Jakey53
Registered User
- Aug 27, 2011
- 30,210
- 9,215
The Yotes aren't worried about the cap for another few years. The trade makes sense and I know why they did it, but I just hated loosing a top ten pick in the draft, especially for a team in a rebuild.The value of Stepan is nowhere near the value of the No.7 pick, even if that rookie ends up a 2C like Stepan. Because Stepan carries a big cap hit but rookies don't. But.... if Raanta resigns with good price, and Stepan is a good leader in the locker room, I'm okay with that trade.
That's the problem looking from the outside in. We have no idea what happened to make this year a disaster. Every team has injuries so I don' like using that as an excuse, but maybe we can point a finger or two a Chayka for not having a reliable back up goalie, but at the same time, you have to give Chayka credit for going out and getting Wedgewood when LD crapped the bed.What we don't know is how much Stepan growing into the team has contributed in making the Yotes grow into what they are now. A team who would have made the playoffs if the season had started at Christmas.
I'll go out on a limb and say there is a connection. I know the injuries on key defencemen and Raanta most likely is the most obvious explanation, but I go out on a limb and say Stepan may have contributed massively in changing the whole team.
And notice what happened with NYR without Stepan. They fell apart.