I don’t know if you’re joking or not but we cannot be comparing Henry mews to Shane wright LOL a 3rd round d man vs a guy who was exceptional status and the #1 pick the whole year then fell to #4 on draft day.
And I think it 100% is different in this situation with Mews. He wants to come to Kingston and play with Battaglia. That’s his first choice- however he doesn’t want to be coming back to Ottawa regardless so Ottawa doesn’t hold all the cards on the table here. If a player wants out and they don’t trade him out- no big name will ever want to come to Ottawa again with the management you have in place.
Kingston wouldn’t ever want to part with Hopkins and for good reason- it’ll bite them in the ass as soon as this season, and for 2 more after that. I think a more realistic package would be something like Weir, Williamson and a boatload of picks. Weir should be one of the top rookies in the league this year although he is 17. Williamson is looking like a player that will break out- he may not get that if he plays second/third line minutes again this year for the fronts.
If Ottawa didn’t like that package that’s perfectly fine they can do what’s best for them and trade him to the highest bidder but I don’t think Kingstons gonna be crazy enough to part with Hopkins who was the 4th overall pick a year ago and showed a crap ton of promise the last 15 reg season games and into the playoffs, after a slow start and getting buried on the 4th line. Look at Battaglia and how much he improved in one year after playing 3rd/4th line minutes his rookie year. And he was picked in the second round.
First, there is a significant difference between a half year player (Wright) and a two year player (Mews). Second, what Mews wants is irrelevant. It comes down to what Kingston wants. Everyone knows Kingston needs a Right Handed puck moving D-Man if they truly want to contend. So, really, this fire may be stoked by Mews but the reality is, the team that acquires Mews isn’t going to be a reluctant bystander. They will be a team that is in serious need of filling a premium position. When you are talking about a projected 80 point RHD as an 18 year old with another year ahead of him, that cost isn’t going to be spare parts and picks.
As mentioned, the real price is your ‘08 1st and picks (Malhotra). Had the Fronts picked MacLean or Challenger, I think we’d know the price and I think we’d both agree it would be that player and picks at the deadline. Unfortunately, Malhotra isn’t looking like he will report. So, next up is Hopkins. And before you mention Frasca, that is a player Kingston wants to badly get rid of. Frasca did nothing to improve in year 2. He stagnated. He’d need to come out in the first half as a changed man. Mews is not a player Ottawa wants to get rid of. So, there is a big difference there as well.
If Kingston were to trade Hopkins for Mews, they could turn around and trade Mews at the deadline next season for a package including an ‘09 1st. So, really, you need to look at it as Hopkins plus a 2nd and 3rd for a one year rental of Mews and an ‘09 1st plus a 2nd. I’d think that would be the net result. If not with Kingston then some other team would likely do the same.
I understand your hesitance with respect to Hopkins BUT this isn’t a situation where this deal is even being discussed. We are talking about what the fair market price would be considering who the more accomplished player in the trade is coupled with which team is making the buyer move to contend. The reality is, in this situation, it is still Kingston buying and Ottawa selling. You know as well as I do how that transaction works in this league.
Mews only wants Kingston because he would prefer to stay closer to home and Kingston isn’t in the shitter with respect to where they stand in their competitive cycle. This isn’t a situation where Mews would select Kingston because of anything not related to distance from home.
Short of Mews basically sitting out and awaiting a trade to his demanded destination, which I think pretty much never happens anymore because of the optics coupled with influence from the NHL team that holds the players rights, personally, I don’t see a trade fit here. I said that from the start this morning. The expendable pieces don’t really align. I think Brampton is in the same boat with Valentini (while needing a RHD PP QB). To me, both Kingston and Brampton are in a competitive cycle and both need the top pairing scoring RHD, but (seemingly) neither have their ‘08 1st to trade to get one. Oshawa and Barrie don’t need Mews. London doesn’t need Mews. Flint and Erie are pretty far away so I am not sure Mews would waive to go there. I’m not sure Mews has much of an option outside of sucking it up and playing out the season unless he is willing to move far out West. The only other potential candidate teams would be Brantford. Mews beside Protz would be interesting.