Or it was just a risk they were willing to take. No trade is guaranteed to work out.
True. I still feel like the difference between planning on the guy being in your top 6 getting PP time and within a few games ending up on your bottom line with none is a pretty stark difference.
Tatar didn't work out in Vegas, but it wasn't like Legwand or AA. These are two guys that crashed immediately and the coach gave up on fast when things got tight. With that short a leash, how enthusiastic could they have been to acquire said player? To me, that says, not super interested?
The upside for AA is that he's an RFA and there's still time for him. His awful performance in Detroit and Edmonton will make contract negotiations a lot easier. With a new contract settled, he can focus on his game next year when the team isn't imminently fighting for playoff position.
But as a rental, boosting scoring this year, it's been about as bad as it could go for them. I was never high on AA, everyone knows that, but even I expected him to have a presence on the 2nd PP unit and chip in some points.