Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root
I always thought Whitecloud was a solid defender, one of those guys that good teams have, that are solid, but go mostly unnoticed, and people just assume they are just a product of a good team (not much of a player in their own right).
During VGS' cup run, he was an absolute beast, but lesser defensemen rise to the occasion in the playoffs sometimes - going full Commodore - and that's all I figured in this case: a decent player who had a monstrous cup run.
But seeing him every night, you see he is every bit the player he showed in the playoffs. He does so many things well, and does them with size and strength and confidence - it is becoming clear that he was a much larger contributor to that vaunted VGS D core than anyone was giving him credit for. You have to give Conroy and his team huge credit for this, he really plucked a gem from VGS.
At first, I thought we should trade him. But now I think he is the perfect player to play with the kids - solid, dependable, and tough. I disagree with the poster above - I am starting to think it would be better to trade Weegar (who I have been a huge fan of), and keep Whitecloud. However, I think that is a trade for next year. Let things settle, get more games with Whitecloud to really see what we have here. And let Weegar regroup and have a better year next year. Also, give Parekh and Brzustewicz a little more time. Then we can move Weegar next year, from a position of strength.
Bahl and Whitecloud can be the solid pillars to support the talented young (and smaller) D that are coming.
Conroy killed this trade: a 1st + 2nd (conditional) + Whitecloud + B/C prospect
is a huge return for Andersson, when you realize Whitecloud might be the best piece.
|
Honestly, I think this is great. Right off of the bat when I saw Whitecloud's name in the trade I thought "cap dump to make the dollars work".
However, I don't believe Weegar is struggling. I think Weegar is doing the heavily lifting this season and that is why Andersson had the opportunity to look better. It looks exactly the same as Andersson's "struggle" last season. I think any GM or pro scout that looks at Weegar would see that there is nothing wrong with him personally and that the stats are expected when you look at the team performance.
In the end, I think Weegar is still better than Whitecloud but I am willing to say that they are close enough to be equivalent. However, the argument still stands that trading Whitecloud makes far more sense.
Weegar v Whitecloud
Staying on the roster:
Whitecloud has looked solid in his sample of games with Bahl.
Weegar consistently makes his D partner look significantly better, whether it is Hanley or Kuznetsov or whomever.
Cap hit:
Whitecloud's cap hit is easier to trade and could easily be traded mid-season. Whitecloud's smaller cap hit has less value to keep on a rebuilding team that needs to stay above the cap floor.
Weegar's larger cap hit makes him harder to trade mid-season. His larger cap hit makes him more valuable to keep
Term:
Weegar's longer term is more valuable in a trade (more control for the receiving team) but also more valuable to keep as he can be one of the cap hits helping the team reach the rising floor and anchor/mentor the D group
Whitecloud's shorter term may be less valuable to trade but it also poses a risk to keep as he is unlikely to re-sign in a couple of seasons
Trade Clause:
Weegar will be harder to trade as he has full NTC and can dictate how the trade goes. This could significantly impact the return.
Whitecloud has no trade protection and with 2 more seasons after this one extensions are not a consideration. He can be traded for maximum value in a bidding war.
I think a bidding war for Whitecloud could get more than a 1st in value. Perhaps not as much as Andersson brought back but Whitecloud's contract and term definitely help boost his value as does his recent performance. I think any of the contenders who were interested in Andersson should consider Whitecloud as a consolation prize. (Stars, Red Wings, Bruins, Canadiens)
Also, I think there is an opportunity for a much bigger trade. With a few teams poking around Kadri, the Flames could use the last retention slot to essentially bundle Kadri and Whitecloud within Kadri's current cap hit. You cannot do that with Weegar.