Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
I'm curious to see if the core is re-tooled now. The message out there was that this was the last chance for this core, and if it didn't perform there would be changes. But with the season ended prematurely, does Treliving really have the answer to that question?
|
While it certainly would have been better for him to see how the team handled the pressure of the stretch drive and playoffs (if they made it), I think he probably saw enough going back to post all star break last season to draw some conclusions about the makeup of his roster. I have to think that they have been pondering what to do with Gaudreau for some time and now with only two more seasons until his status becomes precarious you have to wonder if they make the difficult decision to recoup as much assets as possible. We saw with Hall the market for elite forwards in the last year of their deals isn't nearly as lucrative as moving the player with multiple seasons left on his contract. They really can't mess this one up getting another Iginla type of return for their best forward.
Even outside of Gaudreau there are plenty of other areas that need to be addressed with the holes on defense with Brodie and Hamonic set to depart and another season where Rittich wilted in the 2nd half of the season. I no longer feel comfortable starting a season with Rittich the starting goaltender as I think his ceiling is 1B. At the very least Treliving now has more time to ponder these questions.