The players does not sign any obligation to the team that stipulates he cannot request a trade. There is no such clauses in NHL contracts, as far as I know. What the player commits to are the terms of the contract, and it is understood that the contract is tradable. So if a player doesn't want to stick around for rebuilding years, he can ask for a trade. There is nothing unprofessional about this.
It is just one of those old hockey cliches people like to cling onto. Leadership is massively overrated. Just like the contributions of an enforcer.
Well that would be a pretty dick move by the organization.
I agree, though many won't. There's no denying Beaulieu's talent, or his mistakes. The kid had so many tools (minus a decent slapshot) that showed up in flashes and then disappeared the next game. To me, that screamed bad development. You can't teach the natural skills he has, but you CAN nurture confidence, you CAN teach good habits, and you CAN model maturity. Beaulieu's become a mess, but I remain convinced it's because his confidence was left flapping in the wind, and he wasn't given the advantages of playing alongside a great mentor like Weber for long enough. A shame really.
Thanks for the update.
Beaulieu was a great skater with good skill for a D, but he simply doesn't care about hockey that much, and his natural IQ out there is lacking. I don't think he was a bad gamble, but it never came to me. Sometimes that happens when you are drafting 18 year olds. I think the development blame game is a reach here once again.
The leafs are at an interesting point. They want to take a step forward, and for them that means winning a series in the playoffs... but as it stands they'd be underdogs against Boston round 1. They have a lot of pieces but they need that steadying presence on their backend. Weber would be perfect for them. The question is would they be willing to give up what they'd need to get him.
If the best offer comes from say, Arizona, then so be it. For me the issue isn’t about Weber wanting to be traded because I just don’t believe it to be something he is interested in, but rather why would we make a move that would cripple us for years considering what we gave up to get him. There are few D out there better than him and any return would be underwhelming. Questioning his skill set and his “decline” is misguided. All indications are that he will probably be effective late into his thirties.
We'll never know what Beaulieu or any of our failed 1st-rounders might have been. Maybe he, Tinordi, McCarron, etc. were terrible picks whose ceilings were fringe NHL, at best. But there's a real possibility they were stuffed into the AHL meat-grinder and by the time they appeared in the NHL, Therrien said, "Oh look -- sausage!", and that was it for them.
I'm of the opinion that it's ultimately up to the player. Just like with the rest of life, making excuses is for losers. It's up to you to be the best version of yourself you can be. These coaches are doing their best to try and develop these guys, but they can only do so much, and ultimately it comes down to the player themselves. Sometimes they have it in them, and sometimes they just don't. Sometimes it's physical limitations (McCarron) and sometimes it's mental (Beaulieu). When you're drafting 18 year olds, you're going to have some misses.
I think you're underestimating the effect of development on a teenager. These players are treated like men because they're physically big, but we forget how young they really are. They're kids. The effect of an adult coach, the influence of a 30-year old teammate -- it's huge for these young guys. Sure, there's still plenty of room for a player's own responsibility, but they can be improved or damaged by the people whose job it is to guide them.
