renewed after the season. Nobody was surprised when Sutter became the new GM; I think that may have been the owners' plan all along.
Conroy was a great acquisition, but in hindsight, trading Stillman for him was a bit of an overpayment. After all, Stillman went on to score 55 assists and win the Stanley Cup not once, but in two consecutive seasons.