Benning giving Chatfield away for anything is a criminally shit move that has not been talked about enough
Well Chatfield was a Group VI UFA. These guys tend to move on unless you offer a 1 way / roster spot.
Chatfield hadn’t progressed at all. Him being let go was fine. The problem, and had been for a while under him, was the player development at the AHL and NHL level was atrocious.
So ultimately it’s a defensible move for him to make but only because he created an environment for him to do so.
Chatfield wasn't a polarizing player. Pretty much the entire fan base thought of Chatfield the same way. The most outside the norm comment about Chatfield actually came from Benning who said Chatfield was a cross between Stecher and Tanev.
I'm not so sure that our "development" of him was the problem. No way his stint in Chicago is the difference maker, then again, I hate Cull. He sucks. Chatfield did become the next Dman up in 20-21 following a strong camp. Of course, Green being Green, thrust Chatfield alongside Edler IRRC which was both good and bad. Good in that Edler was a quality partner but bad in that he played tough minutes - minutes that many others struggled in.
I think in hindsight, Green and Baumer's impact shouldn't be underestimated. If you recall back to the Tanev threads, there were genuine concerns that Tanev was in decline. He then leaves here (and Green) and straight away gets back to being an elite shut-down Dman. Edler was also terrific in his first year as a King. Meanwhile, Myers sucked except in OEL's first year here under Green.