So, before I start I just want to say I think emotions are high for some right now given other sporting events today (at least, thats the case for me).
But moving from that as much as possible, here's the disconnect and the main reason why I don't agree with this deal.
Its not just about Jiricek, and that he's a former 6th overall pick. It's not about how he/his agent acting up last year. None of that is what actually matters to me, despite me being high on him and wishing we'd have kept him and tried to make it work.
What I DON'T get is that this doesn't make us better. Not now, and not anytime soon in all likelihood. Waddell's "rally cry" is that he will do whatever he can for the betterment of the franchise now and going forward. Which, yeah, great we want that. But how does this make us better this year? Or even anytime relatively soon?
Jiricek is a better prospect than Hunt. I think most would agree. Hunt may be more polished and more NHL ready/able to play right now than Jiricek, but the upside isn't even close. RHD are more valuable than LHD, especially young ones, so thats where all the picks come into play. But essentially, Hunt is another addition to a crowded LHD group. He's not even the first call up if needed from Cleveland (which I assume would be Mateychuk). Is he even over Svozil? That puts him 8th or 9th on the depth chart at best. Granted, Harris, Provorov, JJ, and maybe even Christiansen aren't here for the long haul so there is a pathway for Hunt. But again, that's not helping us this year.
Now the picks, which are complete crap shoots. Waddell made it known he wanted to recoup picks after dealing a pick to get rid of Laine's deal and honoring the 2nd rounder deal for Provorov. Again, not something I mind. But we're going to recoup these picks at the deadline anyway using Provorov, Kuraly, Olivier (if necessary), etc. So, why are we trading a 21 year old defenseman with high upside?
It feels less like "we're trying to get better" and more like unloading for the sake of unloading. Hunt may be an NHL defenseman. The picks may work out, either by drafting or trading. But none of this is going to help the CBJ in the time period Jiricek (probably) would have. It feels like giving up on a guy just because he wasn't yours.
This feels like the Johansen deal where the GM is cutting bait to bring in his own guys rather than working with what he's got. And on its face, most CBJ fans would jump for joy with that comparison because Seth Jones worked out really well here. Well, the only problem is there is no Seth Jones in this deal. There really isn't anything to be excited about it the deal.
Maybe it all works out in the end. Jiricek as a prospect has a few knicks in the armor. He's not a blue chipper that we thought he'd be. Maybe he's an off ice headache, either through himself or his agent. But idk, it kinda feels like we shouldn't be giving up on 21 year olds with high potential for the sake of drafting more kids over the next 2-3 years who may help us in 4-6 years.
"Jiricek is Jiricek but the picks could be anything. It could even be a RHD with high upside, you know how valuable one of those are!" type thing
