If I was Tampa I would rather have a mad MSL for the rest of the year compared to a rental Cally who they have no interest in paying. I think MSL is too much of a professional that he would quit on his team in a playoff run where they could be hosting a first round series.
The questions go away until the season ends once the deadline is over.
Just a couple of things.....
1. MSL from now until he's traded won't/shouldn't play on home ice again....Reasons are fairly obvious, he's requested a trade, imagine the bad pr/fan lashback that would ensue should he return home... How would you folks that attend MSG treat Hank/Girardi/Staal during the game if his demands were made public and you knew he wanted out? I'm guessing it wouldn't be to nice.. That isn't good for anyone involved, whether it's MSL, the other player's etc... As pointed out, this isn't done yet and might drag on into next week, "ONLY" reason being the Lightning don't play at home again until the 6th. EOS
2. People comparing this deal to the Nash saga...Two different stories. For starters, Howson was a moron, not a respected player from the not to distant past. I can almost guarantee that Stevie Y wants to get the distraction out of the way. It's just a plain bad situation for all involved. On top of that, being a player from the not to distant past, he also knows he shouldn't keep MSL hostage through the end of the season and possibly beyond. I think he still respects player's enough to treat them with the kind of dignity he would like to be treated with if he were still playing.
Sure it's an unfortunate situation for the Tampa organization as a whole.. But with their management I think they'll handle the situation in a much more timely, professional manner than Howson decided to run his.. Time for all involved to lick their wounds and move on, it's not something you'd want to drag out (unless you're Howson)
