this is my thing. Agree'd it's not anything i'm giong to lose my **** over, but i just don't really get it.
In approximately 10 months, we will be able to judge all of chevies moves with a considerably higher level of clarity. You would then still be able to extend chevy without looking like you "had" to (that time would be during the 4th year).
I get showing loyalty, and agreeing with the vision, etc etc etc, I just don't see any reason why this needed to be done this off-season when it could have been done next year with considerably more information.
Grind, you are brilliant! In this post you just summed up both not understanding why - and understanding why.
The way I see it, Mark Chipman works with Kevin Cheveldayoff every day for the past 2 and 1/2 years. He evaluates the person, the team that he assembles around him (Zinger, Simmons, Roy, Keane, etc.) and determines that based upon what Chevy has proposed and where they are at - and decides (with David Thomson) that this is our guy, and we extend him now to match all of the players we decided were core/key.
In 10 months, Chevy will be able to judge all of Chevy's moves with clarity - figure out which ones were right, which ones were wrong, and which ones they have to to give more time - and adjust from there. This move reeks of loyalty, and TNSE believing that this is the right guy to "make it right", even when he misses.
Sorry for the long rant...love the discussion!