Agreed. I think the point I am making is we are assuming there is going to be a Neilson situation. We don’t know that. Like I said, it is one thing to draft your kids and make them property of the franchise. It is completely another to actually force them onto the team. Also let’s remember, he doesn’t own the team yet. This could have simply been the current franchise doing what they felt was considerate in light of the pending purchase as a courtesy.
It probably is a Neilson situation but until it actually happens, I think we need to close our eyes and hope for the best.
I agree in general. It's not like Flint...yet. The issue that Windsor fans have is, because Flint is so fresh in the minds and was such a horrible situation, the fear is there. If the Spitfires had drafted the first Parekh son in a late round, say 12-15, nobody cares. We tie the connection and move on. If they draft the second Parekh son in the 3rd round of the U18, nobody cares. "Figured that was coming, but he's a later pick, no sweat."
Instead, we get this 5'9 113lb kid in the fifth round, which has been a notoriously good round for Windsor (Henault, Boka, to name a couple) over the last few drafts. Then, almost everyone that I saw expected Parekh #2 to be drafted fifth overall in U18...and presto, it happens like clockwork. Even Windsor media, who's normally VERY upbeat, was giving the "what just happened?" look. I told some people here... "when (name) looks pissed, you KNOW something is bad."
It's all the little things that have added up to a very messy, very poor-optic situation. Could this improve and we're fine? Of course. Right now, though, it's a very cautious, almost jumpy fan base and understandably so.