Do you really want to take it to THIS level? I love how you wrote loyalty to players? Without taking into consideration the qualifying statement "to a certain extent." Interesting...
I'm not getting into Callahan's resume.
What level? Loyalty is earned. Yes, Callahan has been a great part of some decent, hard working Rangers teams the past few years, but he hasn't earned the ridiculous contract he is asking for in the slightest, regardless of the "loyalty" factor.
This is kinda revisionist history. Yes, Callahan was an overage player. He was also killed his first two years after being drafted by posters on this board. It was "at best he's the next Ortmeyer". I probably even lumped him into that category at times. Callahan also showed up to his first real camp out of shape in 2006, it's why he was sent to Hartford on his first day of camp. Should the Rangers hold that against him too? Do you really think that the Rangers are using THAT logic when negotiating a contract? Do you think Sather is saying "Gee, we drafted him, we let him carve out a niche, take less money" I doubt you do. So why use that logic? I could see if you are saying what some other posters are saying, it's time to move on, the team will be better off in the end....etc. But what you posted is a little over the top. It's almost hyperbole.
That wasn't my point. It goes both ways. And yes, I was being hyperbolic to make a point. Callahan laid his body on the line every night, and the Rangers stuck with him gave him a chance to be something in this league.
Who is talking about him as some sort of Rangers legend? I think maybe, after years of horrible draft picks, years of garbage, Callahan represents a player that many of us couldn't imagine during good portion of the last decade. Does that make the nostalgia attached to him by fans wrong? No and the worst part is certain fans use that as an excuse to bash other posters for no reason.
Okay. The teams that sucked in the 2000s should have no relevance to what the team should do with Callahan right now, an upcoming UFA who is asking for a ridiculous contract, a player who will likely see a sharp decline in production very soon.
Callahan is still a good heart and soul player. He still has value to the Rangers now. I get the injury concerns, I get every point people have tried to make. The thing is this team is still fighting for this year.
Yes, the Rangers have a good team this year, but they are not favorites. They cannot afford to lose an asset as valuable as Callahan (or Girardi, for that matter) for nothing as UFAs. We may make a run this year, but the chance of that is not great enough to risk losing these players for nothing but a 2nd/3rd round exit.
It's like any fan that shares a shred of hope is an idiot to the trade Callahan for prospects crowd. If anybody posts "anything can happen" some people go crazy. Literally, they turn off the rest of an argument and focus on that when often times the statement is taken out of context of the conversation. What's wrong with being a fan? I don't know what the right thing to do is, I'm man enough to admit that.
I don't think the people you're talking about are
negative, per se. Personally, I'd say I lean more towards being optimistic rather than pessimistic. As I said before, I just think Callahan's value in a trade is greater than his value on the ice to us, at the moment.
Also, for the record, my stance on the team right now is that we could potentially do some damage, and maybe even come out of the east, but that our prime years are yet to come. Kreider, McDonagh, Stepan, and Zuccarello will continue to get better, Lundqvist will likely still be doing his thing for another 5+ years, and there's also Miller who I am very high on.
I don't think the offer the Rangers are going to get for Callahan will be worth the trade. I don't think the risk-reward of it is worth it. What if teams see Callahan for exactly what you posted. What if teams see him as he was a very good heart and soul type player whose game is starting to drop off, and injuries are creeping in more and more.
I believe there will be some front offices with that mindset, but I also believe that there are teams out there that would pony up prime assets to acquire a player like Cally, especially if they're willing to come even close to his asking.
What if other teams agree with you and don't offer prospects, picks, AND a player? What do you think the return will be for Callahan? I shouldn't assume what you think the return is so I'm asking you directly. What if the Rangers are getting crap offers back? Should the trade him for anything? Can you envision a scenario where trading him is the wrong move if teams aren't offering enough? I'm asking these questions and I hope you answer them. Some fans refuse to answer because it kills their argument.
I think getting a player to replace his production is the most important piece (one that can contribute now and ideally for the foreseeable future - I have warmed up to the Chris Stewart option). Of course, I think that a straight up player for player deal should not happen - IMO, the team would need to add at least a 1st round pick or good prospect to the player (well, depending on the player - with Stewart, I'd like a 1st, for example).
I think the return will be NHL players. I think it would amount to less than the Gaborik return. I really have no clue but I have an opinion that the Rangers aren't in rebuild mode. Sather is 70 years old, I doubt a rebuild is worth it to him.
I do agree that the main part of a Callahan deal for Slats is getting back a player who can contribute now and in the near future. I'd say that Callahan would return more than Gaborik, who only Columbus was legitimately interested in. I think there could be up to 10-15 teams involved in Callahan talks at the moment. Remember, GMs can still negotiate over the break, they just can't officially make a move.
Maybe, I'm wrong. I often am...
Well, I'm hoping you're wrong that Callahan's value is the equivalent of Gaborik's last year, lol.
But most of us a wrong a lot, so it's all good.
Please, it's absurd.
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