Quote:
Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14
To some extent acquiring him had to be a poor decision. I’m assuming the team and management was spiralling and in a panic when the trade was made. It’s been talked about how his style of play in FLA doesn’t mesh with the flames style of hockey, and I would expect the flames scouts should have been able to see this.
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I don't think the Flames' management expected him to be a 115-point player here. They also got Weegar, Schwindt, and a 1st in the deal, which tells me they knew perfectly well Huberdeau was much less valuable than Tkachuk. I think the panic set in when they decided to give Huberdeau the exact same contract Gaudreau turned down.
I agree with you about saving face. But it was also about trying to keep that iteration of the Flames going. Nobody goes straight into a rebuild immediately after winning their division. And certainly nobody expected Huberdeau's production to drop by 60 points from one year to the next, since it had never happened before in NHL history.