clydesdale line
Connor BeJesus
- Jan 10, 2012
- 24,655
- 22,748
The problem with Rundblad was he was all skill and zero hockey sense.
His below average speed didn't help matters either. You gotta have one or the other to have an NHL career.
The problem with Rundblad was he was all skill and zero hockey sense.
He was a pure offensive machine in almost every league he played in before the NHL. The talent was there, he just couldn't find it.
And Leddy was treated like the #5D that he was while he was on this team. He wasn't better than Seabrook, Keith, or Hjalmarsson, and Oduya was the perfect fit with Hammer. Q didn't develop him? Is that why he was a #2/3 on a weaker team as soon as he left here? I'm sure the trade alone made him what he was...
I think people also underappreciated the factor of the trade of how Arizona retained 1/3rd of his cap which allowed that cap tight 2014-15 team to exist. Not many other even elc prospects were lurking around that could fill his 7th Dman role with 580K caphits. Heck even guys like Svedberg and Erixon they had a bit that year were on larger hits that season.
The funny thing I remember was to start that season there were droves of people freaking out in the days leading up to the season how the Hawks according to capsites were over the cap despite Stan saying to those asking him the League confirmed they were fine. Since it wasn't even discovered by people until then that Rundblad was partially retained, but that little couple hundred K was actually significant that year.
That was more of Stan being a ******* and not disseminating all the facts of the trade. Everyone knew they were over and knew something was wrong. Stan sat there for months until the press finally gave into the demands of people asking to find out why.
It was one of little things I hate about Stan, Very smug at times.
The other thing is some of the press in this town are just liek to ask softball questions to Stan. Few actually would hold his feet to the fire.
But they weren't.