Why didn't Skinner fit the culture they wanted? I didn't understand that trade at all.
We don't either. Skinner works hard in the off season and on the ice, not the best defensively but he tries.
It seems the new regime wanted to distance itself from the old one and "rebrand" the team. Skinner was likely not going to be re signed to a big fat contract, so they seemingly made him the face for the changes they wanted since he was likely not long for Carolina. He may not have wanted to come back after this year anyways. Because they HAD to do it this off season in time for the team to be "different" this season they had to accept a two team trade list from him and the consequent low ball offer. The actual culture change came from adding Foegele and Ferland up front, and those moves had nothing to do with Skinner so they couldve kept him....scored more...been better and then make the decision to trade him at the deadline or just let him leave for nothing if they made the playoffs. Based on what they got I don't know that the actual trade was much better than letting him go. At least there would be a playoff run.
Faulk was supposedly also part of the culture change, but they never got an offer they liked so they acted like they wanted him to stay, made up, and have been playing him over not only Pesce (Pesce passed him two years ago) but also Hamilton (.....). Maybe they're still showcasing him for a trade.
Either way, it was tough to watch and be part of as a fan. If it was equaling success then it would just be accepted as the past and moved on from. Watching him light it up with the center they never got him leaves a sour taste, but at the same time I'm happy he'll get a higher level of respect as he's an amazing player. We still suck. We traded or let go of Skinner/Lindy/Ryan/Nordstrom/Stempniak up front. Replaced them all with Ferland and.....Martinook. Foegele made it in camp.
They sold it to the fans that Necas and Svech were ready to replace the production lost from day one which was unfair to Necas for sure - and probably Svech despite the draft position. They didn't earn spots based on play in training camp despite selling the concept of Brindy's insistence on "accountability". Which was a back handed comment that Peters didnt have any, which was crap. They play a free of shape system in both ends. They lost the structure of Peters and replaced it with trying really hard and shooting a lot. I don't know what the defensive system even is, but it somehow makes six very good nhl dmen look disorganized and sloppy. Slavin does it the most, but all of them are making sliding desperate hero plays in their own end, indicative of the fact the mistakes are making such moves a requirement. Despite it being an amazing play. It's early in the new regime, but an unimpressive start overall.
