Jakey53
Registered User
- Aug 27, 2011
- 30,249
- 9,236
DeAngelo was not a big piece of the future. He was - and is - a project. He is on his third team in three years. That should indicate to you what his true value is.
I've already shown you Raanta's numbers in the NHL. Raanta is a better goalie than Chad Johnson. And the Coyotes made it to the playoffs with Ilya Bryzgalov as our starter and Mikael Tellqvist as the backup, so I really don't understand all this angst about a goalie who's not only leaps and bounds better than those two, but also better than any goalie option we have had in the time since.
DeAngelo has many issues, but one of them is NOT confidence. And I really would like to see your personal definition of "strong character" if you're going to use that descriptor for DeAngelo.
It's the appetite for puck-movers around here. There are people who still talk about Yandle and wishing he'd come back, and Yands is two teams and three years removed from Arizona.
I'll give you $6.5M over five years' worth of reasons.
Raanta is an upgrade over Mike Smith - perhaps not in flashiness or total innate skill, but in attitude, consistency, and performance. And even if he falls flat on his face this year (which is not likely), we aren't tied to him beyond next season. Getting rid of Smith was a no-brainer.
As for 7OA, when we were in the F40 chat room watching the draft, I got the sense as everything unfolded that the Coyotes' staff really didn't think very highly of the forward corps available this year - they waited 75 picks before picking up their first one. And defense being as much of a developmental crap shoot as it is, waiting until 23 to draft in order to acquire a pair of desperately-needed assets seemed like acceptable risk.
For me, 7OA was the most valuable piece we gave up on draft day. But Stepan is a better #1 center than Hanzal was, and while he may not be better in the long run than, say, a Dvorak or a Strome (if Dylan pans out), RIGHT NOW he plugs an enormous hole in our lineup. I think we got fair value in the trade and if we had to do it over again, I would do it without question.
I'm not disagreeing with what you are saying, but I hate to give up the 7OA. I know the draft is a crap shoot, and maybe when I see Stepan play I might change my mind. I like Raanta, but to say he is an upgrade on Smith at this time is incorrect. I guess maybe I'm being a homer here and want trades to be more lopsided in favor of the Coyotes.