Trades at/near the deadline are only ever worth it if you win the cup. Odds are it will be a “bad trade” in that respect (we gave up a lot of future), but an odds are lower to win the cup if you don’t make this trade.
I see the Foligno trade comparison worries. I believe he was coming off an injury(“upper body”) as ROR is (broken foot), but the back injury he later incurred, for Foligno, rendered him useless. These are the risks with older players. But where else do you get recent Conn Smyth, Selke cup Stanley Cup winners?
A foot injury is different than a back injury obviously.
“I was just dealing with a really bad back injury that was debilitating,” Foligno said. “There was nerve pain. Shut down my whole right leg. It was really disappointing that happened at the time it happened. Anything else you can play through a lot of times. This I couldn’t.” -Foligno
O’Reilly broke his foot blocking a shot on Dec 31. He returned to practice on the 9th at which time he was skating for 3 days. That put him just barely at 5 weeks before he returned. It’s only been a week since then (3 games) Did the Blues rush him back for trade showcase reasons? Leafs would be wise to ease him in both in ice time and utilization. He’s a big investment, last thing you need is him blocking a shot on the PK and off he goes again.
I have no doubt that ROR is what they needed to get. Along with Acciari, that experience lets you rely less on guys like Holmberg or Anderson (as much as I like themin intense playoff battles. I think his foot will still slow him down for a few weeks, but it will get better, unlike Foligno’s back.
BLUES: For Blues fans who don't know much about you because you've spent your whole career in the Eastern Conference, what would you tell them about the player they're getting?
ACCIARI: I'm a heavy player. I'll finish every check. I'll do my best to block every shot in the D-zone. Anything I need to do to help the team, I'm gonna do. That's the kind of player I am - I'll stick up for guys, do whatever I need to do. I can play up and down the lineup, so whatever they need me for, I'll be ready. I can play center, left wing, right wing, anything - I'll even drive the Zamboni if I need to. Wherever I am in the lineup, I'm going to bring the same game I do every night.
Love his enthusiasm, be it when he scores, or blocks a shot, he just loves the game. Hope to have him looking across at his old Boston team in the second round. Rhode Island born, he can be the reverse “Ontario Boy” playing in Boston for us.
