Quote:
Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe
Well, this is hindsight.
At the time, it was a huge win. UFAs get signed for big money contracts all the time without having the luxury of having played on the team first.
If the deal didn't get done, and Huberdeau was lighting it up, then during the entire season it would be a huge distraction. The team just lost Gaudreau for nothing, and would the same thing be happening all over again with Huberdeau? Sure, you can just say that you should have dealt him at the deadline, but what if the team was good last year? I mean, they were supposed to be very good, with every pundit proclaiming them as a contender that was even better than the previous season.
The expectation was that the Flames were going to be a good team, and the biggest question mark heading into the season was if they were going to be able to re-sign Huberdeau, or would the Flames watch another franchise-level player leave for nothing for a 2nd consecutive season?
The benefit of hindsight shows this to be the wrong move - obviously. However, even though I am happy that Treliving is no longer the GM in Calgary, I do think that at the time, re-signing Huberdeau was the right move.
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Well I think what we are seeing is that there are worse things than losing a player for nothing which happens to every great team in every sport.
It's just a tough spot right now because I really don't think he is tradeable for any player in the league. Other bad contracts are shorter.
And that is probably increasing his frustration. He knows there is no way out of this other than him playing better.