Hainsey did not struggle for most of the season, his play dropped off, when he came back from having the flu. but whatever. let's say you are right.
Having McDonagh for 1.5 years and having a guy who you could move down your lineup because he is still a very good defenseman is a good thing. it doesn't always have to be the "he's a right hand" or "he's a top guy". how about "he's just really really good at what he does?"
for the life of me i don't understand why people here don't want veteran players and I feel this (and not you specifically) is what this is really steaming from. he's not a sexy superstar like doughty etc, he's not young and can put up 50 points, but he's solid. and quite frankly this team needs solid. and I believe in my bones he would have helped this team down the stretch when they were starting to shake, and he would have helped during the playoffs.
I honestly don't remember what the asking price was. but i don't think Tampa gave up talent of Lilegren's potential, so i doubt that's what we had to pay (or that was the deal, THE END). and. if that was the case (and for argument's sake, it was), it doesn't change the fact that Lou didn't get a defenseman period. he basically was happy with what we had and Dermott = them getting a defenseman which was a dumb, dumb dumb decision.
Hainsey was bad for most of the season but you keep telling yourself that he was not bad. It is the same as the year before when I said Zietsev was bad and everyone said he was our best D man when he struggled more then he did this year in fact I thought Zeitsev had a better season and can see him improve off of his last season.
It was not for 1 and 1/2 years but one year and 17 games and even less when you consider he would be in his last year of his contract and you were mad that Lou did not move out our pending free agents this season. So paying a high price for a player only to move him out at some point the next season making his cost very high for a rental.
Rangers ask price was high and they did want our first round pick as well as a top prospect (Lilly was the reported ask) and another pick/prospect.
We have two actual 50 point D nan something he has never done nor is he Likely to do so he is not an upgrade offensively over Rielly or Gardiner. He is better Defensively then Gardiner but his cost was way to high and we should thank Lou for not biting on him as the cost was to high and no cost control making the Likely hood of it being among the worse trades in recent history.
Ryan also at his best as a puck-moving defenseman, not necessarily as a shutdown guy (he’s only had a positive
corsirelative to his teammates once in eight seasons). So we needed defensive help not more offensive help and he is a left shot not a right shot which would have made him far more attractive.
Here is what another believe ask price was for Ryan. The Leafs can acquire Ryan McDonagh for Travis Dermott, Connor Brown and a First round draft pick. This was the day of the deadline and we thankfully turned it down.
My opinion has not changed and we were smart as the price was to high and he was not the right fit for the reasons I posted above.