This signing would mean that Filppula's as good as gone. So happy that Holland stood pat at the trade deadline instead of trying to get something, a pick, a rental, Miami Heat tickets, ANYTHING for Filppula at the trade deadline.
It's one thing to withhold trading a player when you know you have a legitimate opportunity to win the Stanley Cup, it's another thing entirely to withhold upcoming free agent players simply because you are too chickens*** to move them. As a GM, Kenny's responsibility, first and foremost, is the longterm success of the team; he has been piddling away potential assets of late, and it is very irritating to see.
For once, just once, I would like to see him do something progressive and try to trade up for the upcoming draft. I'd like to see some evidence that he has a pair, and that he isn't just attempting to build on some naive concept of player/franchise loyalty; now would be as good a time as any to prove that he has the cojones to ensure this teams future success, whatever the cost.