Basically the best case scenario is that you get the same offer you are getting right now but only if Duchene plays ball and has a reasonable ask and is willing to sign with them...
Yeah...
Sure sounds like a good gamble where nothing can go wrong and where there is a lot of upside to waiting...
Duchene has to be traded before the deadline. Anything else would just be reckless and beyond stupid.
Especially if he keeps playing and looking as good as he has over these first couple of games...
And yeah. I think it really is time to change your username if you want to be taken seriously.
Because honestly. No serious Avs fan can want that right now...
I would say that best case scenario is that the Avs get what they want, a young LHD with upside, which is still plausible. Just because you, and most other Avs fans around here, are pessimistic and seem to want to panic because short term results haven't lined up with where we hoped to be by now, does not mean that Sakic's long term plan is flawed.
As I've said before, the Avs did not have a realistic path to success when Sakic took over the team. They had a handful of good players, a whole bunch of mediocre vets, and essentially nothing in the prospect pool. In this era, when good young players are rarely available in trades or as UFAs, the only reasonable way to expect to get them is through the draft. So, Sakic made some changes to the scouting department, and the last 3 years have resulted in some very interesting young players. Unfortunately, because he was rebuilding the prospect pool essentially from scratch, he still had to go the UFA route to fill out the roster until the youngsters were ready. The last 3 years show how well the UFA/waiver route works, further cementing the importance of drafting well.
We're just now starting to see the results of what Sakic has been doing. The last 3 years were a means to get us to this point, where we seem to have a pretty consistent supply of young, talented players to add to the roster. Even with all the prospects that joined the team this year, there's still 3 or 4 guys with real potential behind them. Looking forward, there's a real chance for the Avs to be competitive in the near future, and if they can continue to draft well, they could remain competitive for decades. In my view, long term success should be the primary goal of a GM, and Sakic seems to have us on a path that's heading in that direction.
So, if you want to complain about the methods he used to get to this point, and nitpick about every mistake he's made, that's fine. But, don't expect me to join in the pity party. I still see plenty of reasons for long term optimism, and don't want to give up my opportunity to say "I told you so" quite yet. And, I appreciate the concern for my reputation, but I think you care more about it than I do at this point.
