If you, as I do, watch the off-ice NHL news and stuff as kind of a male-centric version of a soap opera (My Wife: Why do you like watching old fat white guys yell at each other so much?) then yesterday's two trades was basically the equivalent of finding out that Sammy and Lucas's baby was really fathered by Stephano, from beyond the grave.
Two trades? Are you kidding me? That was awesome.
But it got me thinking: why aren't there more trades in the NHL?
The conventional wisdom, as we are told almost daily, is that it is "just so hard to make trades right now" because of parity, the salary cap, the weather, Saturn only being in the fourth house, etc.
But what if the real reason is much, much simpler?
Like, what if the GMs are just chicken? What if the main reason there aren't any trades is that the shelf-life of a GM, the instant analysis of the internet and the viciousness with which people react to any move that doesn't have an immediate pay-off have combined to remove the incentive from risk?
I don't think this has a direct impact, but more of a situation where a general narrative develops and the owner makes a move based on perception.
For a GM, you always have built in excuses: the guy before you, the meddling owners, the level of "heat" from local media, a coach or two take a bullet for you, and the salary cap.
The only way a GM really ever takes a ton of heat is when a trade backfires.
Look at Boston. Peter Chiarelli built a team that went to the Playoffs seven years in a row, won a Cup and lost in the final another time. For a good five years, they were legit Cup Contenders and were just generally a great team for 90% of Chiarelli's tenure.
But then he trades Tyler Seguin for an Old Navy gift certificate and the kid goes on to become one of biggest stars in the league. Suddenly he's fired and no one remembers the only reason they ever even had Seguin was because of an absolute heisting on a different trade.
For what Peter Chiarelli did during his reign as GM of the Bruins, he should have been given a job for life and been allowed to take risks and make errors without ever worrying about being fired.
While keeping a loser in a job just is never going to work, if you do happen to have a half-way decent GM, I would argue giving him free reign to screw up will, in the long term, allow him to have the courage to take a risk that ends up paying off.
Say what you will about Brian Burke - and I think his record in Toronto is on par with Mike Milbury's on Long Island - but at least he was willing to take risks. It could just have easily worked out, even if it didn't.
Now-a-days, I truly believe that the majority of NHL GMs would rather do nothing and keep their whipping boys lined up than make a move that might end up bad, and see the risk fall on them; that they're more interested in playing it safe than potentially giving up next Seguin.
I mean, look to Chiarelli himself. I would bet money he's gun shy about having another trade blow up in his face. If I was him, I would have came in on the first day and traded Jordan Eberle for a defenseman or John Gibson or Andrei Vasilesky. Then I would have traded my first round pick for the stud defensemen my team so desperately needs.
Hell, with Edmonton currently having the second best shot at the top pick, they should do it right now - but I will guarantee they don't have the balls.
It's easy to trade a player who has become a "bad guy" like Kessel in Toronto, but it's much harder to take a shot at making your team better just for the sake of it. Think of all the big trades that have happened in the last little while: how many of them were precipitated by a disgruntled player? Most I would say.
Yesterday was fun, but when was the last time players were traded just to make the teams better? Kessel, Johansen, Carter, St.Louis, Hamilton, Seguin etc. Most trades only happen when they absolutely have to. (Not counting the trade of expiring contracts and bit players at the deadline).
Contgrats at least to the Blue Jackets, who I believe to be the ballsiest NHL team around.
The rest of these cats need to stop worry so much about whether or not anyone likes them or their work and get down to business.
Quit being so Yeller.
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The Coyotes are in Calgary to finish off their roadtrip tonight and Hanzal will be back. Should be a high event/ fun to watch game.
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