We’re fans in FL upset at trading Huberdeau for Tkachuk? A homegrown player? Nope, maybe initially at the wow of the deal, but beyond that it was identified why they did it - they needed to change how they played if they wanted to win.
I mention the other lesser players more bc that would be very Vegas-like to acquire, re-sign, then trade away in a short time. The Isles didn’t (and don’t) have that cache to recover from that or set that tone. They actually had to use assets to acquire players and over pay them just to get better players.
On Barzal, wasn’t a fan of his bridge deal and certainly not a fan of his extension. Fans had visions of the ROY-like player. Others, saw multiple flaws and he is a very difficult player to play with and he’s not a gamer. He could have been traded, but the organization ‘invested’ in him. Ain’t working out too good.
If he was traded for a Kirk Muller type deal, then no it would not go down well. But a Huberdeau/Tkachuk deal, I think the fans would be all for that after seeing how the on ice product would benefit.