Buffalo had...Girgensons, Grigorenko, Foligno, Moulson shoot left on the club.
You figure one of Grigorenko/Girgensons play LW.
There has been talk of TM looking at bring in first line winger type of players ...Kane was one of many talked about.
You figure
L1 acquired LW/Moulson
L2 Grigorenko/Girgensons
L3 Foligno
In Lemieux's eyes he thinks he will have little chance getting any shot at top 2 or even top 3 and being stuck in a 4th line role.
Had the 2nd and 3rd line wingers been older and closer to UFA then he may see an opportunity.
He Aldo likely saw and heard things at camp where Foligno was expected to get the first dhot at top 2 roles or coaches talking of him projecting as a 4th line player.
Your position is abject stupidity, and now you're trying to argue yourself out of it. You're so far down the rabbit hole that your position includes Lemieux being aware that Murray was going to acquire a top-line LW, as well as bald speculation about what Lemieux "heard" at development camp. You've offered no explanation for the fact that Lemieux had ZERO competition at LW anywhere in our pipeline. None. He was our only top-9 LW prospect.
Now he's in Winnipeg, where they have established pros on LW like Ladd and Perreault/Lowry, and he'll have to compete with guys like Ehlers, Petan, De Leo, and Copp in their prospect ranks.
If you think Lemieux wasn't going to sign because he couldn't beat out our LWs for a top-6 spot, you're out to lunch. You're even further out to lunch if you think Lemieux should believe he'll beat out Ladd and Ehlers for top-6 spots in Winnipeg.
Prior to the Kane/Myers trade buffalo had Girgensons, Grigorenko, Reinhart, Armia,and 15 1st ( likely McEichel or another forward) penciled in as potential top 6 players....thus 5 of the 6 slots filled with high 1st round picks. Hodgson also was a high 1st and going into the season he could be in the competition for top 6.
Winnipeg has
Schiefele (high 1st rounder, established NHLer),
Ladd (high 1st rounder, established NHLer),
Little (high 1st rounder, established NHLer),
Wheeler (high 1st rounder, established NHLer),
Armia (high 1st rounder and you used him in your example, so I will too),
Ehlers (high 1st round pick, far better prospect than Lemieux). There's six right there. Where's Brendan's top-6 spot, DJP?
They also have guys like Lowry and Perreault who are being used in a top-6 role. Their beat writer has also said they want to re-sign at least one of Frolik and Stafford. Lemieux will also have stiff competition from LH shots in their prospect ranks like Petan (uber-talented, drafted around the same part of the draft as BL), De Leo (solid prospect), and Copp, and they also have Kosmachuk who'll be competing for minutes at RW.
This notion that his top-6 (your words, not mine) path was blocked in Buffalo yet is paved in gold in Winnipeg is absolute clownshoes. You could not be more wrong if you tried.
In buffalo this is going to happen where some players opt to not sign snd either be a UFA or yo back into the draft where they hope for a better shot. College/Europe wait to become UFAs after 4 years, CHL players likely re-enter the draft pool.
You're wrong. I can honestly say that I've never seen someone who puts in as much time thinking about this stuff as you do who, notwithstanding that fact, so frequently arrives at the wrong conclusion.