Quote:
Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger
A forward looking GM with good owners would have traded him before his NTC kicked in.
An even better GM would have never given out such a bad NTC in the first place so that the team would have more options.
|
Sure, and I was saying we should see what we could get from him last summer so I'm sympathetic to that view but the larger context was you had a team at the pinnacle of their rebuild they had invested a lot in. Some factors that could make them a better team than they were, new high level coach and a settled in goalie, fans back in stands. Who knows what they would have got for him, one year of a flight risk player doesn't get you what people think. Who knows what Johnny was telling them. It was the most logical course of action to start the season with him and see what happens. If the team stinks you can still trade JG at the deadline for not much less than the offseason because teams actually know who the contenders are at that point that would be in the market for a pure rental. And if you're good then you can see how far your star can take you and try to hope to re-sign him. It was the smart move, it's really easy to say now they should have traded him for whomever in the offseason. If Gaudreau had put up 115 with some other team after being with them the whole season while the Flames missed the playoffs you guys would be calling for BT's head all the same. Sometimes, some situations are just unwinnable.