LOL, you boys wanna stir up some shit again, don'tya?
I'll be honest... leading up to the trade and afterward, there was quite the narrative of victimhood. People making assumptions from what was being suggested by media, lack of transparency by the club, etc. to literally write full HR reports based on hearsay.
Between the team's (shitty) performance and all the BS chatter, the whole season was so tedious, I just quit... and I was already somewhat ambivalent last season despite the all-time success. That's what 50+ years will do to you.
However, when I saw the first article on Feb. 3rd, already throwing out EP trades like they did incessantly about the other guy, this told me the media just don't care. Not about the team, not about the real fans. They exist to stir up shit, any kind of shit to put food on the table.
Now that the dust has settled and everyone here and in Canucks Nation has had a chance to decompress and read between the lines of what was said by players and management... the narrative, to me, has been turned 180 degrees.
Everyone in the organization seems to be suffering from a PTSD of a season. Shelled shocked, but knowing they made their choice based on what they thought was right at the time but now realizing they're back in the (R word) phase, not confident in really knowing which way they should proceed.
Myself? I always thought that you could even sacrifice both your top centers but you have to have a quick turnaround plan to appease the real untouchable... the Captain. After all that was alluded to in this draining shitshow, I would have been more than ok to "re-tool" by moving out both guys. Sounds like many here have come to the same conclusion now? Makes more sense to just cut bait, blow up the current core entirely and use the returns to somehow remain somewhat competitive and hopefully convince QH that this is just a blip, a speedbump.
The biggest thing I got from the whole mess, was when Verbal Diarrhea Jim talked about JTM... he sounded much like the coach did, that he in fact, quite respected and liked the player and really wanted to keep him and make it work. There was no sense to me that it was somehow only this person's fault. What he said, and I paraphrase, was that the guy was fully aware of his share of the blame after the season started and was willing to work hard at resolving the issue. This was before the personal leave.
The absence of Jim's answer to the media? At no point did he say that the other party was willing to work at resolving it. This was such a telling moment. It's like many of us have worked with personality and generational divides, some will just not listen to anyone's critcism or even positive suggestions (Hughes? Coaches?) but continue in their own private bubble and do what they want to do despite being in an environment where listening and compromise is necessary.
Anyway, too much energy has already been put into this nonsense. Whatever happens, doesn't make me confident or change my mood about this team right now. PPG? 100pt season? Who cares? It's the impact a player brings to a team for sustained excellence. I've always said this.
Finally, I'll use an example of why it's possible to turn this around quickly... St. Louis drafting Thomas #20 (1st round) overall, followed by Kyrou #35 (2nd round) overall. With strong pieces already in place, some very astute moves and coaching/systems, they turned it around quick and won even if you think the goaltending wasn't elite.
Can this regime do this? Sure. There are very good pieces here already. Defence is much better and will likely improve. Recoup the money for better depth. The Blues prove you don't need one super-duper stars, they got some young core players who are on very good long-term contracts, who have proven themselves to be impactful and produces consistently. Doesn't matter if they never score 100pt, they are and have been consistent PPG players who drives their bus.
That ain't working, that's the way you do it. Money For Nothing and chicks for free.
