Quote:
Originally Posted by Bingo
You have yet to answer the very simple question.
How do you have a plan to force an agent known for waiting to the last minute to reveal his intentions of his client before the draft?
If you have that skill, you're right ... you could have steered this more expertly than Treliving and Edwards.
Guessing you don't though.
Every team would have their owner involved in how to chart a path with their franchise player. That doesn't make the GM a puppet, he's an employee.
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This was a franchise altering off-season. Everything leading up to it should have hinged on whether Gaudreau was staying or leaving, especially the draft. You want to blame Gross because Treleving didn't send his best offer until after the draft which is when it was confirmed that Gaudreau wouldn't have stayed, okay, but I'll blame Treliving for doing it after the draft when he should have been able to know the direction of the team at that time.
Chicago took the bull by the horns and said #### it, we're rebuilding. They'll finish at the bottom, giving them best odds to draft Bedard or Michkov, and if they end up winning three more Cups we'll have the same people saying how they got lucky they sucked at the right time, but they saw a franchise altering draft and decided to make a move to try and capitalize on it. The Flames were paralyzed at the same time.
So my plan, which I indicated before the draft and again now, would have been making a deadline before the draft and sticking with it. Give him the best offer prior to the draft, say take it or we're rebuilding and follow through. Either you keep Gaudreau, and know for certain, and could even trade future assets at the draft for players who may have been available to try and go all-in, or you don't have Gaudreau but are giving yourself the best chance to draft his replacement in a franchise player like Bedard.
Instead the Flames aren't a contender nor rebuilding, hockey purgatory.