McGarnagle
Yes.
- Aug 5, 2017
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Anyway, the whole "They were one or two players away" narrative during the Middleton and Neely years is essentially moot. Lots of teams can say that - the Flyers, Jets, and Blackhawks of the late 80s/early 90s could also claim they were one or two players away.
Here's the thing, where were they supposed to get those players anyway? Unrestricted free agency didn't exist until the 1992 strike's CBA, and it didn't really pick up in the form we now know it until like 96 or 97 at best. Sometimes stars hit the trade block but you have to give to get. And Harry did go and acquire Adam Oates after he walked out on the Blues over money and signed him to a big contract. You can't blame cheapness for them being one or two players away in the 80s/early 90s. You can blame Harry for making bad trades, maybe if they didn't deal Tom Fergus for Derlago and if he didn't throw Geoff Courtnall into the Moog/Ranford trade then maybe they have the players to go over the hump in 88, etc. But he also made some really good trades, no GM's success rate on trades is 100%.
I just think it's way too simple to say they didn't win because they didn't go out and spend on high priced players. Where were they supposed to get them without giving up their entire depth or jettisoning the future?
Here's the thing, where were they supposed to get those players anyway? Unrestricted free agency didn't exist until the 1992 strike's CBA, and it didn't really pick up in the form we now know it until like 96 or 97 at best. Sometimes stars hit the trade block but you have to give to get. And Harry did go and acquire Adam Oates after he walked out on the Blues over money and signed him to a big contract. You can't blame cheapness for them being one or two players away in the 80s/early 90s. You can blame Harry for making bad trades, maybe if they didn't deal Tom Fergus for Derlago and if he didn't throw Geoff Courtnall into the Moog/Ranford trade then maybe they have the players to go over the hump in 88, etc. But he also made some really good trades, no GM's success rate on trades is 100%.
I just think it's way too simple to say they didn't win because they didn't go out and spend on high priced players. Where were they supposed to get them without giving up their entire depth or jettisoning the future?