ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE FOLIGNO/ METHOT TRADE
- We finished 24th in the league in Goals Against, and 21st in PK, mostly because our blueline lacked a legit shutdown guy. Methot is that guy.
- We needed a shutdown guy who also had the speed and mobility to play in Maclean's high-tempo system. Methot is that guy.
- If we'd wanted one of the truly elite shutdown defencemen in the league, you'd better believe that we'd have to pay a HECK of a lot more than just Nick Foligno. We got a guy who is VERY good, and fits the pace at which we play our game (whereas many other shutdown guys either play in a defensive system, or in a system that lacks an emphasis on speed). Methot, while not Chara out there, fits Maclean's system to a tee (in theory).
- Foligno's a nice player, but he's ultimately expendable considering how full our system is of young wingers. The gap between Foligno and Latendresse is WAY less than the gap between Methot and our next best PK/ shutdown defenceman.
- Defencemen, over the last 10 years, have been the most expensive position players to acquire, due to shortage in quality. In contrast to this, wingers have been the cheapest to acquire, due to an overabundance of them in the league.
- The team didn't see Foligno as a top-6 player (so far).
- People who use the "we acquired a defenceman from the league's worst team" argument completely dismiss the factors as to WHY that team finished last: their "star goalie" had a .894sv%, which was 74th in the league. That's not to mention that Mason had a decent last few months of the season... in January, his Sv% was in the .860's. Columbus suffered from a double-whammy of being a bottom-5 team in Goals For, and having some of the worst goaltending of any team in the last decade. Zdeno Chara would have been a minus player for Columbus last year.
I don't know... can I really add anything to that? They are 2 years and 3 months apart in age, which is almost nothing. Filled a need by moving from an area of strength? Check.
I get if Foligno was your favorite player: it sucks, there's a ton of emotional stuff involved. I get it. But strictly from a hockey sense, what else needs to be said, here?
