The Flyers dealt away Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa, their first-round pick this year and first-round pick next year, plus a conditional choice...all for Chris Pronger and some guy named Dingle.
The Flames won the Jay-Bo sweepstakes, getting him from Florida for a pittance, namely Jordan Leopold and a third-round pick.
You tell me who got the better deal of the two, and who managed to keep some dignity on the other end...it definitely raises a lot of questions in my mind.
Not that Jay Bouwmeester would be worth what the Flyers eventually gave up for Pronger, but if Florida was willing to send away a chronically-injured second-pairing defenseman and a second-tier draft choice to Calgary, why couldn't the Flyers have worked a deal?
Does this have anything to do with the Flyers' traditional trade practice of blatantly trying to steal players for nothing?
Is there any way Paul Holmgren could have parted with less, since a hard-ass like Brian Burke was no longer in control of the Anaheim front office?
Where will four of the needed bottom six forwards come from?
Does Holmgren really believe some Phantoms (JVR for instance) are ready to assume a role on the big club, or is he still intent on filling spots with bargain-ready ex-NHLers to save on the cap?
Is signing Mike Knuble to keep him away from the aggressive Penguins' offer going to put a damper on the plans to fill those needs given the club is just $5 million under the cap?
Let's be clear...I am a fan of the deal in that it provides a need. Pronger, even at 34 and with 15 years in his pocket, brings the right kind of size, attitude, violence and scoring touch the Flyers have needed in forever.
However, why couldn't Homer convince Bob Murray to take Randy Jones, Andrew Alberts or even Ryan Parent? Sbisa showed more promise and potential in his call-up than the above three players displayed in actuality. Did he feel some kind of weird moral obligation to restock the Ducks with what he offered?
Factor in the Ray Emery signing, and you get a picture that is akin to a Jackson Pollock painting: throw everything to the wall and see what sticks. There seems to be no real plan of action except this fragmented belief that if the club signs a bunch of bargain-basement players they will successfully fill out a roster ready for Cup contention.
This couldn't be further from the truth...on paper as well as in perception. I shudder to think what's going to be missed out on and explained away come Wednesday.
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