The issue with Kulikov isn't anything about upside- it's very simply cost control. If you triple the money Wiercioch got its still just slightly above half of what Kulikov got- and they do the exact same thing.
I am upset we got Kulikov because even cap-floor teams shouldn't be playing premiums on guys when better or similar options were available for the cheap.
MDZ+Wiercioch togehter does not hold the same salary as Kulikov.
Schlemko+Wiercioch+Auvitu as a group do not hold the same salary as Kulikov.
The Jets could have a great 2nd/3rd pair LHD plus 2 very good depth options, or a 2nd pair defenseman on our 3rd pair with a great depth option, instead we got a guy who may be a 2nd pair option but in all likeliness is a 3rd pairing guy.
This is very simple asset management and being able to afford to not manage your assets wisely does not make it OK to not manage your assets wisely. If you had 1 million dollars, would you spend half of that on a car when you can get a similar car for half the price and have money left to buy a yacht?
Says who. What are your credentials?
The Winnipeg Jets did not sign a 3rd pair defenseman (Wiercioch), IMO. If that's what you perceive Dmitry Kulikov to be, that's rightfully your opinion.
However, is it not fair to say that your opinion (like most on a forum) is solely based on knowledge you've formulated from the outside, looking in?
Why present it as a superior position to what has actually transpired.
This....."it's very simply cost control", has no basis, whatsoever. It's fiction. Enlighten me, what are TNSE's current & future costs; that have now been forfeited control over (contracts-RFA rights, RFA/UFA signings/Arena upgrades/developmental-affiliation agreements, what?)? What costs are now out of TNSE's control? Pure fiction. Or, are you implying that TNSE didn't realize the amount that was being spent to acquire Dmitry. And that profits will now suffer from an ill-advised transaction. Back to the Boardroom, the budget is now unbalanced.
In my opinion, some get to look at the team through a magnifying glass, while others must see it through binoculars.