Kicked to the curb? Last time I chequed, it was O'Rielly saying to reporters that his desire for hockey went down the drain. Don't get me wrong he was probably sick of losing with Avs and Sabres, but you gotta trade players who give up on the team as he did. What is truly terrible for Buffalo is that Botterill - who I don't think is truly terrible - got the absolute worst deal he could ever think of (though it goes beyond just the GM to screw that up) for ROR. So, it makes sense why they meditated under Niagara Falls to strengthen their mind by bringing out their inner Sakic and holding pat until they get a return that is deemed worthy of their player.
Yes, I know, and I believe, as others on here do, that O'Reilly said those things in part to engineer his own departure.
That said, if I'm Botterill, then I take my sweet time while looking for a deal. Make him suffer if he feels like he "lost his will to play." You want out? Then play like it. Duchene knew that, and guess what? He played quite well to start out the year. And yes, I do believe the owners pressured him to usher ROR out the door, but that still doesn't completely excuse the horrendous return. I think both Botterill and ownership grossly overestimated how big an impact Casey Mittelstadt would make in his rookie season.
Do I think Botterill is a truly bad GM? Not sure. He's had a very good offseason thus far, but that's a year after pulling off the worst trade in franchise history. And he's already whiffed badly on one coaching hire. At this point I think he's pretty much Dead Executive Walking, so the point may be moot. Again, this is an instance where the real problem is in ownership...the Pegulas appear to be vaguely aware that they're in over their heads in regards to their various flagging sports franchises.
