Post by digitalman on Aug 24, 2007 17:17:10 GMT -4
I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but the reason I'm asking this is that I've been very pleased with Barberio and Brannon's pre-season performances which made me think: Are we better off having acquired Bourdon and then dealing him again the next year or would we be better off if we had never acquired him in the first place. And I'm talking about the big picture, not just for one specific season.
Like I said, I'm excited about Brannon and Barberio and I'm certain they'll be a huge part of the team's success for possibly the next three seasons. I still don't think we got as much for Bourdon as we gave though if you include Samson and the pick for Goulet. We would have been better last season with Marchand and Samson there all year but I still don't think it would have put us over Cape Breton or Lewiston. We would have had an extra playoff round or two most likely. We'd be better this year too with Marchand as a 19 and Samson as a 20, probably even a contender. With all the 18 yr olds in the roster this year, shaping up for a big year in 08-09, they could have traded Marchand and Samson to get a Brannon and Barberio-like return to build for next year anyways, because there doesn't seem to be an obvious powerhouse in the maritime division next season like Halifax this year. So basically, I don't think the trades changed much in the big picture. It more or less comes down to did Bourdon help us enough in the mem cup year to decide if the trades were worth it, and that point has been debated way too much and was too long ago for anybody to still care about.
It seems Torchetti got the best return he could get for Bourdon (even though it would have been nice to get Tessier) even though neither Barberio or Brannon have played a full season in Moncton yet. Some could argue that Barberio will be as good as Bourdon anyways. From a fan's perspective, we got to closely follow parts of the junior careers of Marchand, Samson, Bourdon, Barberio and Brannon, all potential NHLers, instead of just seeing Marchand's and Samson's entire careers. So I think it made it more exciting for us as junior hockey fans, cause one of the things we all love about junior hockey is watching future NHLers before they make it to the spotlight.
So overall, I think it's a good thing that the trades were made and it made following the wildcats for the last two seasons exciting and should make the next two seasons exciting too.
Like I said, I'm excited about Brannon and Barberio and I'm certain they'll be a huge part of the team's success for possibly the next three seasons. I still don't think we got as much for Bourdon as we gave though if you include Samson and the pick for Goulet. We would have been better last season with Marchand and Samson there all year but I still don't think it would have put us over Cape Breton or Lewiston. We would have had an extra playoff round or two most likely. We'd be better this year too with Marchand as a 19 and Samson as a 20, probably even a contender. With all the 18 yr olds in the roster this year, shaping up for a big year in 08-09, they could have traded Marchand and Samson to get a Brannon and Barberio-like return to build for next year anyways, because there doesn't seem to be an obvious powerhouse in the maritime division next season like Halifax this year. So basically, I don't think the trades changed much in the big picture. It more or less comes down to did Bourdon help us enough in the mem cup year to decide if the trades were worth it, and that point has been debated way too much and was too long ago for anybody to still care about.
It seems Torchetti got the best return he could get for Bourdon (even though it would have been nice to get Tessier) even though neither Barberio or Brannon have played a full season in Moncton yet. Some could argue that Barberio will be as good as Bourdon anyways. From a fan's perspective, we got to closely follow parts of the junior careers of Marchand, Samson, Bourdon, Barberio and Brannon, all potential NHLers, instead of just seeing Marchand's and Samson's entire careers. So I think it made it more exciting for us as junior hockey fans, cause one of the things we all love about junior hockey is watching future NHLers before they make it to the spotlight.
So overall, I think it's a good thing that the trades were made and it made following the wildcats for the last two seasons exciting and should make the next two seasons exciting too.
