I too, wish nothing but the best to GlenX. He was definitely a favourite player by fans, and the team. But all good things must come to an end sometimes. I know who I'm cheering for in the east this playoffs.(especially if Flames don't make it)
It all boils down to this: He wasn't going to resign, he wanted out(with the trade request) we honored it. Smart asset management 101. While it will hurt out chances of making the playoffs, I think we can all agree that this season alone has been a huge success to even be sniffing the playoffs at the trade deadline. We were all ready and content to be in the lotto conversation and which top 3-5 prospect we might get.
Our young players stepped up in a big way, a lot of them took that fabled '2nd step' into becoming regular NHL'ers.
We do not have a single player replacement for what Glenny brought, no, but we can do it by committee, which is what we've been doing all season long, being a team and playing for each other.
If we make the playoffs; great, bonus, playoff experience is definitely helpful in a rebuild. If we don't, it was good experience just to be in the playoff hunt for most of the season.