Well. That's out of left field.
I wonder why the Cats added another center with Barkov, Bjugstad and Trocheck on the roster already.
Edit: Also, I know Gudbranson is an analytics **** show, but he's a decent 2nd pairing defender who was being considered as the next team captain. This seems really weird all around.
I think that trade shows you the value of defensemen that can play 22-24 minutes a night.
Gudbranson is a more than serviceable 2nd pair defenseman, but he's not an impact player. IMO he's an anchor D on your third pair and penalty kill on a cup contending team that dominates lower level competition or a very reliable 2nd pair guy on a playoff team provided he's got some insulation.
The Canucks traded a 2014 first that they hit on later in the round whose a center with 2nd/3rd line upside on an ELC for 2 more years. An early 2nd this year, and 4th.
The Cats cleared $3.5M off the cap, have a ready made replacement in Petrovic who will do similar if not the same exact job as Gudbranson on a cheaper deal.
Goes to show you what a shortage in commodities can do to a trade market. Simple supply and demand economics.
(See Russel trade price, the 2 2nd round picks for Roman Polak, etc)
Now I now the group think narrative on this board really tends to repeat itself like a religious reading session, but how many of you honestly believe that the Rangers would retain $3-5M in dead space through trades or buyouts to rid the team of your whipping boys for the next 2-8 years?
