Confirmed with Link: [ANA/STL] Cam Fowler and 2027 4th round pick for 2027 2nd round and Jeremie Biakabutuka

[FiveTacos]

That's a positive spin indeed.

The reality is Verbeek bailed out Rangers,

He doesn't care about the Rangers ... whether it helps them or not should not factor into what we need to do.

sent an NHL player and a 4th, for a player Rangers would have waived if he was not traded,

Vaaks would have been waiver material too with Helleson's emergence. Frankly if the Trouba acquisition happened over the offseason, and Helleson had shown NHL capability sooner, Vaaks might not have been re-signed at all. He was only ever brought back as insurance if guys weren't ready, but that insurance is no longer needed. If he had any real value around the league he'd have gotten more of an offer from somewhere else.

while he retained on Fowler and sent a 4th to get back 2nd and an guy who will likely never see NHL.

With a rising cap floor, the only way to make a Fowler trade work without retention is to take back a bad contract. The trouble with being a cap floor team is you need to take back AAV as much as cap ceiling teams need to get rid of it.

 

[Mr Rogers]

 

[Lord Flashheart]

I like mine better

Still, it's a spin (your words), and as every spin it omitted facts and lacked context, so I just provided that.

 

[Lord Flashheart]

He doesn't care about the Rangers ... whether it helps them or not should not factor into what we need to do.



Vaaks would have been waiver material too with Helleson's emergence. Frankly if the Trouba acquisition happened over the offseason, and Helleson had shown NHL capability sooner, Vaaks might not have been re-signed at all. He was only ever brought back as insurance if guys weren't ready, but that insurance is no longer needed. If he had any real value around the league he'd have gotten more of an offer from somewhere else.



With a rising cap floor, the only way to make a Fowler trade work without retention is to take back a bad contract. The trouble with being a cap floor team is you need to take back AAV as much as cap ceiling teams need to get rid of it.

I did not imply he cared about Rangers, he bailed them out by not utilizing the leverage he had over a trading partner that wanted to get rid, any way possible, of the player he wanted.

 

[Hey234]

Moving Fowler is not going to help their scoring issues. No one is producing on this team outside of Terry. It’s pathetic. Verbeek needs to either fire Cronin before more damage is done or hope to find a Top 6 player who can some how lift this team’s offense up. That Killorn contract is looking brutal now.

This. The trade was to accommodate a player who was ready to move on and to help with the self-imposed logjam at defense. It allows more time for some younger guys which is great, but the team hasn't really fixed any of it's core issues.

Cronin and Killorn are actively hurting the team and the lack of offense is not justifiable. If Verbeek fires Cronin, jettisons Killorn into the ether, and adds a legitimate top 6 forward, I might start warming up to him.

Gibson is whatever for me. He's solid enough that I have no issues keeping him. At the same time, if there's a good deal, why not. He's definitely not a dump in any way.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

The Fowler trade needed to happen due to the Trouba trade and surprise play of Helleson. It was inevitable. I don't like the asset mgmt for us in this trade, the Trouba trade, or the Meyer trade. We are desperate AF.

As for the trade happening sooner, I dunno why Fowler is often painted the one initiating things. Fowler has a NTC, but Verbeek "asked" him to open it up to more teams. Then it gets leaked that Verbeek tried to include Fowler in the Trouba trade. Verbeek needed Fowler out ASAP because we would be sitting more than one youth d-man each night we kept Fowler. Pat intimated that Fowler was out of the org for a long while now in his mob-style way, just like forcing a prospect not under contract into summer workouts.

As for "objective thinking", we didn't play worse with Fowler b/c I shared our SoS and recent pattern of struggling against weaker or like-wise teams before Fowler returned. People don't understand that we are a bad team.

Although he isn't traded to a playoff team, at least he was traded to an org that wants him. I wish Fowler the best and hope he gets paired with a defensive-minded RD.

 

[WhatTheDuck]

Still, it's a spin (your words), and as every spin it omitted facts and lacked context, so I just provided that.

Honestly I think included all the relevant details, you seem angry we aren't more desperate to weaponize cap space like Arizona. We have a more balanced defensive group, cleared a trade demand issue that has been festering since the off season and end up with the better draft pick, eating an extra 4M in cap next year that wouldn't have been used.

I'm not crying foul of asset management, out of a couple (obviously connected deals) where we likely improved the roster and added the better pick.

 

[cheesymc]

I did not imply he cared about Rangers, he bailed them out by not utilizing the leverage he had over a trading partner that wanted to get rid, any way possible, of the player he wanted.

It’s a small league… sometimes you plant seeds and do favors for a future job. Especially as Verbeek is showing that is mediocre at best as a GM. Him and Yzerman are proving to be overrated. I don’t think green Getzlaf would do any worse.

 

[DavidBL]

It’s a small league… sometimes you plant seeds and do favors for a future job. Especially as Verbeek is showing that is mediocre at best as a GM. Him and Yzerman are proving to be overrated. I don’t think green Getzlaf would do any worse.

Kind of like the green Barry Trotz in Nashville? I'm just not sure guys have the experience necessary to be executives anymore. Maybe it's just that transition period from old guard to the new

 

[StreetHawk]

i think over a third of the current NHL GMs are guys who played in the early 2000's
Drury, Fitzgerald, Briere, Staios, Adams, Sweeney, Yzerman, Guerin, Conroy, Francis, Blake, Grier, Verbeek. With Steen on deck in STL to take over for Armstrong.

 

[cheesymc]

Kind of like the green Barry Trotz in Nashville? I'm just not sure guys have the experience necessary to be executives anymore. Maybe it's just that transition period from old guard to the new

I’m surprised about Nashvilles failures. The biggest disappointment in the league by far. But I think the surge last year wasn’t real and then it gave them false hope and unfortunately committed them to long term contracts for overraged players.

Trotz is still good at evaluating talent and knows the style of play he wants to implement- smashmouth hockey. He’s more qualified than introverted and unapproachable Verbeek who should have remained a scout. He doesn’t have the people/negotiation skills to scour for opportunities. Hes that old school stubborn type who doesn’t adapt well.

 

[FiveTacos]

I did not imply he cared about Rangers, he bailed them out by not utilizing the leverage he had over a trading partner that wanted to get rid, any way possible, of the player he wanted.

Except as one of several cap floor teams who are looking to keep up with the rising cap floor, teams also have reverse leverage on us. It's not a coincidence that a couple of other rumored teams interested in Trouba were also ones near the floor. And if he did hit waivers, we weren't going to get him.

Sure, you can take on a crap player with a crap contract with significant term remaining and get paid for it ... but useful players, even ones with oversized AAVs, but only a year of term left, are another matter. That's almost the ideal candidate, but it's not like there's a ton of other options. You could go sign guys in the offseason, but they also know cap floor teams are over a barrel and can either eke out more term or more $$ than they otherwise would.

 

[MMC]

I did not imply he cared about Rangers, he bailed them out by not utilizing the leverage he had over a trading partner that wanted to get rid, any way possible, of the player he wanted.

But other teams were trying to trade for him, so what you think he should’ve offered for him doesn’t really matter. Had to be more than the other teams Trouba was willing to go to were offering or we weren’t getting him

 

[Steppin Razor]

I can't think of another player who's had such a weird career arc for us. I don't think he was ever as good, or as bad, as people made him out to be at least until recently. His best asset in his skating has noticeably dropped off in the last year. Wish him well in STL

 

[WhatTheDuck]

But other teams were trying to trade for him, so what you think he should’ve offered for him doesn’t really matter. Had to be more than the other teams Trouba was willing to go to were offering or we weren’t getting him

People don't seem to get this. I see so much of these "Ducks should have made them pay" type comments - that option literally did not exist.

 

[Rybread86]

Fowler is one of those guys who was never good enough or played on teams good enough to have his number retired, but if the team had a "Ring of Honor", he would slot into the group deserving of that. I just hope after some time passes, thats the feeling more fans have about his tenure here.

 

[SmokeyDuck]

Good trade. Only a 2nd but we need the space so I think there is value in that. Don't care about retention or extracting maximum value out of everything.

 

[Lord Flashheart]

But other teams were trying to trade for him, so what you think he should’ve offered for him doesn’t really matter. Had to be more than the other teams Trouba was willing to go to were offering or we weren’t getting him

I guess if someone offered a 2nd for him, then it would have been fine if Verbeek traded 1st for him, doesn't really matter what anyone thinks of that, had to be more than the other team.

 

[Dr Johnny Fever]

A couple of days ago I pointed out that the Trouba trade created the logjam at D and since Pat and Cam had agreed it was time for Cam to move on that Pat needed to make a deal asap and take the best offer out there. So, I'm giving him credit for doing just that. The return is what it is but we now have the ice time available to let the young D continue to develop. It was a good move.

But it should now be noted that with one retention slot locked up for the next 3 TDLs, the idea of any kind of Gibson trade would seen to be quite slim. I doubt anybody will take him without retention and I doubt Pat wants to lock up 2 of his 3 slots for the next 3 years. But, who know, maybe I'm wrong about that.

Now if he could just have it in him to sit Cronin in the press box for the rest of his contract we could really have something to look forward to.

 

[anezthes]

People don't seem to get this. I see so much of these "Ducks should have made them pay" type comments - that option literally did not exist.

Source?

 

[Rybread86]

In regards to the return, we have to remember, this wasnt an open market. Cam had the power to veto nearly every trade that was proposed outside of 4 teams. Verbeek did right by the player and the team on this one.

 

[LePerilsofPerreault]

 

[DavidBL]

Watching some of these highlights I feel like Fowler used to play with much more confidence in jumping into the play.

 

[freikugel]

Watching some of these highlights I feel like Fowler used to play with much more confidence in jumping into the play.

Probably because that team could actually make a pass and zone entry that wasn't chip and chase and immediately give up possession, it helps your confidence when your team is competent. He was also much faster back then.

 

[goosemooseduck]

Ducks: House is burning down. We need fire extinguisher
PV: I redecorated a closet