I agree about Stutzle or Sanderson.
I disagree about Brady. If we miss the playoffs this season and they keep Brady after his NMC kicks in, they are insane.
I see Brady staying after his NMC as a catch-22:
- If he is unhappy, they HAVE to move him so that they can get back an impact player or the biggest possible package of assets to help fix the team. They can't keep him because once his NMC kicks in, they won't have the leverage to get an impact player back for him.
- If he is HAPPY, they have to move him, because why would you want to build around a player who has the leverage to leave (his NMC) but is HAPPY with staying in a bad situation?
- If he is unhappy but insists he wants to see it out, they still can't keep him because things change and there is no way to guarantee that 3-6 months down the line he doesn't reach a point where he's had enough.
Unless we get some magic going, he is absolutely gone either by the TDL or the offseason.
My
Senspiracy is that they have a few deals in their back pocket and he will be traded a lot sooner than people think. Friedman hinted at some people being unhappy in the summer. It wouldn't surprise me if they said stick it out and if it doesn't work we will make a move. I think that Staios gauging the market on all the Senators assets last year was partly cover to see what was out there for Brady without rocking the boat, because they knew the NMC was coming up (just like me when I called it before anybody else and received lots of laugh emojis that I had to battle through).
If they trade Brady in early December, it's probably not going to fix the team...but it might. It's still early enough that if making a big move like that creates a spark, they might be able to save this season. People discount how important ticket sales are. It's not an EA video game (which ironically do have ticket sales now). The "You're not Melnyk" honeymoon lasted one season and fans learned that while Melnyk was the problem, him being gone wasn't going to instantly fix all those problems. There is pessimism in the marketplace and the only way to fix it is PLAYOFFs. If they wait until the TDL to make moves, the season is done. If they trade Brady or whoever is voted off the island in December, there is still time.