And again, IF the plan is to bring back Jake 'cause they think he's a valuable asset for our future? Great with me. It's then part of a plan. If they see though that they are unable to reach an agreement and they'll keep him just because they are not satisfied with only having a 2nd rounder...I don't see how that's a plan. You are not dictating a route for your team. You are accepting that a route is being dictated to you. So RIGHT NOW i'm not against anything....nothing has been played out yet.
I don't think roster and asset management works the way you think it does. "Planning" to re-sign a player doesn't mean sign them at any cost (except I suppose in the rarest of cases when talking about generational talent).
And I don't think you understand what their approach is, despite how many times they've publicly stated it....
All of the following can be true at the same time
- they want to re-sign Evans
- they want to keep the roster while/competitive to support the push for a playoff spot
- they have set a minimum bar to be met to consider trading Evans
And all 3 are very much consistent with their stated approach.
While I fully get that one might disagree with the approach, not sure why this is hard to grasp?
Also to your other point...I really don't understand. I've been for what Hughes has done since he's here. Cause he DID have a plan. He missed in some occasions...but with a real plan. Going for 1st rounders and high draft picks, and going for younger kids hoping they'd develop here that could be part of our future. THAT is a plan I'm totally for. So...what was the nuance in his first years? There was none. We were sellers. We picked high. We added picks and youngsters.
It's been almost exactly 3 years. We have the best U25 and best non-nhl prospect group this organization has seen in decades and we are in a great place cap-wise to both retain our internal talent and be aggressive over the next 2-4 years in targetting high cap assets.
Is it really that hard to understand that the roster and asset decisions today look different than the ones in year 1 when he inherited BargainBin's mess ?
So the only nuance THIS year is that we are closer to the playoffs than ever. My sole point is this...IF you have a plan...that reality right now should not dictate what your plan should be. As close to the playoffs that we are, we do not think we are a team that could win rounds. We did not discover it. Talk to me about prior to the 4 nations tournament? But suddenly, we have to find nuance based solely on the last 4 games? If so, how that is part of plan? You don't plan anyting based on recency.
Last 4 games, lol wut?
Hughes has been saying the same thing since last summer... When a bunch of posters were crying because he didn't improve the roster as much as the Predators, Blackhawks, RedWings, Utah etc.
The approach is about building from the inside out, while being patient and opportunistic with external additions. Playoffs is the goal this year, but not in an "all-in" capacity. That's exactly what we've seen so far (Laine, Carrier, Dobes), and since the group has done it's part to stay within realistic striking distance of a PO spot, he's in no rush to be a "seller" because he knows that there is a cost internally to do so.
It's not an exact science. There will be decisions in hindsight that look bad, and others that look great. Overall, the outcomes both on ice (youngest roster in the league punching above its weight) and in organizational strength, have been nothing short of excellent.
Worst case, we keep all 4 vet UFAs, miss the playoffs on the last day, pick 9* in the first 4 rounds (or trade up), and our young core hits the summer hungry, motivated and feeling confident that the organization is behind them. I can live with that.