Versteeg traded to Chicago

[adam graves]

Quite the opposite reactions on the Hawks forum. Basically everyone calling it a genious robbery by Bowman. I'm going to have to assume they haven't seen many games from Versteeg this year.

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1538849&page=99

the nature of internet fandom. Both fanbases happy. Excellent.

As I said before, April 2015 we will know who won this trade.

 

[Drugs Delaney]

Quite the opposite reactions on the Hawks forum. Basically everyone calling it a genious robbery by Bowman. I'm going to have to assume they haven't seen many games from Versteeg this year.

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1538849&page=99

Good! These aren't the droids they are looking for.

 

[angry_treefrog]

McKenzie, a reputable source, reported on TV that everyone on Florida's roster was being shopped, except the 5 I named, but there was little interest on our vets, except for Matthias and Kulikov, all of which is the subject of a thread on the main board. Trading Versteeg confirms McKenzie's rumor about our vets being shopped and the trade terms seems to confirm the lack of interest to some extent.

We are making personnel and coaching changes with an eye towards rebuilding for the future.

Why is any of this hard to fathom? We have a new owner who reportedly wants to build a winning franchise. Half of our team consists of mostly marginal vets on expiring contracts, who are likely gone by the end of the season anyway unless traded first. Most of the remainder of our vets contracts expire next year (Flash, Kopecky etc.). This is what a rebuild looks like when a team makes room for youth.

The tanking is just good management. If a team is not going to make the playoffs and is going to turn over half its roster anyway by season's end, then it makes sense to lose big and secure a top pick. Tallon did it in year one when he was hired mid-season and now he is doing it again.

And yes, WE ARE TANK Nation, whether you wish to admit it or not...

What you seem to be missing is that this will be a losing team no matter what Tallon does. This will not be a playoff team and will almost certainly get a top pick. No tanking required.

What Tallon needs to do (and is doing) is raising the team's compete level. There's a difference between losing a tight hockey game and disgracing yourself on the ice (which we've seen plenty of this year.)

In this draft I don't really think that drafting #3 vs #8 is likely to make an earth shattering difference in the long run.

 

[gudzilla]

This team needs a true leader. We need to bring a true veteran captain. I'm starting to wonder if Versteeg was a locker room cancer.

I'm glad he's gone. The return is fine. Nice to see ownership willing to eat the contract.

I think a guy like Gaborik would come here. I don't get the feeling he likes the spotlight.

My only concern is that Tallon seems to have a bit of an obsession with former players.

jovo is a true leader in my book. he've just been injured



however, i see a lot of people here saying they'd GIVE versteeg away, but now they wish he fetched more? im not sure

 

[CoolburnIsGone]

Yup even more good stuff from Steeger.

Versteeg went on WGN radio in Chicago this morning and not only said he hoped former Chicago defenseman Brian Campbell would eventually follow him to the Second City, but that other teammates sounded a little jealous in their text messages to him.
As far as waking up went, Versteeg thought the trade might have been a dream.

Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/flapanthers/#storylink=cpy

No he only said he wished he could take Campbell with him and the rest of the team was jealous. I.E. Panthers suck glad I got out nobody wants to be there. No he only signed a 4.4 million a year contract and played like Olesz but at least Rusty tried he sucked but he tried. Nothing wrong with saying I'm excited to be here won a cup here want to win another one, but if you can't see the bashing in what he said your blind or not looking. Hope Guds or someone else who actually plays hard and wants to be here let's him know the next time they play.

The fact that he got texts from teammates that sounded like they were jealous suggests that there are other players on the team that will not see this as any "wake up" call. They're just counting the days until they are traded too. And basically all it tells the veteran players is that if they struggle to play consistently, they will be able to get off the team too like Versteeg.

This team needs a true leader. We need to bring a true veteran captain. I'm starting to wonder if Versteeg was a locker room cancer.

Possibly but sounds like the locker room (at least from the vets) are basically at a point that they know they will be traded at some point soon. It seems to keep coming up with our org over & over again that the locker room becomes a bad situation and we end up continually repeating cycles of crapitude. You cant bring in a veteran captain without clearing out most of the vets in the locker room now to get rid of that cancerous situation like had to be done when Tallon came in back in 2010. And then we're back at the start of the rebuild.

 

[Panthersfan1989]

Versteeg is a pos. This lockeroom is in shambles. Wheres the leadership. There is no alpha player on this team. I hope hubs has not turned into this POS versteeg.

 

[Coach Nate]

There are a whole lot of assumptions being thrown around without knowing any of the context behind Versteeg's comments.

 

[SufferingCatFan]

What you seem to be missing is that this will be a losing team no matter what Tallon does. This will not be a playoff team and will almost certainly get a top pick. No tanking required.

What Tallon needs to do (and is doing) is raising the team's compete level. There's a difference between losing a tight hockey game and disgracing yourself on the ice (which we've seen plenty of this year.)

In this draft I don't really think that drafting #3 vs #8 is likely to make an earth shattering difference in the long run.[/QUOTE)

Our differences are really just a matter of semantics regarding "tanking."

Regardless of what label you attach, we have a temporary roster with half of the players on expiring contract this year; we just fired our coach; we just traded a vet on a long term contract to open a space for a prospect; we are, according to McKenzie, trying to trade all of our other vets (except Goc) presumably to make space for prospects. The end result will be a team largely consisting of inexperienced youth and vet cast-offs, who will lose night in and night out.

I agree that, if I am going, as a STH, to watch my team lose, I would rather see a team that, at least, plays hard than one going thru the motions.

 

[gudzilla]

Versteeg is a pos. This lockeroom is in shambles. Wheres the leadership. There is no alpha player on this team. I hope hubs has not turned into this POS versteeg.

jovo been injured... i hope he can shore **** up

 

[Sykwitit]

Versteeg seems like the kinda guy that would just throw that comment out there whether it's actually true or not. He's an arrogant ****.....not too mention I'm sure the radio hosts in Chicago were egging him on as well.

Regardless of how the other players may feel about being here, none of them have completely just given up, not worked hard, and been blatantly useless just because everything isn't going their way.

I think were all in agreement that we were much less upset about his lack of production in comparison to the reason he wasn't producing, which was complete lack of effort and being a detriment to the the team in more ways than one.

 

[MintyFresh88]

Hasn't Huberdeau been living with this guy? It might be a good thing he's gone from an on-ice and off-ice standpoint.

 

[Erick*]

What you seem to be missing is that this will be a losing team no matter what Tallon does. This will not be a playoff team and will almost certainly get a top pick. No tanking required.

What Tallon needs to do (and is doing) is raising the team's compete level. There's a difference between losing a tight hockey game and disgracing yourself on the ice (which we've seen plenty of this year.)

In this draft I don't really think that drafting #3 vs #8 is likely to make an earth shattering difference in the long run.

Our differences are really just a matter of semantics regarding "tanking."

Regardless of what label you attach, we have a temporary roster with half of the players on expiring contract this year; we just fired our coach; we just traded a vet on a long term contract to open a space for a prospect; we are, according to McKenzie, trying to trade all of our other vets (except Goc) presumably to make space for prospects. The end result will be a team largely consisting of inexperienced youth and vet cast-offs, who will lose night in and night out.

I agree that, if I am going, as a STH, to watch my team lose, I would rather see a team that, at least, plays hard than one going thru the motions.

Every roster is temporary.

 

[adam graves]

There are a whole lot of assumptions being thrown around without knowing any of the context behind Versteeg's comments.

I agree.

 

[PanthersHockey1]

The fact that he got texts from teammates that sounded like they were jealous suggests that there are other players on the team that will not see this as any "wake up" call. They're just counting the days until they are traded too. And basically all it tells the veteran players is that if they struggle to play consistently, they will be able to get off the team too like Versteeg.
Possibly but sounds like the locker room (at least from the vets) are basically at a point that they know they will be traded at some point soon. It seems to keep coming up with our org over & over again that the locker room becomes a bad situation and we end up continually repeating cycles of crapitude. You cant bring in a veteran captain without clearing out most of the vets in the locker room now to get rid of that cancerous situation like had to be done when Tallon came in back in 2010. And then we're back at the start of the rebuild.

Because our ownership hasn't brought in the top end all star veteran talent this team so desperately needed the last 17 years. With 20 million in cap space this summer and a rich owner I'm hoping that is about to change.

 

[SufferingCatFan]

Every roster is temporary.

Please identify another roster in the NHL where 50% of the roster consists of vets on expiring contracts with the remainder of the vets (except Campbell) having contracts expiring the following year?

 

[Howboutthempanthers]

So some have mentioned that Tallon just made a trade for his "old society" players, but remember that he just traded away one of his guys.

I like this trade honestly. I was absolutely tired of Versteeg. Getting him off the ice alone is addition by subtraction, because he wasn't even scoring. I am happy with this move.


Versteeg wasn't hardworking, he resembled everything that we wanted to get away from. Trading him for small players like Desharnais would be a lateral move at best. I love adding size to this team, something we need more, much more, of.

This. This exactly.

 

[Howboutthempanthers]

So some have mentioned that Tallon just made a trade for his "old society" players, but remember that he just traded away one of his guys.

I like this trade honestly. I was absolutely tired of Versteeg. Getting him off the ice alone is addition by subtraction, because he wasn't even scoring. I am happy with this move.


Versteeg wasn't hardworking, he resembled everything that we wanted to get away from. Trading him for small players like Desharnais would be a lateral move at best. I love adding size to this team, something we need more, much more, of.

And this.

 

[ayomang]

Anything to get Versteeg away from this team is fine with me.

 

[Erick*]

Please identify another roster in the NHL where 50% of the roster consists of vets on expiring contracts with the remainder of the vets (except Campbell) having contracts expiring the following year?

That's not my point.
Your confirmation of this tanking is trading Kris Versteeg. Kris Versteeg was being scratched/benched recently. He was just no longer a fit, winning or losing. He would've been traded regardless.

Most of the players listed on your upcoming UFA list are stopgap players. Every organization has players like that. We just so happen to have some more. It's not tanking. It'll be tanking when they start trading players who are under contract next year and beyond.

Also, our definitions of tanking are different. This team has won 4 games. Everyone should be for sell. I don't think of that as tanking, but rather trying to get better.

 

[RainingRats]

Understatement much? You can´t really get worse than this.



And still I´m pretty sure Florida is on most of those NTC contracts.



And yet Florida has to pay more than e.g. Chicago for UFA´s.

NTC means no trade to any teams. Some players have limited NTC. i think Versteeg had 15 teams he would go to. Of course we're not going to be the ideal destination right now but a lot of teams a few years ago were completely undesirable. Chicago and Pittsburgh were very undesirable places to play with losing teams but they've turned it around.

Tallon convinced Campbell to waive his NTC to come here. Part of Tallon's job is to get people to come here.

It's not as dire of a situation as many want to believe. We really don't know if big name free agents want to come here because we've never gone after them. Guys do sign with loser teams all the time. Money talks. Maybe someone wants out of the spotlight? Maybe a perennial All Star goalie wants to come here?

 

[Howboutthempanthers]

Vesteeg was awful. I don't know what people are complaining about. Whatever offense he gave, was a drop in the bucket compared to the abysmally, brutally, horrifically bad play that he brought to this team for the last season and a half.
That's called addition by subtraction.

 

[CoolburnIsGone]

Because our ownership hasn't brought in the top end all star veteran talent this team so desperately needed the last 17 years. With 20 million in cap space this summer and a rich owner I'm hoping that is about to change.

I'm sorry but I do hate this thought process quite a bit. Everyone assumes that just because there's a "rich" owner now that it means we're going to be able to land "top end all star veteran talent." Not totally true. Why would a top end all star talent, you know the guys that want to win & play for a contender, want to come to FL, besides just for money? And really if the guy is only coming here because of the money then you're not really getting a top end guy but a wrung below that which is what we always get and overpay for.

 

[gudzilla]

I'm sorry but I do hate this thought process quite a bit. Everyone assumes that just because there's a "rich" owner now that it means we're going to be able to land "top end all star veteran talent." Not totally true. Why would a top end all star talent, you know the guys that want to win & play for a contender, want to come to FL, besides just for money? And really if the guy is only coming here because of the money then you're not really getting a top end guy but a wrung below that which is what we always get and overpay for.

exactly

im sure that the allstar players would take 500k-1m less a year to play for a contender than playing down here

 

[ratmanfu]

I'm sorry but I do hate this thought process quite a bit. Everyone assumes that just because there's a "rich" owner now that it means we're going to be able to land "top end all star veteran talent." Not totally true. Why would a top end all star talent, you know the guys that want to win & play for a contender, want to come to FL, besides just for money? And really if the guy is only coming here because of the money then you're not really getting a top end guy but a wrung below that which is what we always get and overpay for.

This is exactly what I feared a few offseasons back when Tallon went on his FA shopping spree.

It felt exciting at the time, but was obvious that most weren't going to live up to their fat contracts.

 

[CatscratchFever]

Nobody wants to play here.