I think the biggest miscalculation was Chayka's. He is the one, starting with OEL who has not done much since his big 22 goal season, who gave out huge contracts to untested players when I don't think he had to. The core players had not shown that they could perform at a high level when the pressure was on. We saw that clearly after Kemper went down. The reality is that Kemper hid a number of warts on this team. Once Kemper went down and we were still top in the division, we started to choke. And we kept choking. Heck we were still choking right up to the game against Buffalo when we were no longer considered officially a playoff team. Keller looked like he had been freed. Yet even when there was clear desperation this team disappeared at times during the Buffalo game. And Chayka did not add the grit this team is sorely lacking.
I also blame Toch (and I like Toch) because he made very poor decisions in keeping Maclean and hiring Hously. Neither has done anything to improve the team. Toch has not shown he is great with X and Os, doesn't make needed in game adjustments (heck he doesn't make out of game adjustments) and he doesn't hold his players accountable (even though he preaches it after EVERY loss). He continues to play top minutes to guys like Kessel because they are friends (and Toch clearly played large role in bringing Kessel) even though Kessel has been arguably our worst player. Kessel IMO should have been a healthy scratch more than Grabner. And why has no one reported on Grabner. He is NOT our worst player... by far, despite his eye injury.
Toch's strength as a player was his grittyness and accountability. I have seen neither with the Yotes. This team does not play with urgency, can't get a puck out of its own zone if their lives depended on it (this is the root of alot of their on ice problems), and no one is held to account. Pathetic!! I agree mostly with RT. The writing was on the wall along time ago. I don't agree with trading Hall though. Toch though should have been replaced. Chayka made the mistakes but Toch has done nothing to get the most from those mistakes. I don't recall us ever free falling with Tip. Gallant would have been my first choice then Lavi.
Regarding the first paragraph, I think that it is important to distinguish why this approach is being used. As people have already stated, there is concern about giving a player like Hall an 8th year without knowing how his body may start to break down, which could be a year's worth of poor stats, or even 2-3 years. He will be 36 or 37 when the deal ends, which is a pretty old age.
I guess it comes down to the question of whether or not you would prefer to pay out a little early and maybe miss on the first year or two as the player becomes a quality player in the league.
On one side, you may be trying to value how that player is going to become better, which means you may oversell his presence early. If that player never pans out, then you have a really awful deal. Whereas the veteran signing likely means not panning out until later in their career, but just like when the youth rises up, it is hard to predict when that exact turn is going to happen. In all honesty, the safer play is to do what Chayka is doing and try to hit the best value of the contract for the time when the player is likely to be at their best - between the ages of 22-27 or so. Not every player is exactly like that, but I would much rather put money into an asset that is likely to appreciate, as opposed to one that is likely to depreciate.
That's why I kind of look at this with Chayka and say that he was not the issue. Kessel was brought on to also help mentor the players like Schmaltz and Keller. When you look at it from all angles, Chayka has been supportive of the way to grow the team and getting players to help grow the team. The coaching staff has not given the means to put this team in a good enough position consistently.
I will hold off until the end of the season to figure out what is going on. We are still in the mix - beat Vancouver three times in the 3 games that we play against them, and we have turned it back into our favor. Hopefully, Stone's injury affects Vegas, although they have created enough separation to probably be okay. But, if we fail to make it, we have to get rid of Tocchet.